To Get Work Permit In Uk
Although the United Kingdom is not really a popular work permit country for Pakistanis, there are still hundreds of Pakistani workers who each year apply for work permits.
Visiting a foreign country for work purpose can be quite challenging. You have to go through several red tapes and hurdles just to get a work permit and work visa. The last time I went abroad for work, I had a really hard time due to lack of proper guidance. But I don’t want you to encounter the same issues as I did.
The United Kingdom has four visa categories which are essential for an overseas national to get work permit in UK. The Work Permit is designed to obtain employment in a particular job, which means that travellers and seasonal workers don’t need it.
Expanding your company abroad and into the United Kingdom requires a team of skilled employees. Whether you already have a trusted team at your parent company ready to move and work in the UK or you’re opening up positions to people around the world, you need to know about the United Kingdom’s work permits and visas.
Many companies already handling a global expansion don’t have time to learn about work visas, permits, and how to obtain them.
Types of Work Visas in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom’s main immigration route is through the Points Based System (PBS). First, migrants outside the European Economic Area (EEA) apply to one of five tiers based on their desire to work, study, invest, or train in the country. They must pass a points-based assessment focused on the conditions, entitlements, and entry requirements for each tier. Applicants have to get a sufficient number of points based on age, qualifications, language, earnings, and funds to get entry clearance or remain in the United Kingdom.
All five tiers encompass certain visas:
- Tier one: These visas are meant for highly skilled workers, entrepreneurs, investors, and graduate students living outside the European Union (EU) and EEA. These candidates do not need a job offer to apply.
- Tier two: Skilled workers, professional sportspeople, and clergy members outside the EEA can apply for a visa within tier two when they have a job offer and can fill gaps within the country’s labor force.
- Tier three: Tier three visas were meant for low-skilled workers providing temporary labor. However, the government decided not to accept immigrants from outside the EU for tier three positions and have since removed these visas.
- Tier four: Students over age 16 from outside the EEA should apply for a tier four visa if they want to study at a school, college, or university in the country.
- Tier five: This category has six sub-tiers of temporary workers related to creative and sporting positions, charity, religious workers, and young people who work in the UK on working holidays.
Requirements to Obtain UK Work Visas
The requirements for a United Kingdom working visa vary based on which tier and visa your employees need. Tier two encompasses most long-term visas except for the special talent mentioned in tier one. The tier two general UK work visa is the most common for companies expanding, as it’s for people outside the EEA and Switzerland who have a job offer in the UK.
All general work visa applicants must have an employer or a licensed sponsor. Although the requirements vary by type of work permit, the most common include:
- An application form
- Two color photographs taken within the past six months
- A valid passport
- Proof of financial means to cover UK living costs
- Proof of accommodation
- Detailed travel itinerary
- Tuberculosis test results
- Biometric information
- A visa invitation letter if the individual is staying with a friend or family member
- Paid UK visa fees
- Certified translations of any document that’s not in English or Welsh
Application Process
Your employees should apply for a UK visa three months before they want to begin working for you. Visa application processing can take up to three weeks, so it’s important to apply early at an application center or online through the UK Home Office Visas and Immigration Services website. The PBS system means the requirements and evaluations change for each tier, and some categories may have additional requirements, so make sure your employees know what they need to apply.
Other Important Considerations
There are other ways for people to work in the UK besides the traditional work permit and visa routes. For example, Commonwealth citizens with a British grandparent can apply for an ancestry visa to work in the country if they meet other eligibility criteria. These citizens may also have a right of abode to live in the UK. If your company has an employee that left the UK for more than two years through indefinite leave to remain (ILR), they may need only a returning resident visa to come back and work.
How much does a UK work permit cost?
The costs associated with applying for the right to work in the UK differs depending on the visa or permit, but are usually made up of an application fee, a healthcare surcharge and money to support you when you arrive.
Here you can see some of the most popular visas and roughly how much you, and any accompanying family, can expect to pay. There are application fee discounts available to people of certain nationalities.
| Visa/permit type | Application fee | Healthcare surcharge¹⁶ | Amount in Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker¹⁷ | £610 to £1,408 per person (or less if occupation is on the job shortage list) | £624 per year | £1,270 per person |
| Intracompany Transfer¹⁸ | £610 to £1,408 per person | £624 per year | £1,270 per person |
| Health and Care Worker¹⁹ | up to 3 years – £232 per personmore than 3 years – £464 per person | N/A | £1,270 per person |
| Temporary – Seasonal Worker⁷ | £244 | £624 per year | £1,270 or equivalent support from sponsor⁶ |
| Temporary -Graduate²⁰ | £700 | £624 per year | N/A |
| Temporary – Creative and Sporting¹⁰ | £244 per person | £624 per year | £1,270 per person⁹ |
| Other – Innovator¹¹ | £1021 – £1277 per person | £624 per year | £1,270²¹ |
| Other – Start-up¹² | £363 – £493 per person | £624 per year | £1,270²² |
Conclusion
A great description of various visa options and of the application process. In this article we are also describing the rules for UK working permit forms, as well as what you had to do for a particular task. A lot of useful links connected with the visas policy. We tend to point out new things at our site referring to Touriago topic.