Visas

Tier 1 (General)
Highly Skilled Migrant Programme

Tier 1 (General), previously Highly Skilled Migrant Program (HSMP), is designed to attract the best and the brightest individuals, allowing them to continue and broaden their careers in the UK. Once approved, there is no restriction with respect to employment and applicants can establish themselves in business or engage in academic research.

From 19 July 2010, in order to secure a Tier 1 General visa, you will need to score at least 80 points based on a combination of the following:

• Age
• Qualifications
• Previous Earnings
• Experience in the UK

Additionally, you are required to score at least 20 points based on the following:

• English language; and
• Maintenance, ie funds

Please use our Tier 1 points calculator to judge how many points you might be able to achieve. Points are awarded for the following;

AGE

You will score points based on your age at the date of the application. The points awarded are:

• 20 points are awarded if a candidate is 29 or under
• 10 points are awarded if they are between 30 and 34
• 5 points are awarded if they are between 35 and 39
• 40+ no points

QUALIFICATIONS

You can score up to 45 points for your qualifications. The points awarded are:

• 45 points for a PhD
• 35 points for a Master's degree
• 30 points for a Bachelor's degree

You should note that:

• points are only awarded for one qualification
• points are only awarded for a qualification which is assessed and recognised by the National Academic Recognition Information Centre (UK NARIC) to meet or exceed the recognised standard of a Bachelor's degree, Master's degree or a PhD in the United Kingdom; and
• points are awarded for vocational or professional qualifications that are treated by UK NARIC to be the same as a PhD, Master's degree or Bachelor's degree.

PREVIOUS EARNINGS

The table below shows the points awarded if you are applying to come to the UK under Tier 1 (General), or if you are currently in the UK in a different immigration category (other than those listed below).

You will need to convert the amount that you have earned into pounds sterling (£) for each country in which you have worked.

You will then need to multiply the amount according to the multiple given for each country in which you worked. Each country has been grouped into one of five bands. Click here to see the multiple for the country in which you worked.

Add any multiplied earnings from different countries together.

You will score points for your total multiplied earnings based on the table below:

Previous earnings (£) points scores
5pts	15pts	20pts	25pts	30pts
25,000+	30,000+	35,000+	40,000+	50,000+
35pts	40pts	45pts	75pts
55,000+	65,000+	75,000+	150,000+

UK EXPERIENCE

You can score up to 5 points if you have earned more than £25,000 in the UK or if you have been in full-time study in the UK for at least one full academic year, and have been awarded a qualification at bachelor's degree level or above within the past five years.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

You must have a minimum level of English language and score 10 points in this section, or your application will be refused.

There are three ways that you can score points for English language. You can:

• be a national of a listed* majority English speaking country; or
• pass an English language test on our list of approved English language tests; or
• hold a degree assessed by UK NARIC as being taught in English and is equivalent to a United Kingdom bachelor's degree or above.

* Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America

You will also meet the English language requirement if:

• you were given permission to stay under a tier 1 category (other than investors or post-study workers) and are applying for an extension; or
• you were given permission to stay as a highly skilled migrant under the immigration rules that came into force on 5 December 2006, and you are applying for an extension under a tier 1 category.

Degree Taught in English

You can score 10 points if you hold a degree which is equivalent to United Kingdom bachelor's level or above and which was taught or researched in English to a particular level. We will consider this to be proof of your English language ability.

The qualification must be recognised by UK NARIC as:

• equivalent to at least a United Kingdom bachelor's degree; and
• having been taught in English to a standard comparable to that of level C1 on the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR).

Where the degree was taken in a majority English speaking country it is assumed that it was taught in English. This includes Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States of America.

If the degree was taken in another country, you can claim points if the NARIC points-based calculator confirms that:

• your degree is equivalent to at least a United Kingdom bachelors degree; and
• the degree was taught to a competent standard of English equivalent to level C1 on the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR).

MAINTENANCE

You must also be able to demonstrate that you held the funds detailed below for a period of three months or more immediately preceding the date of your application.

If you are applying from within the United Kingdom, the balance must show that you have had at least £800 in your account at all times over the three-month period.

If you are applying from outside the United Kingdom, the balance must show that you have had at least £2,800 in your account at all times over the three-month period.

The personal bank or building society statements should clearly show:

• your name
• the account number
• the date of the statement
• the financial institution's name and logo
• transactions covering the three-month period
• that there is enough funds present in the account
• that there has been enough money present in the account for the past three months

If you submit electronic bank statements from an online account these must contain all of the details listed above. In addition, you will need to send a supporting letter from your bank, on headed paper, confirming that the statements are genuine. Alternatively, electronic bank statements with the official stamp of the bank that issued the statements will be accepted. The stamp must appear on every page of the statement.

Statements which simply show the balance in the account on a particular day are not acceptable as these documents do not show that you hold enough funds for the full period required.

Evidence must be in the form of cash funds. Other accounts or financial instruments for example, shares, bonds and pension funds, regardless of notice are not acceptable.

If you wish to rely on a joint account as evidence of available funds, you must be named on the account along with one or more other named individual.

For applications made either in the United Kingdom or overseas, all evidence must be dated no more than one month before the application is submitted.