The Points Based System for Immigration

The UK has a Points Based immigration System (PBS) which features four categories of immigration referred to as 'tiers'. The tiers are:

Tier 1: Highly skilled individuals;

Tier 2: Skilled workers with a job offer;

Tier 4: Students;

Tier 5: Youth mobility, government authorised exchange and temporary workers.

Of most interest to Glasgow’s students and graduates will be the following:

Tier 1 has five separate categories including the ‘post-study work (PSW)’ category. The post-study work category provides 2 years leave to remain in the UK in order to seek employment throughout the UK – not only in Scotland.  Applicants to the post study worker category must have completed a UK recognised degree at bachelors, masters or PhD level; a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or Professional Graduate Diploma of Education (PGDE); or a Higher National Diploma (HND) from a Scottish institution.  

Post study workers, will be eligible to switch to a sponsored skilled worker category (Tier 2: skilled workers with a job offer) at any point within their 2 year leave to remain period providing they have amassed the requisite number of points on attributes such as age, previous salary or prospective salary and qualifications.

Please note that the Teir 1: post-study work visa scheme will be closed on 5 April 2012.

With the closure of the post-study work route from 5th April 2012, the most likely immigration route for graduates will become the Tier 2 (general) visa. This scheme enables employers to recruit non-EEA nationals to work in the UK - in graduate level jobs only. Applicants for this visa need to obtain a suitable job offer and a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a sponsoring employer. In order to issue Certificates of Sponsorship to international talent employers need to obtain a licence from the UK Border Agency (UKBA). The register of sponsors on the UKBA website lists those employers who have already done so. This register will help you to gauge how open specific employers are to recruting international graduates.

Tier 2 eligibility

To qualify for a tier 2 (general) visa applicants need to accrue a total of 70 points, 50 of which must be awarded under the category of 'attributes' which includes:

• Sponsorship (there are 30 points available for having received a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licenced sponsor)
• Future expected earnings (20 points are available for a skilled job with a minimum threshold of £20,000 per year)

A further 20 points must be gained from two remaining categories which are:

• English Language (10 points) and
• Maintenance funds (10 points)

Please note that international students will only be able to switch to a tier 2 visa if they are in the UK, before their student visa expires.