What Do You Know About UK's Points Based Visa Application System?
When applying for jobs overseas, it is important to understand immigration rules and regulations to navigate job applications better. Not complying with those rules or not meeting the required thresholds can result in a work visa application being rejected, which can be a financial loss for some.
Different countries may have different immigration systems. In the UK, for example, a points-based system is used to assess whether you will be eligible for a work visa to work legally. It is a standard and easy to follow system that helps you start preparing for your job application journey early on.
In order to apply for a work visa, which includes a Skilled Worker visa and Health and Care visa, you will need to earn a total of 70 points. If you do not meet this requirement, your work visa application will be denied. Then, how can someone earn 70 points?
When it comes to earning points, there are both mandatory and tradeable points. An applicant must score 50 points from the mandatory criteria. The mandatory criteria include:
- Having a job offer from an approved sponsor (20 points)
You will receive 20 points for having a job offer from an approved sponsor. You can find the full list of approved sponsors here. It is important to understand that being an approved sponsor does not mean the company hires foreign nationals due to various factors. On UK Visa Jobs, we only list vacancies from approved sponsors who confirmed that they hire foreign nationals and offer visa sponsorship.
Having a job offer from an approved sponsor is a mandatory requirement. Without a job offer, you cannot apply for a work visa. You should be very cautious that you cannot buy a UK work visa, and if someone offers you such a service, it is most likely to be a scam. You can apply for visa-sponsored jobs yourself and legally obtain a job offer from a sponsored employer by demonstrating your skills.
- Job at appropriate skill level (20 points)
Only getting a job offer is not enough. The job must be at an appropriate skill level to be eligible for a work visa sponsorship, which is a mandatory requirement for another 20 points.
Normally companies assess whether the job they advertise is at an appropriate level and then decide whether to sponsor a work visa or not. On UK Visa Jobs, we only post jobs that are at the appropriate skill level for that specific field, removing the hassle for you.
- Meeting the English language requirement (10 points)
Out of all mandatory criteria, this could be the one you can easily satisfy, and you do not have to rely on any third party, like an employer or school. If you can prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale, you will get 10 points.
Level B1 is normally equivalent to 5.5 in IELTS, which means you need to score 5.5 in each IETLS component to satisfy the English language requirement. If you study or have studied in the UK, you do not have to prove your language level by taking exams, as your degree certificate will be enough to prove your language skills. You can read more here.
You cannot get a UK work visa without meeting all three requirements above. If you meet all of them, you will gain 50 points. What you need to do next is to earn the remaining 20 points, which are known as ‘tradeable’ points.
You can earn tradable points based on your salary and/or academic level. The good news is that companies often assess this requirement before confirming whether they accept foreign nationals. Therefore, the roles posted on UK Visa Jobs can easily help you gain the remaining 20 points to achieve the required 70 points.
However, if you wondered how you could achieve the 20 points, here is the explanation.
If you have a PhD in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subject relevant to the job, you will get 20 points. In addition to the 50 points gained from the job offer, this will make it 70 points in total.
Or, if you are paid a salary of £25,600 or above or at least the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher), you can earn 20 points. It is important to note that salary requirements vary depending on the role. For example, if you work as a manager, you may need to get paid £30,000 to earn 20 points. Again, employers often assess this before deciding on sponsoring someone. You can also check the salary reference on UK Visa Jobs to see whether your job meets this requirement.
It is important to note that the salary requirement for a visa may go up in April 2024, following a recent announcement from the government.
If the job you are applying for is a shortage occupation designated by the Migration Advisory Committee, you may also get 20 points. However, this may change in the next few months following a recent announcement from the government.
If you cannot earn 20 points at once, you can earn two 10 points to make it a total of 20 points.
If you have a PhD degree in a subject relevant to the job that you are applying for, you will get 10 points. For example, you have a PhD degree in business management, and you have received a job offer for a business management role.
If you earn a salary of £23,040 to £25,599 or at least 90% of the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher), you can earn 10 points.
In short, you cannot satisfy the UK work visa requirement without getting a job offer from an approved employer and meeting all the requirements. UK Visa Jobs is the platform where you can start your job application without worrying about the visa.
