Changes to Tier 2 Immigration Rules

09 Nov 2016

On the 3rd Nov. 2016 the UK government announced changes to the Immigration Rules regarding Tier 2 visa.

The following are the main changes:

• The salary threshold for the experienced workers has been increased to £25,000 for the majority of new applicants ( the salary threshold for new entrants has been held at £20,800). An exemption from this increase will apply for certain professions, however the exemption will end in July 2019;

• As a transitional arrangement, the £25,000 threshold will not apply to workers sponsored in Tier 2 (General) before the 24th Nov. 2016, if they apply to extended their stay in the category. The Government intends to increase the threshold to £30,000 in Apr. 2017; there will be no such transitional arrangement between 24th Nov 2016 and Apr 2017;

• Graduates who apply in the UK continue to be exempt from the limit;

• A change is being made to facilitate changes of occupation for applicants sponsored in graduate training programmes. This enables them to change occupation within the programme or at the end of the programme, without their sponsor needing to carry out a further Resident Labour Market Test or for them to make a new application;

• Nurses are being retained on the Shortage Occupation LIst, but Residents Labour Market Test is required before a nurse is assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship;

• Changes are being made to prevent switching from Tier 4 to Tier 2 where the applicant is relying on a qualification obtained via supplementary study and clarify that an applicant switching from Tier 4 must have studied their course at a UK recognised body or a body in receipt of public funding as a higher education institution;

• The salary for short term ICT applicants has been increased to £30,000 for new applicants. A transitional arrangement applies for those already in the UK under the short term route;

• The closure of the Skills Transfer sub-category to new applicants;

• Changs to the Graduate Trainee sub-category. The salary threshold has been reduced from £24,000 to £23,000 and the number of places a sponsor can use has been increased from 5 to 20 per year.

Above information from GOV, please visit for more information.

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