Tier 2 Immigration Cap

On the 6th April 2011 the UK Government implemented an Immigration Cap which limits the number of individuals who can come to the UK each year under Tier 2 General of the Points Based System.

So far the Immigration Cap has not had a significant effect on Tier 2 General as the scheme has been wholly undersubscribed. However in the coming years the Government may look to reduce the cap to a level where lower level applicants under Tier 2 General find it very difficult to gain a skilled visa. Please note that the Immigration Cap only affects certain ‘out of country’ Tier 2 General applications.

Are you a highly skilled IT, Engineering, Medical or Financial Services Professional? Do you need a Tier 2 General visa for the UK? If so Commonwealth Contractors may be able to help! We partner with Tier 2 Licensed employers and consultancies who may be prepared, where required, to sponsor an individual under Tier 2 General.

To find out more call now on 0330 390 9021 or Submit your Details and we will get right back to you!

Monthly CoS Allocation Statistics

The UK Border Agency administers the Immigration Cap system on a month by month basis with the cut off being the 5th of each month. Applications for restricted Certificates of Sponsorship received by the cut off date are considered during the course of the following week and once approved are credited to the license holders Sponsor Management System.

For example:

• A Tier 2 license holder submits a ‘Restricted’ CoS application to the UKBA on the 2nd of the month (via the Sponsor Management System)
• The UKBA close off the period on the 5th of the month
• Applications for ‘Restricted’ Certificates of Sponsorship are considered by the UKBA between the 6th – 13th of the month
• Around the 14th of the month the UKBA credits a ‘Restricted’ Certificate of Sponsorship to the applying organisations Sponsor Management System
• The sponsor can then assign the CoS to the worker

When the UKBA brought in the Immigration Cap they front loaded the system with 4,200 Certificates of Sponsorship as they expected a significant number of applications. Following months were given an allocation of 1,500 per month with any remaining certificates rolled over to the following month.

The following table shows the total number of certificates available for allocation in 2011 and the number of certificates actually approved.

** Please note that the above table does not detail Certificates of Sponsorship reclaimed as not assigned within 3 months

CoS Approvals where the Immigration Cap is reached

In the event that the Immigration Cap is actually reached the UK Border Agency use a points based system to decide the most worthy applications.

Those applications with more points (as detailed below) are prioritised ahead of lower level applications.

The PhD level SOC codes are

• 1137 – Research and Development Managers
• 2111 – Chemists
• 2112 – Biological Scientists and Research Chemists
• 2113 – Physicists, Geologists and Meteorologists
• 2311 – Higher Education teaching Professionals
• 2321 – Scientific Researchers
• 2322 – Social Science Researchers
• 2329 – Researchers not elsewhere classified

Find out More

To find out more about our solutions call now on 0330 390 9021 or Submit your Details and we will get right back to you!