Once the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) has been issued, the prospective employee will then need to make the General Visa application.
Skilled Worker (Tier 2):
Under this route, applicants for the Skilled Worker (Tier 2) Visa can stay in the UK for up to five years. After completing the initial five years, the applicant can then apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. The applicant’s family can also the then under this visa.
The applicant will need to demonstrate that they have an offer from a company with licensing; and have been provided with a certificate of sponsorship as well as an English language ability and maintenance funds.
Under Tier 2 visa, there is a range of subcategories. These include:
1) Tier 2 (General)
2) Tier 2 Ministers of Religion
3) Tier 2 Sports persons
4) Tier 2 Intra- Company transfers
5) Tier 2 General sponsored workers
The UK Tier 2 Visa is valid for 5 years. The applicant can then extend this if they meet the correct the eligibility criteria.
Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer:
This visa is designed to support companies who wish to transfer existing employees from abroad into their UK office.
Under this visa, there are different types of Intra-company Transfer Visas:
1) Long term staff
2) Short term staff
3) Graduate trainee
4) Skills transfer
As an employer you will not need to advertise the job role for 28 days. The employee won’t be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK at the end of the visa period. Applicants under this category must obtain an appropriate salary and certificate of sponsorship. The applicant’s maintenance and English requirements will be assessed by the immigration authorities.
NHS Visa:
A new visa for healthcare professionals with a job offer from the NHS has been introduced. This visa is fast-tracked to enable those who are already able to speak English and have sufficient training to make an easy transition to working in the UK.