What the Tier 2 (General) visa was
Tier 2 (General) was the main route for skilled workers with a job offer from a licensed UK employer between 2008 and 2020. It was part of the points-based system, and it is the route that the Skilled Worker visa replaced on 1 December 2020. New applications are no longer made as Tier 2 (General), but the name is still widely used, and people who held the visa still have questions about what it means for them now.
How the old route worked
| Points | What they were for |
|---|---|
| 50 | Attributes: a certificate of sponsorship (30) and an appropriate salary (20) |
| 10 | English language |
| 10 | Maintenance funds |
An applicant needed 70 points. Employers were limited by a monthly cap on certificates for people coming from overseas, and had to run a resident labour market test in most cases. A 12-month cooling-off period applied to a Tier 2 migrant who left and wanted to return. The cap, the test and the cooling-off period all ended with the move to the Skilled Worker route.
If you hold or held Tier 2 (General) permission
- Your permission stays valid until it expires. It was not cancelled by the change.
- To stay longer, you apply to extend as a Skilled Worker. Time on Tier 2 (General) counts towards the five years needed for settlement.
- To settle, you apply for indefinite leave to remain once you have five years’ qualifying residence and meet the other conditions. See ILR for Skilled Workers and indefinite leave to remain.
- If you got your first certificate before 4 April 2024, some more favourable salary rules still apply when you extend or update your visa.
If you want a new work visa
A new application is made as a Skilled Worker, which requires a licensed sponsor, a job at the right skill level and salary, and English at B2 for new applicants. See the Skilled Worker visa, the Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List, and closed UK visa routes and what replaced them.
For employers
The old terms “Tier 2 licence”, “restricted certificate” and “unrestricted certificate” are now the sponsor licence and the certificate of sponsorship. See sponsor licences and certificates of sponsorship.
How we help
We confirm which route your permission belongs to, work out when you can settle, and prepare extensions and settlement applications. A consultation costs from £99.
