Conditions for permanent residence in the UK

Since 65438+February/2020 1 day, the new skilled worker visa has replaced the previous Tier 2 (ordinary) work visa and become the main way of work visa under the new points system. Applicants who hold Tier 2 (Ordinary) and can apply for permanent residence now need to apply for permanent residence according to the new visa category for skilled workers.

If you are applying for a new work permit for the first time, please click here to check the application process and requirements:

If you have a Tier 2 visa/new work visa for 5 years, it will involve the application for permanent residence. Next, we will explain in detail what requirements the new work permit needs to meet when applying for permanent residence.

Applying for a new permanent residence permit requires three types of requirements, which we will interpret for you in turn.

First kind

Application conditions and requirements

To meet the requirements of five-year permanent residence, it mainly depends on whether the following aspects meet the requirements:

Residence time requirement

The requirement of continuous residence in Britain

British permanent residence examination

Guarantee and wage requirements

1, residence requirements

The basic requirement of residence period is that the applicant must stay in the UK for five years before applying for permanent residence. Applicants who hold a new work visa or a second-class visa and have lived in the UK for five years are eligible to apply.

If you previously held the following visas and then obtained a new work visa, you can hold different visas for a total of five years, which is considered to meet the requirements:

Global talent visa (global talent)

Innovator visa

T2 Missionary Visa (T2 Minister of Religion)

T2 Athlete Visa (T2 Athlete)

Representatives of overseas enterprises.

Other Tier 1 visas except Tier 1 graduate entrepreneur visa.

2. Requirements for continuous residence

Applicants must not only live in the UK for five years, but also leave the UK for no more than 65,438+080 days in any 65,438+02 months.

If the applicant has very special personal circumstances, such as the applicant leaving the country because of the very special medical condition of his relatives, then the departure of these days can be counted as special circumstances and not included in the 180-day departure restriction.

Please note that continuous residence in the UK for five years requires the applicant to stay in the UK "legally" during this period. If you overstay in the UK, it will not be counted as legal time.

However, there are exceptions to this rule. According to the latest regulations of the Immigration Bureau, if the applicant overstays due to the epidemic during the period of 65438+1October 24th to August 3rd1in 2020, it will not be affected when applying for permanent residence.

3. British permanent residence examination

Simply put, all applicants who apply for permanent residence with a new work permit need to pass the "Living in the UK Test" (those who meet special circumstances can be exempted), commonly known as the permanent residence test. After passing the test, the applicant will get an electronic reference code as proof of applying for permanent residence.

4. Job security and salary requirements

To meet the requirements of job security, we mainly need the cooperation of employers. The employer needs to ensure that its guarantee qualification must be valid before the applicant obtains the application result; Secondly, employers need to confirm that they will continue to employ applicants in the foreseeable future. After the applicant obtains the permanent residency, the applicant has no job restrictions.

In terms of salary, the employer needs to ensure that the salary of the candidate is higher than the "general salary" and "the current salary of the profession".

If the applicant is engaged in short-term occupation, health or education, or engaged in doctoral work during his five-year stay in the UK, such as chemical scientist, biological scientist, biochemist, physical scientist, social and humanities scientist, R&D manager or higher education teaching expert, the current general salary threshold is 20,480 pounds per year. If the applicant's job does not belong to the above situation, the general salary threshold to be met is 25600.

The career-related salary threshold website is as follows. You can inquire according to your occupation code.

Providing materials to prove that you meet the conditions for permanent residence is also an important part of the application. Generally speaking, we suggest that applicants can provide payslips, bank statements and letters from employers to prove that they meet the requirements for permanent residence. But everyone's situation is different, and the materials needed will be different.

Please refer to our previous article on the regulations of work visa:

the second type

Validity of application

Knowing the application requirements, let's briefly talk about the second and third types of requirements. Generally speaking, most applicants will have no problem with the second and third requirements.

The requirement of "effectiveness" is easy to understand. As long as the correct application form is filled in, the application fee is paid, fingerprints and photos are collected, and the passport is provided, the validity requirements are met, and the application submitted by the applicant is valid.

As long as you meet the "validity period", you are protected by law while waiting for the application result, even if your current visa has expired; But if the application is invalid, you may become an "overstayer".

The third category

Other adaptive requirements of the applicant.

Reasons for compulsory refusal include that the applicant has committed certain criminal offences, is suspected of false marriage, made false statements or paid fees in the Ministry of the Interior or the National Health Service. Give a few examples:

If the visa officer thinks that the applicant's behavior, personality, etc. If it is not a criminal offence, but it is "not conducive to the public interest", the application will be rejected;

If the visa officer can prove that the applicant is likely to cheat in the application, the application will also be rejected;

If the applicant is convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment of at least 12 months, the applicant's application for permanent residence will be rejected no matter when the crime occurred.

The above are all the conditions that a new work visa needs to meet to apply for permanent residence. Applicants must ensure that their three requirements are met to ensure the success of their application. Good luck with your application.