
From
next month, non-EU migrants earning less than £35,000 will be forced to
leave the UK Home Office announced recently. The policy which comes
into force on April 6, applies to all overseas workers who have been in
the UK for five years on a Tier 2 visa.
If they can’t prove that they’re earning
more than £35,000, they will be denied settlement and will face
deportation. Teachers, IT professionals and journalists could all be
badly affected.
According to Metro.co.uk,
A petition launched at the beginning of the year called for the
threshold to be reconsidered – it gathered more than 100,000 signatures
and was debated in parliament last week.
Who is a Non EU Migrant?
A Non EU migrant is someone who moves to the UK from a country that is not a member of the European Union.
What is a Tier 2 visa?
To settle in the UK as a skilled worker, non-EU migrants need to have a Tier 2 visa. For this you need:
An offer for a job in the UK that pays at least £20,800
Have had at least £945 in your bank account for 90 days
A certificate of sponsorship from your employer (which can cost between £536 and £1,476)
To pay a £200 annual healthcare surcharge
To prove your English language proficiency
After five years on this visa,
skilled workers are able to apply for ‘indefinite leave to remain’ – and
this is what is about to change.
From April, anyone applying for indefinite leave to remain will need to earn at least £35,000.
However, Nurses are temporarily exempt
from this threshold, along with PhD-level jobs and any professions that
have been on the official ‘shortage occupation list’ while the person
has been living in the U.K. Teachers, however, are not exempt (unless
they are professors in certain disciplines).
What if I’ve been in the UK for more than five years?
Then you won’t be deported – the new
rule doesn’t apply to anyone who entered the country on a Tier 2 visa on
or before April 5 2011. Also, if you’ve been living in the U.K for 10
continuous years, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain with no
salary threshold.
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