7 questions and answers about the new procedures for obtaining a visa
British Home Secretary Priti Patel unveiled the final details of the new immigration system that the country will adopt at the beginning of next year, that is, immediately after the end of the transition phase to exit from the European Union.
In a 130-page document, the British Home Office announced all the procedures that those wishing to enter its territory for the purpose of work or study must follow.
Britain has moved to work with the point system, and European Union citizens will not have any preferential advantage over the rest of immigrants if they wish to work in the country.
The new system aims to reduce the number of immigrants significantly, and withdraw it to less than 100 thousand per year, noting that the total number of immigrants to the United Kingdom amounts to 300 thousand immigrants annually.
What is the new British rating system?
The new system relies on awarding points for each immigration application, and in order to obtain approval, the candidate must score 70 points, divided by the extent of proficiency in the English language, and a work contract from a British institution, provided that the job is in a field that requires specific skills, especially in the field Technical, electronic, scientific research and health.
In the event that three conditions are met, a certificate proving language proficiency, a work contract with an annual salary of 25,600 pounds sterling, and a guarantee of a job classified as requiring "high competence", then the immigration applicant gets 50 points out of 70.
While the remaining 20 points can be accumulated through the availability of the immigration student, who has a doctorate in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, or if the work contract is in a job that suffers a severe shortage in the British labor market, and the British government will publish a list of these jobs.
The British government also granted the right to people who work in the fields of health and education to get 20 points, even if their salary is less than 25 thousand and 600 pounds sterling, provided that their salary is not less than 20 thousand and 480 pounds sterling.
How can the chances of approval of the immigration application be increased?
The new system is not in the interest of the so-called "low-efficiency jobs", that is, workers in the shops and farms, handicrafts and craftsmen. On the other hand, those who are able to obtain a work contract with an annual salary of more than 30 thousand pounds sterling will increase their rating.
There is a list of preferred professions whose owners will not have problems obtaining a work visa, and all of them are highly qualified professions, such as people who have a doctorate in the technological, scientific and technical fields, in addition to workers in the field of medicine.
What is new about work visas?
One of the most important changes that took place in the British immigration system regarding work visas was that it withdrew the requirement to establish a certain number of contracts that any institution could provide to bring in labor from abroad, and in the new system, any company could issue the number of work contracts it wanted and bring workers from abroad. Provided that it guarantees them an annual salary of more than 25 thousand pounds sterling and that the job is classified as being among the professions that require competence.
What about study visas?
The British government has not set any limits on the number of study visas that can be granted annually, but the new change that is in the interest of students is that any student who obtains a master’s degree, the new system gives him the right to stay in the country for two years after completing his studies, which is a sufficient period to obtain A job. As for students who hold a doctorate, they have the right to stay in the country for a period of three years, after completing their studies.
Students will also be graded according to the same 70-point system, 50 of which can be obtained from the availability of university approval, documents that prove academic degrees obtained, and a document showing availability of a place of residence, while 10 points are awarded on proving the financial ability to finance the study in Britain. And another 10 that the student gets after presenting certificates of proficiency in the English language.
What about visa costs?
Qualified work visa applicants will have to pay £ 1,220 to obtain a three-year work visa, in addition to paying health services expenses of £ 624 annually, and the employer will also have to pay other expenses of £ 1,000 per year.
What about a very high caliber visa?
The new immigration system launched a visa that releases a very high-caliber visa, and this concerns a specific category of people who have higher degrees in the field of scientific, technical or medical research and work in innovation and invention laboratories and have long years of experience, and these can obtain this visa even without having the Employment contract, and it is sufficient to obtain a recommendation from a research institution recognized in Britain.
How can the rest of the family join Britain?
There will be no special procedures for family members wishing to join an immigrant in Britain who has a work visa, as those wishing to join are not required to have a job or even familiarity with the English language, and the wife can join her husband, and vice versa, in addition to children under the age of 18 years
