Getting jobs abroad is a dream of many students and the UK is one of the most sought-after locations. But getting a visa with sponsorship is very difficult if one does not know the right process for it. The UK is very clear about the visa policy that every individual needs to follow. This is a reason why visa sponsorship may be hard for many job applicants.
There are new immigration rules in place which is a point-based system. All the non-UK residents who wish to get employed in UK-based companies now require sponsorship. It also puts recruiters under scrutiny who now need to apply for a sponsor license to higher non-UK residents. In this article, we will explain the sponsorship process and how hard it may be to get a sponsor for a job.
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What is the Application Process Like?
Because of strict rules, the application process is somewhat complicated. Sponsorship means that a company or an individual based in the UK is willing to take complete responsibility for your visa application and conduct. Usually, when a recruiter hires an individual not residing within the country they provide sponsorship by default.
Any individual seeking employment needs to apply for a tier 2 visa. It is legally mandated for any individual who already has a job offer. More often than not, the employer would be responsive with which you will be eligible for applying. A tier 2 visa is applicable for both internships and jobs in the UK.
There is an eligibility criterion related to the qualifications of an applicant which verifies that an individual is actually hired by the said company. The UK government has specified a set salary for any individual working in the country. Other details of the application process include background checks and medical examinations.
What are the Reforms for Employers?
The employers are legally mandated to be sponsors for any migrant workers who are hired on a short-term or long-term basis. An individual requires sponsorship if they are not a settled worker and do not possess immigration permissions. All the employers hiring nonresidents are first required to apply for becoming a sponsor to the Home Office.
The license application process is very long and tiring for an organization. It is also costly which is why the government has made some reforms and has re-designed the procedure. There is now a priority service offered to employers and the facility of filling out the details online.
The biggest reforms by the government have been fixtures on reducing the time taken for an employer to become a sponsor for their recruits. The government removed the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) which makes the Certificate of Sponsorship come sooner rather than later. If an employer wants some help with the process, they can consult platforms like https://imperiallegal.com/sponsorship-licence/.
The EEA nationals can now take advantage of technological advancement and get sponsored faster with a points-based system. The biometric system allows for personal details to be fed into the system quickly which is a true proof of identification. It also verifies the authenticity of the passport of the visa application which helps in streamlining the process.
What is the Eligibility Criteria for a Tier 2 Visa?
The applicant has to look through the eligibility criteria for official immigration into the country. Here are the two prerequisites that you need to have for the visa:
- A letter of employment from an employer based in the country.
- A certificate of sponsorship from the employer.
The certificate of sponsorship is only issued to an individual after their employment is confirmed. It certifies that the individual fulfils the qualification requirements for the job for which they are being hired. Apart from being qualified for the job, the candidate should also be qualified for the visa application.
What are the Documents Required?
Any application cannot be processed without the submission of all the required documents. The country allows for applications to be processed only after the following documents have been submitted with the application.
- A certificate of sponsorship
- A document outlines the amount of salary you would be drawing. It should be enough to help an individual sustain themselves by the government’s standards.
- English language proficiency tests.
- Proof of stable finances to help with the travel from your home country and into the UK.
- Negative tuberculosis test results if the applicant is from a select list of countries.
- A list of criminal records from the last place of residence from anywhere a candidate lived for more than 12 months in the previous ten years before employment.
If you have all of these documents with you, it will not be hard to fill out a visa application. The complete application will be processed in about 3 weeks within which you will get to know if it was accepted or denied. If all the documents are in order, it will most likely be accepted.
How Hard is it to Get Sponsored?
Getting sponsored as an employee who will be migrating to work in the UK is not hard at all if the employer already has a sponsorship license. If the individual is getting paid to UK standards, they will be able to complete the paperwork for the application easily and get a positive result. The process is hard only if the employer hasn’t first applied for a license. They will have to become a sponsor legally and then issue it to a non-resident.
The Takeaway
Make sure to only submit an application after verifying the legitimacy of all the information you are submitting. It is better to double-check the important details with the employer regarding sponsorship and salary. Having a clean criminal record also helps in getting a good result. The medical examination is also a must and biometrics will also be fed into the system for future reference. If all is done, one can apply easily.