Tier 2 - Sponsored UK Work Permit Information
Tier 2 visa's (UK Work Permits) require an employer to sponsor you. Your stay in UK is tied to that employer. After 5 years of sponsored employment you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (Residency) and after a further year you can apply for citizenship and a British passport.
**NEWS FLASH** If you are a skilled contractor in IT, Finance, Telecommunications or Engineering who will earn more than £250 per day our partners can sponsor you on a UK work permit! You can net more of your gross earnings! Permits processed in 1 to 5 weeks! Direct path to a British Passport!
"With over a decades experience in the UK working with international contractors we have the experience and ability to assist experienced professionals obtain the Work Permit / Tier 2 visa / Sponsorship you need to do contract work in UK."
Please contact us now for more information **END NEWSFLASH**
The Tier 2 - Sponsored UK Work Permit regulations changed from 6th April 2011. The Tier 2 (General) category will be subject to a limit on numbers to 20,700 per year. The limit will apply to Tier 2 (General) positions that have a salary of less than £150,000 per annum and are to be filled by individuals entering the UK from overseas.
The limit will not apply to; ICT's, Tier 2 CoS with a salary of £150,000 or more, any in-country change of employment/extension/switch of immigration category.
Please contact us now for more information
The Entry Clearance application process will also change with the points system to be streamlined. A Valid CoS will provide 30 points, the appropriate salary for the role 20 points, maintenance 10 points and a B1 level English language 10 points. Minimum of 70 points required.
Means that the points will no longer be awarded for an an individuals qualifications.
Work Permits for Freelance Contractors
Work Permits UK
Have you ever wanted to work as a contractor in the lucrative UK Contractor Market? Our partner companies can make this happen. Just fill in this brief form and we will get back to you straight away.
Our service is completely free and will take 2 minutes of your time so why not contact us and find out whether our partner companies could sponsor you on a Tier 2 Work Permit.
We have lots more information on Tier 2 Work Permit Sponsorship,
including examples of how we've helped many Contractors get a Work Visa for the UK
Case Study
Simone, a New Zealand SAP Consultant was working in a permanent position for a global company in London.
Many of her colleagues were working in the same position but as contractors, earning over 60% more than she was. Her Work Permit was tied to the company but a colleague referred her to www.contractortaxation.com and now her Work Permit is sponsored by a Contractor Management Company and she is working as a contractor in London. Her job is more enjoyable, she's earning more than double and she gets to choose each assignment. Who doesn't want more freedom & more money?.
ContractorMan action figure courtesy of HappyWorker
Tier 2 Switching Guide
A Tier 2 switch means that you transfer your visa from a different category to a UK Work Permit (Tier 2 Visa) without leaving the UK or making a new application for entry clearance. NB: This is different from changing Tier 2 sponsors - where you already have a Tier 2 visa but want to change employers.
It is a simple process and has become very popular in recent years due to the extensive changes to other immigration categories like scrapping the HSMP programme, removing the Tier 1 (general) category, changing the Tier 1 PSW criteria and repeated tweaks to the Tier 5 / Working Holiday Visa.
The Tier 2 program has been relatively stable - especially for those working within IT, Finance, Engineering and Telecommunications. These industries haven't been as badly affected by the introduction of caps and reduction in Tier 2 quota. Contact us if you'd like to discuss moving to a Tier 2 permit as a contractor.
You can switch into Tier 2 (General) from the following immigration categories (this information is from the UK Border Agency - you can check the most recent here) :
- any Tier 1 category
- Tier 2 (Sportsperson)
- Tier 2 (Minister of religion)
- any Tier 4 category
- dependant partner of a Tier 4 migrant
- Highly Skilled Migrant Programme
- innovator
- Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme
- International Graduates Scheme (or its predecessor, the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme)
- Business and Commercial work permits (except multiple entry work permits)
- Sports and Entertainment work permits (except multiple entry work permits)
- Jewish agency employee
- Member of the operational ground staff of an overseas-owned airline
- minister of religion, missionary or member of a religious order
- overseas qualified nurse or midwife
- person writing up a thesis
- postgraduate doctor or dentist
- representative of an overseas business
- student
- student re-sitting an examination
- student nurse
- student union sabbatical officer
*November 2011 newsflash*
If you are on a Tier 1 visa (any category) then you can switch to a Tier 2 (General) Work Permit in-country. This means your application will be processed without you having to leave the UK. This greatly reduces the expense and hassle of moving onto a work permit.
Tier 2 Switching Sponsors
If you are already sponsored on a Tier 2 UK Work Permit and want to change your employer the process is simple. If you are currently in permanent work and want to go contracting on a Tier 2 permit then please contact us immediately.
Our partners will arrange to switch your work permit sponsor and you can more than double your permanent salary with your freelance earnings.
You can start contracting in just 2 weeks. They just have to fill in a simple Tier 2 change of employment application. As long the new role has a similar salary rate and job description as your current sponsored employment then there is no need to re-apply, your permit is just transferred to the new employer.
Want to know more? Please contact us.
Change from a Tier 5 Visa (Youth Mobility Scheme) to Tier 2 Visa (Work Permit)
This is what's more commonly known as changing from a Working Holiday Visa to a Work Permit.
So you moved to the United Kingdom on a Working Holiday Visa, you've made great progress and now - just when you are earning great money, enjoying the benefits of London life, getting terrific contracting opportunities and exposure at a level that just isnt available back home - your two years are up and you have to leave. Or do you?
Our sponsorship partners are able to assist Working Holiday Makers in moving onto Sponsored (Tier 2) Work Permits. You can keep working at the same client sites and pursuing the same contracts and netting a terrific % of gross billing, normally 65%++!!
Contact us for more information please be sure to mention you want to change from a Working Holiday Visa to a Work Permit in your application.
Switching from Tier 1 to Tier 2 UK Work Permit
If you want to switch from a Tier 1 visa to a Tier 2 (General) Visa whilst you are on a Tier 1 visa in the UK, it is simple under the current rules. This includes the Tier 1 PSW Post Study Work category.
Our partners can transfer Contractors Tier 1 visa to a Tier 2 work permit in just 1 week, contact us to get started. You can keep contracting and continue to earn 65%+ of your gross billing.
It doesn't matter which category of Tier 1 you are under - all these sub-classes are included:
- Tier 1 PSW (Post Study Work)
- Tier 1 General
- Tier 1 Investor
- Tier 1 Entreprenuer
Even permits from the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) can be switched to a Tier 2 Visa under this process. You can see our full Tier 2 switching guide here.
Fill in this form to get a free summary of how to switch your Tier 1 visa to a Tier 2 Work Permit - it's free! We will let you know which of our partners can help with the transfer and then its up to you if you want to change over.
UK Work Permit - common questions
Common questions we get from people about UK work permits:
Will it lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain?
Normally yes. All our sponsorship partners support applications for settlement and British citizenship.
How much will I earn?
It varies according to your rate, how much you work and your personal circumstances (whether you have a family, etc). You will earn roughly twice the equivalent permanent salary after taxes, fees and all deductions.
How long will it take?
If you are in UK on a Work Permit already it can be as quick as 2 weeks. Otherwise from outside the uk it wiill take 2-6 weeks but this is dependant on the processing times with UK government and what time of the month your application is made.
Note for contractors seeking sponsored employment our partners are able to assist you. FIND OUT MORE
Why a Work Permit?
You are more likely to get a work permit sponsor if you are a high earning individual in a specialised or high demand industry like Information Technology, Finance, Medical, Management, Insurance, Education, Pharmacy, Mining and Energy.
In the contracting and temporary sector it helps to engage a specialist sponsor because often endclients may not have experience of organising work permits. Additionally it will solve the expensive exercise of obtaining a fresh work permit and entry clearance each time you change end client. Recruitment agency involvement tends to muddy the waters, but often a mutually agreeable solution can be found between the sponsor and the agency.
If you already have a UK company who has offered you a job but the sponsorship is proving difficult, or you know from research there is a strong demand for your services in the UK but havent organised a position yet, or you wish to explore the options of contract work in the UK and would need a work permit to do so, please get in touch. Just give us the details of your circumstances. We can discuss the options with you in more detail, and one of our partners should be able to assist you. There is no fee for a consultation.
If you wish to have the flexibility of choosing your end client, assignment length and rates - and avoid the unneccesary expense and hassle of applying for a new work permit permission each time you change contracts - then you should explore the options of a sponsorship company.
If you're looking to settlement and getting a UK passport you can stay with the one primary employer for that whole period as well. Your spouse and dependents will be able to travel with you and, pendant on their age, work freely. It also has the benefit of offering you a great retention rate and given most people cite making money as one of the main attractions to UK contracting, surely a little more in your back pocket wouldnt go astray? APPLY NOW to find out more.
Work Permit changes for Contractors
Are you currently sponsored on a Tier 2 UK Work Permit and working permanently for an employer? Or are you currently contracting on a sponsored visa through a consulting company but want to work in a fully IR-35 and Inland Revenue compliant scheme that allows you to NET more of the gross billing? 
Do you feel you could be doing more with your career but are limited due to your Work Permit? Would you like to try more lucrative and flexible contract assignments but don't understand how its possible under the Work Permit system? Do you want to ensure you get Permanent Residency after your 5 years in the UK? If so, you've come to the right place! Enquire now to find out more
Changing your work permit is quick, easy and painless. And of course with www.contractortaxation.com it costs nothing at all to explore your options! Our sponsorship partners can sponsor you to do contract work in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Pendant on circumstances they can sponsor your Tier 2 UK work permit and subcontract your services to clients, even to your existing employer! It will allow you much greater choice in the terms and conditions of your employment and more importantly increase your earnings dramatically. Enquire now to find out more! All your details will be kept confidential.