UK Immigration in 2023: How Many Points Do I need to Move to Britain?

The most prominent factors which contribute to the growth and popularity of UK immigration are the country?s robust economy and equal work opportunities. Many Indian skilled professionals choose to move to Britain because of its cultural diversity, leading healthcare systems, renowned universities, strategic location, and amazing lifestyle. However, immigrating to the United Kingdom requires you to get high scores in a points-based system and meet other basic eligibility requirements. So, how many points do you need to immigrate to the UK?

What is UK?s points-based immigration system? How does it work?

Under the UK?s points-based system, any foreign national seeking to relocate to the country must meet a specific set of requirements before applying for the visa process. All eligible candidates must secure enough points under the points-based system. Invitations are then issued to those who obtain the highest points.

The points system was initially used by the Labour government in 2008 to invite migrants from non-EU countries. It was then overhauled by the Conservatives after Brexit at the end of 2020.

All potential immigrants need sufficient points to be eligible for a skilled worker visa route.

One must secure at least 70 points to qualify. Factors like: English language skills; education; and below 26 years count towards the total score.

If you have a job offer from an approved British employer and have strong English proficiency, you would be awarded 50 points on the existing score.

Additional 20 points would also be awarded if the applicant?s job pays at least £25,600 a year.

Please note that jobs in health or education will still be given 20 points even if the salary is below £25,600.

Moving to the UK as a Skilled Worker

A Skilled Worker visa allows a foreign national to live and work in the UK to perform an eligible job with an approved employer.

The UK skilled worker visa is a replacement for the Tier 2 (General) work visa.

Basic eligibility criteria:

To be eligible under this category, you must:

Work for a UK employer that?s been approved by the Home Office

Have a ?certificate of sponsorship? from your employer with information about the role you?ve been offered in the UK

Do a job that?s on the list of eligible occupations

Be paid a minimum salary ? how much depends on the type of work you do.

Prove your knowledge of English with an approved language test.

Tier system under the UK immigration

Tier 1- It is one of the most prominent visa categories for ?High-Value Immigrants.? It includes entrepreneurs, investors, and individuals with exceptional talent.

Tier 2- The most common visa pathway for relocation purposes. The category is designed for Skilled Workers who wish to live and work in the UK. One must have a valid job offer from a designated UK-based employer before applying. The time of allocation for the Tier 2 visa is three years, which can be extended.

Tier 3- This category was originally designed for low-skilled workers to address temporary workers shortage. The route has been suspended now.

Tier 4- for students who are above 16 years to get a visa in the UK.

Tier 5- Creative field, Sports field, charity workers, and religious workers, can move to the UK through this category. Tier 5 visa scheme contains six sub-tiers of temporary workers.

UK Scale-up Visa

Another notable category that follows a point-based system for selecting immigrants is the UK Scale-up worker visa. The UK government launched this visa in August to help leading UK businesses and employers hire skilled workers, including scientists, researchers, programmers, engineers, etc. for vacant job positions.

Beneficiaries under the scale-up visa can stay in the UK for two years, after which they can extend their stay for three years. After five continuous stay, holders become eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).