Tier2/Ancestry Switch?

I currently have an offer from a company that will provide sponsorship for a tier 2 visa however I do meet the criteria for an ancestry visa.



I would prefer to go across on an ancestry visa however I need to wait for my home country to issue full birth certificates which generally takes between six and eight weeks (these would therefore be received at the beginning of January). I'm hesitant to wait for this as this may push back my start date (there is the risk that the birth certificate could take longer than 8 weeks) so I'm thinking that in the interest of time and not disrupting my employer I should rather apply for the tier 2.



My question is - would it be possible to switch to an ancestry visa at a later date from tier 2 or would I have to wait for the tier 2 to expire? I understand that I need to apply from outside the UK for the ancestry visa and would be happy to return to my home country to do this once I have accumulated all supporting documentation.



Are there any other considerations that I'm not taking into account? Resetting of the timing to apply for ILR, affecting my application for the ancestry at a later date etc?

I currently have an offer from a company that will provide sponsorship for a tier 2 visa however I do meet the criteria for an ancestry visa.

If you meet the requirements for either, it is your choice which you apply for. Note that on Tier 2, you cannot work for any other employer and if you don't like the job, it is a little more difficult to change jobs than on Ancestry visa.

I would prefer to go across on an ancestry visa however I need to wait for my home country to issue full birth certificates which generally takes between six and eight weeks (these would therefore be received at the beginning of January). I'm hesitant to wait for this as this may push back my start date (there is the risk that the birth certificate could take longer than 8 weeks) so I'm thinking that in the interest of time and not disrupting my employer I should rather apply for the tier 2.

My personal opinion is that Ancestry is the better option, is easier to get with a very low refusal rate. But again it is your choice.

My question is - would it be possible to switch to an ancestry visa at a later date from tier 2 or would I have to wait for the tier 2 to expire? I understand that I need to apply from outside the UK for the ancestry visa and would be happy to return to my home country to do this once I have accumulated all supporting documentation.

You can't 'switch', which infers a change of visa WITHIN the UK. You would be applying for a new entry clearance visa.

Are there any other considerations that I'm not taking into account? Resetting of the timing to apply for ILR, affecting my application for the ancestry at a later date etc?

You cannot combine your time on Tier 2 and Ancestry to make up 5 years for ILR. You need 5 years as Tier 2 and meeting the stricter requirements OR you need 5 years on Ancestry, minimal requirements.

1. If you get a Restricted CoS approved at the monthly allocation meeting for Tier 2 for 3 years, when you apply for the visa you have to pay the IHS for 3 years or 5 years (depends on your CoS) and the visa fee. The IHS won't be refunded if you change to Ancestry, where you will have to pay the 5 years IHS again. IHS is expected to double in price in December this year.

What is the SOC and salary you are being offered?

Has the sponsor completed the full and proper RLMT process before offering you the job?

Thank you for the comprehensive response.

I'm not too fussed about the job as it is essentially the same job that I'm currently pursuing but just a change in employers.

Regarding "switching" - would it be possible to return to South Africa prior to the expiry of my Tier 2 visa to apply for the ancestry and then re-enter on the ancestry? For example, wait until midway through next year when all documents are received and arrange to return home for a sufficient amount of time to allow application and receipt of my visa.

Do you mind clarifying what you mean by SOC? The salary is GBP 46k per annum and the company has completed the full and proper RLMT.

As an additional query - in terms of being able to provide proof that I can maintain myself (for ancestry), would the job offer assist with this? As in terms of actual cash in short-term savings I don't believe this would be sufficient however in terms of actual shareholdings I could prove this but not entirely sure if UKVI would consider shares held in companies as "savings".

You can apply for ancestry from home country at any point. It is a completely independent and separate set of rules and tier 2 has no bearing on it at all.

SOC = standard occupation code, a 4 digit code from appendix j or appendix k.

For ancestry you would still need to demonstrate sufficient cash funds to support yourself, shares are not cash as they are not liquid.

Thank you,

I'm not sure what the code would be but imagine it would be 2421 (as I'm a chartered accountant and the job is as an auditor).

One further question - in terms of "full birth certificates", are "unabridged certificates" generally accepted as part of ancestry applications or is it required to have a "vault copy"?