Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

sdsilver · Post by **sdsilver** » Sun Apr 07, 2019 2:15 am

Hi all,

I have recently been granted further leave to remain (extension) on my Tier 2 Visa. My SOC code is 2311 which is a PhD category job. This means that when I apply for ILR I will be exempt from the minimum earnings threshold, but must still meet the salary rate for my soc code.

However I’ve just had a look at the rates and they have significantly increased it! When I applied for my extension (November 2018) the experienced worker rate was £32,300 but is now £40,000! Which pretty much makes it moot that I’m exempt from the minimum earnings threshold. The new entrant rate is now almost equal to what the experienced rate was in December.

I’m wondering if anyone knows if these rates ever fluctuate down from year to year? It’s a ridiculous increase of £7,700. Part of me hopes it was a typo but doubtful. Is there any way to write them asking about this sudden and substantial hike?

Frontier Mole · Post by **Frontier Mole** » Sun Apr 07, 2019 10:03 am

They fluctuate and are set by an external body -MAC - and not the Home Office.

The figures rarely go down and with the employment market showing steady rise in terms of demand and salary increase it is unlikely to be anything other than a continuing trend upwards. That Brexit thing is already showing through in the employment market.

The MAC figures are based on the employment market as it really is but is pointed towards the upper quartile so it is focused on using salary as a barrier to achieve quality overseas candidates entering the uk market.

Note there are different entry points for the student to tier 2 routes.

sdsilver · Post by **sdsilver** » Sun Apr 07, 2019 11:52 am

Yeah I knew they typically went up but it’s usually around £1000 a year rather than such a steep increase.

On the website the previous source was Universities UK and now the source is Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. I’m wondering if changing the data collecter is why it’s shot up like this?

If anyone knows a way to message to ask someone (whether it be the Home Office or another source) about this that would be great.

Frontier Mole · Post by **Frontier Mole** » Sun Apr 07, 2019 12:11 pm

Asking why won’t change it nor are they likely to entertain an answer to you. It is what it is as they say.

MAC have set out their reasons for changes in their previous reports so thar might enlighten the reasoning behind it. Universities have long under paid on the market rate for decades so it is not really a surprise that there would be a hike if it is measured against real world salaries.

Frontier Mole · Post by **Frontier Mole** » Sun Apr 07, 2019 12:12 pm

Ask for a massive pay rise

boladazh · Post by **boladazh** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 4:12 pm

Hi sdsilver,
I'm in the same conundrum as you are although I've got 4 years until the ILR.
There are thousands of us in this situation. I've got several friends (all lecturers in different unis), all on Tier 2 and NONE of them have a salary of over £40k. Two of them will need to extend their visas in about 2 months.
What I suggest you do is advise your University's HRs/Compliance.
UKVI decided to impose a shadow raise in minimal salary of £8k (25%). This is right before a major hiring/renewal spell. This will not be received well by the universities. They can't suddenly lose a significant portion of their staff.

boladazh · Post by **boladazh** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 4:27 pm

One more thing:
The median salary in HE last year (according to ONS) was £32k.
According to UKVI, a university lecturer needs to be paid more than a management consultant (the 'experienced' limit for whom is just over £30k).
Mind. Blown.

nbhitesh · Post by **nbhitesh** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 4:56 pm

I was checking the March 2019 update and they seem to have made some changes in the earnings threshold as follows:

SOC code: 2311
Entrant: £26,500
Experienced: £33, 000

The appendix is on the first page of the new Policy Guidance

Tier 2 Policy Guidance

Similar changes have been made to some other SOC codes as well.

It is not clear though for how long they are going to apply this lower threshold.

boladazh · Post by **boladazh** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 6:11 pm

Yeah, I just saw this, too.
Link to Tier 2 Policy Guidance Tier 2 Guidance

bidibudi · Post by **bidibudi** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 6:06 am

hello House and pros,

i am due to apply for an extension this 30th of April.

my Soc was assigned 27th march

as at when COS was assigned salary was 30400 experience worker

just going through this again i found out it has been increased to 31800

please i need to know what to do in this regards as i do not know where my stand

am i to go ahead and apply as COS as been assigned before the increase was made?
please this is Urgent?

bidibudi · Post by **bidibudi** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 12:26 pm

please i need a response
when will the increment or changes made to the salary threshold become applicable.
as i have explained above
my soc code is 2433 initially 30400 and from end march becomes 31800
i have now falling under the salary
cos was issued 27th march as at then rate was still 30400
please i am due to apply before the end of this month

saliame · Post by **saliame** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 12:49 pm

The changes to Appendix J set out in paragraphs J1 to J5 of this statement shall take
effect on 30 March 2019. However, if an applicant has made an application for entry
clearance or leave to remain using a Certificate of Sponsorship that was assigned to
the applicant by their Sponsor before 30 March 2019, the application will be decided
in accordance with the rules in force on 29 March 2019.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... _PRINT.pdf
PAGE 3

bidibudi · Post by **bidibudi** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 1:14 pm

saliame wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 15, 2019 12:49 pm

The changes to Appendix J set out in paragraphs J1 to J5 of this statement shall take
effect on 30 March 2019. However, if an applicant has made an application for entry
clearance or leave to remain using a Certificate of Sponsorship that was assigned to
the applicant by their Sponsor before 30 March 2019, the application will be decided
in accordance with the rules in force on 29 March 2019.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... _PRINT.pdf
PAGE 3

Hello Saliame,
i am grateful for your response
i have browse through this document link attached
i must confess to you it is not a straigth forward document may be due to my background
please can you just give me a simplified version of this
i will be most grateful
Thanks.

CR001 · Post by **CR001** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 1:49 pm

bidibudi wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 15, 2019 1:14 pm

saliame wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 15, 2019 12:49 pm

The changes to Appendix J set out in paragraphs J1 to J5 of this statement shall take
effect on 30 March 2019. However, if an applicant has made an application for entry
clearance or leave to remain using a Certificate of Sponsorship that was assigned to
the applicant by their Sponsor before 30 March 2019, the application will be decided
in accordance with the rules in force on 29 March 2019.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... _PRINT.pdf
PAGE 3

Hello Saliame,
i am grateful for your response
i have browse through this document link attached
i must confess to you it is not a straigth forward document may be due to my background
please can you just give me a simplified version of this
i will be most grateful
Thanks.

Really not sure what is unclear in the highlighted bit above??? It doesn't get more simplified than that!!

bidibudi · Post by **bidibudi** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 4:24 pm

CR001 wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 15, 2019 1:49 pm

bidibudi wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 15, 2019 1:14 pm

saliame wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 15, 2019 12:49 pm

The changes to Appendix J set out in paragraphs J1 to J5 of this statement shall take
effect on 30 March 2019. However, if an applicant has made an application for entry
clearance or leave to remain using a Certificate of Sponsorship that was assigned to
the applicant by their Sponsor before 30 March 2019, the application will be decided
in accordance with the rules in force on 29 March 2019.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... _PRINT.pdf
PAGE 3

Hello Saliame,
i am grateful for your response
i have browse through this document link attached
i must confess to you it is not a straigth forward document may be due to my background
please can you just give me a simplified version of this
i will be most grateful
Thanks.
Really not sure what is unclear in the highlighted bit above??? It doesn't get more simplified than that!!

i am not just sure i understand the word "decided" there
may be i am understanding it wrongly
decided as in they are still not sure if to accepted it.
again if my question seems to piss you guys off please don't be you are the professional in this things and the words used here easy for you to digest.

Feranmi · Post by **Feranmi** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 3:15 pm

sdsilver wrote: ↑
Sun Apr 07, 2019 11:52 am
Yeah I knew they typically went up but it’s usually around £1000 a year rather than such a steep increase.

On the website the previous source was Universities UK and now the source is Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. I’m wondering if changing the data collecter is why it’s shot up like this?

If anyone knows a way to message to ask someone (whether it be the Home Office or another source) about this that would be great.

Please do you have the link to the previous SOC code, i put in an application that was refused and they are quoting a policy that i cannot find online. i think they refused based on the new policy but they are saying a new policy came in in April 2013 and i have being refused an extension in 2019 because of that. So please if you have a link or where to find the old SOC codes it would help my request for admin review. Thank you

mashayekh_hosein · Post by **mashayekh_hosein** » Thu Apr 25, 2019 8:08 am

The University of Oxford has published the below information in regard to salary of SOC Code 2119 & 2311 and the notice on the Tier-2 policy guidcance. It says:

"in response to lobbying from the Russell Group, the Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), and Universities UK (UUK), the Home Office has now confirmed that ASHE data was incorrectly applied to the SOC codes relevant to HEIs and that the thresholds for these codes should have been set based on HE data, as they had been previously.
The Home Office have confirmed that these new thresholds listed in Appendix J of the Immigration Rules will be corrected as soon as possible, but in the interim have published an Addendum to the Tier 2 Policy guidance confirming the correct salary thresholds for the SOC codes in question. The corrected rates are in line with the cost of living increases to the thresholds for other SOC codes and will apply to CoS issued after 30 March 2019.
The corrected salary thresholds relevant within the collegiate University are:
SOC code 2119 (used for Research roles):
‘New Entrant’ up from £21,600 p.a. to £22,300 p.a. (based on 40hrs/week)
‘Experienced Worker’ up from £28,000 p.a. to £29,000 p.a. (based on 40hrs/week)
SOC code 2311 (used for Lecturer roles):
‘New Entrant’ up from £25,700 p.a. to £26,500 p.a. (based on 40hrs/week)
‘Experienced Worker’ up from £32,300 p.a. to £33,000 p.a. (based on 40hrs/week)"

However, there is no timeline when the Appendix J will be updated with these figures. More info in:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/permits/

mashayekh_hosein · Post by **mashayekh_hosein** » Mon Sep 09, 2019 2:42 pm

Just to update you: The salary for this SOC will be reduced from £40,0000 to £33,000 from 1 October 2019 based on statement of changes in immigration rules published today:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ember-2019

https://www.gov.uk/government/collectio ... ules:-2019

.

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Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

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Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised

Re: Tier 2 Visa Salary Requirement- Significantly raised