1. Home
  2. Archived Pages
  3. Switching Into Tier 2 General

Switching Into Tier 2 General

On this page

If you are already in the UK under a visa category which allows you to switch your immigration status to Tier 2 General, you can make an application for stay as Tier 2 General Migrant from inside the UK. You must meet all the relevant requirements including any conditions with regards to switching from your current visa status to the Tier 2 General category. An unrestricted Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) must be issued by your prospective employer for you to apply for Tier 2 General leave from inside the UK. For more general information about Tier 2 General category.

Who Can Switch Into Tier 2 General Category From Inside The UK?

You can apply from inside the UK if you have, or were last granted, leave in one of the categories listed below:

  • Any Tier 1 category;

  • Tier 2 (General);

  • Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer: Established Staff) if you are applying to change sponsor;

  • Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer), under the rules in place before 6 April 2010 if you are applying to change sponsor;

  • Tier 2 (Sportsperson);

  • Tier 2 (Minister of Religion);

  • Tier 4 (General) student3;

  • Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) in the Creative and Sporting sub-category, for a job as a professional footballer switching into Tier 2 (Sportsperson)only;

  • Dependant partner of a Tier 4 student;

  • 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) including Intra-Company Transfer 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;

  • Representative of an Overseas Newspaper, News Agency or Broadcasting Organisation;

  • Student;

  • Student Nurse;

  • Student Re-Sitting an Examination;

  • Student Union Sabbatical Officer.

Switching From Tier 4 General Student To Tier 2 General


If you are switching from Tier 4 General Student category to Tier 2 General, you can only switch into Tier 2 General if you meet the following criteria:

  • you must have successfully completed and passed a UK recognised bachelor’s or master’s degree, Postgraduate Certificate in Education or Professional Graduate Diploma of Education or have completed a minimum of 12 months study in the UK towards a UK PhD during your current period of leave or a period of continuous leave which includes your last grant of leave; and

  • you studied for the eligible award at a UK institution that is the UK recognised or listed body, or an education provider which holds a licence for sponsoring students under Tier 4 of the Points-Based system; and

  • you are applying from inside the UK.

The Tier 2 sponsor is exempt from meeting the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) if the applicant meets the above-referred switching criteria. The employer needs to issue an unrestricted Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) which the applicant will use to make an application for Tier 2 General. The applicant's job and salary level should comply with the requirements of the Code of Practice.

Switching From Tier 1 PSW To Tier 2 General

A person who is in the UK on Tier 1 Post Study Work (PSW) visa can switch into Tier Tier 2 General from inside the UK. The employer needs to issue an unrestricted Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) which the applicant will use to make an application for Tier 2 General. The applicant's job and salary level should comply with the requirements of the Code of Practice.

Same Day Visa Service For Tier 2 General

We provide Same Day Visa Service (also known as the Home Office Premium Service) for applications for switching into Tier 2 General Migrant visa from inside the UK. 

We can submit your Tier 2 General application through our Same Day Visa Service and can get a decision on your application within 24 hours. Tier 2 General is a Biometric category and the Tier 2 General applicant and his/her dependents are required to attend the Home Office, UKBA to enrol their biometrics. You will be accompanied by our Legal Representative who will assist you with an enrollment of biometrics and submission of your Tier 2 General application. Tier 2 General application submitted through our Same Day Visa Service is usually decided the same day.

To apply under any of these categories, they would need to meet the guidance set out. This arrangement is not under the Immigration Rules.

Call us today on 0207 237 3388 and discuss your case with one of our legal advisors. Alternatively, e-mail us your query to info@icslegal.com.

Related FAQ's

We specialise in Immigration Law, Human Rights Law, British Nationality Law & European Law. Our lawyers provide honest, exceptional service to our clients. We believe that our service starts when we submit your application and we want our client to know we will keep them informed, answer there questions and your case worker will be just a phone call away.

Our speciality lies in the field of Immigration, Nationality and EU Law, so it means we always are dealing with this side of the law. We are able to support you in making a correct decision, avoid delays on your case, save money and time, not forgetting the stress of any doubts with your application.

There are many routes available to come to the UK, extend or switch, some of them do not allow extension or even switching. Knowing what is right can be a difficult task and this is why we are here. Simple task of not using the prescribed forms can mean your application is invalid, which means if you have no valid stay, you would have to return back and there is no appeal rights.

Our initial consultations are a chargeable service. We initially discuss the requirements of the application to ensure you meet the requirements and have the documentation required at hand for the submission. It gives you an opportunity to meet us and ask questions.

Each case will be checked thoroughly, everything will be cross referenced so guidelines are met and we will also add our legal document which would outline the Immigration Rules and how the client has satisfied the rules. We use documents that are used by Home Office case workers, so we know exactly what they would look for in your case.

The most important fact is that law constantly changes, policy guidelines and requirements are always changing, so it is best that you always use specialised services to support you. We never compromise our services, our fees remain very competitive but our expertise is at the very highest standard.

We are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). OISC is the government regulated body and it is a criminal offence if someone is providing Immigration advice without being regulated by the OISC. We are also members of Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI). JCWI is an independent national voluntary organisation, campaigning for justice and combating racism in immigration and asylum law and policy.
Your case worker would take some background information regarding yourself. Relevant questions would be asked to ascertain whether your case can be handled by our team. You will also be able to ask questions, understand what is required to meet the Immigration Rules, Nationality Law and EU Law where relevant. Should we be able to provide assistance, your case worker will give you a customer care letter whereby it would outline the service agreement and the cost associated.
After each consultation we aim to provide a consultation report which would outline what was discussed, the action plan and what to do next.
We have a procedure in place for ensuring client confidentiality. We keep the affairs of our clients and all information relating to our clients confidential, except where we are compelled to disclose information by reason of a legal or regulatory obligation.
A customer care letter from us will ensure that we outline the service we would be providing, it would also provide a break down of the costs associated so you can rest assure that there are no hidden charges and that fees do not go up unless changes are made (i.e. Home Office fees etc).

We place our clients first, so when you sign the customer care letter and we go through your case file, and we believe that the case would not be successful, we will terminate the agreement and return your documents. We will also provide alternative solutions with no added costs. We also have a cancellation period should you feel you want to withdraw your file.

 

Please note that all cases cannot be guaranteed as circumstances depends and whether you met guidelines, however the Home Office caseworker can still refuse cases on the balance of probabilities and other factors. Our job would be to prepare your case in the best possible way.

Yes, we have a special provision with the Home Office and majority case decisions are made on the same day.
As a private legal firm, we want to ensure we can provide the service you want. Our fees are very competitive and that is why we do not provide a No Win No Fee service as we do not feel the need to over charge our clients with such schemes.
With us, you will know exactly what we would be charging. The fees are to be paid through cheque, cash or bank transfer. Home Office fees can be paid to us and we can make the payment on behalf of you. If there is any changes in Home Office fees, we will let you know immediately.
Our commitment to our clients is that we will update you every time we get an update from the Home Office. The waiting period can be a very daunting time as decisions can be life changing however the Home Office do set some guidelines on waiting times, but we intend to keep you updated throughout the process.
No, and this is the same even if you use a no win no fee service, it would be impossible for anyone to guarantee a successful application. The likelihood of an application being successful can be given based on previous cases or success rates, however we do not operate such a policy of selling our services based on previous applications.
We aim to ensure that this service is not used by any of our clients, but there are times where even with the best possible applications are unsuccessful. As we take our clients cases personally, we would like to provide a helping hand. We have designed an aftercare service whereby if your case fails, then your case worker would be able to help you look at other formalities of staying in the UK should you have valid leave still remaining or help you make an out country application. Please note should you require appealing on your matter, we can only deal with the initial appeal and your application will be straight away referred to an advisor who deals with representations.
It is vital that all our clients can provide honest feedback, we would encourage this and this helps us to become better on our service delivery.
No, we are a law firm which provides support in UK Immigration, Nationality and EU Free Movement Rights. However we have a subsidiary company which is jobslibrary.co.uk whereby you can look for work, apply and discuss with potential employers. We cannot influence any decisions and finding work is not something our team deals with.

1) You contact us through e-mail or phone.

2) We take some basic information, we ask some relevant questions to understand the type of query and what type of support is required.

3) Your case then gets passed to a case worker.

4) Case Worker would contact you to set up an initial meeting.

5) You attend a consultation, an action plan is drawn up and we find out whether ICS Legal can support your case. A report would be sent where there is a requirement to outline what was discussed and what to do next.

6) You authorise us to be your legal representative by signing our customer care letter.

7) We will then start to request documents and information about your case this will build up your case pack.

8) We will then write our legal report and use Home Office caseworker’s documents to ensure everything has been checked and all requirement have been met.

9) Where possible we will go through every aspect of your case before case submission.

10) We will continue to update you throughout the case life cycle .

FAQ
Speak to a Lawyer