Immigrating To Scotland
Immigrating to Scotland can be a painless process if you take the time to research and prepare for your application. There are many ways you can go about immigrating to Scotland and it's important that you choose the correct one for your situation. Additionally, people from some countries must obtain a visa before immigrating to Scotland while others do not - read on below to find out the basics. European citizens immigrating to Scotland You do not require a work permit to work in the UK if you are a citizen of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden or Switzerland. Citizens of Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia must initially register under the Worker Registration Scheme for the first 12 months of working in the UK. For more information visit the Home Office website. Citizens of Bulgaria and Romania have slightly different arrangements. More information can also be found on the Home Office website. If you’re not from one of the countries mentioned above and are coming to Scotland to work, you’ll need a permission to work and entry clearance from the visa section of a British Diplomatic post abroad. If you are already in the United Kingdom, you may be able to apply to the UK Border Agency (part of the Home Office) for permission to switch into an immigration work category. Immigration Routes There are various immigration work categories. This is a brief resume of some of the work routes. You can find more information on all these routes on the Home Office website. 1. Work Permit Employment This is where an employer offers you a job in Scotland and applies for a work permit on your behalf. The work permit names your employer and you cannot change employer without the prior consent of the UK Border Agency. If an employer gets a work permit for you, you than need to apply for entry clearance or to switch in-country into work employment if this is possible under the immigration rules. 2. Post Study Work Visa As part of the simplification of the UK's immigration system, from Monday 30 June 2008 the Fresh Talent Working in Scotland Scheme (FT:WiSS) became part of the new Post Study immigration category known as Post Study. The good news is that international graduates and employers have nothing to worry about because the qualifying criteria remains the same. For more information please visit Home Office website 3. Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP)/Tier 1 General sub-category The HSMP is gradually being phased out by the new General sub-category of Tier 1. These are points based schemes and applicants must score 75 points or more in 4 categories: qualification; previous earnings, UK experience; and age. Applicants must also pass an English language test and undertake a maintenance assessment. The visa is granted to the individual and is initially for a period of 2 or 3 years. To find out more information please visit the Home Office website. 4. Innovator This scheme is aimed at entrepreneurs with new and creative ideas who want to set up a business in the United Kingdom. There is no fixed minimum start up capital but there are other requirements to meet. Please visit the Innovators pages on the Home Office website. 5. Business persons This scheme allows Non-European Economic Area Nationals to come and live in the UK in order to run a business full time in the UK. You must have a minimum start-up capital of £200,000. Please visit the Home Office website for more information. Ancestory routes There are circumstances in which non-EEA citizens do not need to apply for entry under immigration work routes. For example, you may be a British citizen by descent, or if you’re a Commonwealth citizen with a grandparent born in the UK, you could apply to enter under the UK ancestry route. You will find details of the ancestry route on the Home Office website. If you think you may qualify for British citizenship, you will find information on the Home Office website. Support and advice Finally, before coming to the UK, check with a properly qualified immigration adviser. Work permit and immigration advice is also offered by the Scottish Government’s Relocation Advisory Service. Tel: 0845 602 0297 (from UK); + 44 (0) 141 248 2808 (from overseas), or email info@scotlandistheplace.com
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