Highly Skilled Workers Category

United Kingdom experience

This section explains what proof of United Kingdom experience of work or study you may send to support your application to the highly skilled worker category (Tier 1 General) under the points-based system to work in the United Kingdom.
Proof of your previous earnings made in the United Kingdom

There are no specific documentary requirements for claims for earnings made in the United Kingdom because the necessary documentation will have been sent to prove your earnings to score points in the attributes area.

Proof of your United Kingdom study experience

The specified document is:

An original letter from the United Kingdom institution or United Kingdom based overseas institution at which you studied.

This must be an original letter, on the official headed paper of the awarding institution and bearing the official stamp of that institution. It must have been issued by an authorised official of that institution and must confirm:

Your name;

The title of the qualification;

The date of award of the qualification;

Confirmation, in order to obtain this qualification, you undertook a period of full-time study equivalent to at least one full academic year, or three consecutive academic terms; and

Start and end dates of the period of study in the United Kingdom.

If you are relying on the same qualification you used to score points for qualifications in the attributes area, you should already have sent the original certificate of award, or an original letter from the institution of study. This document will have confirmed your name and the title of the qualification. In these circumstances the letter only needs to include the remaining three requirements.

Additional documents needed for qualifications not found in the points-based calculator

If you cannot find details of your academic qualification on the points-based calculator, you must, in addition to the document listed above, send an original letter or certificate from UK NARIC confirming the equivalency of the level of your qualification.

If you cannot find details of your professional or vocational qualification on the points-based calculator, you should, in addition to the document listed above, submit an original letter from the appropriate United Kingdom professional body confirming that your qualification is equivalent to United Kingdom academic levels. This must clearly show:

The name of the qualification, including the country and awarding body; and

Confirmation of the United Kingdom academic level to which this qualification is equivalent.

English language

This section explains what proof of your English language skills you must send to support your application to the highly skilled worker category (Tier 1 General) under the points-based system to work in the United Kingdom.
Proof you are a national of a majority English speaking country

You must send your current original passport or travel document.

If you are inside the United Kingdom, where you are unable to send your current original passport or travel document at the time of your application, you must give full reasons under the passport information section of the application form. The only valid exceptional circumstances in which alternative specified documents may be sent are where your current passport or travel document has:

Been lost;

Been stolen;

Expired - returned to national authorities; or

Submitted to another part of the UK Border Agency.

The alternative specified documents you must send in the exceptional circumstances above (as detailed in Appendix B of the immigration rules) are:

Your current national identity document; or

An original letter from your home government or embassy.

This document must be original, on the headed paper of the government or embassy and must bear the official stamp of that institution. It must have been issued by an authorised official of that institution and must confirm:

Your full name;

Your date of birth; and

Your nationality.

Proof you have passed an English language test

The original test result certificate must clearly show:

Your name;

The qualification obtained; and

The date of the award.

Here is a list of approved English language tests (PDF 44K opens in a new window) that have been assessed as meeting the requirements.

Proof your degree was taught in English

If you have been awarded a qualification

If you have been awarded a qualification, you must send the original certificate of award.

The original certificate of award must be on the institution's official paper clearly showing:

your name;

the title of the award;

the date of the award; and

the name of the awarding institution.

The authority will not accept original provisional certificates. The original certificate of award must always be sent unless you are awaiting graduation or you no longer have the certificate and the institution that issued the certificate is unable to issue a replacement.

If you are awaiting graduation

If you are awaiting graduation, you must provide the original academic reference and original transcript.

If you are awaiting graduation but have successfully completed your degree, or you no longer have the certificate and the awarding institution is unable to issue a replacement, you should send an original academic reference from the institution that is awarding the degree together with an original academic transcript.

The original academic reference from the institution awarding the degree must be on official headed paper of the institution and clearly show:

Your name;

The title of award;

The date of award, confirming that it will be awarded; and

The date that the certificate will be issued.

The original academic reference cannot be considered as suitable evidence if the letter does not state what qualification has been awarded.

The academic transcript must be on the institution's official paper clearly showing:

Your name;

The name of the academic institution;

The course title; and

Confirmation of the award.