As a crusader against illegal immigration, I have to guide you through obtaining the right visa when travelling to work abroad instead of abusing Visit visas which prohibit taking up jobs.
Persons travelling to the United Kingdom (UK) as a skilled worker must apply for a General Work Visa (Tier 2). The rest of the article and all other links on Jetsanza.com that are linked in the article will guide you through the application process.
There are so many ways of killing a cat, but the process below, as outlined by Jetsanza.com, is the easiest.
Check Shortage Occupation List (SOL)
First is to check the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) to see if your occupation is listed. These occupations are in high demand in the UK, and you stand a very good chance of working in the UK if you have the needed qualification for the job.
Apply for job
If your occupation is not listed, that isn’t the end. There are other work visas that you may qualify for. After seeing your profession on the list, the next step is to look for job openings and apply. Companies advertise job openings on the internet, and it is easy to use various search engines to see them.
Before you apply for a job, first check if the company qualifies to be a sponsor. Applicants for General Work Visas to the UK have to be sponsored by the employing company. You can crosscheck the company on the Licensed Sponsors list. It has over 30,000 companies listed. Go ahead and apply for the job once you see the company listed as a licensed sponsor.
If you are successful and get the job, the company will issue you a Certificate of Sponsorship. The Certificate of Sponsorship is not a paper document; it’s an electronic record that holds your details and information about the job you’ve been offered. The company will give you a certificate of sponsorship reference number to add to your application.
Gathering of documents
Bank Statement
Because you are travelling to work, the bank statement requirement isn’t as tough as going for a vacation. You only have to show that you can provide for yourself until you receive your first salary. You must have at least £945 in your bank account for 90 days before you apply.
If your sponsor is an ‘A-rated’ sponsor who can give you at least £945 to cover your costs for a month, you don’t need to include your bank statement. Your sponsor must confirm this on the certificate of sponsorship.
English Test
As part of the visa application, you have to prove that you have knowledge in English language. You can show this by including an approved test results in the application. See Knowledge of English Test to register and sit for the test.
Tuberculosis Test
Since you will be staying in the UK for more than six months, you are required to include a Tuberculosis Test results. This test must be done at one of the accredited health facilities only.
Passports
Your passport must be valid with at least a blank page for visa. You also have to show your travel history for the past five years, if any. You can show this by including all expired passports.
Police Clearance Certificate
Most of the occupations require that applicants submit a criminal record certificate. You can obtain one from the Ghana Police CID.
Travelling with family members
Family members here refer to your spouse and dependents under 18. Each family member must have at least £630 in a bank account. Since they are all referred to as dependants, you can have all the funds in your bank account.
See the full guidance on travelling with your family on a Tier 2 visa to the UK.
Apply for the visa
Once you are done with the documentation and read over the application requirements from the UK Visas website, you can go ahead and APPLY.
Visa Fees
£928 for the applicant and £928 for each family member.
Processing Times
The earliest you can apply for a visa is three months before you’re due to start work in the UK. The date you can begin is listed on your certificate of sponsorship.
A decision is made on the visa application within three weeks of application.
NOTE: Though this guide is for those eligible for an occupation in the Shortage Occupation List, the same procedure applies to other professions. What matters is that an employer is listed as a licensed sponsor.
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