The United Kingdom government operates a program to allow individuals to seek entry to work in the United Kingdom without having a prior offer of employment.

The HSMP (Highly Skilled Migrant Program) aims to provide an individual route for highly skilled persons who have the skills and experience required by the United Kingdom to compete in the global economy.

On 28 January 2002 the Home Office, Immigration & Nationality Directorate, launched HSMP (Highly Skilled Migrant Program) as a new initiative to allow individuals with exceptional personal skills and experience to come to the United Kingdom to seek and take work or self-employment.

The program was initially set up as a pilot for 12 months. Following the success of the program it has been decided to extend HSMP indefinitely.

On the 28th January 2003 revised scoring criteria were introduced. The aim was to make further improvements to the scheme's effectiveness based upon experiences from the pilot stage.

It should be noted that the revised criteria is not a final, definitive criteria for the scheme and the Home Office may decide in the future that it is appropriate to make further changes.

How do you qualify?
To make a successful application, individuals need to provide evidence that they score 75 points or more in the five areas below and demonstrate that they will be able to continue their chosen career in the UK. Application forms are intended for self assessment so those who score below 75 points should not pursue the application.

Scoring Areas

• Educational qualifications;
• Work Experience;
• Past Earnings;
• Achievement in your chosen field;
• HSMP Priority Applications (at the moment this is only available to qualified GPs).

1. Educational qualifications
This category provides for a maximum of 30 points for those holding a PhD, 25 for those with a Master's degree such as an MBA and 15 for those with a Graduate degree such as BA or BSc.

Qualifications have to be to the recognized British standard of Bachelors, Masters or PhD to be awarded the respective points for each level of qualification.

Vocational and professional qualifications can also score points in this area if satisfactory evidence can be produced to show the qualification is equivalent to an applicable level British qualification.

2. Work Experience
The points available in this category have been increased for applications posted from 28 January 2003 to reflect the desirability of previous graduate level experience and the objective nature of this category. You will score 25 points for at least five years' work experience in a graduate level job (or three years if you have a PhD). You will score 35 points for that level of work experience in a graduate level job if it includes at least two years' senior or specialist work experience. You will score 50 points if you have at least ten years' graduate level work experience including at least 5 years senior or specialist work experience.

Graduate level work experience would normally be a role within a company or institution that would require you to have a minimum educational standard of a first-degree level qualification. You do not necessarily have to hold a degree but the post held would normally require one.

Senior level work experience would normally be a role at board level in a small company, in a larger business it could amount to a department head or leader of project management team. Those working in academia may have run a department or headed a research team. We will usually consider those who run their own businesses that employ a number of staff as demonstrating senior level work experience.

A specialist position is normally one that may not have any particular managerial role but requires a very high level of technical or artistic expertise.
The type of evidence required to demonstrate work experience is:

• Employer references on their letter headed paper, showing dates of employment, job title and a description of duties and responsibilities held.
• Those who have been self employed should provide (where relevant):
  Ø Business plans
  Ø Annual business accounts
  Ø Tax returns for the business
  Ø Client contracts
  Ø Number of staff employed

Personal references will not be accepted as evidence.

3. Past Earnings.
This category requires you to demonstrate a minimum earned income in your country of residence to score points. In order to reflect differences in income levels across the world the level required to qualify varies depending where you live. The country you are living in (or where your income is earned) is considered, not your nationality.

For example a Chinese National residing and working in the United States of America would be required to demonstrate a minimum annual income level over the past twelve months of £40,000 in order to score 25 points, whilst a Canadian National working in South Africa would be required to demonstrate an minimum annual income level over the past twelve months of £12,500 to score 25 points

It is important to note that not all income will be considered. Unearned income such as dividends from investments (unless it is in a company in which you are active in day to day management), property rental income, and interest on savings or funds received through an inheritance are not used when calculating your income.
The income levels you are required to demonstrate are as follows:

For Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Turkey:
£12,500 per annum = 25 Points
£31,250 per annum = 35 Points
£78,125 per annum = 50 Points

For Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon, Bahrain, Libya:
£17,500 per annum = 25 Points
£43,750 per annum = 35 Points
£109,375 per annum = 50 Points

For UAE, Kuwait, Qatar:
£40,000 per annum = 25 Points
£100,000 per annum = 35 Points
£25,000 per annum = 50 Points

4. Achievement in your chosen field
In order to score in this category you will need to produce a body of evidence showing how your work has been acknowledged by your peers and contributed significantly to the development of your field.

This could be through an acknowledged breakthrough in your field of expertise with a piece of original published research, a recognized artistic achievement, a lifetime achievement award from an industry body, or an invention which is likely to or has provided commercially successful.

Two score levels can be obtained. Those with an exceptional achievement in their chosen field will be at the top of their profession, be recognized beyond their field of expertise and have obtained international recognition. Very few people will meet these criteria. Those who can show significant achievement may not be known outside their field of expertise, or not yet be recognized on an international basis but have developed a body of work that is acknowledged by their peers as contributing significantly to the development of your area of work.

Less weight has been given to this category in the revised HSMP. The maximum score for significant achievement is now 15 and for exceptional achievement 25. However the total number of points available under HSMP remains the same, as more points are now available for work experience

5. HSMP Priority Applications for General Practitioners
This area provides a mechanism for the UK government to encourage people with a particular skill or profession to move to work in the United Kingdom. The decision to provide an avenue for General Practitioners in this area has been agreed with the Department of Health.

For further information on how to obtain the evidence required to qualify in this criterion please see section one of the "GP Registrar Scheme: Vocational Training for General Medical Practice: The UK guide" which can be found by clicking here.

In addition to scoring at least 75 points in the above areas you will also need to demonstrate:

1. Your ability to continue to work in your chosen field in the United Kingdom.

2. That you have enough savings and/or potential income to be able to support yourself and your family. You will not be allowed any use of UK public funds (for example income support) whilst in the United Kingdom with permission to stay under the program.

3. That you are willing and able to make the United Kingdom your main home. We will ask you to provide a written undertaking to that effect. You will be expected to make the UK your country of habitual residence. Secondments abroad that are an integral part of a job based in the UK are permitted by HSMP, however they will be considered as time outside of the UK for settlement eligibility purposes. To qualify for settlement in the UK you must have spent a continuous period of four years in the UK except for short holidays or business trips. Any secondment that requires you to be outside the UK for a continuous period of over three months will make your previous stay in the UK ineligible as a continuous period in the UK.

If you are applying from abroad, in order to consider your application we will require the HSMP form to be completed in addition to the IM2A entry clearance form.

Suitable evidence for demonstrating you will be able to continue your work successfully in the United Kingdom could include:

• English Language qualifications (This can include other qualifications such as a degree which have been taught in English)
• Membership of appropriate professional organization (e.g. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
• Relevant professional qualifications, with evidence of recognition of these in the United Kingdom.
• Potential employment offers/contracts/arranged interviews

Without satisfactory evidence to support at least 75 of the points you are claiming for, your application will be refused.

How to apply?
If you are currently outside the UK you should apply directly to the British Embassy in the country where you are living. Application forms and guidance notes can be obtained from British Embassies and High Commissions overseas.

Your application will be referred to a dedicated team in Work Permits (UK) that is based in Sheffield, England. The team is committed to reaching a decision on 90% of fully completed applications within one week of receiving them, although this may take longer if further inquiries need to be made. You should also allow sufficient time for the application to reach Sheffield from the overseas post if applicable. The entry clearance officer at the UK mission overseas will be able to tell you how long the transit time to the HSMP team will be. In most instances WP(UK) will e-mail the outcome to the overseas mission so the delay should be minimized. An application for entry clearance can then be made. Please note carefully that any decision to approve an HSMP application does not in itself guarantee that an entry clearance will also be approved as these decisions remain entirely separate.

How to get more information?

You can contact the HSMP group by email: hsmp.workpermits@wpuk.gov.uk 

Or send a letter to the following address:
Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP)
Work Permits (UK)
Integrated Casework Directorate, North
Home Office
Level 5, Moorfoot
Sheffield
S1 4PQ
UK

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES OF ENTRY TO THE UNITED KINGDOM
The Highly Skilled Migrant Program is only one of a variety of legal routes open to individuals wishing to move to the United Kingdom. You will be best placed to judge if this route is for you, but the program is designed for those who wish to seek work or self-employment in the UK on an individual, flexible basis, and who are at the top of their chosen profession.

If an UK employer wants to employ you for a specific post, your prospective employer may wish to seek a work permit for you. This must be obtained before you travel to the United Kingdom to take up that post. Those who wish to make the UK their main home but not to work, and who have significant capital, should consider the Investor or retired person of independent means categories of the Immigration rules.