Tier 1: UK Professional bodies to Judge Overseas Qualifications, not NARIC

Tier 1 General visa applicants relying on professional qualifications that were issued overseas will no longer have their qualifications assessed by NARIC. Temporary assessment changes have been implemented by the UK Border Agency for Tier 1 General applications. Tier 1 General visas replace the previous scheme, HSMP.

Overseas educational qualifications are determined to be comparable to either a UK Bachelors degree, a UK Masters degree, or a UK PhD by UK NARIC, a privately owned company. However, the following acknowledgement appears in a release by the UK Border Agency:  “UK NARIC is unable to verify the full range of professional qualifications at this time”.

For applicant’s who are able to receive a comparability assessment from UK NARIC, no further evidence will be required. Some applicants will be able to obtain a comparibility assessment from UK NARIC. For those who are unable to obtain such an assessment, a letter from a professional body in the UK acknowledging that the applicant’s qualification is equivalent to a UK degree will be required before points will be awarded for professional qualifications.

This applies to candidates applying for leave to enter the UK as a Tier 1 General migrant, and also for applicants who are apply for further leave to remain in the UK as a Tier 1 General migrant.

This arrangement will be a relief for many qualified and highly skilled migrants, holding professional qualifications that are clearly equivalent to a UK degree, but are not acknowledged by UK NARIC.

If the UK NARIC’s inability to assess all professional qualifications that applicants submit with their applications continues, the temporary arrangement of allowing UK professional bodies to recognise the qualifications is expected to continue for some time. For some, the temporary arrangement makes much more sense than the previous arrangement. How can any private company assess every single overseas professional qualification more effectively than UK professional bodies who are experts in their respective areas?

Mulberry Finch’s specialist Tier 1 team of lawyers are experienced with all the issues surrounding Tier 1, and will be able to act on your behalf, whether you are making an appliction for leave to enter under Tier 1, or leave to remain under Tier 1. We have assisted many applicants who previously experienced difficulty in demonstrating to the UK Border Agency the comparability of their qualifications.

The HSMP scheme is currently being phased out by the new Tier 1 General visa scheme for highly skilled migrants. The new scheme is very similar to the previous points based system. Foreign nationals wishing to live and work in the UK will need to pass the points threshold, achieving points for criteria including their age, previous earnings, and educational or professional qualifications.