6 April saw the implementation of all the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recommendations relating to the UK Tier 1 (General) highly skilled migrant category visa.
These changes bring about the welcome reintroduction of points for Bachelor degrees; raise the age limits for scoring points; and see an increase in the salary band levels across the range of point scores.
The Government have yet to finalise the updated overseas earnings multipliers. It was hoped that these new uplift ratios would be available by the 6th of April, but this is not the case and in the interim, they will remain unchanged.
Overseas earnings multipliers are used to ‘uplift’ earnings from outside the UK in an effort to reflect differences in income levels across the world. For example, earnings derived in South Africa are multiplied by 3.2; for earnings in India the multiplier is 5.3; and for earnings in Australia there is no uplift.
So for instance, someone earning R150 000 in South Africa, would multiply their earnings by 3.2 and reach a relative UK earnings amount of R480 000.
The full table can be found below:
ANNEX A – PREVIOUS EARNINGS UPLIFT CONVERSION RATES
| Conversion Rate – 1.0 |
| Andorra; Aruba; Australia; Austria; Belgium; Bermuda; Canada; Cayman Islands; Channel Islands; Denmark; Finland; France; French Polynesia; Germany; Gibraltar; Guam; Hong Kong (Province of China); Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Japan; Kuwait; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Monaco; Netherlands; Norway; Qatar; San Marino; Singapore; Sweden; Switzerland; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States of America; Vatican. |
| Conversion Rate – 2.3 |
| American Samoa; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Bahamas; Bahrain; Barbados; Botswana; Brunei Darussalam; Chile; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Estonia; Faroe Islands; Greece; Greenland; Grenada; Hungary; Israel; Korea (South); Latvia; Lebanon; Libya; Macao, (Province of China); Malaysia; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Netherlands Antilles; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Northern Mariana Islands; Oman; Palau; Panama; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Saudi Arabia; Seychelles; Slovak Republic; Slovenia; Spain; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; Taiwan; Trinidad and Tobago; Uruguay; Venezuela; Virgin Islands. |
| Conversion Rate – 3.2 |
| Albania; Algeria; Belarus; Belize; Bolivia; Bosnia & Herzegovina; Brazil; Bulgaria; Cape Verde; China (Peoples Republic of); Colombia; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Fiji; Gabon; Guatemala; Honduras; Iran; Jamaica; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Lithuania; Macedonia; Maldives; Marshall Islands; Micronesia; Morocco; Namibia; Nauru; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Romania; Russian Federation; Samoa; South Africa; St Vincent & The Grenadines; Suriname; Swaziland; Syrian Arab Republic; Thailand; Tonga; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Vanuatu; West Bank and Gaza. |
| Conversion Rate – 5.3 |
| Angola; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bangladesh; Benin; Bhutan; Burma (Union of Myanmar); Cameroon; Comoros; Congo (Republic of); Cote d’Ivoire; Cuba; Djibouti; Equatorial Guinea; Gambia; Georgia; Guinea; Guyana; Haiti; India; Indonesia; Iraq; Kenya; Kiribati; Kosovo; Lesotho; Mauritania; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Nicaragua; Pakistan; Papua New Guinea; Senegal; Serbia; Solomon Islands; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Timor L’Este (East Timor); Ukraine; Uzbekistan; Vietnam; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe. |
| Conversion Rate – 11.4 |
| Afghanistan; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Central African Republic; Congo, (Democratic Republic of); Chad; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Ghana; Guinea-Bissau; Korea (North); Kygyz Republic; The Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Liberia; Madagascar; Malawi; Mali; Mayotte; Mozambique; Nepal; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Sao Tome and Principe; Sierra Leone; Somalia; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda. |
When calculating overseas earnings, the UK Government will convert such earnings into GBP (based on the closing spot rate on www.oanda.com), then apply the relevant uplift multiplier as per the above table to reach the UK equivalency. Points are then awarded accordingly as per the new thresholds.
Here are two examples of how the UK Government calculates overseas earnings:
The uplift multiplier applied to overseas earnings in SA is 3.2:1
ZAR140,000 = GBP12,500 (approx based on exchange rate)
GBP12,500 x 3.2 (SA earnings uplift multiplier) = GBP40,000
GBP40,000 = 25 points under the new criteria.
For this example, anyone in South Africa whom is under 30 years of age and has as a minimum a Bachelor degree, will require earnings of at least ZAR140,000 to qualify.
For overseas earnings in India, the uplift ratio is 5.3:1
INR515,000 = GBP7,600 (approx based on exchange rate)
GBP7,600 x 5.3 (India earnings uplift multiplier) = GBP40,280
GBP40,280 = 25 points under the new criteria
We are pleased to announce that the new Tier 1 visa criteria, including the interim multipliers, are now live on the 1st Contact Visas online assessment tool. To take a free assessment of your eligibility under the new criteria, please follow the link below.
If you are eligible now based on the current criteria and earnings uplift, we urge you to apply as soon as possible, as there is no indication as to when or what the changes to these multipliers will be in the future.
Once the UK Government have settled on the updated overseas earnings uplift multipliers, we will advise accordingly.
Related Posts
- Tier 1 Visa Requirements – The High Earnings Question
- Bachelor Degrees Back for Tier 1 Visa
- Visa Options Not All Doom and Gloom
- Tier 1 Visa Changes for Highly Skilled Workers
- UK Economic Slump Further Hinders Immigration for Highly Skilled Professionals
About 1st Contact Visas1st Contact Visas is an immigration consultancy incorporated in 1998 with the aim of becoming the premier visa service provider to people wishing to migrate around the world. 1st Contact Visas can assist with the full range of UK Visas, including the HSMP/Tier 1 Visa and working towards British Citizenship though Indefinite Leave to Remain. |
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Hello,
I would like to know if the uplift would be applicable on the salaries drawn in India, whereas I was travelling/staying in the UK.
Ashish
Hi Ashish,
I am inquiring the same info , will update if I get anything,
Please update if you get confirmed information regarding this.
Hi Ashish and Sonali,
Thank you for your comments.
If you are residing in the UK but being paid your salary in India (in Rs), then the uplift ratios are not applied to those particular earnings.
The ratios are only available if you are living and working in that particular country to which they apply.
I trust this has answered your queries.
Hello,
Thanks for the reply. But I am afraid your reply hasn’t answered my querries.
Here I rephrase my question again -
For a period of 3-4 months, I didnt have WP to work in the UK and I was relocated back to my India office. Meanwhile, I visited to UK for almost 2 months for a Business reason at a new client on Business Visa. During this period, I was drawing my full salary in India. I was also paid DA while I was in the UK to compensate my daily expenses. Further, I came back to UK on my new WP for the new client.
My question here is – will my earning during this period of 4 months get an uplift apply to it as I wasn’t working here during this period.
Ashish
Hi Ashish,
If you were considered as a resident of India and held no valid UK visa at the time those earnings were derived, then I do believe you can apply the uplift ratio to those specific earnings.
I trust this has assisted.
Hi,
As I mentioned earlier also, during that period I was in the UK on Business Visa
Ashish
Hi
I have applied for Tier 1 from India with my previous earnings in India and UK for a duration of same 12months. I was paid UK allowance while I was in UK and my salary in India.
Does the uplift ratio apply for my indian salary?
When i checked on Points based calcuator, i could see that uplift ratio has been added on my indian salary.
Is this a fault with PBS?
Thanks
Rose
Hi,
I am curious about new uplift ratio, what would it be lesser or more since the salary bands have been increased from previous rules and these bands are too high if the ratio is becomming more.
Thanks
Hi Saroja,
I have almost similar cae. I have my earnings both in INR & GBP for last year while staying in UK. I am planning to apply for Tier 1. Could you please let me know if you have faced any problem while filing the visa? Have you got it?
Thankgs
Gourav
Hi Saroja,
I have the same case. The eco has refused the visa stating the uplift ratio will not be applied for the salaries drawn in india during my stay in UK. Planning to request an admin review. Guys, please help. Not sure if they would reconsider. I have lost hopes now