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The number of immigrants in Britain was relatively less, for almost 1000 years there was not much immigration into UK apart from Ireland. This however changed with large scale immigration of the Commonwealth citizens started from less developed nations in the 1950s. Postwar era saw the industrial economy grow and there was a rush to tap the cheaper and mobile labor from abroad. Jamaicans were the first to arrive and were followed by Indians and Pakistanis. Once the needs were met for the poorly skilled immigrants there was a move to reduce the movement to a trickle by the legislation in 1970.

In the last couple of years, UK has come up with few immigration categories and they are in the process of bringing changes in its immigration law. They plan on introducing a point based system for migrants from non- European Union who want to come to United Kingdom to work, get trained or study. In 2002 January the point based category was introduced, and it turned out to be very popular and successful. Border Agency of UK in 2008 came up with new system- point based which was regarding the migrants who were coming into UK and who required authorization to work. There were 80 different kinds of ways that were used for economic migrants to enter into UK have now been put together into just five tiers which are all point based. This change affected around 3,00,000 to 4,00,000 individuals from India, USA, China, Australia and other countries which are outside the internal market of Europe who come either to work or study every year in UK. In UK the educational institutions and employers have implemented some new processes which are inline with the Border Agency of UK rules. However, this point based system was replaced by Tier 1 which is a part of the new system of UK- the five tier point based.

The new system of immigration is broken down to five tiers; each of the tiers will have their own entitlements, conditions and requirements when you enter UK, whether be it for living or working.

Tier1- Workers with highest skills;

Tier 2- Skilled workers who have job offers;

Tier 3- Workers with low skills to fill in temporary gaps in the labor force of UK;

Tier 4- Students;

Tier 5- Temporary workers and youth mobility.

1 and 2 Tiers are equal to the recent highly skilled program for migrants and many schemes on Work Permit that have been ended. People who qualify in 1 and 2 tiers will have the chance to settle in UK after the period of five years normally, and then the families too can join in. If you apply for visas under 1,2 and 4 tiers you will have the right to move to another tier after you reach UK, and also if you meet the needs of that tier. 3 and 5 tiers are not permanent but they come in the temporary migration category where people need to return back to their country towards the end of their UK stay, under these tiers if you apply for the visa, it will not allow you to switch to another tier within UK.

These days’ people all over the world are looking for greener and better opportunities. UK is one of the countries that provide them with a good and high standard of living and better opportunities. It gives them a chance to have better career options and also for their families. Now days because of the online system UK visas have become easy to apply. Visas are also called as “entry clearance “by immigration services of UK. Entry clearance that is issued for giving permission for the holder to go to or enter UK is of four types. Each UK visa card comes with a visa enquiry form. This is available on the website and can be used to determine if you need entry clearance. It also provides details about the closest visa section that you can apply the visa application under.

The various types of visas are described below :

Business Visa- It is because of these types of visas which are so flexible; it has become so much easier to start business in UK. Business visas may later on get you permanent residency or British Nationality. This visa also helps you to establish yourself as sole trader in case your business is successful.

Family Visas- Government of UK provides with different kinds of family visas as they understand how important family life is. Incase you are a permanent resident, an EEA national or a British National you may get to apply for this visa to stay in UK. Equal rights are provided by the government of UK to married as well as unmarried couples.

Student Visas- UK has few of the world’s very famous educational establishments. You can build up you future in a great way by studying on a student visa in UK. Studying in any one of the prestigious institutions like a leading business or management institutions to some very popular and famous names like Cambridge and Oxford you can shape up your future. This kind of visa encourages students from all over the globe to study in the renowned university of UK. Not only the UK student visa but medical students and professionals like midwives, nurses, dentists as well can apply for their further trainings and studies in United Kingdom.

Visitor Visa- There is no other place like UK to have a great and enjoyable holiday. It is considered to be one of the best and most favorite destinations for tourists all over the world. Visiting family and friends, medical visits, sightseeing, official trips are all on visitor’s visa. It is a six month visa and is a very famous category of visas.

Ancestry Visa- This visa is a clearance for Commonwealth citizens to enter in UK, whose grandparents have been born in the United Kingdom.

There are certain requirements for UK visa - You should have either a UK passport or passport of any other country; Passport should have minimum 6 months of validity remaining starting from the day of entry in the country for which you have applied the visa for; ETS will renew your passport charging certain amount of fee incase the validity is less than 6 months; Citizens of Monaco, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland who are holding a valid ID card ( national) for either social or tourist can visit for less than 6 months only; EU countries nationals who have a national ID card which is valid visits not more than 3 months.

Government of United Kingdom has different fee structure for different categories of visas. All fees is payable in local currency though quoted in pounds sterling. You should get in touch with your closest British overseas mission if you want to get more details on the fee structure and how you can pay for your visa. If you want to apply for a visa, you would first need to make an appointment to go to the UK embassy, appointments can be made over mail, telephone or even over the Internet. You should always remember to ask how much fee they will charge as well as the mode of payment. These application fees are non refundable and is to be paid before the appointment.

If you are looking to migrate to UK from India there are a sizable number of immigration service agencies that can help you. These agencies not only help you in filling up the necessary forms but they are also very well versed with immigration laws, although you would need to pay a nominal fees for them to do the same. The British Council in India will also help you look for the right education institution that fits your needs.