HSMP VISA

So, I relocated to London with my wife a few weeks ago. The idea was (and still is) to broaden our horizons and acquire some experience (life and work) in a global city - London certainly qualifies as one. One of the main reasons for choosing the UK is the ability to accept a work permit without finding a sponsor or a position in advance. This enabled us to relocate and look for a position while we are in London (sounded like a decent plan, at first, but matters are actually trickier than I thought- more on that in the upcoming posts).

I am going to focus on the HSMP in my current post since I know that 99.9% of the people are not familiar with / aware of it.

This type of VISA is a work permit (a very flexible one) for 2 years (can be extended, see below). The idea is quite simple - UK government is encouraging 'talented' people to relocate to the UK.

It is quite easy to estimate if one is entitled for this VISA - aggregating 'good' points for each of the criteria (see below) and checking if the sum is greater than 75 (greater - you are on the right track).

The criteria are very clear and simple:

• Previous earnings (in other words - the average salary in the last 15 months)
• Education (Bachelor Degree, Masters Degree or PhD)
  
• Age (the younger - the better)
• Past work experience in the UK
• Proving a certain level of English (taking the IELTS test)

The advantages of this visa are the following:

• As mentioned, no need for sponsorship in the UK.
  
• Deterministic criteria - one can estimate his chances in advance.
• The VISA also entitles the spouse / partner with a work permit.
• No need to show enormous amount of money in advance.
  
• You can work in any sector / occupation.
• Can be extended to 3 additional years (very similar criteria). Afterwards, one can apply for permanent residence / citizenship.

The shortcoming are:

• Need to take the IELTS test.
• Need to carefully fill out the forms - the office is quite strict.
  
• Fees (not that expensive, but substantial) for taking the IELTS, application and VISA issue by the UK embassy. Other fees such as translation / notary might be neede as well.
• Limited to 2 years (opposed, for the example, the US 'Green Card').

there are numerous agencies that offer the service of filling out the forms, translating and notarizing if needed, and even sending the application on behalf of the applicant. These services are quite costly but, from my experience (I decided to pay for such a service) - a good agency can really simplify matters. So, I guess it is up to you. My suggestion is to consult those guys because they estimate one's qualification for the VISA.

Below you can find some useful links on the subject:

Link to 'HSMP' at Wikipedia
Link to the official HSMP site (UK Border Agency)
Link to official IELTS site

Please don't hesitate to comment, ask for clarifications (please bear in mind that I am no expert) , testify or provide tips from your own experience, for the benefit of other readers.