Skilled migrant quota
hit for third month
in a row

23 February 2018

For the third month in a row, in February 2018, demand for Tier 2 Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship (RCoS) has exceeded supply. This leaves many skilled migrant workers from overseas unable to take up jobs they have already been offered in the UK.

Each month, the Home Office’s RCos application process sets aside a certain amount of certificates for allocation. For example, in February it was 1,908.

Applications are based on a points table, with priority points awarded to those jobs on shortage or PhD-level occupations.

Once that quota has been filled, the Home Office looks at the salary of the job on offer – the higher the earnings, the more points will be given.

Valid applications in November were successful if they scored at least 21 points. However, in December, it was 55 points, while for January and February at least 46 points.

This suggests a trend towards only accepting migrant workers who will be earning at least £50,000 per annum, as these prospective employees were the ones who managed to secure their Tier 2 RCoS in the past quarter.

The government refuses to comment on how many RCoS requests it declines. However, it is likely to be in the hundreds. These unsuccessful requests are very likely to be resubmitted for consideration in the following month’s allocation, with the result that once again, there will be a backlog of applications throughout 2018.

The number of available certificates for a Tier 2 RCoS  in March 2018 is only 1,126. The quota total will be reset in April, but there is as yet no word whether the government will increase its limit  – or as some suggest, scrap it entirely – to reflect the over-subscription.

Did you know? 

Anyone seeking admission to fill a vacancy with a salary of £159,600 or above, those connected with the specific inward investment provisions, and all in-country applications (with the exception of Tier 4 dependant switchers) are not affected by the limit.

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