Tier 2 RCOS quota reached – January 2018

For a second consecutive month, the demand for Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship (RCoS) has exceeded supply and led to a number of skilled migrants from overseas being blocked from taking up jobs they have been offered in the UK.

The Home Office’s RCoS application process works to a monthly cycle. With the total number of certificates set aside for allocation in January amounting to only 1651, not every request for a Tier 2 RCoS could be met.

Applications filed by employers representing jobs at PhD level or those listed on the government’s shortage occupations list are given priority. The subsequent key consideration is the proposed level of salary being offered to the migrant worker. Only those prospective migrant workers offered a salary over £50,000 per annum managed to secure their requested Tier 2 RCoS this month.

Unfortunately, the Home Office does not declare the number of RCoS requests declined. However, it is likely to be in the hundreds. Given that many of the unsuccessful requests are likely to be resubmitted for consideration in next month’s allocation, demand is once again likely to outstrip supply in February.

The government has yet to comment on criticism voiced towards its limit on skilled migration. It would no doubt point to the fact that the quota is not normally over-subscribed and will be reset in April. However, unless the limit is either scrapped or increased drastically, the current lottery of securing a Tier 2 RCoS is likely to continue throughout 2018.

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.