UK is a great destination for anyone looking to work abroad, with one of the strongest economies in the world. Highly Skilled Migrant Program (HSMP), is the best Visa I have been on for working in the UK. With HSMP you can work for any employer and leads to permanent residency after 5 year and naturalization after 1 more year.



You cannot apply for a work permit without having a job offer from a UK employer, the employer must prove that they cannot find a qualified person within the EU before they employ you. My work permit application was complicated and time consuming for both the employer and myself. If you need to change jobs, you need to apply for a new work permit and Visa.

Provided you can score the necessary points, HSMP is a very simple application. With HSMP you can work as a self employed contractor. In the UK, contractors earn a lot more compared to their permanent full time employed counterparts. For example the best way to approach the UK IT contract market will be to start with short term contracts. Once you get a few short term contracts under your belt you will be in a very good position to apply for a permanent post. Click Here For Links

HSMP is a must have for contractors . Provided you score at least 75 points in the assessment, you can apply yourself, then start looking for a job in the UK as contractor. There are significant advantages to HSMP compared to a Work permit. The most attractive aspect of HSMP is it allows you to obtain Visa without having a job offer, this makes life easier as you can look for a job once you get Visa. After 5 years as an HSMP holder you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (Permanent Residency) and after 1 more year you can apply for British Citizenship (naturalization).

HSMP is currently being replaced with the new Australia-style points based 5 tier scheme, which started at the beginning of 2008. This scheme will simplify immigration for the most highly skilled and educated but make immigration difficult for other categories. HSMP will be replaced by the 1st Tier of the new system.

The MBA points provision in HSMP will be removed, so you are no longer given 75 points (which would automatically qualify you for HSMP) for having and MBA from the specified list of Universities. It's always best to apply for the HSMP scheme before it's replaced with the Tier 1 on the new points based scheme !

Please visit some of the below sites for more information

Sample HSMP letters and Life in the UK test