From the Beginig, HELP

[imath]

Hi everyone,

First thanks for all the members helping the others.

I will present shortly my situation; i will need some information to take a big decision.

I'm Moroccan and living in Belgium since 10 years, i hold a master from Brussels University and i currently work for a Belgian company since 2 years, i hold a Belgian work permit and a residence permit that i renew every year as long as i work for the same employer.

I recently received a work proposition to work for a London company, the employer is ready to make a sponsorship certificate for me so i have to take a decision; here are my question:

1/ Knowing that if i decide to move to the UK, i will lose my residence permit in Belgium (and the historical 10 years of residence), do you think it's risky to move to the UK? I mean, what are the risks of a Tier 2 holder to lose it? what if, for some reason, i will separate for my employer? will i need to find another job? what is the authorized period in this case?
I need here all the information that can help me to take this decision.

2/ Is it possible to list all the steps and timeline for me to apply for a Tier 2 work visa? It's not so clear in the immigration website.

Thank you very much!!

Imad.

[imath]

May be my question was too general.

The thing is that i can't travel to the UK right now so i don't know exactly the concrete steps: How long did it take to my employer (large insurance company) to have a sponsorship certificate for me? Since you have experience, do you think it's Okay to do everything by distance (Interviews by skype, signing contract, etc.) or it is better for me to first make a tourist visa to arrange everything directly.

Any information in this sense is welcomed!

Thank you.

[physicskate]

May be my question was too general.

The thing is that i can't travel to the UK right now so i don't know exactly the concrete steps: How long did it take to my employer (large insurance company) to have a sponsorship certificate for me? Since you have experience, do you think it's Okay to do everything by distance (Interviews by skype, signing contract, etc.) or it is better for me to first make a tourist visa to arrange everything directly.

Any information in this sense is welcomed!

Thank you.

How far off Belgian citizenship are you?

The UK govt is trying to de-couple Tier 2 with permanent/long term residency. It is currently a 5 year path to permanent residency (if salary requirements are met), it is difficult to switch employers - ie you are tied to your employer. All of this is subject to change (and is very likely to change for the worse).

I wouldn't risk it...but that's just me.

[imath]

Thank you Physicskate, it's apparently the same law as in Belgium (permanent residence after 5 years of work, and citizenship 1 year after that -with some conditions- if no worse change in the future). I already did 2 years, so i need to stay here 3/4 more years for permanent/citizenship. To be honest, I'm living in Belgium since 10 years and i really need a change and would like to do that in UK. Plus, the opportunity which is offered is really interesting. Waiting 2 more years (in the UK case) to have a permanent residence is not a problem for me but what the question is about the security, no one knows what can happen in 5 years....

[physicskate]

Thank you Physicskate, it's apparently the same law as in Belgium (permanent residence after 5 years of work, and citizenship 1 year after that -with some conditions- if no worse change in the future). I already did 2 years, so i need to stay here 3/4 more years for permanent/citizenship. To be honest, I'm living in Belgium since 10 years and i really need a change and would like to do that in UK. Plus, the opportunity which is offered is really interesting. Waiting 2 more years (in the UK case) to have a permanent residence is not a problem for me but what the question is about the security, no one knows what can happen in 5 years....

What I am saying is that the govt in the UK is quite anti-immigration - they are trying to decouple work visa from permanent residency. There is already a min salary requirement being introduced from ILR applications from 2016 which is going to increase year on year. So you might move to the UK and find you can stay for a max of 6 years and not be eligible for ILR (you can already stay here a max of 6 years on a work permit, even if you are not eligible for ILR).

[imath]

Physicskate, I think that in this period of recession, all the European governments are somehow anti-immigration, it is also like that in Belgium, it's really abnormal for someone who were student for 5/6 years then become a Tier 2 for 6 years (a total of 12 years living and contributing in the UK) to not have the right to settle in the UK.

Here is a question:

When a new law/restriction about ILR is voted (let's say 2015), does it concern all the applicants (included those who are Tier 2 BEFORE 2015 and not yet ILR), or just the new Tier 2 holders (after 2015)??

[physicskate]

Physicskate, I think that in this period of recession, all the European governments are somehow anti-immigration, it is also like that in Belgium, it's really abnormal for someone who were student for 5/6 years then become a Tier 2 for 6 years (a total of 12 years living and contributing in the UK) to not have the right to settle in the UK.

Here is a question:

When a new law/restriction about ILR is voted (let's say 2015), does it concern all the applicants (included those who are Tier 2 BEFORE 2015 and not yet ILR), or just the new Tier 2 holders (after 2015)??

If you are legally resident in the UK for a period of 10 years you are eligible under a long residency concession for ILR.

They change the rues for future ILR applications for people already in the Tier 2 category. For instance, in 201(or maybe 13) they changed the requirement after April 2015 for ILR applications. They have also changed the rules very recently meaning that there are a max of 6 years on a Tier 2 general.

[Sheffield_Marketeer]

When a new law/restriction about ILR is voted (let's say 2015), does it concern all the applicants (included those who are Tier 2 BEFORE 2015 and not yet ILR), or just the new Tier 2 holders (after 2015)??

from what I have seen, rules can and have been put in place that have affected policies in retrospective, which means people who have had Tier 2 prior to 2015 may also be affected by any new rules coming in 2015.

[imath]

I understand Sheffield_Marketeer, thank you! It's really tough to live in uncertainty... I honestly don't know what to do!

[Sheffield_Marketeer]

If I were you, then I would try to continue with the job at Brussels. Then achieve the Belgian citizenship. once that is obtained, you may be in a position to move to the Uk as there may be fewer restrictions on account of you being part of EU. I am saying this because there's been a lot of flux in the immigration policies in the recent time as you are well aware.

having said that, I don't see why you should not take a calculated risk depending on your risk appetite and come over to Uk for the job.
Remember, you will have a max of 6 years on Tier 2 and at the end of it if you want to apply for ILR, you will need more than £35000 (This figure can and will rise depending on what UKVI wants)

[imath]

Thank you again Sheffield_Mareteer and Physicskate. You opened my eyes about some stuff that i ignored!