Good evening all,
I read the written ministerial statement published last week:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publi ... 4/HCWS660/.
One of the paragraphs mentioned :
''Employers will continue to be able to recruit non-EEA graduates of UK universities without first testing the resident labour market and without being subject to the annual limit on Tier 2 (General) places, which will remain at 20,700 places per year. Additionally, we shall give extra weighting within the Tier 2 (General) limit to businesses sponsoring overseas graduates, and will
allow graduates to switch roles within a company once they have secured a permanent job at the end of their training programme. These changes will take effect from autumn 2016.''
I'm currently on a graduate scheme and hold a Tier 2 (General) visa that expires on 26 October 2016. I was on Tier 4 prior to the switch to Tier 2. Given the varied roles that I undertake during the grad scheme, I'm expecting my permanent role (after the end of the scheme) to be different from the one stated on my COS. This requires a change in the SOC code when I apply for extension. So my questions are:
1.) Based on the paragraph quoted, am I correct to think that I can use a different SOC code when applying for my Tier 2 visa extension this October?
2.) The details did not specify from which exact date in Autumn 2016 the new rules will take effect. I'm thinking there's a chance that my visa would expire before the new rules are implemented. However -
My Tier 2 Visa was issued on October 2014, and I believe I can also extend it by 1 year, to bring my total leave to no more than 3 years. If this is correct, can I extend it by 1 year first (whilst still sticking to my current SOC code and new entrant salary rate) and then change my SOC code later?
Any advice on the above questions will be much appreciated. Thanks!