Applied through a UK agent

[tryafrica]

submited my application for under 28yrs on the 27th of February, wife's (on uk permit) uk account debited a week later, getting into the tenth week, nothing received so far. have not been with wife for six months, tried a visitors four times last year before we were married but in vain. it is the only option left.

have put in a lot of supporting documents in the appliction, 2 post graduate certifcates in management, Hons Economics degree, good references from three past employers(one of which was a (UN agent), last year's payslips of BP14400, wifes' degree, marriage certificate, her UK lease agreement, copy of passport, job adverts, expenditure plan and fca account certificate of balance of US2400.

what are the chances, beig a zimbabwean in light of the relations between our governments, will that affect my application. i am worried because my first four visitor's visa applications were denied on political grounds.

am i wasting my time or something will come out of the 9+ weeks of waiting

[Kayalami]

First things first - your wife should have applied for you to enter the UK on a dependent of a WP holder visa. These are not usually a problem. Given the situation in Zimbabwe applying for a visitors visa is a waste of time unless you have the strongest of ties (over and above the standard level of proof) due to the risk of flight. Regretably Zimbabwean nationals have consistently featured in the top three for nationals claiming asylum in the UK alongside Somali and Iraqi nationals - hence the imposition of a visa regime. Asylum is a hot topic at the moment and its become a vote issue despite the UK being either 8th or 10th in receiving asylum seekers per head of population in the EU - Belgium has the highest rate.

If you are able to substantiate the points you have claimed then you will get HSMP - nationality is irrelevant. On paper I believe you have a fairly good chance because you have 15 points in the bag - 5 age and 10 from your wife only needing 50 to go through. Working for well recognised institutions such as the UN is a plus because your work experience and lingusitic abilities are more likely to be bona-fide. Note that the HSMP scheme's popularity in terms of the flexibility of employment it gives has led to a flood of applications - circa 1,000 a month. There is a 12 week processing backlog at the moment so you just have to be patient.

In the meantime I would suggest you go down the WP dependent route to get you into the UK for job hunting purposes - holding a job offer expedites your HSMP application. More importantly it enables you to be re-united with your wife which IMHO is a priceless reward .

Good Luck

[tryafrica]

thank you very much for the advice, the worring thing though is that all my orriginal documents including my wife's ancstral permit and marriage certificate. i will have to wait until they come back.

Thank you once again for the detailed responce and word of encouragement.

[pashka]

submited my application for under 28yrs on the 27th of February, wife's (on uk permit) uk account debited a week later, getting into the tenth week, nothing received so far. have not been with wife for six months, tried a visitors four times last year before we were married but in vain. it is the only option left.

Thanks for sharing... What is general feeling, is it worthy applying through agents or solicitors? Does it speed up processing times?

[tryafrica]

its quite a trying time waiting for assesment especially at the moment when its taking longer. i have been seriously affected by the delay, first when it was taking about three weeks, when i was into my third week, they announced that it was taking 6-8 weeks, when i am in the 8th week its moved to 12 now i am in the tenth who knows maybe when i am into the twelfth it will be taking 16. You just ave to be patient and actually the best strategiy is to just do it as one of those things you do with very little anticipation on, you need not to have your other plans based on it. take it easy and dont put pressure on yourself, rather let it be known to your wife, girlfriend or best friend because telling a lot of people will prompt them to ask for progress and it will put a lot of pressure on you. In my case its a bit different because my wife is in london and the outcome has a lot of bearing on our life because the longer it takes the longer the time i go without seeing her, the more streess it outs on us. it stops us from trying other available options.

Applying through an agent puts you on a somewhat comfortable position because they have the experienced and proffessional, they know what exactly is required and they write you the cover letter with very precise language which a lot of us are not capable of doing. they know what exactly is required and are able to highlight your strong point, a thing which is best done by a second part. most importantly they are honest, they do not flatter you with promises and they give you points that are likely to be accorded to you. That is how they survive and with the no visa no charge slogan the are compelled to do a pefect job because that is how they survive.

Its worth it, give it a try!!!!