Working Holiday Maker Extension/Switch

[Ian999]

Hi,

New to this forum - so excuse any anything I might say that sounds stupid or obvious.

I'm trying to find out if there are is anyway my cousin from Bangladesh can extend his stay in the UK

He came over as a working holiday maker about 1 1/2 years ago - he currently works for a footware company and is looking to extend his stay.

Am I right in assuming the regulations do not allow for extensions to the working holiday maker scheme?

If not can he switch and apply under a different scheme whilst remaining in the UK - he has expierence as a chief in an indian restaurant.

Sorry again if the question sounds basic but I'm new to all this.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

[MrBaboo]

Am I right in assuming the regulations do not allow for extensions to the working holiday maker scheme?

That's correct. He can't extend. 2 years and that's it.

If not can he switch and apply under a different scheme whilst remaining in the UK - he has expierence as a chief in an indian restaurant.

I think it was Feb 08 when they removed the ability to switch in-country from the WHM visa. To switch he would have to leave the country and apply from Bangladesh.

The next question is switch to what? He would have to switch into Tier 1 or Tier 2. By the sounds of it, he might have insufficient earnings to apply under Tier 1. He would also need a masters at minimum. To apply under Tier 2, his employer would need to sponsor him but would themselves need to go through a verification process to sponsor him. The government is making Tier 2 visas harder and harder to get (e.g. requiring advertising to EU nationals for 2 weeks for all but the most in-demand jobs).

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/worki ... 2/general/

Perhaps a relevant article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west ... 244834.stm