1st Time HSMP applicant with questions

[loriNYC]

Hello: I am applying for the first time and want to ask a few questions from those of you with past experience. Thank you in advance for your guidance!!

-Will transcripts from University and Law School suffice for graduation requirement?
-How do I prove that my work post-school has been at the graduate level?
-I have a job offer in hand - should I apply for urgent treatment?

--How long has it been taking to get approved in recent months?
--If you get approved, is there another step in the process, or is this the only permit I will need to move to / work in London?

Thank you all so much!

Lori

[amhilde]

Lori-

You need to send in the original diplomas- transcripts wont necessarily be accepted, sometimes they are, sometimes they arent. They didnt look at mine, though I sent them in with the diplomas.

To prove work experience- you need letters from your employers. Check the caseworkers guidance for guidelines on how to go about this.

If you have a job offer in hand, will the employer not get a work permit for you? Is an HSMP required for you to accept the offer of employment? They seem to be running a little faster these days at any rate- bout a month I think is the average, give or take a few weeks.

If you receive an HSMP then you go on to the EC step. I never got there, so Im not sure of the exact requirements, though there are plenty of postings about that on here, if you do a search. The whole process could take up to 3 months though, assuming there are no problems with your documents. Is your employer willing to wait?

[loriNYC]

Thank you.

So I guess I will need to take my diplomas out of my frames.

I had been gathering info prior to job offer, so figured I would proceed as planned. My employer knows that this is in the works. But do you think that it will be faster for them to apply for me?

What is the EC step?

Thank you again!
Lori

[amhilde]

EC is Entry Clearance. I believe that is where you take the HMSp letter and documents and mail/take them to an embassy and they paste in the appropriate stamps and all.

As for speed- I have no idea how much faster a WP would be. The benefit for an HSMP would be that you could switch jobs. The downside is that if you dont have the letters written correctly that you could be denied and have to reapply, and it would take more time.

How did you get a job offer in London? Is it because you are a lawyer?