This info you provide HIGHLIGHTS my concerns and previous posters trying to tell me otherwise should wake up and smell the coffee and be PREPARED. Prepared meaning having your app reading to go before 5th April.rajaram20 wrote:I wrote to my local MP last month and he has contacted Home Secretary regarding Tier 1 extension. Received a letter from Mr. Damien Green - today..
Reply as follows:
"We are mindful of the impacts that changes to the immigration system can have on those who are already in the UK. Mitigating those impacts must be balanced against the need to ensure robust system and the fact that we cannot keep old provisions in place indefinitely. However, wherever possible we will introduce transitional arrangements for those who are already here.
There will be transitional arrangement for those who are already in the UK under Tier 1(General) and who are seeking extensions. We will announce details of these transitional arrangements early in 2011. "
An email received two months ago from someone in UKBA may not be relevant any more as they may have changed their minds in UKBA/govt several times since then. The same way this info provided above by rajaram20 may also become obsolete with the coming weeks. The best thing is to just prepare your application to apply before 5th April even if this does not get you your 5 year ILR and you never know a year down the road the rules may change again and you can do 2nd extension(after all the law suits are over).
Someone asked in an earlier post 'What can you do about rules changes?' Well there is something you can do, or should I say you should have done already. This is what I did.
I myself when there was all this talk about changing rules back mid last year 2010 , I started looking for a new job down near London and took on a new job in December. As jobs in London pay so much more than say up in the East Midlands(due to London weighting) it has pushed me up at 2 bands in the EARNINGS criteria when I recalculate my earnings(for 12 months) in July 2011. But pushes me up only 1 band if I apply 4th April before new transitional arrangements.
There is never any harm been prepared.
i meant that if my visa was to expire this year, i would probably be in a panic. Mind you, people have different pressure/ panic thresholds - mine is very low 