Tier 1 (General) Extension first or Passport Renewal first ?

[uberbee]

Hi,

I have got a Tier 1(General) visa (3 + 2). My initial visa expires in Oct 2011 and I am planning to apply for extension in August 2011. My concern is that my wife indian passport expires on Feb 2012. This gives me exactly 6 months from the date of my extension application. Is there any rule or something that one must have at least 6 months validity on the passport before applying for a extension visa. If i apply for extension in July 2011 would there be any problem.

Any suggestions ?

[duffy]

Renew the passport first if you have the time, otherwise you'll be carrying around 2 passports every time you leave the country. Also to get the visa stamp put in a new passport you have to pay, so best to get passport renewed before getting the extension.

[geriatrix]

Is there any rule or something that one must have at least 6 months validity on the passport before applying for a extension visa?

No.

[uberbee]

Thanks guys.

I just checked and found that passport renewal is possible on the expiry, or up to one year before expiry, of any passport, which had an initial validity of 10 years. So i am going to renew the passport and then apply for Tier 1 extension in July.

Thanks again.