employer reference letter - with a twist

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:38 am

Hey people !

yeah the same ol' story! I am in the UK on a work permit and if my current employer was to even dream about my filing in for HSMP he would shoot me down. I dont need any refernce from him to get 65 points. I have managed to obtain all the necessary reference and my score comes to 90 w/o anything to do with my current employer.

I need the reference letter to proce my employment in the UK though. Now I have my salary slips, work visa etc which I think are not enough. I can get a To Whomsoever it may concern letter from my employer BUT he says he would write it out as addressed to a specific bank/company. So it would look like

XXXXX Bank
UK

TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN

My questions are

1. Would it be okay if I submit this letter along with my work visa, salary slips etc to Home Office?

2. Does Home Office call up current employer and say "Hi there! this is UK Home Office. One of your guys is applying for HSMP. Did you issue him with a reference letter? Is he a good boy!?"

3. If my current employer were to refuse my employment in the event home office calls them up, do I have myself roasted on a BBQ eventually and being deported back??

Dawie · Post by **Dawie** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 1:56 pm

I don't understand. You say that you don't need a reference letter from your employer to get the necessary points for HSMP. But then you go on to say that you do!

Also, you mention 65 points and 90 points. Which is it?

What does "proce" mean?

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 3:28 pm

Dawie wrote:I don't understand. You say that you don't need a reference letter from your employer to get the necessary points for HSMP. But then you go on to say that you do!

Also, you mention 65 points and 90 points. Which is it?

What does "proce" mean?

My bad! apologies.

What I meant was that without counting my experience with my current employer I still end up with 90 points. However I need a kind of a reference letter by my current employer to prove that I am indeed on a work visa in UK and that I am legally working. You know there could be cases when an employer might have fired an employee and that employee files HSMP even though his status in UK would now be illegal since his work visa is no longer valid. I could hoodwink my employer to give me a letter stating that I am working for them but my employer would definitely address this letter to some institution (say bank) as I mentioned in my post.

And hence my questions.

tvt · Post by **tvt** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 4:34 pm

You can legitimately ask your employer to address the letter to a financial institution. Later when you send the letter to the Home Office note to them that this is because you don't want your employer to suspect that you intend to resign.

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 4:41 pm

tvt wrote:You can legitimately ask your employer to address the letter to a financial institution. Later when you send the letter to the Home Office note to them that this is because you don't want your employer to suspect that you intend to resign.

Thanks tvt

Do you have any idea about whether they call up the employer or not and if they do what they usually ask?

Dawie · Post by **Dawie** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 4:42 pm

I had to supply a reference letter from my employer when I applied for indefinite leave to remain. They definitely didn't call them.

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 5:17 pm

Dawie wrote:I had to supply a reference letter from my employer when I applied for indefinite leave to remain. They definitely didn't call them.

The problem is that my reference letter is addressed to a bank. this is what worries me. All the other documents of mine are completely okay and ready!

Dawie · Post by **Dawie** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 5:20 pm

If it puts your mind at ease, my reference letter wasn't addressed to the Home Office. It was printed on headed paper and was simply addressed to "To whom it may concern". Didn't have the words "Home Office" anywhere on it. It was just a generic employee reference letter stating how long I had been working there, how much I earned and what my job title was.

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 5:23 pm

Dawie wrote:If it puts your mind at ease, my reference letter wasn't addressed to the Home Office. It was printed on headed paper and was simply addressed to "To whom it may concern". Didn't have the words "Home Office" anywhere on it. It was just a generic employee reference letter stating how long I had been working there, how much I earned and what my job title was.

Thanks for your reply. But here lies my problem. My employer is not ready to give me a reference letter on a headed paper which would just say a TO WHOMSOEVER...

He says the letter would be addressed to some institution. The best I could think of was a bank. So I can not get a simple To whom letter

Dawie · Post by **Dawie** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 5:27 pm

[Edited by Moderator (John) because of contravention of the rules of this board.]

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 5:28 pm

Dawie wrote:Well then, I'd start getting creative with some Tipp-ex and a colour photocopier.

Why do you think I asked whether they call up the employer to verify

neilroy · Post by **neilroy** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:40 am

why dont you ask your employer that you are applying for a visa for a family memeber from ur hme country and u need that info to be supplied as part of the application
I also applied for change of work permit & ILR and HO never asked a question to my exsisting employer.

vilkatis · Post by **vilkatis** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 11:21 am

.

Here's what I don't quite get:

Your employer WILL provide a reference letter to a specific institution (Bank, etc).

What is the content of the letter? Just that you are employed, or must it also make statements that you're a model employee and a prime asset to the Crown in general ???

How could this letter to a financial institute be any different than one to the Home Office? And why would your employer even care about the difference?

If it is only a statement that Mr. nikhil is currently employed in position ABC, I don't understand the angst on anyones part here.

Given that, get the letter, maybe even get a couple, to whatever institutions your employer is willing to give them for.

Next options:

If you submit a copy as per the bank addressed version, will the Home Office accept it?

Will Home Office accept such a letter if it is NOT addressed to the Home Office?

I have found that an 800dpi scan of a document can have things like the address block removed in photoshop, then printed on a high-quality laser printer and ... well, so long as you don't ADD anything to it, you are not entirely being deceptive .... just some selective 'amnesia,' so to speak.

AND, don't at any point be actively deceptive ... always allow folks to make assumptions. Won't necessarily save you, but it makes charges of fraud and forgery much more difficult to establish.

Now, if the Home Office requires an actual statement from the employer saying ''I hereby sponsor Mr. nikhil for HSMP'' then ur ph#k't.

Forging such a document would N O T go down well with ANY institution I know of. AND (disclaimer) I am NOT advocating any illegal activity by this post .. I'm discussing theoretically what legal loopholes might exist should someone else wish to check into them.

Of course, the most legitimate way to go is get a job with an employer who isn't being so unhelpful. Your working relationship in this case seems quite less than ideal. You and your employer might be happier with a different arrangement.

-- vilkatis

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:35 pm

To vilkatis

My employer is a body shopper who sponsored my work permit for UK and then contracted me out to this BIG company in UK for whom I now work as a contractor. My employer pays me $hit and would never let me go since I am one of those golden egg chicken. If he were to find out I am applying for HSMP he would immediately cancel my WP and send me back since he knows after my HSMP is approved I shall not stick around with him for more than a nano second. I am quiet simply tired of being exploited.

Yes the relation is less than ideal however it is a perfect relation of mutual greed. His for money and mine for escaping into UK.

He will write a letter to a financial institue because I would cook up a story for him to believe in. I spoke to him regarding giving me a general letter so that I can use it as and whre I pleased and he firmly said NO. He knows if he gives me any such letter he is exposnig his butt and I would not hesitate to kick it with all my might.

And ur question - will the home office accept it, is the same I am trying to get answered here! I have though decided to submit the letter addressed to the bank along with all other documetns that show I am working for this a$$hole of an employer. If Home Offices gets suspicious and call my employer up he can not lie, since if he does I can sue is guts out. In other words he would ahve to accept that I am working for him and that is all I need verified.

If they dont call him up and accept the letter I walk happy. I am not inclined towards forgery and am trying my best to stay entirely legal. But this entire thing is so phuikin difficult....damn it makes me angry!

bobby_chucks · Post by **bobby_chucks** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:37 pm

He knows if he gives me any such letter he is exposnig his butt and I would not hesitate to kick it with all my might.

I almost laughed aloud after reading that. Perhaps it is not laughing matter to you. I'm sure you'll choose the right thing to do. If you are lucky the case worker may not pay much attention to the employment letter. Just give it a try. You may be through. If not...at least you wont feel that you didnt tried.

Good luck.

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:53 pm

bobby_chucks wrote:
He knows if he gives me any such letter he is exposnig his butt and I would not hesitate to kick it with all my might.
I almost laughed aloud after reading that. Perhaps it is not laughing matter to you. I'm sure you'll choose the right thing to do. If you are lucky the case worker may not pay much attention to the employment letter. Just give it a try. You may be through. If not...at least you wont feel that you didnt tried.

Good luck.

Well one must laugh in the face of difficulties innit?? Lol

I am trying for sure, I simply wanted to know if it is best to submit the same letter or maybe as someone suggested, modify it a bit to remove the part where it is addressed to the fin institution

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:43 pm

I am still waiting for someone to answer this question satisfactorily

ppron747 · Post by **ppron747** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:51 pm

My (wholly uninformed) suggestion is that you submit the letter "as is", given that it is all you've got - and explain the difficulties with your employer in a covering letter. And don't even think about doctoring it.

It may not be satisfactory, but it's free...

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 8:14 pm

ppron747 wrote:My (wholly uninformed) suggestion is that you submit the letter "as is", given that it is all you've got - and explain the difficulties with your employer in a covering letter. And don't even think about doctoring it.

It may not be satisfactory, but it's free...

Thanks mate!

sudeep_n · Post by **sudeep_n** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:43 pm

shouldnt this be in the HSMP forum? may be you may have got better responses there

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:58 pm

It was posted there as well. However when I did not get more than 2 replies I had to post it here as well

garichd · Post by **garichd** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:22 pm

Nikhil,

why don't you get the Experince letter from the "BIG company in UK ".
They should give the experince letter to you as you are working for them.
Body shopper is just proceesing your payments.

gari..

nikhil · Post by **nikhil** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 4:17 pm

garichd wrote:Nikhil,

why don't you get the Experince letter from the "BIG company in UK ".
They should give the experince letter to you as you are working for them.
Body shopper is just proceesing your payments.

gari..

Well this is almost similar to saying why doesnt this BIG company sponsor my work permit and take me as their employee innit? Lol ! We all know they will not do that since issuing me such a letter actually makes them responsible for my actions and conduct in the UK.

Besides the point here is to prove the validity of my stay in the UK. Since I have a work permit from a company (say) ABC it only is right if the company ABC issues a letter stating my employment. Imagine yourself to be the case worker and receiving and application where the WP and visa is on the name of ABC but the letter is from a different company..

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employer reference letter - with a twist

employer reference letter - with a twist