Is it the right time to migrate to London?

[manojkvel]

Hi Friends,

I am software professional with experience in Java related technologies working for an Global Investment bank in India.

I am holding a UK tier 1 visa which is valid up to October 2012. I am planning to migrate to London as soon as possible. Is it the right time for this move? Can someone please advise me on the economic conditions and the job market currently in UK. Any help regarding this is greatly appreciated.

Looking at the news papers/ reading about the euro crisis and the enormous losses Investment banks are facing i am skeptical about making this move. Personally I would love to migrate since I liked the place very much, but professionally will it be a wise move?

Thank you for your help in advance.

- Kvel

[mulderpf]

If you get any answers to your question, it will all be relative. Whilst it may be a bad time for the economy in general, it doesn't mean that there is a lack of jobs - you might just have to look harder for one. Even though the situation as a whole might not look good, you could get here and find a job within a few days - or it might take you months. It's just relative.

Looking at your situation though, and I hate putting people off, but you are not exactly in a very good position right now. Companies are starting to wind down for the year and will probably stop recruiting until the new year (this place is dead in terms of jobs during December). They will then start recruitment in the new year and this process can take anywhere from 3-4 weeks to 8 weeks. This takes you easily into February / March.

Whilst there is no rule as such where company may or may not employ you based on your visa validity date, you may find it even harder with a visa which expires 7 months later. (Some companies won't care - for example if you are contracting, but many will care). Do you want to move into contracting?

You need to weigh this up and make a decision based on the facts. There's never a great time to move to the UK (there's Easter holidays, summer holidays, spring holidays and just an excuse year round as to why recruitment is slow), but December is by far the worst possible time unless you are very patient to wait it out.

[goldfish]

Agree with what mulderpf has said. This time of year the job market usually gets very quiet, particularly because for many banks the economy means they aren't hiring or the hiring process is very slow. Of course, that's a generalisation and you may get a job very quickly.

The point about time left on your visa applies to contracts as well. Some companies will only give you a contract up to the end date on the visa, others prefer someone with more time left, and others don't care.

If you get a contract up the visa end date, some companies will give you a "rolling one month contract" provided you can prove it is being processed. Others will only extend it after you have the new visa back. I think there was someone on the forum who wasn't able to keep working until his new visa was approved because that was the company policy. Given that visa take a few months to process, he wasn't able to earn any money during that period.

Maybe you could ask some of your colleagues in the London office what their view is of the job market? They might have more idea of what it is like for your specific skills.

[manojkvel]

Thank you mulderpf and goldfish, your inputs help. Sorry for the late reply. I checked with my colleagues in London about the market, they are all very pessimistic about it and they say this is not the time to migrate.

I think I need t wait and hope situation improves I guess.

Thanks for your help again.

Bye
-Kvel.