Thread to track HSMP applications from U.S.A

pateketu · Post by **pateketu** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 2:38 am

Send you a PM

raguraam · Post by **raguraam** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:50 pm

It is nice to see US folks applying for HSMP. For the reasons stated in this forum, I am thinking of doing the same.

A starter question: Do you guys do the whole process of HSMP application on your own or take the help of agents who offer these services?

I went through some sites offering these services and completely confused on how much they charge. May be someone can shed lights on this.

Another question is how soon do you have to go to UK once the visa is approved. Example: Can you go after 1 year after the visa is approved?

thanks

dcguy · Post by **dcguy** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:42 am

Hi.

If you are applying for your EC in New York and want your EC post-dated (or have any other special requests), I suggest making an in-person appointment.

I mailed in my EC request stating my need for a 3 month post-date in my cover letter, but it was overlooked (although I followed the instructions from the agent at the UK Visa call center). I didn't receive any denial from the clearance officer. Unfortunately, when I reported this mistake to the call center, they said that the EC has already been issued and could only be changed if their was a mistake with my name/picture.

dcguy · Post by **dcguy** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:58 am

Raguraam:

Sorry, I meant to also answer your question in my last post.

As the HSMP process is relatively quick now, I would wait to apply until you are fairly certain that you want to go to the UK. With the new rules, you have 6 months from receipt of your HSMP approval letter to apply for your Entry Clearance (EC). You can also ask the EC officer to post-date your EC for up to 3 months. However, the date on the EC is the starting time for your eligiblity; if you enter 1 year after this date, you will have only 1 year left to apply for your 3 year extension (FLR).

Regarding using an agent, you really don't have to if your application is pretty straightforward. I used an agent for mine because of special circumstances (I just got laid off and I had to ensure that my application was approved) and it was back in 2004 when applications were taking months to get approved (mine took nearly a year). There are some agents that provide a HSMP application review instead of a full service, which they can point out deficiencies. The main hurdle I know many people have who work in the USA is getting a detailed employment verification letter. For some jobs, I only could get my title, salary and date of employment.

I hope this helps.

giblet · Post by **giblet** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:02 am

Good info, dcguy. To clarify, if I get approved and wait 6 months to get EC, and have it post-dated 3 months, does that mean I can wait 9 months to enter and still have the entire 1 or 2 years eligibility?

Or what about this one--if I just enter the country to satisfy the EC, but then leave, how much time do I actually need to spend in the UK to get a renewal? I understand that they look at your income during this period, but what if you only worked in the UK for 6 months? Would you then be ineligible for the HSMP renewal? Or would they include your US income as well?

dcguy · Post by **dcguy** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:10 am

Giblet:

You are correct; you have 6 months (and up to 9 months if the EC officer approves your post-date request which, in my experience, isn't guaranteed).

For the time you would work in the UK, you should try to leave within the first few months of your EC (which initially now is 2 years), as you have to prove that you are economically active in order to get your FLR for 3 more years.

giblet · Post by **giblet** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:15 am

But do you know what the definition is of economically active is? I haven't seen anything anywhere, but I'll admit that I haven't looked hard.

If one is employed at the time they apply for the FLR and have savings, is that enough? Or do you have to have been employed for a certain length of time? Is there an earnings minimum or any strict numbers?

Sorry for all the questions.

dcguy · Post by **dcguy** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:29 am

No problem. Economically active just means that you are working, preferrably in your field. The longer you have worked in the UK, the better the chances that you will receive the full 3 year extension. They know that it takes some time to get established and get a job you want. If you become unemployed after working, and have shown that you are actively seeking work, then that is fine also.

giblet · Post by **giblet** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:33 am

Interesting.

I'm just trying to figure out how long I can stay in the US after I get approved. Once they found out I was applying, my job started actively trying to woo me to stay, so I'm trying to determine exactly how long I can and should.

Thanks for all of the info!

raguraam · Post by **raguraam** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 1:28 pm

thanks dcguy. I thought you get 2 year extensions for HSMP. I dont understand what FLR means(probably I have to read more about the whole process). Is there a site that gives a comprehensive information about all this?

thanks

dcguy wrote:Raguraam:

Sorry, I meant to also answer your question in my last post.

As the HSMP process is relatively quick now, I would wait to apply until you are fairly certain that you want to go to the UK. With the new rules, you have 6 months from receipt of your HSMP approval letter to apply for your Entry Clearance (EC). You can also ask the EC officer to post-date your EC for up to 3 months. However, the date on the EC is the starting time for your eligiblity; if you enter 1 year after this date, you will have only 1 year left to apply for your 3 year extension (FLR).

Regarding using an agent, you really don't have to if your application is pretty straightforward. I used an agent for mine because of special circumstances (I just got laid off and I had to ensure that my application was approved) and it was back in 2004 when applications were taking months to get approved (mine took nearly a year). There are some agents that provide a HSMP application review instead of a full service, which they can point out deficiencies. The main hurdle I know many people have who work in the USA is getting a detailed employment verification letter. For some jobs, I only could get my title, salary and date of employment.

I hope this helps.

raguraam · Post by **raguraam** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 1:31 pm

dcguy: How much does it cost in total ? (for the agent services+HSMP Fees+misc)

If you dont mind can I ask which agency did you use?

thanks

windmill · Post by **windmill** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:02 pm

raguraam, as folks here have already replied to you, most people from the US (or at least what i've come across on this forum) do not use any kind of service (and neither did i).

the application is fairly straight forward and easy to fill out. getting documents right might be a bit tricky but thats something you can figure by researching over here and internet. rest is all luck.

some of the posts over here are very informative and so are the people here. you can get pretty much every query answered. i know i took a lot of help (like cover letter format by lanwarrior, the mbe info by krage and EC info by pateketu etc etc.). So decide after going thru posts here whether its your cup of tea to apply on your own or not.

good luck with your application.

giblet · Post by **giblet** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:04 pm

Windmill, have you heard anything yet?

windmill · Post by **windmill** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:09 pm

no mate, nothing so far. i haven't also tried contacting i'll add. i just mailed them once requesting courier return, for which they asked me fax the letter.

i'll try calling them on monday but tbh i don't want to come very soon.

although, i'm confident it should not be a problem so later it happens, better it is (touchwood). i get more time EC. i plan to leave the US around jan-feb time due to my current work commitments.

i see your card has been charged finally. congrats!

giblet · Post by **giblet** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 6:45 pm

I feel the same way, Windmill. I wonder if I should have applied later to give me longer to leave. It's all so complicated.

Anyway, I'm rooting for you! I'm sure you will hear pretty soon. Did you submit a request for urgent treatment?

raguraam · Post by **raguraam** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 8:34 pm

How are you guys planning on searchin for jobs? I talked to my friend in London and he didnt sound as if it is going to be easy. However in various UK job sites, I see a healthy requirement and salary for IT jobs. Just want to get a feel of your thoughts on this.

I guess we may have some advantage since we have some US experience.

pateketu · Post by **pateketu** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:54 pm

raguraam wrote:How are you guys planning on searchin for jobs? .

JobSite.Co.uk, JobServe.com, Monster.co.uk, Reed.co.uk, totalJobs.com etc... Post your CV/start applying and you will get calls from recruitement agencies.

Get a vonage/Skype and get a UK number

raguraam wrote:I guess we may have some advantage since we have some US experience

Yes you will have some advantage and if you work for a big company its even better

raguraam · Post by **raguraam** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:16 pm

thanks pateketu.

pateketu wrote:
raguraam wrote:How are you guys planning on searchin for jobs? .
JobSite.Co.uk, JobServe.com, Monster.co.uk, Reed.co.uk, totalJobs.com etc... Post your CV/start applying and you will get calls from recruitement agencies.

Get a vonage/Skype and get a UK number

raguraam wrote:I guess we may have some advantage since we have some US experience
Yes you will have some advantage and if you work for a big company its even better

abhijeetrao · Post by **abhijeetrao** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:54 am

Hi All,

Please help , I am from NY-NJ area. I had sent my application one month ago To my surprise I found out that my application was rejected.

Points allocated

Education: 15

Work experience: 0

Past earnings : 25

Spouse : 0

My experience letters were so detailed and included all graduate level description. I have worked for all multinational companies (Cisco, Oracle, IBM ) but still they did not consider any of my experience even though all of my letters were on original company letterhead and signed by my managers.

pateketu · Post by **pateketu** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 4:46 am

abhijeetrao wrote:Hi All,

I have worked for all multinational companies (Cisco, Oracle, IBM ) .

Did you submit relevant W2s with reference letters?

abhijeetrao · Post by **abhijeetrao** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:53 pm

I did submit all W2s. I also submitted couple of bank statements along with pay slips for past 12 months. But they did not award me points for work experience although I had written it according to the format where u mention grdaute level position, detailed job responsibilites and whatever is given in caseworker manual.

windmill · Post by **windmill** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:28 am

its sad to hear abhijeet. if you're fairly confident you provided everything as per the requirement, maybe you can appeal?

it might be a better idea to double check in case including anything extra might help strengthen your case.

windmill · Post by **windmill** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:32 pm

- Under 28 years

Mailed: Sept 11th
Reached: Sept 13th
CC charged : Sept 13th
Receipt # Rcvd: Sept 14th
Called. Case Worker not assigned yet: Sept 27th
Decision been made: Sept 29th

I didn't send the urgent treatment form. I don't know what is the decision and now its weekend so can't even find out. its gonna be a long weekend with lot of waiting. sigh!

ukdestiny07 · Post by **ukdestiny07** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 2:26 am

Hi All,

I am applying for HSMP under 28 quota.
I am having exactly 2 years and 2 months of experience with the same company.
i am on deputation in US.
Was wondering, how do HSMP case workers do reference check? as if they call up my current employer (as do not have any experience with other companies), i am in a big job loosing treat.

Can someone please throw some light on reference check please?
I am planning to apply at the earliest.

pateketu · Post by **pateketu** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 10:12 am

ukdestiny07 wrote:Hi All,
i am on deputation in US.

What do you mean?

Immigrationboards.com: Immigration, work visa and work permit discussion board

Thread to track HSMP applications from U.S.A

EC Clearance Post-dated - Suggest going in-person

jobs

Re: jobs

Re: jobs

HSMP Application refused

Re: HSMP Application refused