The Station Agent wrote:This whole story stresses the importance of sponsors issuing CoS carefully and with all relevant points considered. If they'd ticked the box none of this would have happened. In my mind it's entirely their fault because this is a points-based system and you didn't score the necessary points because of them. In Tier 2 the employee should be shown the FULL CoS - otherwise they don't know what the sponsor has and hasn't done. This is a failing of the system (guidance) in my view - the sponsor should be told to give a full screenshot or printout of the CoS to the employee.
While I can understand the inconvenience and stress OP had to go through, I cannot specify enough that everyone must check the documentation in full at their own too.
When applying for my T2 GEN, I had a simple strategy. When in doubt, re-check and re-verify everything, and read every document at my own to make sure its compliant to the UKBA requirements & no information is missing.
Even while submitting the application, my attorney advised me to arrange the paperwork in a certain way, with a separate A4 sheet before each section outlining the content/documents enclosed in the section that follows. We then created a Table of contents and included it as the coverpage so that the caseworker knows which document is placed where in the application bundle. Furthermore, we submitted two bundles of this paperwork. Original & a copy. Cumbersome I know, but it helped ensuring everything was in order.
I know my words will not get the lost time & peace of mind back for our friend, but others who are about to apply for a visa must check everything individually even though other parties (HR, L1 user, Immigration team) might be responsible for certain documents within your existing/new organization.
Congrats for getting your visa my friend! Happy days.