-For General Guidance/Help Only-
Someone from this forum attended interview in Sheffield on 17th April 2014 and this was the story..
- Interviewer wasn't a case worker. He was someone who will ask you a set of questions, write down your answers and pass it on to the case worker.
- There will be an observer along with the caseworker to study your reactions.
- Max. interview time is 45mins but he completed in 30mins
- Since his application was already in process, the outcome would come in 2-3weeks after the interview
- They are interested in taking additional documents to prove the genuinity of the business, business plan is a must and anything to support the application would help
- This interview is only about business plan and nothing related to funding. Your knowledge of the business, market and your personal commitment into the business will be tested. As someone in the forum mentioned before, a good business plan is the answer to everything about the interview.
My solicitor gave me the below question set before the interview. Surprisingly, they asked questions only from this list. The interviewer will ensure you have answered all these questions. Just be confident and thorough and provide as much details as possible.
1) What was the last time you traveled to the UK?
2) What was the last time you exited the UK?
3) What was the purpose of stay?
4) Do you have any relatives in the UK?
5) Who helped you put up the application?
6) How many consultants you consulted?
7) Who wrote the B.Plan?
What is your current occupation?
9) What is your position in the company?
10) What business does this company do(deals in)?
11) Who is funding your business?
12) What understanding do you have towards the investment with the investor?(what will you pay him in return)
13) Will the payment be paid before audited accounts or after?
14) When will you return the investment obviously its not given to you forever?
15) What is your business plan about? (Explain the business)
16) Why this business?
17) Do you have any experience in the relevant field?
18) What part of the UK do you intend to establish this business?
19) Why specifically this area why not somewhere else?
20) How many employees do you intend to recruit at the start of business?
21) What salaries and wages do you intend to pay them?
22) Will your premises require security?
23) What type of security? (CCTV or guard)
24) What will you pay the guard?
25) What will you pay the security company?
26) Do you require a manager for the company?
27) They don't come cheap what salary would you pay him?
28) Where did you come up with these figures?
29) What type of business premises you require?
30) What dimensions would your premises have?
31) Would you mortgage, Lease, freehold or Rent it?
32) What is the Business rate, explain the business rate for your chosen business and area? (If it is your home office do you have to pay any other taxes?)
33) What sort of Insurance do you require for your business?
34) How much will be the Insurance?
35) How much will your utilities cost monthly and yearly?
36) Please state the breakdown of the utilities? (How much for what)
37) What is the running cost of your business?
38) Will you register your business?
39) Where and what bodies will you register your business with?
40) Will you register your company with companies house?
41) Would you then sell its shares to public and for how much?
42) What is high tax? (I didn't get this qn)
43) What is VAT threshold?
44) Your company requires movement of items?
45) How will you manage that?
46) What will you pay to logistics company?
47) Will you be importing and exporting goods?
48) How much is the freight to China from your nearest port?
49) What will you pay your freight company for transferring goods from your premises?
50) What will you for the container of 40ft to be sitting at delivery point?
51) How much business would you generate in the first year?
52) This is a new business I take the forecast is assumptions rather than projections?
53) There is serious competition is the specified business area, there are people doing business brilliantly, What makes you think you will survive or thrive?
54) What advantage or edge would you have over them?
55) How would you purchase your goods?
56) Will you collect them?
57) How will you sell them offshore?
58) There are figures I cant understand, how have you come up with them, What do you have to say about that?
59) Where do you see Yourself/Business in three years time?
60) That is all for the interview, Do you intend to add something more to that? (make sure you add more by sharing some of the plans as they wanna see you much you are capable on your own, try to speak as much as possible about the business and your plans, creating jobs, paying taxes, doing good for the UK economy etc.
Most important, If you have a solid business/plan and you can answer these questions then there should not be anything to worry. Just be cool, confident and give it a go.
Another set of questions for guidance only;
1. Explain your business
2. Where do you operate from? Home, office ?
3. Plan about hiring employees and where they will base?
4. Have you got public liability insurance
5. Where did you get the money from? (if you say its my own saving then they won't ask you about 5-7 question related to that. if you say borrowed or loan from then be ready for another 5-7 question.)
6. What have you been doing after your studies?
7. How much money have you invested so far?
8. Who are your competitors?
9. What market research you have done?
10. Your current status and previous immigration history?
11. What contingency plans you have if your business doesn't go as planned?
12. How are you surviving if you haven't started ur business and all the money still in the bank account
13. How many contracts you have?
14. How many potential contracts you have?
15. how much will be your start up expenses?
16. Are you planning to settle down in the UK?
1.Do you have any documents to support your case, (she recorded all as I took fresh letter from my personal account to show the funds are maintained 50K, business plan, contract, indeminty, building cover insurance )
2.What do you do at the moment? (Working with company on contract basis)
3.Where do you work? (Evidence or reference for contacting, any person name to contact?)
4.Where were you working before this? How many hours?
5.When is your current leave expire? (Was expired already 3 month ago)
6.Where is your company based and office? How much do you pay rent? What does that include how many desks, work stations, Spam and toilet?
7.What other companies are nearby your office?
8.How many floors have that building and which floor you are on?
9.What contracts you have at the moment, name the company, contact details
10.How many will you have at the end of this year? (4, 6 many more or less)
11.Name the companies in your area or competitors
12.What services do you provide, explain.
13.Are you going to hire any more people
14.Who is the director of the company (myself), only one? (yes)
15.Where did you get this money from, who is funding you? (my own money, savings)
16.Are you self employed at the moment or on payroll?
17.Are you planning to settle here. (I don’t know about future, may be)
I guess I've provided the details comprehensively and I'm sure you can find out the answer for trivial questions that may arise after reading this post. If I think of anything important, I'll share it on the forum later. Also these questions are only for guidance purpose. You can refer to it and prepare yourself. Questions may differ from business to business, caseworker to the caseworker and country to country as its not necessary that all will apply in the UK. People are applying for a Tier 1 visa all around the globe.
Hope the post to be helpful for all.
Cheers!
