Tier1 General Extension in 2015

[nattu]

HI ,
First of all apologies if I am duplicating this Subject ,

I came to UK with a HSMP visa in March 2008 (had validity until 2010 Jan) ,

I extended it by 3 years under Tier 1 General category in 2009 Nov (validity from Jan 2010 - Jan 2013)

However , I was out of country from Jan 2010- May 2011 .

I extended this Visa again in 2012 Nov by showing earnings from 2011 Nov to 2012 Nov( Now the current Validity is Jan 2013 -Jan 2015)

1. Now, since I am not eligible for a ILR,can i extend this again in the TIER 1 general category for another 2/3 years by applying for an extension this October or November
if yes , How early can i apply and when will the validity start from .

2. Also i think I will complete 5 years continuous stay in UK only in 2016 May because I have lost the period of stay from March 2008 to Nov 2009 asI was out of the country from Jan 2010 to May -2011 ( more than 6 months)

Can you please comment on 1 and 2 . your comments on them are highly appreciated.

Thanks,
Santosh

[mightypower]

1. why do you want to go for early extensions? You can apply before it expires, it doesnt add any value by going for early extension. If you want it for some reasons, doesnt matter you can apply oct-nov but sometimes you may only get 3 yrs from date u have applied rather to the expiry date in ur visa.

2. yes IL only after May2016 unless u can prove ur out of country time is due to emergencies like medical issues etc