EC from USA !! Help !!

[Cj]

Hello All

Current Situation:
I have received the HSMP approval letter from Home Office, UK a few weeks back. And I am planning to wrap my stuff here in US and move within next month or so.

Help needed :
-What do I need to do from now on?
-Entry Clearance, there is a lot of information per EC from India. But can someone please guide me to what is the process of applying EC from within US.
-What is the application, form number I need to fill?
-What documents do I need to submit along with my application?
-What is the fee?
-How much time does it usually take?
-Will I need to get Medical and other stuff done? If yes, then what all? I ask you this so that I can better plan and understand the timeline that I have to work on.

I sincerely appreciate all your time and help.

Kind Regards,
Cj

[UKbound]

Hey CJ:

No worries.. I applied for EC from Los Angeles.. It was fairly simple.. The same forms and processes apply. You can also visit the embassy website for the UK in the US at www.britainusa.com ... That will give any specific embassy requirements. In the US you apply in NY, LA or Chicago depending upon your state of residence.

You should also check out www.ukvisas.gov.uk for more details on the forms, etc..

You need to submit supporting information as part of your EC request. There are a lot of notes on this board on what that means. If I recall correctly, there is a checklist as part of the application as well.

In terms of how long, it took a little over a week for me to get back my passport and visa once I had sent it in. As long as your app is straightforward, I wouldn't expect a long wait.
Good luck.

[gordon]

You can go to the following link to start the EC application process, which can be done initially online.
http://www.britainusa.com/visas/article ... 8&L1=41000

The link also specifies the documents you will need to supply and what fees you will need to pay (about $450). To be on the safe side, it seems that a number of EC applicants from the US supply additional documentation of their eligibility for HSMP: apart from the approval letter, they tend also to supply some, but not all, of the evidence provided in the initial application (although some applicants do provide all of it). Application through the NYC consulate takes a week or less, door-to-door. You will not need to provide evidence of medical testing (unless they specifically request it, of course).

Here's what I used for my EC application in June 2007:
- passports (current and former)
- HSMP approval letter
- printed application form and photograph
- my letter explaining the following:

a. To demonstrate HSMP eligibility
- 2006 tax returns (W2, 1099) for income points (my claimed earnings period)
- transcript, academic certificate, dean's letter on English language instruction, for education points

b. To demonstrate lack of need for recourse to public funds
- current account statements (three months)
- stock and retirement portfolio statements (three months)
- short budget showing expected expenditure for 4-5 months

c. To demonstrate employability
- printouts of selected job openings for which I'd be eligible to apply
- cv

Hope that helps
AG

[Paulhsmp]

All documents required for EC are explained here...
http://ec-hsmp.blogspot.com/2007/11/ec- ... -hsmp.html
Just spend 2 minutes to see this page.

Cheers
Paul

[gordon]

With all due respect, paulhsmp, your explanations of EC on that blog relate to EC in South Asia, and requirements vary between visa posts/countries. EC applicants in the US, like the OP, are not subjected to the same requirements as those in South Asia: for instance, no need for any documents from current employer, no Integra screening, no real need for proof of accommodation. EC applications in the US are, in fact, much more simple and straightforward, and not much is to be gained from complicating them needlessly.
AG

[Paulhsmp]

Sorry. Apologies from my side.
I did not know the fact you said.
Thanks for the information and I will take care from next time.

[Cj]

Thanks a bunch you guys. Gordan and Ukbound. The information you provided is very clear and was much needed.

Second set of questions:
On the visa4uk website, on the first page when you are required to fill out the Purpose of Visit and Type of visit, Purpose is supposed to be employment for type to give me Highly Skilled option. But I thought the HSMP is the visa to migrate to UK permanently.

As mentioned in some of the other posts, did you guys have to go through some medical checkup and stuff?

Can I become a UK citizen and still keep my US nationality? Or do I have to renounce it and how much time does it takes?

Thanks again folks. Hope you are having a good time there.

Cj

[gordon]

CJ

- I am trying to remember the online application, but yes, there should be an option to select employment (permit-free) so that you may designate HSMP. Employment under HSMP currently provides a pathway to settlement (ILR) after five years, but in itself is not a settlement visa. HSMP in the first instance enables you to come here to live (make the UK your main home) and work, at least, for as long as your leave permits.

- I did not have to undergo any medical checks - which surprised me, considering that my passport clearly indicated that I'd spent a lot of time working in developing countries with all manner of nasty diseases. Nobody ever asked me anything about my health, not even the immigration officer who looked through my passport and quizzed me about the work abroad.

- I did not provide a letter re: accommodation; I simply indicated that I hoped to arrange a flat prior to my arrival. In the end I didn't pre-arrange a flat, and instead stayed at my parents' house in London while flat-hunting, but I never told the consulate that. If my bank balances had been especially low, however, I would have considered submitting a letter to indicate that I had a place to stay. I wouldn't think it need be original/notarised.

- Long-term mechanics: You will, at first, get a two-year visa; toward the end of the two years, you will apply for FLR for three years. At the end of that, you should be eligible for ILR (settlement), if by that point you have been resident here for at least 4yrs and 11mos; after one year of ILR, you may apply to naturalise. Applying for UK citizenship will not require that you renounce your US citizenship. Start to finish, about six years - unless the rules get changed again (and we can't really rule out that possibility, as it's happened before).

I recommend making sure that your planned arrival date is less than 28 days after the effective date of your visa. It will make your life easier: your HSMP clock starts from the effective date of your visa, but your residence clock for settlement (ILR) starts from the date you arrive.

I like living here. I've lived in England before, for school and post-graduate study, and much of my family are here, so it's very good to be back. The weather has not shown any improvement, and the trains and road traffic have only gotten worse, but the people are very nice, even the ones who swallow their T's.

Best
AG

[Cj]

Thanks Gordon. I think now I have all the information that I needed. Thanks for sharing your personal experience as well.

With the plan to move to UK for good, I am going to pack my bags and be there to start my new year. I hope people there are not as rude as here and life is a little easier and gets into prospective.

Wish me luck my friends.

Good Luck to you all for your endeavors.

Later,
Cj

[uscjohn]

I am a US citizen and just received my EC clearance here in LA.

Submitted on dec 17, aproved dec 19, got passport Dec 21, with visa valid from Dec 21.

However, my ticket to fly to London is on Jan 16, arriving 17. that's 27 days after Dec 21. Cutting it close for your suggested arrival before 28 days.

Can you explain why 28 days or point to link regarding problems with ILR?

Also Virgin Atlantic is having a strike in January, which might delay flights....