£800 available funds

[sidzz]

Just a quick question as a friend is being told a lie i think and i just want to confirm.
She is a work permit holder who is changing employment and will go onto the tier 2 general catagory. she's passed her english test but, her new employers only have a catergory B sponsorship license and therefore cannot cover her £800 funds.

She has funds in a bank in her home country of more than £800 but not in a UK bank.
She has been told by an advisor that her funds must be in a uk bank for her application to procede!?!

is this true?
if it's not true what evidence would she need to show from her bank abroad to satisfy UKBA (how many months statements, translations?)

Thanks
Sidzz

[Vanadil]

On the application it is possible, with a letter from your employer confirming it, that your potential sponsor can provide the £800 maintenance on your behalf. I would recommend that she asks her company for help in this instance if she cannot meet the requirements.

[sidzz]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply,
but like I said her potential sponsor/employer only has a B grade sponsorship license and therefore cannot offer to provide the maintainance. Or am I wrong?
Thanks

[Vanadil]

sorry.. I half read that >.< *Slaps himself with a cup of coffee*

Is it a case where she can get a letter from the company confirming her employment so that she can open a UK bank account with the £800 needed by transfering it from her offshore?

[sidzz]

Hi,
thanks for the answer.
1)so just to confirm a bank book/statements from abroad wouldn't be accaptable? (i just query this point thinking of the following scenario: a B grade employer hiring someone from overseas wouldn't be able to guaruntee maintainance, and the overseas employee couldnt have a UK bank account if they'd never before travelled to the UK)
2) the person in question has been told she has to have statements with £800 for the previous 3 months? would just 1 current statement do if she opened an account and deposited £800 staight away? her visa expires in october.
Thanks
Sidzz

[Vanadil]

Tier 2 Maintenance Information

Please find all of the information that you'll need there. Unfortunately it does look like that if the £800 cannot be sponsored from the license holding company that it must be in the account for 3 months prior to the application, however:

"A letter from a bank, building society or other financial institution which is officially regulated in either the UK or the applicants’ home country"

Your point 1) that you made seems valid and an educated response to take back to the "immigration advisor" that you saw. As long as your friend has the funds in a regulated and recognised financial institute and can provide 3 months worth of evidence then I think she will be ok.

Hope this helps.