stupid me! have I left it too late for getting my next visa?

[frenchglen]

My student visa which I've been under for four years, expires on 31 October. In 25 days.

I've been planning all along to get a PSW visa as my next visa in the UK. I've just commenced a Masters course and need to be able to earn money working as a musician as well as do my study. Only (precious) PSW category allows that, although I have heard that the rules are changing for student visas to allow music work. (the music colleges have lobbied hard to allow it and it's actually being allowed.)

My other reason to go onto PSW visa is to start my 'years of eligibility' to eventually maybe become a UK citizen down the road. So I'd really rather PSW than another student visa, if I can.

I originally planned to send it via post at the end of September and that would leave enough room to get my new visa before my current one expires.

However, I've been busy, and it just fell by the wayside, so last week I decided, ok, I'll just arrange a PEO appointment and pay the extra £ and do it a few days before 31 October.

But I rang up Croydon office and - STUPID ME - I didn't realise it's so booked up!!! not ONE office in the UK available for a PSW appointment for the rest of this month!

So am I stuck?

Questions:

- What are the chances of a PEO cancellation, and thus a free slot presenting itself? Should I be obsessively checking the online booking system every hour?

- If I just send away a postal application asap, is it still fine if they approve my new visa after 31 Oct? that means I'd be overstaying my current visa, right????? or is it fine since they're holding my passport during that 'in between' period? (...and the worst that can happen is if they deny the application and I have to go back to my home country (Australia)?)

- are there any trusted third party companies able to somehow book me in with a same-day appointment that don't charge more than £1500?

SIGH.

Thank you for your knowledge and help.

[Greenie]

My other reason to go onto PSW visa is to start my 'years of eligibility' to eventually maybe become a UK citizen down the road. So I'd really rather PSW than another student visa, if I can.

- What are the chances of a PEO cancellation, and thus a free slot presenting itself? Should I be obsessively checking the online booking system every hour?

- If I just send away a postal application asap, is it still fine if they approve my new visa after 31 Oct? that means I'd be overstaying my current visa, right????? or is it fine since they're holding my passport during that 'in between' period? (...and the worst that can happen is if they deny the application and I have to go back to my home country (Australia)?)

What do you mean by 'starting your 'years of eligibility' to become a UK citizen. PSW does not count or lead towards settlement other than as part of the 10/14 year long residence rules.

An appointment might become available, it might not, up to you if you want to spend every 30 mins checking this!

As long as you apply for PSW in time and make a valid application (correct form, correct payment, form signed, photos meet guidance etc), then you will not become an overstayer even if your application is not decided before 31 Oct (which it won't be).

[frenchglen]

What do you mean by 'starting your 'years of eligibility' to become a UK citizen. PSW does not count or lead towards settlement other than as part of the 10/14 year long residence rules.

well psw is a work permit right? any work permit years can count as the five before you can apply for ILR?

An appointment might become available, it might not, up to you if you want to spend every 30 mins checking this!

Well I think I'll be doing this as a backup.

As long as you apply for PSW in time and make a valid application (correct form, correct payment, form signed, photos meet guidance etc), then you will not become an overstayer even if your application is not decided before 31 Oct (which it won't be).

well that's an incredibly massive relief....I will ring them tomorrow first thing to confirm.....

and yes I'm comfortable with risking having to leave the country due to visa running out IF they refuse(/delay) my application due to inaccuracy - cos there shouldn't be a problem there.....

[Greenie]

Psw is not a route to settlement and does not count towards the 5 years.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas ... ettlement/

See also what is my immigration status whilst my application is being decided

[frenchglen]

Psw is not a route to settlement and does not count towards the 5 years.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas ... ettlement/

See also what is my immigration status whilst my application is being decided

Thank you very much Greenie.

Now one last pickle: I have a flight going back to Australia on the 16th november so I'll need my passport for that, sigh.....

if I send the application away on Monday (10th oct), do you think it'll get returned back to me before 16th November (so by 15th nov)? So that would be 5 weeks and 1 day!

[frenchglen]

Ok, well I JUST sent it in time today (Friday) via next day delivery (insured for up to £500), right at 5.30pm before the guys came to pick packages up. was pretty insane.

My main worries:

- I was advised by someone to use postal order for payment instead of credit card, in case the person who punches in zillions of numbers each day at UKBA in processing people's credit card numbers, might get one digit wrong and then a delay occurs (which I can't afford to happen). Well, little did I know that for postal order you have to pay with cash, and I didn't have time to suddenly draw out all that cash as it was already 5.25pm when I was at the post office collating the package to send. So I had to just write down my credit card numbers on the form instead.

- Bank statements for the £800 thing. That was a saga. So I'm with Barclays and went paperless a few months ago. Even if the 'online statements' (PDF) count as original equivalent statement documents, I still needed to show records for the period between the end of the my statement anniversary, and today. So I could only print out the online transactions list for that part of the three month period, and UKBA requirements state that for those online statements to be accepted you have to produce an official letter from your bank certifying that the printed statements are genuine. Well I went to my branch, and of course, another result of me leaving it all to the last minute: it takes 5-6 working days for them to produce such a letter. However they said you can go to one of two London branches (one being Hanover Square) where you can have things stamped and it should confirm that your statements are genuine. Rushed over to Hanover Square and they did it for me, and the guy said that they use that special stamp (different from the normal stamps at the tills) to to authorise things like that for embassy use (sounds classy), so anyway I'm just hoping that those stamps will make my printed statements acceptable by UKBA :/.

- Thirdly: worried about the above potential problems obviously causing delays (and thus I'm stuck since I need my passport for flying out of the country in 5 weeks and 4 days), and just (normal processing) delays happening in general.

So I'm praying, basically.

Any thoughts?

[Greenie]

Did the online statements include the bank's logo?

[frenchglen]

Did the online statements include the bank's logo?

oh yeah, both kinds did (even the direct print out from online transactions page, not just the paperless 'online statements' PDFs stored online) and I made sure they were printed on color laser printers to look as good as possible. but it's still not 'official' ones like the ones I used to where they have all those security barcode-y things on it...

at least by the sounds of the way they word their guidelines it seems if it's not the normal kind of paper statements issues in the mail by the bank, it's got to be certified by your bank as genuine cos you printed them out yourself.....right?

[frenchglen]

hang on - I just read it, woohoo! My stamps will work, I'm glad I went to the effort of getting those stamps!!!

"alternatively, electronic bank statements with the official stamp of the bank that issued the statements will be accepted. the stamp must appear on every page of the statement."

they indeed made sure to stamp all pages of the statements.

yayyyyyyy!