Tier 5 or Tier 1 ?

I am having an offer (sponsorship letter) on 1 year Tier 5 (Government Authorized Exchange) work visa from an employer (highly desirable if you ask me!!:? ) but wish to apply for Tier 1 (for it being valid till 3 years). So my question is will it legally be possible to apply for Tier 5 first and then immediately(say after 10 days) I apply for Tier 1? I have been told that they will cancel my Tier 5 in that case but with I also loose the opportunity of being part of this exchange program (which unfortunately only allow me to come on Tier 5 not Tier 1 for obvious reasons of having a short-cross-border-experience and not to settle-down)?

You can only be in the UK with one type of leave, so it is up to you to choose Tier 1 or Tier 5.

PaperPusher wrote:You can only be in the UK with one type of leave, so it is up to you to choose Tier 1 or Tier 5.

So according to you, does it mean that it all depends on my choice i.e. at Entry Clearance I have to tell 'Immigration Officer' that I am entering UK on Tier 1 and not Tier 5. Also incase he stamps on Tier 1 and I still go on to work using Tier 5, what are the ramifications/risks I have?

If you are going to go for Tier 1 anyway I would advise applying for THAT as your entry clearance, not trying to come in under a T5 visa and then changing status once here. This is because, as anyone who has ever applied in the UK knows, the system is incredibly expensive and slow. Get the right visa before you come.

The Station Agent wrote:If you are going to go for Tier 1 anyway I would advise applying for THAT as your entry clearance, not trying to come in under a T5 visa and then changing status once here. This is because, as anyone who has ever applied in the UK knows, the system is incredibly expensive and slow. Get the right visa before you come.

Thanks. I have decided upon Tier 1 only now.