Some questions about the Working Holiday Visa

Hey all,

I am a fresh graduate, having undertaken my undergraduate degree in London and before that, I completed my A Levels in Belfast.

I had to leave the UK, as I could not acquire employment and had run out of time on my student visa. I am looking to return on a Working Holiday Visa, as I would like to combine work & travel - the latter is definitely in the books, as I did not get many opportunities whilst in university.

However, I need some advice regarding the WHV, please help:

1. If I decide to apply for post-graduate studies, do I have to return to my home country and re-enter, or is it possible to apply & convert the WHV to a student visa, whilst in the UK, as this would save me a lot of money on flight costs.

2. If I acquire a sponsor for a Work Permit, is it possible to switch from the WHV to a Work Permit easily? If so, is the remaining duration of the WHV still applicable for another time?

e.g. I work for two months, get a work permit, switch... four years down the line, i decide to use the remainder of my WMV - logical? complete [******language please]? help!

Also, just a thought - does the fact that I've spent the last 5 years of my life in the UK help in any way?

Cheers, much appreciated if you guys can help me out...

marshaholly wrote: Also, just a thought - does the fact that I've spent the last 5 years of my life in the UK help in any way?

Oops - I can answer my own question now that I've read some previous threads... my clock restarted to zero

And the bit that I can answer is that it used to be the case that you could use the WHM visa a bit at a time, and (eg) leave the country halfway through, then come back later on and use the other half of the two years. No more, I'm afraid: it is now a single two year period starting the the day it is issued. If you leave after a few months, the clock keeps running while you're away....

Thank you for the speedy response, Paul.

Do you know if Working Holiday Makers are eligible for in-country visa switches?

marshaholly wrote:
1. If I decide to apply for post-graduate studies, do I have to return to my home country and re-enter, or is it possible to apply & convert the WHV to a student visa, whilst in the UK, as this would save me a lot of money on flight costs.

I will, of course, be in possession of a return flight ticket

marshaholly wrote:1. If I decide to apply for post-graduate studies, do I have to return to my home country and re-enter, or is it possible to apply & convert the WHV to a student visa, whilst in the UK, as this would save me a lot of money on flight costs.

You have to go home unless there are compelling circumstances - this means factors such as a natural disaster in your country, terminal illness etc...understandably many people fail to meet the threshold and get a refusal from the Home Office. This leads to complications - the usual advise is for a smooth process go home and apply for a student visa.

marshaholly wrote:2. If I acquire a sponsor for a Work Permit, is it possible to switch from the WHV to a Work Permit easily? If so, is the remaining duration of the WHV still applicable for another time?

You may switch from WHV to WP if the job is a Tier 1 category. These jobs are exempt from advertising on the basis that there is a shortage of qualified personnel in the resident labour pool e.g. dentists, medical doctors etc.

marshaholly wrote:e.g. I work for two months, get a work permit, switch... four years down the line, i decide to use the remainder of my WMV - logical? complete [********language please]? help!

No it doesn't carry over. Its a one off for 2 years...you don't use it too bad.

marshaholly wrote:Also, just a thought - does the fact that I've spent the last 5 years of my life in the UK help in any way?

Immigration wise it counts towards ILR under the 10 year category - only the UK time applies and not any in the Republic of Ireland...different jurisdictions and hence immigration laws.