Tier 2 Extension Questions

Hi Everyone,

Would appreciate your response on my below query.

My current Tier 2 visa is expiring on 15 Sep, 2016 and it was issued in Sep 2013. My HR says that they will issue me a new COS in the early July which I can use for my extension application. They said that they will put a start date of 1st September 2016 and End date after 3 three years.

My Question is once the new cos is issued, when the earliest I can apply for extension. If I apply in July just after the cos is issued with a COS starting date is for September should that be ok and will I still have to pay fee for three years visa?

I am just concerned that if I apply too early before expiry of my current visa, I may be asked to pay fees for 5 years visa?

Thanks,
Hassan

If the start date on your CoS is 1st September 2016, the earliest you can apply is 3 months before that date, so 1st June 2016. The guidance states that you are allowed to apply within 3 months of the issue of the CoS, and 3 months before the start date, and that the start date on the CoS can't be more than 3 months after it was issued. So basically, its a complicated way of saying the same thing (typical of these rules), that you have 3 months from when the CoS is issued!

Why will you be asked to pay the fees for a 5 year visa when the duration mentioned on your CoS is 3 years? And anyway, even if you apply today for an extension and your visa is expiring in September, its not too early. My Tier 2 is expiring in December and I'm planning to apply next month! I would just have to get my boss to mention the start date on the CoS as sometime in October.

Hope that helps, I have been reading up a lot on Tier 2 extension!

Thank you very much for your response ShrutiBlue. That definitely helped.

The reason I was saying that I may be charged for 5 years visa fee was that if I apply too early (say 1st July) with Cost start date for 1st September (for three years) , then I will probably receive BRP before 1st September and I have heard that the visa starts from the date application is decided and if this is the case then it will take my visa length for more than three years and I could be ask for 5 year fee.

Probably, I am thinking too much Thanks for your help.

Regards,
Hassan

You're welcome! And don't worry about it, I have asked plenty of dumb questions recently!

The thing is, since yours is an extension, you can't stay beyond 6 years on a Tier 2 anyway. So even if you apply early and thus the start date on your visa would be early, it would be valid until the end date on your CoS or 6 years from the start date of your first Tier 2 Visa, which would probably have been 1st September 2013. So your new visa would be valid till 31st August 2019 as that completes 6 years that you would have been in the country on a Tier 2, or the end date on your CoS (+14 days), whichever is earlier.

So since you can't stay for 5 more years, there's no logic for them to ask for a 5 year fees when you specify that you're applying for 3 years anyway.

Thanks ShrutiBlue,

I pray both mine and yours visa extension go through smoothly.

Regards,
Hassan

Thank you, I hope for the same! Good luck

Hi ShrutiBlue,

One more question. I know that we are not required to show maintenance in extension applications. Are our dependents also not required to show maintenance funds?

Thanks,
Hassan

Dear Hassan,

Were you able to apply with a start date of the CoS for September?

When did you apply?

I want to do something similar, apply with a start date for November let's say.

I need the extension as soon as possible but I don't want to lose some precious months of the maximum of 6 years under Tier 2.

Hi Aplinhar,

Yes, I applied on 7th July, 2016 with the start working date of 1st September. The cos was issued on 21st June 2016 and it said on it that it should be used by 22nd Spetember.

I have not received my visa yet as unfortunately, the first biometrics letter they sent did not scan at the Post Office. Then they took too many days to issue me another biometrics letter and I just managed to enrol my biometrics last Saturday.

Thanks,
Hassan

hassanh wrote:Hi Aplinhar,

Yes, I applied on 7th July, 2016 with the start working date of 1st September. The cos was issued on 21st June 2016 and it said on it that it should be used by 22nd Spetember.

I have not received my visa yet as unfortunately, the first biometrics letter they sent did not scan at the Post Office. Then they took too many days to issue me another biometrics letter and I just managed to enrol my biometrics last Saturday.

Thanks,
Hassan

Hi hassanh,

Sorry to bother you but I will be applying for my extension by the end of October. I wanted to ask you if you submitted Bank Statement. I know that it is not necessary as I'm extending my VISA with same employer with same JOB CODE. Just want to confirm with you because at the moment I don't have enough fund in my Bank (lol).