I am on a Tier 2 General Visa since Jun 2018 and my wife and son are on dependent visa. I have just been endorsed for Exceptional Talent visa and wish to transfer to this visa and apply for ILR. Couple of questions:
1. Is this cost structure correct?
Visa Cost for transferring to Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa from Tier 2 General Visa:
| Myself | Spouse | Kid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years to ILR | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Visa fee | 152 | 608 | 608 |
| IHS fee | 624 | 624 | 624 |
2. If yes, assuming visa processing fee cost and IHS fee don’t reduce over the next 2 years the net saving by applying for visa for all 3 years for all 3 of us vs 1 year for the 3 of us and renewing for 2 of them is not much. So, to save hassle it makes sense to apply for visa for all 3 of us for all 3 years? (I am also assuming that IHS fee is never refunded)
Option 1 : Apply visa for 1 year for all 3 of us and apply to renew visa for 2 years for dependents
(152+624+608+624+608+624) = 3,240 (2*608+4*624) = 3,712 , Totals = 3,240+3712 = 6,952
Option 2 : Apply for visa for all 3 of us for all 3 years
152+3*624+2*608+2*3*624 = 6,984
3. When I apply for visa will the validity duration be from the date of application onwards? E.g. if I apply in December 2020, it will be 1 year since Dec 2020 (or date of approval)?
4. They say I can apply for ILR 28 days before visa expires, so in my case since I complete 3 years in Jun 2021, can I apply for ILR in May 2021 or Nov 2021?
5. What is the timeline to get ILR approved? Assuming I can apply for ILR in Jun 2021, will I get it before my visa expires in Dec 2021?
Thanks very much!