Multiple Visas on same passport

[shammi]

Hi there,
coming to the board after a long time after a rather interesting thing has happened with me. I had obtained a tier 1 general visa valid from march 2009 to march 2012. In September this year I was made to obtain a tier 2 visa by my employer as they wanted to send me on secondment. But that was after a long tussle between me and the company officials as I was wary of loosing my teir 1 visa and that was told me that tier 2 would kind of supersede tier 1 visa and in my visa application also I was made to write specifically that I am accepting to surrender my tier 1 visa for the sake of tier 2 visa. Today when I received my passport back, I saw that tier 2 visa was stamped but my tier 1 visa left in exactly the same state as it was when I had sent the passport. I mean I was expecting some kind of stamp or marking on the tier 1 visa signifying this is no longer valid or something like that. So this has arose a feeling in me that perhaps giving up to my employers insitence to give away my tier 1 for tier 2 has actually not resulted in cancellation of tier 1 visa. So this seems like having multiple visas on my passport or to the contrary tier 1 might be electronically cancelled. Does any one have a similar situation and/or ideas?

[shammi]

any how I am travelling to UK tonight. will try to get this clarified as soon as possible and post the information here for everyone's knowledge..

[PaperPusher]

You have the choice to enter using the Tier 1 or Tier 2, but it cannot be both. Only one will get stamped.Of course when one is activated that will have implications for extensions and so on.

I would also get another employer as soon as possible.

The only reason I can think that they want you to come on Tier 2 is so they can avoid paying income tax and national insurance contributions.

[shammi]

cheers paper pusher. I was given this tax and NI reason as well when debating about why tier 2 needed when I already have tier 1 and for which I am not claiming any benefit from the company. But the real cause of worry was the insecurity in the mind of employer about me switching job which they said would jeopardize work and company's image before client. Anyhow so what I understand from your remarks is that I can still go for a job shift based on tier 1 visa until its validity as it still holds good until it's expiry date. Please Correct me if I am wrong in this understanding.

[PaperPusher]

You are travelling tonight, so stop worrying and talk to the Immigration Officer when you get here.

You are not wrong in your understanding. You have been cleared for entry for Tier 1 AND Tier 2, but you can only enter as one thing.

I cannot find a link to an official line on this, sorry.

Your employer needs to wake up to the real world, at least the UK's employment laws, where people are allowed to change jobs, subject to their contract.

[shammi]

here's what happened at immigration. When I gave my landing card and passport to officer he opened up my tier 1 visa page. Just then I told him that recently I have got tier 2 visa stamped by my employer. On hearing that officer told me that he is going to activate the new visa then. I asked him about what happens with the tier 1 visa. "it would get automatically cancelled" is what I heard to my dismay. To make it more explicit I asked what happens when my tier 2 expires since tier 1 expiry is beyond that. To that also he said that I need to extend tier 2 and can't go back to existing tIer 1 visa. This information seems pretty conclusive but still could there be something more to this which speaks in the direction that I was thinking above?