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Anyone applied with 'Company secretary' of a limited company as referee, please share the experience, did you had to give another reference.

I thought they should be ok but just wanted to ensure myself if anyone has successfully applied. I think company secretary should be grouped under 'Director/Manager/Personnal Officer of VAT limited company'

That is not required but the UKBA only contact your referees if they have some doubts about your identity so you could get away with it but you won't when you apply for a passport . A secretary must have some qualifications like accountant educated to degree level or masters etc not just a general secretary with some low level qualifications . As i said , for BC you could get away with it

trs2011 wrote:not just a general secretary with some low level qualifications

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_secretary

A company secretary is generally not a "general secretary with some low level qualifications".

aledeniz wrote:

trs2011 wrote:not just a general secretary with some low level qualifications

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_secretary

A company secretary is generally not a "general secretary with some low level qualifications".

Yeah, I agree Company secretary is somewhat important designation in the company as they are responsible for ensuring the company operates within the law.

Do you think company secretary referee should be fine as it is also the personnal office of the limited company, isn't it?

destiniation_london wrote:Do you think company secretary referee should be fine as it is also the personnel office of the limited company, isn't it?

Surprisingly, official paperwork from the UKBA doesn't specifically mentions the Company Secretary in the list of acceptable professional persons: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitec ... iew=Binary, where we can find instead:

Director/Manager/Personnel
Officer of a VAT
registered Company

Chairman/director of
limited company

Manager/Personnel officer
(of limited company)

I am actually surprised from the lack of inclusion of the Company Secretary in that list, as it is an Officer of the Company, like the Directors, thereby authorized to run and represent the Company affairs and interests, while Managers or Personal Officers may be necessarily not.

That said, many company secretaries are qualified solicitors or accountants on their own right, many will be even company directors (it is not unusual for a Financial Director or a Personnel Director or a General Counsel to double as Company Secretary), some may be members of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries.

But, my referee is actually an IT consultant and for some business reasons he has made himself 'Company secretary' and his wife as 'Director'.

I'm guessing it to be fine, I've asked the question with Citizenship support team and am awaiting their reply.