From ICT long term to dependent to Tier 2 general

[Ishika]

Hey experts,

1. I am on Tier 2 general visa valid until 2020.

2. My husband is on ICT long term staff partner visa - expiring soon.

3. If my husband switches to dependent visa then after sometime can he apply for tier 2 general without cool off?

4. Can he apply for Tier 2 general after being on dependent visa for a year (but of course living in UK for that duration and then leaving country only if applying for T2G out of country).

5. Does cooling off means to be out of country? Or switching on to dependent visa can kick off the cooling off time.

Many thanks,
Ishika

[moonlight55]

Hey experts,

1. I am on Tier 2 general visa valid until 2020.

2. My husband is on ICT long term staff partner visa - expiring soon.
Bit confusing. You are on tier 2 visa whereas ur husband on ICT partner visa?

3. If my husband switches to dependent visa then after sometime can he apply for tier 2 general without cool off?
When switching from dependent to tier 2 visa for the first time, no cool off will apply. However, he will have to return to home country to apply for it. He cannot switch to tier 2 from within UK.

4. Can he apply for Tier 2 general after being on dependent visa for a year (but of course living in UK for that duration and then leaving country only if applying for T2G out of country).
Yes, he can. But, it has to be an out of country application.

5. Does cooling off means to be out of country? Or switching on to dependent visa can kick off the cooling off time.
Cooling off will kick-off when he switches to dependent. However, as mentioned, he cannot again switch back to tier 2 from within UK. RLMT may be required to be done by the sponsor. To add, every new entry clearance application from outside UK will reset the ILR clock.

Many thanks,
Ishika