Your HSMP approved -- Keep Communicating in this forum

[Dino_123]

I have seen that we so many good and active members in this forum .
Unfortunately i have seen very few members responding after they get approvals . I think it is notfair to be a member of this forum to get good practical and free andvises and then just turn away whey your job is complete . I know it is bit difficult but still those who hvae gotapprovals can comminucate for the sake of others .



I dont to hurt or passbad remark on any one .
But just like you were anxiuos before approval others are also in same state of mind .Do keep in touch in this forum .
we will also know latest situation .

Hope many will respond

Dino

[Joseph]

Dino_123

You’re right! That’s were the Forum is especially valuable. Everybody should share their positive experiences.

Joseph

[Kayalami]

Definitley agree with you Dino - many posters are never heard of after their success or otherwise. Just drop everyone your results....your experience may help them just like you have been helped by this forum.

Good Luck to all

[Chess]

If i recall correctly, members from the old forum who have been automatically transferred to this forum will have their accounts 'frozen' if they are inactive for 2 months!

[Melyni]

I echo Dino's plea. Learing of other's successes and struggles can only benefit those preparing their applications (I know it helped me immensely) as well as those of us in the waiting game. You know...it gives hope. So, please...continue posting regarding your results, experiences getting the entry clearance, job search, moving process, etc. These are all steps that we'll all (God willing) go through. Thank you and best wishes to all. - Melyni

[btravi]

Dino:
Agree with you. And just to update you, here's what we have.
Myself and a friend of mine landed in London under HSMP, with the usual expectations and anxieties about landing in a new land.

I do not write this to discourage anyone or to influence in any major way.

But some harsh facts of life in London are:
1. Life in London does NOT consist of English roses and green valleys.

2. Things are HORRIBLY expensive here.

3. Getting a job without having prior UK experience is the closest thing to impossible we know. Doesnt matter that we have come on Highly skilled visa. Doesnt matter that we have tons of high quality experience back from our previous assignments. If you havent put in at least 6 months of UK experience, you are USELESS. (It is a different matter that not having UK experience is actually a plus-point, what with the quality of work here.)

4. Schooling and education is not anywhere near the standards we know of back in India. Students generally have a good time in school, doing anything but studying.

5. You will never get your kid on antibiotics to cure his/her fever. A friend of mine had to practically say that if her child is not treated soon and cured of her fever she may have to complain. Only then was an antibiotic given. (Our question is, if the doctors were so sure not to give her antibiotics, why was the same ultimately given?)

6. For renting a house, you need credit history. For having credit history, you need an address. Kindly solve the same by simultaneous equations and let us know the answer.

7. If after all this you want to come to the UK, you are welcome. The more the merrier in this mess!! But u are advised to buy a return ticket, just in case. (Works out cheaper than buying two one-way tickets, you know!!)

Sorry, if I have been discouraging. You may take it at face value or come to see it for yourself. But this is the reality.

Regards

[bkhan]

Thanks btravi for being honest. I do support all your views. I have lived in the USA and life there was easier than the UK (at least before the dotcom bust).

I will appreciate if you start a new topic relating to this and members can share their experiences.

[dokwal]

i agree with some of pt of our friend regarding life in london , hsmp is only for those having gbp 10000 in pocket for single and ready to do anything .

otherwise it is useful for very few who have already having uk work experience

in my stay of 10 days i have seen housing of gbp 50 /week with breakfast and gbp 250 /week in wembly park, huge diff in cost of living in some parts compare to centreal london .

rgds

[Cosmopol]

Appreciate the difficulties newcomers to another country are facing, especially when dealing with a large city's issues....

Still, just to keep things in perspective I wanted to remind of some rationale behind what you guys are describing.

First and foremost, the current (and usual) labour and credit markets are not applicant-centric. Everything revolves around the choices that creditors and employers have and the decisions they make.

Both employers and creditors risk something fixed and definite - specific amount of money - in return for something uncertain and hardly verifiable - the applicant's future performance. There are two main ways to estimate that future performance: interviewer's personal intuition and 'human resources' experience, and/or the applicant's history of past results.

Few employers and still fewer creditors will bother with the first approach - some on principle, some simply out of discomfort. Most of the firms and banks an average applicant would like to deal with are not in the business of "high risk / high reward". They prefer "low risk / high reward" or at least "low risk / low reward".

A 'just-in-the-country' applicant is always high risk, a 'just-came-to-the big-town' applicant is even riskier. The fact that a newcomer has high skills is certainly a hope, but just hopefully a certainty. No one knows for sure how they'd fit into the local "works" - it's not a skill alone that makes a successful employee or a reliable borrower.

Of course there are banks that lend at ~30% along with draconian annual fees, and sometimes even with security deposits. Of course there are unscrupulous employers who are looking for cheap desperate labour, whose risk is covered by the value they squeeze out of underpaid underappreciated overworked employees. No one wants to be there, but for some it's the only chance to get their foot into the system's "door". Nothing personal, 'just the economy' of it.

And so we have that vicious cycle, where three or more of the job-home-credit-network-etc. equation components are missing. Short of sheer sustained luck, it's going to be a struggle - at least at first. There are no sure recipes but to pick your battles and fight them. There is a 'cost of entry' here, and very few good entries in life are without costs.

The good part is that if you persist and persevere, by the time you apply for your ILR (or even earlier) you'll be somewhere - and that's what matters. I presume you guys don't come to the new country for a joy ride. It's the long-term we are after, ain't it ?

An even better part is that compared to many other European countries, UK offers more opportunities in the workplace and especially in the immigration department.

The country's deal is to open the doors and give others a chance to succeed. Our deal as immigrants is to make success a reality.

Be patient and strong, friends, and may luck be on your side!

[Subbukwt]

Thanks Cosmopol, for giving that perspective. I am the friend btravi had mentioned in his post.

The thing is, we need to be clear in our minds BEFORE leaving our native/resident countries what we want to achieve in the UK. Do we have the time and the patience as immigrants who want to get going quickly to wait till some bloke thinks we are appropriate for their country after having achieved so much back home? Arent we losing out on time if it is going to take some 4-6 months getting anywhere near a decent job?

That was why we had put in a warning to all those who intend coming over saying, hey look, you are great in your country, you think in the UK you will be even greater. Go to the brass-tacks and check what you are missing in your country. Then come back and try to get info on whether the UK answers those gaps or no. Dont come to the UK for the sake of being in the UK - it does no good.

My personal experience has been bad here (I have been in India and Kuwait). I principally decide to come to get a move on in my career which was stagnating back in kuwait. Truth is, unless one is very lucky to get into some good multinational, you are bound to be in the same rut as elsewhere. A vast majority of businesses in the UK here are owner-managed, I am told. And we all know that barring a few, owner-managed companies can hardly be termed professional. Things are no better here than anywhere else in the world. And if this is the case of the best country in Europe, God knows what it will be like elsewhere.

Anyway, we will give it some more time. But not sure in what way things will change dramatically in that time.

Subbu

[Dino_123]

Thank you all above for giving a tru and realistic picture of how things are this will enable us to be preparedinstead of day dreaming or havinga fantasy to become a millionare the moment we land in U.K

Those whose HSMP approved Keep replying we are anxiously waiting for contact with you ..

THanks once more take care
Hope the best with you will happen

[Cosmopol]

Subbu - thanks for sharing your thoughts .
Here are my comments:

The thing is, we need to be clear in our minds BEFORE leaving our native/resident countries what we want to achieve in the UK

.
I agree, this is imperative to understand before setting sail...

Arent we losing out on time if it is going to take some 4-6 months getting anywhere near a decent job?

This seems like a 'quickie' approach Please keep in mind, that these days even natives of countries like US and UK who went to top schools and have been successfully employed in their industries for years (including multinationals) often have to "requalify" or wait for more than a year to land a "decent" career position. Today's labour market in the West is no Disneyland, and not to recognize this fact means a quick disillusionment upon arrival.

That was why we had put in a warning to all those who intend coming over saying, hey look, you are great in your country, you think in the UK you will be even greater.

A warning never hurts, forewarned is forearmed, especially if one has only a highlight understanding of how a Western society and economy functions and at the same has high expectations of oneself from past experiences.

Dont come to the UK for the sake of being in the UK - it does no good.

It may be not only good, but a lifetime dream for many to move to a developed Western country like the UK and become a full-fledged member of its society, in whatever status - whether for themselves or for their children. To them HSMP may be the long sought after door that suddenly opened.

My personal experience has been bad here (I have been in India and Kuwait). I principally decide to come to get a move on in my career which was stagnating back in kuwait. Truth is, unless one is very lucky to get into some good multinational, you are bound to be in the same rut as elsewhere.

While I agree that being in a multinational and getting transferred may be the easiest of ways, it doesn't mean other options are closed. You may invest a year in struggling through odd jobs, then land a position that's a true career opportunity, and spend the next 10 years advancing to the top. The deal is, you may achieve more over the course of these 11 years in the UK than where you came from (not that I know for sure, but for the sake of my point). If one prefers a steady stagnant career to one that goes down, but then much higher up (potentially), it doesn't pay to plunge into the uncertainties of a competitive foreign labour market. By the same token, if one is not looking to invest many years in improving their career or life, but rather seeks short-term 'stints' abroad for 2-3 years, it's not worth it. Then it's better by far to seek employment with a MNC in a 'home' zone, and then get transferred whenever the chance presents itself...

A vast majority of businesses in the UK here are owner-managed, I am told. And we all know that barring a few, owner-managed companies can hardly be termed professional. Things are no better here than anywhere else in the world. And if this is the case of the best country in Europe, God knows what it will be like elsewhere.

Unlike in the societies that are not fully democratic, most of large countries in the West are very diverse socially and economically, with individual and not the state very much in the focus of what is happening. This is considered a blessing and serves as the direct proof that a society can afford to be individualistic, where the business owner decides what's best for him/her, as they are in business for themselves and not the society at large (and definitely not for yours and mine sake ). In a rich diverse economy (such as British) there is a complete spectrum from one-person business that can't feed the owner who doesn't really care at that point about professionalism to multi-billion dollar conglomerates that are quite up to the highest standards, some of which are rigorously enforced by the government. This makes the economy more dynamic, fluid and flexible, and so far has been shown to be the best available model -- long-term, that is...

It may be very difficult for an outsider to navigate the complex maze of economical, legal, social and municipal factors that determine success or failre. There is hardly a way to become proficient in such navigation in no time at all - no matter how skilled one is in their profession (unless it's foreign intelligence, of course ). If a stranger in a strange land wants to succeed, (s)he must invest time.

Anyway, we will give it some more time. But not sure in what way things will change dramatically in that time.

I can promise you that fundamentally things will be the same for quite some time to come -- there is hardly a chance UK will become a less democratic or diverse society. Hopefully, though, the labour market will pick-up, or Ms. Fortune will turn its face your way -- and then all the discomforts of uncertainty will give way to the bright appreciation of everything the great country (and city ) has to offer...

Hate to wax phylosophical like this, but do hope this wasn't without a meaning to you and many others who have similar experience. Good luck!

[panky12345]

hi folks,

i remember ajayxyx submitted a lovely post detailing step by step how he got his HSMP approved and all the documents and explannations he gave; on the old BB. i've searched it n no of times, but cdnt find that! hope somebody else does that too!!

[Chess]

Cosmo/Sub


I think the HSMP applicants should really be thinking of the succes of their 'off-springs' as well and not solely themselves.


If you think that your children will have better success in life/career and whatever in India or Kuwait, then atleast you have the choice now!!

[bella_uk]

hi folks,

i remember ajayxyx submitted a lovely post detailing step by step how he got his HSMP approved and all the documents and explannations he gave; on the old BB. i've searched it n no of times, but cdnt find that! hope somebody else does that too!!

Agree. Half of the old threads have disappeared.

[Cosmopol]

I think the HSMP applicants should really be thinking of the succes of their 'off-springs' as well and not solely themselves.

It never hurts to have grateful offsprings and for many that's already a big deal, and yet... I've met a number of people who were highly qualified in their countries (including India), some were educated at PhD level, left their country primarily for the children, entered the foreign labour force without specific corporate experience, some without proper language fluency, yet managed to find their adequate place in the food chain in 7-10 years, and... by the age of 45-50 could basically do whatever it was they ever wanted, and more sometimes. Some start acquiring new tastes once their annual income adds that 6th digit to it At least it's a stable and joyous retirement, but sometimes - a new lease on life. And the kids are developing into whatever they want, too - musicians, mathematicians - wherever their heart is

I would gladly make snapshots of those amazing success stories and post them here as inspiration and encouragement, but they haven't develeoped the technology for it yet, so writing would be the only way for now, but I DO have to run...

May luck be with all of us.