Does my YMS need to expire before I apply for my sponsorship

[nakitt]

Hi!

I have been in the UK on my YMS (Tier 5) for nearly 2 years now. It expires in January 2012. My current workplace have agreed to sponsor me and already have the certificate from the home office which was granted a few weeks ago for a colleague.

I will have to return to Australia to place my application, but do I have to wait for my YMS to expire in January first? I wanted to get it done before Christmas instead of leaving it to the New Year as things would pan out better for me in the long run if I am able to leave in October/November to apply for my new visa. My work will put out the 28 day advertisement for my position as soon as I know how possible this all is. I am going to visit a visa specialist about this, but thought I may as well ask before; just in case any of you have first hand knowledge or experience.

Also - one last question. When applying for the Tier 2 Sponsorship Visa, it says nothing about qualifications and only bases it on points (which I qualify for). But a lot of people say that the degree is necessary. Is it?

Please help! [:

[vinny]

No need to wait until YMS expires. Apply when eligible.