Tier 2 ICT short term staff to long term staff

[MisterG]

Hello there

My I have a Tier 2 ICT short term staff visa till september 2012. I have an Indian Passport. I am currently in the UK.

1)Can I convert this into a long term staff visa ?

If yes, what should my salary be increase to and what other parameters should be met? When should I apply? Can I apply from within UK?

If no, but my employer needs me to work from here, is there another visa I can apply for from here? If I have to leave the UK, then what cooling off period will apply to me?

Thanks in advance. I have searched the forum for this topic, but did not find the answers; are the answers so obvious that nobody asked these questions?

[MisterG]

I have searched the forum for this topic, but did not find the answers; are the answers so obvious that nobody asked these questions?

I have continued searching and found the answers on this forum itself. But need some other questions answered please. (kicking myself for not searching better earlier though)

1)Can I convert this into a long term staff visa ?

Not while in the UK. If applying from home country, the cooling-off period does not apply.

If yes, what should my salary be increase to and what other parameters should be met?

All the Long term staff parameters must be met. Salary should be £40,000pa.

If no, but my employer needs me to work from here, is there another visa I can apply for from here? If I have to leave the UK, then what cooling off period will apply to me?

No. I will have to leave UK. Cooling period will apply to me if any other type of VISA or ICT Short Term Staff is applied. If I apply for ICT Long Term Staff, the cooling off period will not apply.


Are my search-result answeres above alright?

This leaves me with new questions... When should I apply to change to Long Term Staff? If I apply as soon as I reach India, how long will it take to get the visa changed. Do I have to apply before the expiry of the current Short Term Visa?

[manci]

Provided you have a CoS you can apply any time for entry clearance as T2 ICT Long Term Staff and the cooling off period will not apply to you. You must apply from India.

You must leave the UK before expiry of your T2 ICT Short Term Staff visa.

For processing times of visas in India refer to the UK High Commission website in India.

You must have a CoS before you apply, so make sure that your employer has a CoS allocation for the current year. The employer can assign a T2 ICT Long Term Staff CoS to you any time but keep in mind that the CoS has to be used (i.e. you must apply for entry clearance) within 3 months of its date of issue.

Read the T2 Policy Guidance:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitec ... idance.pdf

[MisterG]

Thank you for replying manci. Very helpful link too!
I still have two questions, please help!

Provided you have a CoS you can apply any time for entry clearance as T2 ICT Long Term Staff and the cooling off period will not apply to you. You must apply from India.

1)As long as I apply within three months of CoS issue date, Is it ok to apply after my current short term staff work permit has experied?

2)My current visa dates are from 04 November 11 to 11 September 12. Because it is not 12 months and becuase it is was issued between 6 April 2010 and 13 June 2012. Can I apply for an extension to 12 months? When must I apply and what documents should I send?

[manci]

1)As long as I apply within three months of CoS issue date, Is it ok to apply after my current short term staff work permit has experied?

2)My current visa dates are from 04 November 11 to 11 September 12. Because it is not 12 months and becuase it is was issued between 6 April 2010 and 13 June 2012. Can I apply for an extension to 12 months? When must I apply and what documents should I send?

1) Yes (from abroad).

2) The reason that your visa is valid for less than 12 months is that your period of engagement, as given by your employer/sponsor in the CoS, is also less than 12 months. You can apply for an extension but only with a new CoS.