Advise Needed - When to apply extension

[rockcbe]

Hi Guru's,

I came on Tier 2 G on May 2014 and my initial grant of leave was 3 Years. Had issues with employer and then made a change of employment application in November 2014 and got another 3 year. My current leave expires Nov 2017 .

1.) If I apply for extension during May , can my employer issue me a 3 year extension , provided they are happy to do ? So what should the ideal start and end date be ??? Iam thinking its gonna be May 2017 + 3 years.

2.) Other option is to wait till close to Nov 2017 and go for a 2 year extension. This saves NHS surcharge for 3 of us in the family for a year. as well as when i go for ILR in 2019 I would still have close to 6 months additional just as a backup .

3.) If I go for extension sometime in August 2017 ( my company is going thru merger ..though i wud have a job @ same SOC code this is to ensure I wait to see how it plays out) can they still do a 3 year extension if they wish . In this case , what should be the start and end date on the cos ? and then also the visa application ?? cause If I apply saying Aug 2017 - Aug 2020 , then that exceeds the 6 year limit by arnd 3 months...

[Djsuccess]

1. You can only spend a max of 6year on tier 2. Therefore, the if you apply in May, you will be looking at May 2020 for the expiry date. Start date could be within three months. Check the start date on your first tier 2 visa and make sure that the new end date is not more than 6 years.

2. You can apply close to November to save 1 year IHS. Applying for 2 years starting from November will see you through ILR.

3. This is the sticky part of your question. I believe that merger and acquisition will affect the sponsorship status of your company. Your company will need to notify UKVI of any merger or acquisition and they will be told if further document is required. They might be required to apply afresh for sponsorship and especially if the merger involves change of name, number and director, location and some other significant changes.

[rockcbe]

Thanks For your reply mate...

3. This is the sticky part of your question. I believe that merger and acquisition will affect the sponsorship status of your company. Your company will need to notify UKVI of any merger or acquisition and they will be told if further document is required. They might be required to apply afresh for sponsorship and especially if the merger involves change of name, number and director, location and some other significant changes.

Company has already informed UKVI and they have decided to hold on to the Licences seperately ,as licences are tied to parent company and merger is at a lower level . The Hr have already done the needful and they have confirmed this with Ukvi .

So If I go for extension sometime in August 2017 ,what should be the start and end date on the cos ? and then also the visa application ?? cause If I apply saying Aug 2017 - Aug 2020 , then that exceeds the 6 year limit by arnd 3 months... T

he reason I ask for cos start & end date along with dates on application form is cause I have heard , Ukvi sometimes gets funny about the dates and can reject and I would want to avoid that .

[Djsuccess]

Good to know that your HR know what to do and they have done the right time and in a timely manner.
Your start date could be any date between August and November 2017 and the end date not beyond May 2020. But you will not pay IHS for 3 years. You have to submit your application before your start date. For example start date 30th August 2017 and End date 29th August 2019. Submit your application before 30th August. You will pay IHS for 2 years only. And by August 2019, you would have spent 5years and 5months (qualified for ILR)
Start date and visa validity are different. Usually your visa validity starts from the day it was issued by UKVI and the expiry date will not be more than a total of 6years.

On the other hand, you can use a start date of any date between September and November 2017 and end date will be between September - 10 November 2019. Then you apply in August as long as your application date is less than 3months to your start date.
If you apply for 3 years visa, you will only get 2 and half years because your end date must not go beyond May 2020.

[rockcbe]

Thanks a lot mate for the detailed explanation. Much appreciated.

So If I apply for visa around October for 2 and half years. should the same be reflected in Cos & Visa application ?

I was under the impression the SMS system only allowed 2/3/5 years .. In that case can the HR give a 3 yr cos and when I submit the application apply with just 2 1/2 yrs start & end dates ???

Sorry for asking too many questions ... Much appreciated for your answers.

[Djsuccess]

If you want to apply in October, you use a start date of that is few days before your current visa expires, if your current visa expires say 30th November, you can have a start date up to 1 December and end date of 30 November 2019. That will be 2years, so you will. Only pay IHS for 2 years. And you still more that enough to qualify for ILR. I will only advise you apply close to the expiry date of your current visa if you want to use premium service. Otherwise try to apply 2-3months before your visa expires.

Your HR can not assign COS for you for 3years because it will take you beyond 6years. And if your HR assigns a cos that covers you till May 2020,then you will pay for 3ywaes IHS even though the visa will only be approved for 2 and half years.

So what I'm saying that you can apply just for 2. Apply in October with a start date of November 2017 and (before your visa expires) 3 and end date November 2019.

[rockcbe]

Thanks mate.. precisely what I wanted to hear.. Much appreciated.