Tier 2 Cooling Off Period

[ohassan85]

Hi,

I have been granted a Tier 2 Visa from 2014 to 2017 to work as a PhD research assistant.

As a part of my PhD I had to travel to another European country from 2016 until now.

I re-entered the UK two times during that period, one time for a conference and another time to switch my Visa to Tier 4. Both times I stayed for about a week.

Currently I hold a Tier 4 student.

Recently, I have been offered a position in my university and I need to switch back to Tier 2.

Is it possible to apply for a Tier 2 Visa with the cooling off period calculated from 2016, I can provide evidence that I have been a regular student in the overseas university for more than one year.

I am only worried about the two times I re-entered, does it violate the cooling off period requirement.

Also, if that is not possible. Do I have to be completely outside the UK for one year before applying for a Tier 2 Visa? Could a one-year inside the UK on a Tier 4 Visa be considered a cooling off period?

Thank you so much.

[NAR00]

I know 1 year Tier 4 visa whilst in the UK can be considered as a 12 months cool off period, then you can change to Tier 2 visa provided you find an employer who is willing to sponsor you.