Does Tier 2 ICT and Tier 2 General dependant time spent in UK acceptable to apply for ILR?

[sriram310]

Hi All,

I'm currently in UK since May 2014 (4yrs) on a Tier 2 ICT long term staff visa and my wife is on my dependant visa. The ICT visa is due to expire by June 2019. If my wife is now sponsored a Tier 2 General visa and I become her dependent in the next 1 year.

Question

1. Will I or my wife be eligible to apply for ILR in 2020 considering we would've been in UK for 6yrs (5yrs in Tier 2 ICT + 1yr in Tier 2 General dependent visa)

2. If I cant apply for ILR how long should I be in Tier 2 General dependent visa before which a company can sponsor me a Tier 2 General visa (as main applicant)?

[CR001]

1. Will I or my wife be eligible to apply for ILR in 2020 considering we would've been in UK for 6yrs (5yrs in Tier 2 ICT + 1yr in Tier 2 General dependent visa)

No. She will need 5 years on Tier 2 General to qualify for ILR if she meets the requirements and you would need 5 years as Tier 2 General dependent and can only apply for ILR when she does or after she already has ILR. You cannot combine dependent/main visa categories to make up 5 years for ILR.

2. If I cant apply for ILR how long should I be in Tier 2 General dependent visa before which a company can sponsor me a Tier 2 General visa (as main applicant)?

For ILR as a dependent, you need 5 years residence before you can apply for ILR. To change to your own Tier 2 General main visa, you need to be on a dependent visa for a full 12 months before you can apply for Tier 2 General from home country. Each switch (dependent/main) resets the 5 year clock for ILR.

[sriram310]

Hi CR001,

Many thanks for your response.

My wifes is working as a IT Analyst with a salary of £32k P.A and my current employer (A rated) is willing to sponsor Tier 2 General. I read in one of the blogs here that only 52k+ salary COS are getting approved now and the rest are getting deferred or delayed.

Question

1. Is £52K a fixed salary slab?
2. Will lower salary COS be considered at a quieter time of the year?
3. Are there chances that a IT analyst with £32k salary can get COS approved? if not what is the minimum salary required?
4. will deferred COS affect my wifes chances if another company chooses to apply for COS for a higher salary in next couple of months?