clearing the backlog

M.BHaskar · Post by **M.BHaskar** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 11:55 am

my reference number is 015520, the office recieved my application on 25.03.2004. I received a mail where it is stated that there is a backlog and the HSMP team is finding out measures to clear the backlog.

hsmphopeful · Post by **hsmphopeful** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 2:54 pm

I see the only way to clear it (without changing the programme requirements) is to have more caseworkers...

AtW · Post by **AtW** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 4:28 pm

The easiest and the cheapest (and thus preferred) way to ensure no backlogs exists is to limit demand, ie make it hard to get points and set pass rate at (for example) 100 rather than 65.

hsmphopeful · Post by **hsmphopeful** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 5:11 pm

that would not solve the problem of existing backlog but otherwise it makes sense...

timefactor · Post by **timefactor** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 5:32 pm

what about overtime?

rella · Post by **rella** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 11:05 pm

hsmphopeful wrote:that would not solve the problem of existing backlog but otherwise it makes sense...

Well...guess they can clear the backlog faster if they slow down the flow of applications coming in. At the rate it's going, like Chess says, it's going to be a 6-month wait soon.

I'm assuming (hoping) that they grandfather in the applications already received before they change the approval criteria or discontinue the program. I hope that also applies to the extension after the first year.

Does anyone know what percentage of people with HSMPs do well enough to continue on after the first year? Lots of people seem to be having a rough time finding jobs. I think the flexibility of the program is really great, but I worry about people coming here with so many hopes and not being able to find a job.

rella

hsmphopeful · Post by **hsmphopeful** » Mon Apr 26, 2004 6:35 am

True. However the idea is that if you haven't found a job in a year it means you are not really that skilled and should leave the UK. If this happens to me, I will accept that and will return to my country of citizenship and then see what to do.

hsmphopeful · Post by **hsmphopeful** » Mon Apr 26, 2004 6:39 am

BTW, if they increase the fees substantially that would also help get rid of speculative applications. Instead of £150 they could charge £500 and offer better service. Serious applicants would be ready to pay more for a quicker decision and speculative ones would probably decide not to apply at all...

rella · Post by **rella** » Mon Apr 26, 2004 10:00 am

hsmphopeful wrote:True. However the idea is that if you haven't found a job in a year it means you are not really that skilled and should leave the UK. If this happens to me, I will accept that and will return to my country of citizenship and then see what to do.

If a person doesn't get a job, it may not be related to skill level at all. When the economy is bad enough, the best people can sometimes have a hard time finding a job.

I would also think that for applicants from countries that are very different culturally from the UK, that it might be very hard to learn the ropes of finding a job. I know that in the U.S., a lot of the good jobs go by word-of-mouth and if you've got a contact into a company, your odds are much better for getting an interview. This is particularly true when the economy is so bad that the companies get hundreds of applications for one job.

hsmphopeful wrote: BTW, if they increase the fees substantially that would also help get rid of speculative applications. Instead of £150 they could charge £500 and offer better service. Serious applicants would be ready to pay more for a quicker decision and speculative ones would probably decide not to apply at all...

The problem is that it's not fair to people from countries where the average income is very low. Even now, I'm sure that £150 is a lot of money for people from some countries, while it's not that much for someone from the UK or western Europe. For someone from a poor country, £500 would be a huge amount of money. Of course, when you look at the costs of how much it takes to move and get settled in and support yourself for several months until you find a job, maybe this program is already eliminating people who don't have a lot of money available.

There's probably no easy or fair way to cut way back on the applications that they're receiving. I wonder if the HO will end up changing the program, or if they'll just let the backlog pile up. That may be one way to slow down the flow of applications--if people know that the wait is a year or more. Imagine if it comes to that!

hsmphopeful, which country are you from?

rella

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clearing the backlog

clearing the backlog