I’m just going through the process of creating and updating my CV for the UK market; I’ll be alive and kicking in London on the 17th of April with a Visa valid for work until March 2012.
I am expecting the market will be difficult; based on the news provided by the BBC and reports from friends in London and the United Kingdom. But I am excited about getting to London and looking for work as a software developer.
I would quite like to get my teeth into a role where I can implement a lot of the areas I have been working on recently and form aspects I consider ideal in a web application solution; specifically:
- xhtml web pages should be easy to parse, quick to load and forward compatible with future developments in html standards.
- unobtrusive javascript because the tools that you choose should embrace users, not restrict them.
- microformats to simplify post-processing of content
- SOAP/ RESTful webservices to provide opportunities for developers and organisations to extend application functionality.
- Java (or PHP, or C) because that’s what I do!
- Subversion makes sense and is easy to use, like CVS…
- Linux, though I usually get Windows at work, I’d like to work on OSX, BSD or Linux instead; it is what we used at Uni.
Really I’m not particularly picky about projects I pick up; as my CV shows, I have taken on a diverse range of projects and change is good.
I have just uploaded my Java 2 developer certification project and now purchasing my developer certification essay. Hopefully I will have Java developer certification by the time I am looking for work in London.
I have also uploaded my “CV” with 1st contact. They recommend using their online tool; which was quite painful, so I ended up only entering some of my work experience. I’d probably just upload my offline CV given hindsight. They say don’t share your CV around with anyone else and so did the next website I went to, so I decided I’d stay faithful to 1st contact and wait till I got to the UK to spread the love.
BritBound confirmed a recent announcement regarding changes to the UK Tier 1 visa policy:
This week The British High Commission has announced that from the 1st of April it will change the Tier 1 Highly Skilled Migrant program to restrict new applications to individuals that hold a Masters degree qualification.
This means that people who currently only have a bachelors degree and qualify under the current points matrix will be no longer eligible for the Tier 1 General visa (previously the HSMP) after the 1st of April – unless they have a Masters degree qualification.
For those of you that do not have a Masters degree and were thinking of applying for the first time have now only approximately 5 weeks in order to make your application for it to be successful.
Unfortunately for those of you already in the UK on a working holiday maker visa have a very short time to arrange this process.. In practice if you are wishing to switch to the Tier 1 visa, then you will need to: prepare an application, book flights, book and attend a biometrics test in their country of legal residence and apply prior to the cut off date. Please note that you will need to already hold at least 8 weeks evidence of available funds of £2800 to meet the minimum maintenance requirements.
We expect that flights and more importantly biometrics appointments, will book up fast and that this will be the main restricting factor in successfully lodging an application before the 1st April cutoff.
We recommend you apply immediately if you were considering the Tier 1 Highly skilled Migrants visa and don’t have a Masters degree.
I was going to write about the process of applying for a Tier 1 visa to live and work in the United Kingdom. However my application has been approved by the British High Commission in New Zealand in only 13 days. I was honestly absolutely amped as I suspected all sorts of items would have been found lacking by the BHC and I would have to apply for the cheaper Tier 5 or re-apply for a Tier 1, costing another $1600 plus other costs associated with the collection of information.
For the purpose of documentation, here is what is basically required – this information is available on various UK visa websites, but often the information is unclear, old or contradictory. Also, this information was suitable for my application and so therefore possibly yours. But most applications are slightly different and I couldn’t possibly know what is required in your circumstance:
- It is recommended that you fill out the online points calculator first to establish whether you will have enough points for a VISA. If you are using a degree for points and your institution appears on the points calculator, then you do not need to confirm you degree is relevant on NARIC.
- You will need to complete an online application and a supporting documents form (for me this was Appendix 1). The self assessment form contains information very similar to the points calculator, but you will also be required to indicate the supporting documents that you will send to the British High Commission. For a tier 1 visa you require the Application form VAF9 – PBS Migrant (this is the same as the online application) and the PBS Appendix 1; these forms also change often, it is best to check you have the latest version.
- Evidence of income, this must cover a contiguous 12 month period which starts at most 15 months prior to your application, though possibly a shorter period would be suitable if you get paid a lot
- If you would like to work in the UK, start collecting your bank statements. You need 12 months of evidence that you get paid. I got the bank to stamp and sign each statement that I had printed at the bank.
- If you get payslips, start collecting these. You’ll need a 12 month period.
- If you don’t get payslips, you may be able to get your human resource department to officialise the printed payslips or perhaps a letter declaring exactly how much you have been paid would be satisfactory.
- I have heard of situations where applications have been denied when the totals did not match.
- Evidence of maintenance funds, this must cover a 3 month period and the final statement must be within 7 days 1 calendar month of your application. It was not clear to me whether the application date was when you paid on the online application or when you have your biometrics appointment. But all dates were close enough to when I got my statement for this to not matter.
- Again you should just collect bank statements, if you are good at budgeting this evidence may be the same bank account as your income evidence. Mine was a different bank account. The final statement should be dated very closely to your application (7 days or less).
- Alternatively a letter from a financial institution can be accepted. I got the local KiwiBank to print my statement out for me and stamp and sign it.
- Evidence of University education
- Most people have collected university transcripts when they graduate for graduate job applications. If not they can be purchased for around $20 from your university.
- You should also have been awarded a certificate of some sort from your University or academic institution. You should post this with some stiff cardboard to protect it.
- Passport; they will attach your UK Tier 1 Visa to this, if you have accumulated enough proof that you deserve it.
- 2 passport photos. They have many conditions around the size and appearance of these photos.
- You will be required to print out your online application form, pay NZ$1600 and book a local biometric testing station when you complete your online application. You may save your online application at any time and come back to it later, but they only keep it for about 7 days. In the online form you will be required to provide your travel information for the last 10 years, your current and any previous passports (and names) and your birth and nationality and that of your parents.
- The conditions of application change constantly, so check the UK Visa websites for news constantly! For example, the evidence of maintenance funds may be up to one month old now.
Really it was all rather simple, but very stressful and frustrating. Worrying that the information we provided was not correct enough and we would have our VISA application rejected like many other people we had heard about. If you prepare for your application 12 months in advance then it would be much less stressful.
It is also worth knowing that they will date your VISA from the entry date that you provide in your online application! You don’t need to make it 3 months from when you apply and a Tier 1 VISA allows multiple entry into the UK for 3 years starting from the date you provide.
Now all I need to worry about is finding a job when I arrive in London; I’m planning to document that process, which has started with my signing with an agency to smooth my move into the UK labour force.
