Tier 2 - proving no one else can do my job

[rrkkss]

Hi there,

I've been in the UK on the Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa for just under 2 years. I've been at the same job for the whole time I've been in the UK, and they are now trying to sponsor me.

My role is in the media industry, in video production, and I understand that's a very competitive industry and will attract a lot of applicants. This of course makes me quite nervous as I'm sure there will be some qualified people applying.

Right now my boss has gone by the book and pretty much copied & pasted the applicable job criteria from the government site. We put up the advert 3 days ago and have 40 applicants so far.

Due to my experience working within the company for 2 years, will this be a factor that's considered in my favour when sorting through potential applicants?

I guess I'm asking if anyone has any experience with this process and whether there's any hope for me, as in my mind I'm packing up my bags and heading back to Canada at this point. If there is anything I can do to increase my chances of being accepted, that would be great to know.

Any advice or information is much appreciated, thanks!

[Frontier Mole]

There is zero you can do in the circumstances you have outlined. By the looks of it a very generic advert has gone out and that will make it impossible to narrow the field to the degree that it would give you even a vague hope of being sponsored.
The issue is the suitability criteria. If a U.K. / EEA individual meets the criteria they can't sponsor you in favour of them. It is not a case of the best candidate but just a suitable candidate.

Given the interest in the role at the outset and that every single candidate by the end of the 28 days of advertising would have to be deemed unsuitable then those are very long odds.

It is a fairly common event when employers consider tier 2 sponsorship for tier 5 YMS, even if they get a licence and grant a COS there is still no guarantee you will get through the visa application. The pre-selection of candidates is a noted issue so it is likely to get extra scrutiny in any event.

Not positive I know, but it is not impossible.

[iworker]

Maybe the advert should have been more specific to what is really needed for the job, and include min previous experience, if that is what the job really requires?
Any moves to circumvent the ukvi is illegal though

[noajthan]

A Tier 5 gig is not a job for life.
You have boosted your CV and had a wonderful experience in UK that has probably set you up for life. Well done.