Documentation for an advocate

[aiyyer]

Hello
I am an advocate practicing independently. I had applied for tier 1 general visa in early April 2010. I had provided the following documents in support of my previous earnings criterion

1. Profit and Loss statement from chartered accountant (on CA’s letterhead, with rubber stamp and signature)
2. Balance sheet from chartered accountant (on CA’s letterhead, with rubber stamp and signature)
3. Personal bank statement showing all my earnings (official bank stationary with logo, signed and stamped)

My application was rejected on 26.4.2010 on the following grounds

You have claimed previous earnings as a self employed barrister. As evidence you have shown a chartered accountants letter and profit and loss summary. However the published guidance states that you must show dates of net payment earned or a payment summary which enables us to correspond these earnings with credits to your bank account. The evidence you have shown does not provide these details. You have not therefore shown acceptable evidence of your previous earnings.

I had filed an administrative review which has now been rejected. I would like to make a fresh application but am unclear on the documents that would be deemed sufficient. Most of my earnings are through cash, cheque or bank deposit. These are deposited in the personal savings account as and when they come. I do not have any company structure nor pay myself any salary. My net income (after deducting overheads) is my own net income.

Could anyone help me with the kind of evidence I ought to provide this time?

Second part:

I had enclosed a certificate (on bank letterhead) from my banker (for maint. funds) saying

Certified that Mrs. [xxx] (my mother) and [xxx] (my name) are maintaining term deposit accounts with us as per details given below

Sr.No Account â„– Date Amount Autorollover date Amount
Xxx xxx xxx xxx xxxx xxxx
Xxx xxx xxx xxx xxxx xxxx

Total Rupeees Thirteen Lakhs etc.

I had also provided a letter from my mother stating that the entire funds were for my benefit and were available to me for the purpose of my Tier 1 application or for any other purpose. Also that she had no objection if the money were withdrawn by me at my sole discretion.

This has also been rejected by the Eco with the following comments

As evidence of funds for maint. purposes you have shown a letter which states that you hold a term deposit with the [xxx] bank. You have not shown specified documents that the meet the requirements of the published guidance. The documents you have shown does not indicate that you have held the required funds for a period of three months immediately prior to your application

Can someone please advise urgently on what documents I should provide for either requirement for my second application?

Thanx

A

[aiyyer]

Anyone?

[vinata]

Sorry, but i don't know what you could have done better to get your Tier 1 this time round, but i want to draw your attention to something else.

Have you got a plan in place about what you would be doing upon arrival to the UK? My friend was a lawer/barister (she is from the Ukraine) in her home country. She arrived to the UK as a dependant of her husband a few years ago, and obviously wanted to find a well paid job in her field of expertise. However, she soon found out that nobody could practice as a lawer/barister unles they confirmed their degree in the UK by passing certain exams. So, she eventually had to go to study first because without the certificate that you have passed all relevant examinations, you cannot find a job. Even though the had a master degree from the Ukraine and 8 years of professional experience, it was not accepted. So she started to study and the earliest she could do her exams was in 2 years. Luckily, her husband was supporting her during the studies, but if there is no one to support you, then what would you do?

My friend has now completed her studies and works as a trainee barister earning little money at the moment. She now says she regrets moving over to the Uk because she had a better life back home. She also says she had wasted 3 years of her life for studying and practicing, which she didn't need, and that she could have earned much more had she stayed back home.

So, think about your ambitions. Are you prepard to study in the UK for the first 2 years? if so, how are you going to extend your Tier 1 visa after that? In order to extend your stay in the UK you would need to show your UK earning for the 12 month period. But if you don't work, how would you achieve that level of earnings? Or you are planing the change your career path?

This is the time for you to access now how you are going to survive in the UK. Study more about your industry requirements and then reapply for Tier 1 with more documents, if you wish. In any case, I wish you good luck.