Tier 1 General Extension - India salary

[pranu]

Hi,

I need some suggestions for my Tier 1 (General) extension.

I have Tier 1 (General) Visa which is valid till July 2012. I have been working in UK since July 2011. My situation is:
1. If I apply in June 2012 (as per UKBA one needs to apply atleast one month before the visa expiry date), I have to show 2 months India salary plus 10 months UK salary to qualify for extension.
2. If I apply in first week of July 2012, my 11 months UK salary is sufficient to qualify for extension. But then in this case I will be applying just 1 week before the visa expiry date.

I will be applying in person but if I don't get an appointment, is it OK to apply by post just 1 week before the visa expiry? I believe it takes some time for the biometric letter to arrive after my date of postal application. Can I stay in UK while my application is being processed and if yes for how many days?

Can someone please confirm that India salary can be used for Tier 1 (General) Visa extension?

Any suggestions in this regards is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Greenie]

You are not required to apply at least one month before your leave expires.

[pranu]

Thanks Greenie for the quick reply.

Can you please confirm that India salary can be used for Tier 1 (General) Visa extension?

Also, if I don't get an in-person appointment is it ok to apply by post just 1 week before the visa expiry considering that it takes 1-2 weeks for the biometric letter to arrive?

Thanks.

[QuickSam]

You can post the application even 1 day before expiry. THe point to be remembered:

** Submission date if application posted by royal mail, is the date of posting.

** Submission date if application posted by courier, is the date of receipt.

Try for a PEO appointment if you are ready to pay the extra money and get rid of the worries. If you apply by post, there is no guarantee that u will get the biometric letter in 2 weeks (it might take up to 6 weeks).

****U will however be covered by Immigation law 3c if your visa expires and your application is still in process. This law states that your immigration status would remain the same during the waiting period.

[sts96508]

Thanks Greenie for the quick reply.

Can you please confirm that India salary can be used for Tier 1 (General) Visa extension?

Also, if I don't get an in-person appointment is it ok to apply by post just 1 week before the visa expiry considering that it takes 1-2 weeks for the biometric letter to arrive?

Thanks.

India salary can be used, without uplift ratio

[mantasingh]

The above information is correct.
Regarding your Indian Salary consideration, please note that this time you will not be able to apply the uplift ratios.
The Indian Salary in actuals will be converted to Pounds based upon the Exchange rate as on the last date of the Indian Salary period.

Also note, as your Indian Salary will require Indian Bank statements & Indian Employer details, my suggestion is apply by post.
Even if you apply in-person there are chances that UKBA would like to check your documents and this may lead to delays and your application will be equivalent to Postal application.

If 11 month UK salary is enough for qualification then don't worry. Wait till you get UK salary and then post and record the date of posting.

[kpr]

Hi,

Can someone please confirm that India salary can be used for Tier 1 (General) Visa extension?

Thanks.

Yes, As per the following paragraphs in the guidance.

Converting overseas earnings into pounds sterling (£)
Earnings made overseas must be 105. converted into pounds sterling so that we can assess them. The official exchange rate we use is the one produced by OANDA.
An applicant should use the closing 106. exchange rate on the OANDA website at www.oanda.com/currency/classic-converter on the last day of the period for which he/she has claimed earnings in that currency. This is an independent website, for which we are not responsible.