T2 ICT - changing from short term to long term visa

[jg60036]

Hello,

I searched the forum for this topic and was unable to find relevant postings so was hoping someone could help.

I was granted a T2 ICT - Short term Visa in Oct 2011, so it is due to expire in Oct 2012. My employer has expressed an interest in extending my visa by changing to a long term staff visa and I am keen to pursue this.

My questions are:

1.) What is the process/application/documentation I need to go through to complete this switch? From what I understand, I am eligible to switch without a cooling off period or returning to my home country (USA), but I can't find anywhere that explains this particular process - i.e do I have to do all the biometric data again, supply a new CoS, bank information, background check, etc.

2.) My salary is £35k and I received a £4k bonus in 2011. Would a £1k annual raise be sufficient to meet the £40k salary requirement if my employer guaranteed the same, or more, bonus for 2012? Or would I need a base salary of £40k?

3.) Do I have to forfeit my passport during the application process? I ask because I have personal vacation planned for September in France and need to cancel if I will not have a passport.

4.) As long as I meet the salary requirement, is there really any chance I will be denied the change from T2 ICT short term to long term?

5.) How long does it take to be approved for the change in visa status?

Some other information that might be relevant - I work in commercial real estate finance, my passport was issued in the USA, and I am 27 with no dependants.

Thank you for your help and please let me know if any more information is required!

[manci]

1
I stand to be corrected on this but as far as I can see you cannot switch in-country from T2 ICT Short Term Staff to T2 ICT Long Term Staff. Suggest you have this confirmed, or otherwise, by phoning UKBA on 0870 606 7766. You have to apply for entry clearance from abroad with a new CoS, biometrics and essentially the whole process you went through before repeated. However, the cooling-off period will not apply.
2
The salary, and most importantly the new (from June 2012) job requirements for T2 ICT Long Term Staff are:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitec ... iew=Binary

333. The qualifying criteria for this sub-category are as follows:
a) The job the migrant will do must be at NQF level 6 (or the equivalent in Scotland) or above.
b) The salary for the job must be at least £40,000 per annum including any guaranteed bonuses and any permitted allowances as described elsewhere in this guidance, and meet the appropriate rate requirements set out in paragraphs 218-220.
3
see 1. above
4
salary requirement must be met and the job must be NQF6 or above, otherwise no special impediments provided the application form and documents are in order.
5
If your employer has a T2 ICT CoS allocation for the current year available for you then they can assign the CoS immediately, and provided you have all the necessary documents for the entry clearance application ready, the UK in the USA website should give an indication of current visa processing times.

[jg60036]

manci,

Thank you for the response - it is very helpful.

One more question - my company is on the list of approved sponsors for T2 general and ICT. I do not believe they have applied for a additional CoS allocation for 2012 after the one granted me in 2011. Do you know how long it takes for the UKBA to allocate a new CoS?

Thanks again!

[manci]

This varies. Ask your employer to ring the Employer Helpline on 0300 123 4699 for the current processing time.

If they want to employ you after October 2012 they should apply for a T2 ICT CoS allocation for the current year asap but when they get it they should only assign the CoS to you keeping in mind that it must be used within 3 months.

[mrmanojrai]

Did any of you tried if in-country switching from ICT short term to ICT long term is possible?

If yes, could you please confirm me?

Thanks.