Tier 2 sponsorship visa

[Vettrianofan]

DS is trying to help his girlfriend find a way to apply for a work visa. She lives in the US, and wants to settle in the UK next year if possible. She is currently researching for herself, but every job she looks at says she must have British citizenship. Unfortunately that's not going to happen. The visitor for six months would be fine, but you cannot apply for work whilst using this visa.

Does anyone have experience of this kind of thing? Do you need to go through a recruitment agency?

She works as a housing specialist in the US (similar to a housing officer in the UK). She's 21yo.

No, not if she was on a Health and Care Worker visa. Which is a massive saving compared to other working visas.

The GF is not Canadian, so I think she can't avail of that.

In re care work, yes the UK is importing S Asian and Filipino women in droves. But these women are desperate for jobs, and usually have families or children in dire poverty, making them extra motivated, horrible though it is. They also have years of training, nursing being a very popular profession in those countries. They speak English , often as well as any American.

I hope she knows the reality of care work.

Someone has suggested up thread already...she's not Canadian or any other nationality that fits into the criteria.

That would save a lot of money long term.

But she would have to stick at the job or go home. I can't imagine having to do something I'd never considered before and might hate without feeling I could switch jobs. She really needs to think carefully not just with her heart.

The points based UK immigration system is set up to allow people who either have desirable or shortage skills or are highly qualified/experienced to enter the country, as long as they have enough money to support themselves and their families and have good enough English. Either that or they have a lot of money to invest.

I hate to be brutal but the US girlfriend doesn’t meet any of the criteria for most of the work visas and if she doesn’t want a career or to study then she’s not going to qualify for a student or graduate visa.

If I were you I’d step back, signpost the government website for immigration and get her to do the research, she will work it out for herself then, and you won’t be the “bad guy” for her and your son if you don’t find a way to get her a visa.

True. Big gamble for anyone.

I am not doing any work, she will have to do the leg work of form filling and deep research on her own. Definitely, I don't want to be responsible if it all goes wrong!

Ah no that’s a shame. Is she able to apply for it at all? Does she have the rest of the requirements to get the ancestry visa if she did? As could be worth it.

But, to check, you said this: she doesn't have dual citizenship but thought she did. You need to apply separately for that. Which suggests that she might be eligible for Canadian nationality if she did apply?

DS can ask her about that. Good point, worth her exploring further. Thank you😊

She should go for the student visa and then a post-grad

It's not cheap

It doesn't sound realistic to get a job with sponsorship

If she's canadian, she can get the Tier 5 visa

She's checked the rules on applying for Canadian citizenship....not possible. She'd have had to have spent three years living there before applying. Not happening.

I agree, it seems incredibly far fetched an idea now but as a PP has said, leave her to do the research and find out herself.

If she'd had a degree or other professional qualifications it would have been easier. Not looking very likely now.

She can't afford the tuition fees as an international student.

@Vettrianofan
She's not coming then. Unless she gets spousal

Sorry

It's not looking very optimistic for her.

No need to apologise, its not anyone's fault. Just one of these things🤷‍♀️

She was here for a week and decided she wants to make her life here?

She's been thinking about this for much longer than one year! Apparently she isn't fussy about staying in the States long term. She'll move to wherever DS is😬

All very well in good but unfortunately life doesn't always go the way we want it to. It's going to be interesting to see how it all pans out.

One week*

Maybe they’ll keep having a LDR and then get married. Labour may reverse the increase in income requirements and she’ll be able to come here. In the mean time she can keep saving!

There’s a huge risk of exploitation with care visas - agencies will offer to sponsor visas for a huge fee, contracts can have provisions such as employees have to have their own car after the first 6 months (hugely unrealistic on a minimum wage salary), and long probation periods that many find they don’t pass. No job, no visa, next stop the airport home. The agencies will just recruit the next available star struck young person and the cycle continues….

Saving is her best bet, really.

Here’s the chapter and verse on getting a visa for a partner. There are income ace/or savings requirements for your son which don’t look like they can be satisfied. If it were me I’d be administering a huge dose of reality / tough love on this one

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/immigration/getting-visas-for-family-members/check-if-your-partner-and-children-can-get-visas-in-the-uk/

Haha, yes, unless he gets a win on the Lotto life isn't changing any time soon😂