I’m applying for the Global Talent visa from outside the UK. I received my Tech Nation endorsement on Aug 21 2020, so I have until Nov 21 to apply for stage 2 (i.e. 3 months). I already submitted my stage 2 application to the Home Office, and paid the IHS surcharge. However the next biometric collection appointment they have available here is not till mid-December. By the time I submit my biometrics it will have been past the 3 month deadline from receiving my endorsement. I’m wondering if this will negatively impact my application. I’m also concerned about potential COVID-19 related lockdowns which could result in my December appointment being cancelled and delayed further. Has anyone been in a similar situation and know if the Home Office will reject an application if the biometric stage is past the 3 month deadline?
From whatever I have read, completing the stage 2 application process (form + payments including IHS) has to be done within 3 months. Once that is done, you will have many months before that process expires.
I completed stage 2 in October and it gave me time till May 2021 to get the BRP done. Of course, I didn’t wait that long, but the point is you have time.
Hey just wanted to give you a quick update that I’ve just received the email from Home Office, telling me that my application has been successful. It didn’t take long. Just in case this might be helpful. My timeline looks like:
21 Aug - Got Endorsement Letter
26 Sep - Stage 2 Application Submitted
3 Nov - Managed to book my biometric meeting for 30 Nov.
30 Nov - Attended biometric meeting
2 Dec - Received the result email from Home Office
Pardon me if I have misunderstood anything. I am new to this GTV process.
Aren’t you supposed to pick a date at most 3 months in advance when you apply for stage 2? How did you get a window until May 2021 when you were applying in Oct 2020?
I’m also confused. It’s quite clear that when you submit biometrics for Stage 2, that you must enter the UK at most 120 days in the future (up to 3 months + up to 30 days from that date specified in the stage 2 application). In fact I went to submit my biometrics and was told I was applying too early, because they will only look at applications 3 months in advance of my desired entry date!? So I had to cancel it and return at a later date… Annoying! Last time I checked, which was 2 weeks ago, 120 days would be the absolute maximum limit between Stage 2 acceptance and your ability to enter the UK on the visa.
Hi @derek.h, can you share where you’re applying from, and if there’s a document or guideline you’ve found which states that we must enter the UK 120 days after stage 2? I’m applying from the US and haven’t come across this (my legal counsel hasn’t mentioned it either). Just want to check if I’m missing something
If you review your Stage 2 application form, you will see a very important input, something along the lines of ‘Date you wish the visa to commence.’ You need to enter the UK within 30 days of that date. That specified date has to be < 90 days from when you submit the Stage 2 visa alongside the biometrics. I mistakenly tried to do this 200 days in advance and the biometrics people told me no, you have to be within the 90-days to submit the Stage 2 application. If your preferred visa start date changes, you need to cancel and re-apply for the Stage 2 application. You will be automatically refunded the cost. I would honestly recommend that folks do not complete the Stage 2 application until they are 100% confident with the desired entry date. I can’t speak to the letter of endorsement + biometrics gap, as others have correctly commented on that within this thread, and COVID-19 may result in some leniency here.
But your endorsement is valid only for 3 months, right? So, according to @Shreeniwas_Iyer 's table:
Apply for Endorsement
Get endorsement
Application for stage 2 complete
BRP Appointment date
visa process concludes with home office decision
Assume you get step 2 done on Jan 1 (for simplicity). That means the following…
You have to get step 3 done by April 1. (for now, just assume 3 months = 90 days)
4 done by Oct 1 (assuming 6 months)
visa date starts from Jan 1 next year (3 months)
You have to enter UK by Jan 31 next year(30 days)
Is the above analysis correct? Or am I missing/messing anything?
I’ve been endorsed, and this is how Home Office describes the Endorsement Letter’s expiration, “This endorsement is valid for 3 months from the date of this letter and therefore you must submit an application for entry clearance or leave to remain (stage 2) within this period or the application will be refused.”
My interpretation of the latter point, and I may be incorrect, is that you need to submit your biometrics and apply within 3 months of the letter’s date. As far as I understand it, paying for the Stage 2 application online and completing the form means nothing. Your Stage 2 application is only submitted once you’ve included the biometrics, and sent your passport (only relevant to those outside of UK). So in other words, you need to apply and submit your biometrics within 3 months of receiving the letter of endorsement. This seems reasonable, because from start to finish i.e I’ve been endorsed, to entering the country, you could potentially prolong the entire process up to 6-7 months given the current limits put in place.
Hi @derek.h, thanks for this info - definitely helpful. I’m wondering where you got the info about needing to “enter the UK within 30 days of the date” indicated on your visa application. Did you get that info from the biometrics folks? I’ve asked someone at Tech Nation and a lawyer about this, and they both said the entry date is more flexible than that. But since they didn’t really cite a source I’m unsure if they’re correct or not.
Also- if you had to cancel your stage 2 application because you were applying too early (200 days) before your intended entry date, does that mean your new stage 2 application is submitted after more than 3 months since you got your endorsement?
Disclosure: I’m endorsed but only doing my Stage 2 application and biometrics submission on Jan 15th. I’m applying from outside of the UK, which changes some of the details.
I found this link from the UK Gov which is intended for internal use only (found it on Google…). Your Entry Date gives you a 30-day special temporary visa so that you can enter the UK within the proper context, i.e not saying you’re entering the country as a tourist and then staying. That’s what I’m referring to. You then have to pick up your BRP, read official gov website here: “Collect your BRP once you’re in the UK. You must usually do this before the vignette sticker in your travel document expires or within 10 days of arriving in the UK, whichever is later. Do not collect your BRP if you’re self-isolating because of coronavirus (COVID-19). The Post Office will keep your BRP for 90 days. Collect it when you finish self-isolating.”
Derek is right in the sense that once the visa has been issued, you have to enter the UK within 30 days. (I entered the UK on a different visa years back, but the structure was the same). If you apply from outside the UK, the first visa to enter is typically on your passport, not a BRP card, and that is valid for only 30 days. You enter the UK and pick up your BRP card and then are free to enter and exit UK.
I was merely mentioning the timeline between applying for a Stage 2 visa (which has to be done within 3 months of endorsement) and the appointment for BRP submissions, which could be much longer. For me, as I mentioned, it was (almost) 6 months. However, I applied for Stage 2 from within the UK. I don’t know if applying for Stage 2 from outside the UK makes a difference to this timeline. Whatever the case may be, this is very transparent online. When you complete the stage 2 application, the interface clearly tells you how much time you have before booking a BRP appointment.
Hi All, I got my stage 2 approval so wanted to share my updated timeline:
Aug 17 2020: Submitted stage 1 application Aug 21 2020: Received Tech Nation endorsement letter Nov 12 2020: Submitted stage 2 application, booked biometric appointment Dec 18 2020: Submitted biometrics Dec 28 2020: Received passport with approved visa (90 day vignette)
I received a 90 day vignette in my passport that’s valid till April 2021. The start date on the vignette is the intended date of travel that I wrote on my stage 2 application. My passport & vignette came with a letter that says:
"Your passport/travel document contains a vignette (visa sticker), which you will use to travel to the UK. The vignette is valid for 90 days. If you do not arrive in the UK within this 90 day period you will need to apply for a vignette transfer, the fee for which can be found at www.gov.uk/visa-fees
What you must do after arrival in the UK:
Details of your permission will be on your BRP. You must collect your BRP from the following collection point before your vignette expires or within 10 days of arriving in the UK, whichever is the later. If you are required to quarantine in line with government guidance, please do not visit your collection point until after your quarantine period has expired. If this takes you beyond your vignette expiry date, your BRP will be held at you collection point for 90 days from the start date on your vignette and will be available for collection once you are able to collect."
To answer my original question, it seems that as long as the stage 2 application is submitted within 3 months of receiving the endorsement letter, it should be fine (even if biometric appointment is late).
Hope this is info useful for others. Thanks to everyone for your help!