Questions about a potential extension request

Stage 2
1

I am wondering how difficult would the extension request be if I need it, so I have some clarification questions:

  1. I have been in the UK since August 2020, so I will ask for the ILR in August 2025. Am I safe to assume I only need three years of the GT visa (Exceptional Promise)?
  2. In your opinion, is there a risk that GT extension- or ILR application- rules might change in the future?
  3. If some immigration route rule change in the past, has it ever affected people already on the path?
  4. As per the guidelines, the only requirements are to (a) pay 623£ + the health surcharge for the desired number of years, (b) show that I got paid during the time on the visa, and © that I didn’t lose my endorsement. How can I show the last point? Will the email that I receive for the stage 1 endorsement be enough or will I need to contact TechNation again and update my initial application?

I could pay for the 5 years and be safe but it’s a hefty fee and I’d rather just get the 3 years which gives me a 6-months buffer to apply for the ILR.

Thanks a lot in advance to your answers, I hope my questions are also useful to other people!

2

Exceptional promise for Tech Nation is 5 years to be eligible for ILR

3

@May Indeed I am aware of this but I’ve been here for ~2.5 years on a Skilled Worker visa so I technically need 2.5 more years since the years transfer between these two visas.

Unless I’m mistaken then please let me know.

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4

If you are currently on skilled work visa then you should apply after 2.5yrs. it mean you have to apply for three years visa.

5

Information on the UK GOV website indicates that if you decide to switch to the GT visa now, then you just have to spend the remaining 2.5 years and then you qualify for the ILR. Which means that you can combine time spent on your skilled worker visa with the time you’d have spent on you GT by 2025.

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However, if your goal is to get the ILR and not something else specifically, then you must consider that you would spend some money to get the GT visa (and still not a guarantee though) including at least 3 years health surcharge. Perhaps, you may even spend more if you must switch for your dependants (assuming you have any).

So, think about it critically.

6

Thanks @ask4jubad for your warning! It’s good to consider it indeed :slight_smile: I’m still gonna go through it as it’s a great safety net considering relatively to its price. It also offers a lot of freedom. Just my opinion, YMMV of course!

I was mainly worried if these rules shared by the government might change in the next 2.5 years. Has there been any precedent of such immigration routes changing for the worse in the past?

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7

To the best of my knowledge, I don’t think laws are enacted retrospectively.

For instance, when the Exceptional Talent (Tier 1) visa was revised to the GT visa, holders of the erstwhile Tier Visa still continued to remain on their visa and were able to transition to their ILR or other settlement schemes on similar conditions are new GT visa holders.

All that plays out is “did you get the relevant visa before the rules changed or not?”.

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