Hi All
I would be applying to Stage 2 in next few days. I have few queries, request experienced members to provide clarifications :-
I believe Vignette currently is valid for 90 days from date of arrival at UK due to Covid. Will my passport have this written or it will decided as per guidelines on home office website. I might choose a entry date assuming additional 90 days to arrive considering that.
I have been endorsed for exceptional talent, so i can apply for ILR after 3 yr as per my understanding. Considering that i have the option to apply for Visa for 3 yrs and then go for ILR later. Complication comes because of dependants (Spouse + Kid). As i understand they can only apply for ILR after 5 yrs from first application. So, options available to me are following :-
Apply for 3 yrs. Dependants get visa also for 3 yrs. They have to apply again for 2 more yrs and at that time visa fees and NHS fees can increase by few percentage points. I save NHS fees for myself for 2 yrs but end up paying visa application fees twice and probably increased NHS fees for 2 yrs.
Apply for 5 yrs : peace of mind. I loose NHS fees for myself for 2 yrs (approx 1250 GBP)
If i do some basic calculation & assume 25% increase in NHS and Visa application fees then both figures are more or less same. Considering that and if i can afford such a large outgo right now, does applying for 5 yrs makes sense ?
Hi All
We got our passports today finally after vignette stamping.
Our timeline if it helps everyone
TN submission : 24th May
TN endorsement : 14th Jun
VFS (Outside UK) appointment : 20th Jun (Received for 1 Jul but kept checking and on 23rd Jun, rescheduled for 24th Jun).
Biometric : 24th Jun
Automated mesg that application sent to UKVI : 27th Jun
Notification mail that passport is ready for collection : 16th Jul (was past pickup time slot)
Passport Picked up : 19th Jul
Stage 1 took : approx 15 working days
Stage 2 took : 15 working days from notification mail that application has been forwarded to UKVI
Imp Points :
Please go through the forum, there is a treasure trove of information here; thanks to all the wonderful members here.
Have patience : TN on an avg takes 3-4 weeks and UKVI (stage 2) took exactly 15 days. For stage 2 : A lot depends on your travel date and country i guess. We submitted out financial statements, marriage certificate, Child’s birth certificate and consent letter for child. Even though few might not be needed but still we submitted post going through experience of members here. Still it took 3 weeks for stage 2.
Create a checklist for your application and map all your evidences against it. Mine was a business applicant case and i used 4 reference letters apart from 3 LOR (also added evidences to these 4 reference letter within 3 pages on what these referees were talking about). Spread out your evidences to showcases your achievements and what makes you a talented individual.
We applied and got Visa for 5 yrs. My NHS fees has been taken for 5 yrs but for my dependents they have charged for 5.5 yrs. As per feedback here, while applying for dependents we entered date of my visa applicable till 31st Aug 2026 (5 yrs from date of intended arrival). NHS website considers current month as the month from when NHS becomes applicable and not your intended date of arrival. So they charged for 5 yrs + 2 months, making it 5.5 yrs for NHS fees. We need to find out how to get extra 6 months NHS fees reimbursed for my dependents. Any help here ?
Believe in yourself and your achievements. If you are considering TN Visa, you are already among the top percentile of professionals worldwide. What is required is matching your experience and achievements with TN criteria. Be clear in what you want to say through your evidences and do not complicate it much.
Last but not least, my deepest thanks to each and everyone of members here for writing down their experiences.
A special thanks to @Shreeniwas_Iyer during my initial queries and support thereafter.
Also, grateful to @sojo for support during stage 2. We were in same boat and your experience helped me in preparing my application to vfs accordingly.
We plan to travel in first week of Sep to UK and hope my country is not in red list by then.
@happysoul congratulations on your VISA, I am wondering did you find a way to refund the extra 0.5 year of NHS for dependents. Also, do you know of a workaround while making the application to avoid it, thanks?
Hi @Ahmedcs982: i am yet to write to NHS. Probably will contact them once i land up in UK. I am not yet able to figure a workaround to it unless the family split their travel plan and endorsement holder goes first.
