Getting ready for work in the UK

So once you have got your National Insurance Number, it is time to get yourself a bank account. In the UK you can get many different bank accounts, but the one that you will need in order to start work, is a 'Current Account'.

According to Google, the definition of a current account goes as follows:

an account with a bank or building society from which money may be withdrawn without notice, typically an active account catering for frequent deposits and withdrawals by cheque

 More info about current accounts can be read here: http://www.moneysupermarket.com/current-accounts/what-is-a-current-account/ Although, cheques these days are not that widely used. And some shops don't accept them any more.

Most banks do current accounts so you will just need a document with your address on it (could be your National Insurance Number letter) and a form of Photo ID such as your Passport, Driving License, etc. With these two documents, you can walk into most banks and get your self a current account there and then.

A current account in the UK will come with two numbers: Account Number and Sort Code. They will look as follows:

Account Number: ######## e.g. 15425687
Sort Code: ##-##-## e.g. 54-78-25

Once you have these two numbers, you can then give them to your employer and your money will get deposited straight into your account at the end of the month, depending on how your salary / wage is paid and when.

You do not need a Credit Card in order to start work. In fact you do not really need a Credit Card at all. Your current Account will come with a Debit Card which can be used in the same way and in the same places as a Credit Card.

Once you get paid, you can go to any ATM (Cash Machine) and withdraw your cash. In most cases there is a limit of how much cash you can withdraw per day. This limit usually is somewhere around £250 - £300. The other way is the way I do it, which is to bank on-line. I go on the internet and do all my banking there rather than go to a bank.I can pay people money, transfer money between accounts and so on.

If your address changes you must inform the bank.

REMEMBER: Your card will have a PIN Code. You must not give it to anyone. Not even the Police, the Bank, or anyone.

And now you are set! Enjoy working in the UK. 

Slavery in the UK

A couple of days ago, I saw this news article on the BBC News website "Up to 13,000 slaves working in the UK". That really hit me, knowing the difficulties that people leave behind when coming to a country like the UK, in the search for a better life. Initially, I thought that it can't be right. First of all, people in the UK would not do that “these” days. But the truth is that many people in Britain are not British. They have come with their own ideologies and views on this kind of things. Now I am not saying that the biggest contributor of modern day slavery in the UK are people from outside the UK. However, based on my limited experience, I think that a considerable amount is contributed exactly by people that are from outside the UK.
Only recently I heard of a Romanian national who was told that there is a job for him here in the UK awaiting. He came, was met by the people he organised his trip through. They took him to a house and said that the job is not quite ready yet, but that meanwhile to earn for his bread he could deliver empty charity bugs. 1000 bugs would be £30, which in many cases would not be paid anyway. That is awful! However, these people have to work because they have no money to return home and no money to eat. People get tricked into these things.
The other big avenue is prostitution. It is said that in Moldova about 80% of girls from orphanages end up in prostitution, because the system just spits them out at the age of 18 or even younger. These girls then have no-one and nowhere to go but into prostitution. They are then transported illegally to countries like the UK. We can say "Oh, how terrible!" but the truth is, there is demand. Take away the demand and the problem is more or less sorted overnight.
It is a shame that these things are still happening. I think we should stop blaming the police and keep vigilant about these things. Try and help people that are in these situations.
If you find yourself in a situation like that and you are afraid to ask for help because of all the threats these people have made to you. You cannot continue in that way. There are people and a place of safety if only you ask. Ask for help!
Also, if you are thinking to travel to the UK for work, make sure you have a plan B in case you end up in a case of slavery. Make sure you have someone in the UK that you can ring for help. If you are from the EU you can go to a Job Centre in your town and ask for help there. Alternatively, leave a comment here.

Minimum Income Requirement (MIR)

In 2012, the government introduced some new measures with regards to the immigration rules. One of which is the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR), which specifies the minimum amount of yearly income a person should earn to qualify as a sponsor for their non-European UK spouse visa application.
The MIR is £18,600.00 for the spouse only, and goes up to £22,400.00 for the spouse and one child. Then £2,400.00 for the second child and each one after that. Since then, the government has been challenged about this new requirement, but unsuccessfully.
Of course the money can be raised not just from the salaried income, but from a number of other options like savings and so on. I am having trouble deciding if this is fair or not. As a sponsor, you have to make sure you take care of your spouse for 5 years without any access to the public purse. Can that be done on a salary less than £18,600.00?
Well lets see... £18,600.00 / 12 months = £1,550.00 - £143.33 tax = £1,300.23
Rent for a studio flat in my part of the UK is lets say £450 plus utility bills of about £150 leaves us with about £700. Lets say we want a few commodities like a mobile phone, internet, etc, which leaves us with £600. Food wise me and Natasha spend about £200 - £250 a month (we have no takeaways at all) which leaves us about £350.
£350 for day to day eventualities is just about enough but not enough to save much. So is £18,600.00 enough?
Well, lets look at another statistic. According to the Mirror http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-average-salary-26500-figures-3002995 the current average UK salary is £26,500.00. In the same article though, the Mirrior states that "...Four in five new jobs are in sectors averaging under £16,640 for a 40-hour week..." which means that on average, four in five britons fall below the government requirement. So should the government lower the bar? Would that be responsible of them?
What do you think? Leave your comments below.
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Extending your UK Spouse Visa

As mentioned in my last post, this post is about extending your UK spouse visa. In the case of one of my friends who brought in to the UK his wife a couple of years ago, she got Indefinite Leave to Remain ( ILR ) after her initial two and a half years visa. Recently though the rules have changed as per this URL: https://www.gov.uk/settle-in-the-uk/y/you-re-the-family-member-of-a-british-citizen/yes/some-other-way/on-a-work-visa/tier-1
Now you can no longer apply for ILR after your initial two and a half years spouse visa. Instead you have to extend it for a further two and a half years. After a total of five years of being in the country, you can apply for ILR. The information about extending your spouse visa can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/remain-in-uk-family

To summarise the main points:

1 – You have to be in the UK to do that, otherwise there is a different path you will need to take.

2 – You must still be in a valid relationship with the person. If the relationship is broken then, there maybe problems. You will have to prove the status of your relationship.

3 – You will need to prove that you have enough money to support yourselves without relying on public funds.

4 – You will need to prove good knowledge of English.

5 – You will need to apply before your current visa expires. I usually do it about 28 days before the actual expiry date.

6 – The fee at the time of this post is £601. All the Home Office fees are extortionate in my humble opinion hence it is a shame that they put you through another two and a half years application process. The more steps the more money.

More detailed information can be found at the above link I provided. Click on the links at the top of the page to see more info about the different aspects of the process. The Apply link should contain a link to the actual application form. The form is one of the biggest forms I have ever seen (52 pages) and you will need to be very sure when filling it in. In my experience the language used is not easy to comprehend, given that in most cases people going through these applications may be non-native English speaking people. Some of the questions are very difficult to understand what they are actually asking you. You can understand the words but not the question.

They say the waiting times are approximately 8 or so weeks. Either way, your status in the country is pretty much unchanged whilst you are waiting. The only problem is traveling. You will most probably not have your passport so make sure you do not book anything during this time. However, if you really urgently need to travel then you could make use of their Premium Service Centres. It will cost you another £400 on top of the £601. The list of the centres is here: https://www.gov.uk/ukvi-premium-service-centres/find-a-premium-service-centre and you will need to make sure you are eligible https://www.gov.uk/ukvi-premium-service-centres/eligibility

And that is about all. I always tend to do the application on my own since solicitors are so expensive, but I would not advise anyone to do that. All the info is on the gov.uk site although a bit difficult to track down. That is what awaits me in a year or so time. Something to look forward to.
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Indefinite Leave to remain in the UK (ILR)

Now that Natasha is in the UK, it is time to start planning for the time when her two and a half years visa will expire. About 28 days before the visa expires, we will have to make another application from within the UK for an extension. There are many different application types and choosing the right one is important. One type of visa that some of my friends have applied for whilst in the UK on a spouse visa, is the “Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)” also knows as “settlement visa”. Obtaining a visa like that means that you are allowed to settle in the UK and are no longer subject to immigration control.
Up until the 9th July 2012, you could apply for ILR at the end of your spouse visa term, which is typically two and a half years. Recently however, the rules have changed. The new rules state that if you applied for your spouse visa after the 9th July 2012, you cannot apply for ILR at the end of the visa term. Instead, you would have to extend your spouse visa for a further two and a half years. Then at the end of the second two and a half term you would be eligible to apply for ILR. More info here: https://www.gov.uk/settle-in-the-uk/y/you-re-the-family-member-of-a-british-citizen/yes/some-other-way/on-a-work-visa/tier-1
The spouse visa extension application would have to go through all the thorough checks again, but more about that in my next post. For now we will concentrate on the Indefinite Leave to Remain visa. The link above lists some requirements, e.g. Life in the UK Test, English Language Test, Proof of Finances, Criminal Record, etc. It is important to fill in the application properly because the fees are extortionate (£1,093.00 per person, at the time of writing this post). Some of my friends that went through this type of application had solicitors help them. Personally I always do it myself, but I would not advice anyone that they do it themselves unless they are sure of what they are doing.
Best thing is to prepare well. And that means that from the very first day that you have started your life with your spouse in the UK, you must start saving all proof of your relationship. When you will come to apply for your ILR or your extension, you will have to prove that the relationship is still alive. That means photos, phone bills, postal correspondence, joint bank accounts, joint utility bills, joint tenancy agreements, etc. You will have to have something for almost every month that you have been together. That is why it is important to start early the preparation process. You do not want to leave it until the last minute and then try to pass the Life in the UK Test and all the other requirements. Start early and be as proactive about it as possible.
Once you have the Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK visa, you can of course apply for British citizenship, but please be aware that you may have to revoke your existent one if your native country does not permit dual citizenship. All the information is on the www.gov.uk website. Dig it out well in advance and take your time with it. Gather paperwork starting now.
The next post will be about the extension of your spouse visa.
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