Currently happily working as a consultant physician in NHS Lothian under a Tier 1 (General) migrant visa! Today, however, I came across the new Tier 1 renewal rules, with Appendix A, Section 7A reading as follows:
7A. Applicants will only be awarded points for a Bachelor's degree if:
(a) they have, or have last been granted, leave to enter or remain as a Tier 1 (General) Migrant, Highly Skilled Migrant, Writer, Composer or Artist or a Self-Employed Lawyer Person;
(b) that leave was granted before 31 March 2009; and
(c) they are applying to extend that leave.
My initial Tier 1 award process was as follows:
- Biometric screening and fee payment in March 2009.
- E-mail from the Consulate (Chicago) and return of visas/passports in April 2009.
- Visa "valid from" date: 14 July 2009
- Initial entry into the UK on Tier 1: 4 August 2009.
Does anybody know when my visa will be counted as "granted" per rule 7A (b) above? Or alternatively, how I can find out when my visa is counted as "granted"? I need to know if my bachelor's degree can still be counted in the points process for renewal.
Thanks!
