Unpaid Part-Time Internship/Would like to Work (Tier 5 maybe?)/French 1 yr visa

I checked the big long list of sponsors, my employer (the parent non-profit, so I assume that's fine) is on the T5 approved list, so I'm set.

To clarify my 'French' residency--I have a visa D long-stay one year visitor's visa, so my mailing address is a friend's house in France, but I've been traveling and hence am in Germany.

It would be much easier for me to get my visa appt in Munich, though... I'm not sure if my French long-stay visa counts as residency from the UK's point of view (although to France I am b/c I had to pay taxes). Are they that strict about which consulate?

 Also I'm having difficulty navigating the website--under the 'what documents you must send' where is the list of documents? Is it hard to get a visa appt?

I've been starting to fill out the online form, it allows me to write in Feb 27, 2012 as an acceptable entry date....is this even feasible? From the comments so far I'm assuming no, but I wanted to check before I hit submit and ruin my chances.

Thanks again for answering all of my questions, my first and only visa experience was getting my French one, when I didn't have so much of a hurry and country complications.

They are strict in that you cannot apply from a consulate where you are not resident. So for you it sounds like France or the US are your options.

got it, thanks! here's how this is getting resolved:
my employer confirmed that the non-profit is a sponsor, so that's set.

I cannot go to a consulate, rather, I have to go to the Paris Worldbridge Service Center once I fill out my online application. I can go to Paris instead of back to the Us because I have a long-stay visa, Worldbridge defines it as:

"country or territory where the applicant is living" refers to the place where a person is present in any capacity other than as a short term visitor and has permission from the relevant authorities to be so.

assuming I get my CoS this week, I can submit my online application, book my appointment for early next week, and receive my visa back around March 12th at the earliest..... does this sound about right or completely delusional?

   I can't travel out of the country during this wait sans visa, right, or would a photocopy suffice? I haven't been checked by customs officials in my travels except for Switzerland... I'd like to go to Italy.

Sorry, yes, the Worldbridge center.

Sounds about right...you can travel outside of the country while it's being processed, but won't your passport be with your application?  Which means you can't really travel.

You can leave France but you can't leave Schengen, so Italy is probably fine. They don't check passports between Schengen countries, even if you're not European.

Surely you'll need a passport to show to security or when you check in for the flight?

In theory it may be okay to go to Italy while you're waiting, but I wouldn't risk it if I were you. My best friend lived in Italy for a couple years until last month and would always vent to me that it's really a second world country, as the government is fairly ineffective, slow to resolve issues, and pretty darn corrupt. (From his experience, anyway.)

While that might mean relaxed border regulations, it could also mean that if you do get in a bind trying to come back, it could take awhile to straighten out. Why not wait until you're in the UK and travel from there or after your internship? Better playing it safe when it comes to crossing borders, in my opinion. And maybe I'm too cautious, but I wouldn't want to leave my passport in a different country, even if it is in the hands of the government.

Hi all,
 The game continues..... I finally got my CoS reference number on Monday, then made my appointment at the Paris worldbridge center (I was lucky to find one on Tuesday, the system is flawed, so check often).
 Then I asked the woman, "Aren't you checking my CoS number to see if it's valid?" but she had no idea what I was talking about (according to the PDF I found the sponsorship system is only online so I can't print out a letter or anything). So... she had me write it down on the last page of my application and sign/date it.

Is this normal procedure, or is it just because it's through Worldbridge and Tier 5 visas aren't necessary for EU residents/so they don't know what they're doing?

 I've found the processing times for Paris, but it's making me twitch... I want to just be in London already! 63% in 5 days is only somewhat optimistic.

Then I asked the woman, "Aren't you checking my CoS number to see if it's valid?" but she had no idea what I was talking about (according to the PDF I found the sponsorship system is only online so I can't print out a letter or anything). So... she had me write it down on the last page of my application and sign/date it.

I don't know that they would check the number when you go to the consulate - they'll check it later when they actually process your application.

All it says on the UKBA website for Tier 5 applications is:

You do not need to send any evidence of sponsorship as your sponsorship is confirmed in your certificate of sponsorship, and you must give your reference number when you apply.

You gave your reference number (presumably it was on your application form anyway) and that's all that was required.

Is this normal procedure, or is it just because it's through Worldbridge and Tier 5 visas aren't necessary for EU residents/so they don't know what they're doing?

Just a note that nothing 'goes through' Worldbridge - everything is done by UKBA at a British consulate.

Worldbridge has nothing to do with the visa application process itself, they are just a commercial partner of UKBA... you use their website to book an appointment at the consulate and then that's the end of their participation.

Also, it's not just Tier 5 visas that have a CAS... all Tier visas (Tier 1 and 2 work visas, Tier 4 student visas and Tier 5 visas) require sponsorship and a CAS for the visa application... and the Paris consulate processes dozens of these types of visas every month.

it's really a second world country, as the government is fairly ineffective, slow to resolve issues, and pretty darn corrupt.

That's pretty rough isn't it? My Italian friend says the same things about the UK...

That's pretty rough isn't it? My Italian friend says the same things about the UK...

Just my friend's experience living there for a year and a half! His words, not mine.