Nervous about my application :(

Well, I finished the level 2 part today.  There's still some stuff I need to mop up, which I can do over the next few weeks or so.  They want more shape and documentation about what happens with my trainees that are working up to level 1, which I agree needs to be done.  And they had two comments about my website, about 'Transpondia' and about the contact information.  I'll fix those over the weekend God willing and the creek don't rise.  No hits on inaccuracies. 

The thrilling part was the exam, which is open book but on a rather compressed time limit.  Here's what I brought:  Phelan & Gillespie, The IAM, CPAC Handbook, JCWI Handbook, TOC 2002, Clayton's Immigration Handbook, Butterworth's Immigration, and Butterworth's Criminal Procedures.

And my emergency casework laptop.  Which is decked out royally.  I have every immigration form known to God, the Enforcement Manual, the IDI's, the IAP's, the Criminal Team Procedures Manual, ILPA's Challenging Immigration Decisions, Release from Detention, Oakington Detention Manual, Yarlswood Procedures Manual, Bail for Detainees, skeleton arguments for temporary admission, temporary release, skeleton arguments for release from detention, the two detention notebooks, Surety declarations, plus a few scattered references from the Caseworker's Manual. 

And having all that, here's what I actually used:  JCWI & Clayton.  Plus I looked up something in Butterworth's to get the exact wording of a rule.  That's it.   

There was one question about citizenship by descent which I couldn't understand what they were asking for, so I just made my answer and got on with it.

Now I think I'll take hiatus until after the holidays to go on with level 3.

Of interest to this forum is the Immigration Services Commissioner herself, who I spoke to briefly yesterday.  Both of us were astonished to hear that the other one had an American accent.  She's an immigrant from upstate NY, and if you close your eyes, you would *SWEAR* you were talking to Joan Rivers.  It's amazing.  I promise!

Good for you, Garry!  Your wealth of knowledge has been a huge help here to many of us, including me.

And that's pretty darn funny about The Commissioner!

Well done.

But how come you got a break between your level 2 and level 3?  I had to sit mine immediately after, and at the end of it really didn't want to hear the words 'immigration law' EVER again!!!

Nationality is my weak point, especially with regard to BOC's - have you heard of any good training on it?  MacDonald is too expensive and as clear as mud, but I can never find decent courses that cost less than about £500!


Victoria

Here's a grand Texan good luck to you Garry all the way from the west Texas town of El Paso!!!  I think there are quite a few of us who think you'll do just fine.  No need to worry, you'll ace it!!!

Well done.

But how come you got a break between your level 2 and level 3?  I had to sit mine immediately after, and at the end of it really didn't want to hear the words 'immigration law' EVER again!!!

Nationality is my weak point, especially with regard to BOC's - have you heard of any good training on it?  MacDonald is too expensive and as clear as mud, but I can never find decent courses that cost less than about £500!

It's because for me it's a requalifying.  They are making *everybody* requalify starting at level 1 - no matter what your quals are, you have to start over from scratch.   But they don't treat you like a stranger if you have qualified and are already in practice.  They don't cut you any slack, but they already know that you are more competent than they are.

I actually went through the process in 2003, and it was before they put all the formalities.  It was just a day of oral examination.  And I think for you, you're in a registered organisation and Christopher Fysh went through that for your shop on your behalf; whereas for me, I *am* the organisation, so we have to go through all of the infrastructure stuff from point zero.  Plus about an hour and a half was spent on what my trainees are doing - they are very concerned about the trainess.  

So everything takes longer.  And I'm really sick of it too.

There were some advisors at the conference yesterday, about 200 of them, and during the Q&A, one of them started up a confrontation that the OISC caseworkers have no field experience and actually no qualifications at all.  And how can they assess an advisor's competence when they don't have any field experience?  I thought it was a real HOOT!     And the answer was that the caseworkers are are 'caseworkers' and not advisors.  So they are trained and attend courses regularly.  Go figure.  So there must be courses out there somewhere.    

As to the BOC stuff and all that.  Yes, I hate it.  HATE IT.  There are no courses that I know of, probably because everyone else hates it too.    I'll probably have a workshop on Nationality next year along the lines of the Tower Hamlets workshops sometime next year, and hey, come along!  

Congratulations Garry.

Oh well, at least we all got there in the end!

Victoria

Oh well, at least we all got there in the end!

Did you join ARIA? 

Me not.

Good for you, Garry!  Your wealth of knowledge has been a huge help here to many of us, including me.

This is kind of you!  Yes, it's nice to know that someone is better off or better informed about what's going down...

Congrats!!


You have been so helpful to loads of people on this forum.

Did you join ARIA? 

Me not.

No, I've not bothered.  Their training schedule isn't very good and i'm not sure what the point would be.


Victoria

No, I've not bothered.  Their training schedule isn't very good and i'm not sure what the point would be.

As far as I can tell, the point would be to have another logo on your business card or web site and that's that.

garry, just found this thread. Glad things are going well so far and hope you have continued success. Doesn't sound like you need luck...it's clear that you are very knowledable about your subject. Your clear, concise, and level-headed guidance has helped many on this forum. It appears that you are very, very good at your job!

garry, just found this thread. Glad things are going well so far and hope you have continued success. Doesn't sound like you need luck...it's clear that you are very knowledable about your subject. Your clear, concise, and level-headed guidance has helped many on this forum. It appears that you are very, very good at your job!

That's very kind.  But remember, it's not my day job for about 5 years yet.  Victoria does it as her day job, and I make referals to her for HSMP and undelegatable casework.

Best of Luck, Garry. Gosh! It makes my worrying about getting my little old ILR seems minute in comparison. Hmm, on second thought...