Another one bites the dust :(

Vicky just sent me SMS from the OISC conference.  Bad news.  The HSMP scheme has been suspended effective immediately.  It is to remain suspended for a minimum of 27 days while the points system is evaluated, which is largely a charade exercise.  And in all events, work experience no longer counts.  BAM!  Just like that.

I don't get involved in HSMP because there's already too much on my plate with advocacy on the family side as it is.

But let's be clear that Vicky ran a stand-up business and there was NEVER a stain of unethical activities.  She's going to be devastated when she gets back, so I would ask folks here to be NICE.

It's bloody unfair.  This was rolled out with no class whatsoever.  And somebody's going to catch hell for it.  But let's hope the peeps here can be supportive...

holy crap, garry!  I'm guessing it's going to be "suspended" way more than the 27 days...does this mean that it might be out of commission for good before they roll out the new tier system?

edit: did some research- it *is* really only is 27 days, but they're taking out/adding in/changing a whole bunch of stuff. wow.

WTF?!  For a while I was going to have to go the HSMP route until the Civil Partnership came into effect in 2005, and I have no formal degree.  I was going to have to rely fully upon my 10 years of highly skilled professional work to get into the country.  I find it personally offensive to eliminate that from calculations because there are lots of High Skilled individuals that do not have formal degrees.

While, once I have a leg to stand on in the UK after three years, I will obviously have to figure out a way to make a difference.

For those who are interested:

Announcement on the Working in the UK site

no.  this is a horrible horrible joke.  no.

when i initially came to the uk i needed to work for 4 years b/f getting ilr.  now it's 5, fine.

now i will need to change jobs and was banking on switching to a HSMP visa in feb 07.  i need work experience to make up the required points.

i will not be eligable for unmarried partners visa until sep or oct 08.

thank you garry & vicky for keeping us all up to date. 

just read the new hsmp guidance (okay, skimmed it)

highlights:

The new points threshold is 75 points.
Age points breakdown is different- 20 points for 27 and under, 10 points for 28-29, 5 points for 30-31.
PhD 50 points, Masters 35, Bachelors 30.
Points for earnings start at £16K in Band A countries (incl US & UK)
5 bonus points for either being previously employed in the UK or previous study in the UK.

It looks like it favors the young and educated (people who are 27 and under with a PhD from a UK uni will qualify automatically, for example), but the removal of work experience is going to hit a lot of people hard.

now i will need to change jobs and was banking on switching to a HSMP visa in feb 07.  i need work experience to make up the required points.

Meggles, for your planning purposes, they are not going to allow in-country switches to HSMP - or Points - or what-have-you for first time applicants after autumn of next year.  It needs to be done at a British consulate abroad, just like fiances.  That part was first announced last Feb and confirmed last June.

thanks garry- so from Fall 2007 (Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov) i can't switch from FLR(WP) to FLR(HSMP).

that and based on me turning 28 in April 2007, i better get a move on.  thank you.

okay, meggles and I have uncovered a weird inconsistency in the HSMP guidance notes...the age ranges for points are different between the FLR (HSMP) and regular HSMP forms.

EDIT: Just read the form more closely, it looks like the age ranges are indeed different for people who are extending their current HSMP, but the age ranges I posted above are applicable to all first time applicants.

thanks garry- so from Fall 2007 (Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov) i can't switch from FLR(WP) to FLR(HSMP).

that and based on me turning 28 in April 2007, i better get a move on.  thank you.

You can certainly switch, but not in-country like these good old days now

Yes this looks nasty, because there are a significant amount of changes in extending your HSMP based on similar criteria for obtaining it in the first place.  That is really scary.

While I was at the points threshold before, so depending on how thing were interpreted, the only thing that I even score points on anymore is previous earnings!  I wouldn't even have considered this now.  It is a dramatic change for some people.

Did you read all the stuff about document verification?  Basically if they cannot verify a document with some "third party" entity that is going to be the clearing house for verification, basically it is the applicants fault, que sera sera!  While in the "modern" world this is fine, this is going to be a nightmare for those non-first world countries.

Also the whole "Five Tier" Point System which will include study that they say will be implemented by 2007 sounds a bit scary as well.

It all seems as if this is trying to fix something that wasn't broken.  Because of EU law, the UK is inflexible in being able to change some of the asylum and humanitarian "loopholes" that exist, as well as the people and process that are broken in the whole immigration machine, and instead want to make it more difficult for people who might actually contribute to the economy in the UK.  It is the wrong fix for the wrong problem.

I have to say, a lot of the new HSMP points system is very, very similar to the "proposed" Tier 1 points system that was published in the points-based migration command paper back in March.  I can understand that they want to make the eventual transition from HSMP to Tiers to be as smooth as possible, but changing HSMP this drastically with *no* warning is beyond the pale, IMO.

and kitsonk, while you wouldn't qualify under the new rules, I (an almost-22 year old with barely any work experience who will have a UK master's degree next year) now come much closer to qualifying- under these rules I would qualify if I make at least £20K in yearly earnings at some point within the next 5 years, which wouldn't be too hard to do. Craziness.

Personally I like the skilled labour programmes in Australia at the moment.  They are very tied to the need in the industries and areas of the country.  For example you need less points to get into NSW then some other Australian states as well as if you work in an industry in demand, the points can be lower as well.  Now that sort of thing makes sense to help manage a skilled migrant programme.

Skillclear already has a new points calculator.

I was close to having enough points under the old program, but am confused about this new one. I just did the Skillclear points calculator and if I did it correctly, I may qualify. I'm just so confused that the moment. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if I do actually qualify...  I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, just in case.

Well guys, this was indeed a bolt from the blue, and thanks Garry for your kind words...set me crying again though!

This suspension is obviously going to affect my business a great deal, and the points change will have a drastic effect on me and my clients.  I have several who are doctors training in the UK who have already been screwed once by the removal of the permit-free training visa, but who thought that they would be able to switch to the HSMP soon.  Now that points have been removed for experience, they are going to have no choice but to go home, leaving thousands of pounds of debt in the UK and no prospect of paying it back.

I am going to do a summary of yesterday's conference at some point, but needless to say I am VERY VERY angry and VERY VERY upset. 


Vicky