Update on UKBA-VSD

The dust is settling.  The official name of UKvisas is UKBA-VSD.  The North American Desk is now Director of the Americas.  Entry clearance decisions for both North and South America will be made by the Consulate General in NYC (but via the local VFS's).

UKY's Advocacy Agenda item of having a sandbox system so prospective wives and fiancees can 'play' with the on-line form before doing it for real...  Remarkably, this has picked up organic inertia and is moving forward.  So you see?  UKY *did* make a difference.

The 'trial relationship' visa has been sorted.

The new forms for prospective students have been submitted to their new english usage department (I am quite chuffed about this one to be circulated for PRE-review)

They will include 282c in the INF4.  Along with Irish nationals, along with EU fiancess.  Other errors will be fixed.

They are preparing a pamphlet to give newly arriving spouses.  It will be distributed at the entry point and will cover not just ILR but ALL the stuff:  NHS, NI cards, and so on etc etc

They are aware of the issues with Worldbridge and are working to tame them.

The campaign about American representation in the formal body is yet alive and thriving, also they are giving formal consideration to a stakeholders forum solely for webmasters. 

They will be conducting a world-wide user survey at the end of this month about their new site.  Let's hope for a big UKY turnout!!!

I'll sit with them again in the Fall to check progress on the above issues...

Advocacy rocks!

This sounds like some real improvement.

Can you expand about the 'trial relationship' visa, and where things are with that? Just curious, really.

There is no place that says 'trial relationship' in those words.  Instead it says 'youth mobility' and it comes under T5. 

In the meeting I said "You are aware that UK Yankee is going to use T5 as the vehicle to accomplish their objective of introducing a 'trial relationship' visa?"  They said that's fine.  And I said, "Are you OK with that?", and they said YES.

So it's sorted 

This sounds like a real improvement! Thanks for keeping us posted Garry!

I agree.  Things are getting a whole lot better.

We can put UKBA-VSD aside for a moment in the sense lots of the initiatives have been adopted organically.

Next on the plate is the internal steering group at UKBA (the Marsham Street side of UKBA rather than the one I was at today) that is holding the sword of damocles over Vicky.  They have been jerking about with this consultation and it is now overdue.  It's really not right to keep somebody wound up for so long, but they are faffing about on something really quite simple.  At the bottom line are a bunch of guvvies who are positioning to keep their jobs.  And the whole thing is beginning to smell.  So hang in there, Vicky.

I'm trying, really I am! 

Thanks for the support.




Vicky

They are preparing a pamphlet to give newly arriving spouses.  It will be distributed at the entry point and will cover not just ILR but ALL the stuff:  NHS, NI cards, and so on etc etc

Will all people get a pamphlet now, not just spouses?  I know spouses have that whole 20 pieces of mail thing, but NHS, NI cards, etc are also important for those who are not coming in to marry and easily as confusing- like, can I get NHS on HSMP and so on and so forth?

The proposal is meant to cover spouses because that's where the hot button is.  But you raise a good point that if spouses don't know then why should T1'ers know. 

It all sounds pretty good to me.  Great job!

Thanks for the update! It sounds like some good things are happening.

The proposal is meant to cover spouses because that's where the hot button is.  But you raise a good point that if spouses don't know then why should T1'ers know. 

Yeah- Well, its interesting, because even though I'm on a work permit, I wouldn't have known any of the stuff I do if it weren't for UKY, when in theory, the solicitors who helped my company should have been able to offer this stuff up.  (They may have had some stuff if I asked, but how would I have had known to ask, and certainly not information like UKY!)