Applying for a Tier 1 (General) - Hire a company or do it myself?

Hi,

I'm preparing to apply for the Tier 1 (General) visa from the U.S.  I believe that I meet the requirements of the visa (I scored 80-85 out of 75 on the assessment) and I have most, if not all, the documents I need for the application process. 

I'm wondering if there is a substantial difference between applying for the visa myself, or hiring a company to submit the application for me.  Of course, the companies tout higher approval rates, but the fees are even more expensive than the application fee itself (£600, right?). 

Since I'm applying from the US, it seems that I need to apply online for the Tier 1.  I couldn't find any paper forms to look at before I started my application, so I don't know if there are any "difficult" questions that I need more documentation for. 

Is the application process straightforward and intuitive?  Of course the immigration companies say that it's difficult to understand, but I'm curious for the opinions of people who have applied on their own.

Or if anyone can recommend another company (that's not so expensive) to apply on my behalf, that would be great, and perhaps save me from a little headache.

Thanks in advance!

Hrm, have heard and read that tier 1 requires very specific documents, so if you don't have these specific documents, you can be pretty well screwed.  Might be worth having a solicitor look at your stuff if you think you can't meet the requirements laid out. 

I applied for HSMP from the US last yr, by myself. Did tons (and tons) of research, practically lived on HSMP online help forums, and made lots of phone calls to the helpdesk (or whatever they call it.) I'd say its very much doable. My experience from the online forums (even for Tier 1) has been that most of the applicants go through the process by themselves. Do realise that they're very very, very anal about documentation and something very silly that you might think is ok may not be ok w/them. Just stick to the official guidelines and you'll be ok - unless yours is a quite complicated application....

Tier 1 applications are a major pain (though marginally less than HSMP was).

Most companies (including mine) will offer a complete comprehensive service or a cheaper document check service.  If you have been in permanent employment for the past 12 months and have no complications with payment (ie standard issue pay slips, payment directly into your acocunt by BACS or similar) then you may want to just go with a document check, for peace of mind.

I have seen countless refusals because of basic errors, and with no right of appeal you are losing a lot of money if it goes wrong.

Please PM for details.

Vicky

Thanks for the replies!

I've looked at the requirements for the documents, and  I seem to have a pretty easy and straightforward case.  I'll consider the document check, however. 

So if I get refused for a missing document, I don't have a chance at resubmitting the document?  I'll have to reapply with the £600 fee again?

That's right,  Tier 1 is one shot only.  REALLY sucks.



Vicky

Also, am I required to have NARIC verify my degree that I received in the US? 

When I attended the school that I received my Bachelor of Science degree in, the university was one of the top 20 public universities in the US, so I'm sure the degree is recognized by NARIC.  But do I need a separate letter saying so?

All this is explained on the Home Office website, when you do the self assessment.

Vicky

Also, am I required to have NARIC verify my degree that I received in the US? 

When I attended the school that I received my Bachelor of Science degree in, the university was one of the top 20 public universities in the US, so I'm sure the degree is recognized by NARIC.  But do I need a separate letter saying so?

If your university is listed on the points calculator (http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/pointscalculator) then no NARIC letter is required.

This is based on feedback I've read on various online forums and Para 63 of the Tier 1 General guidance doc (http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/pbs/tier1generalguidance.pdf)

Including a print-out of your self-assessment using the points calculator in your application might also be a good idea.