Bye bye AtW

[AtW]

I think they decided to quetly crack down on it when they realised that they let a lot of people in who did not actually pursue path that would earn them big money - this has been a pilot program and they got scared that they would have to report massive failure of it: they definately issued a LOT of visas on it, the waiting times at some point went up to 6 months.

[mcquiggd]

This country obviously decides for itself what kind of people it wants

Erm... what on earth gives you that idea Alexei...? This country does'nt even know which people live in it...

The HSMP is basically a soft target for new labour to try to get some headlines about it 'cracking down on immigration', while leaving gaping holes for hundreds of thousands of others to enter the country.

[AtW]

She will be fine, thanks.

[xoggoth]

Hopefully your enormous truckload of a sister will be ok and inflict her knitting patterns on all of us. It will be the end of Western civilisation. It's a date aTW, then I can spill the beans to CUK on what AtW is really like. Or maybe not, I'll keep stum if you will. Don't mention I am old and short and demented. DOH!

[AtW]

Yeah xog, I will buy you a drink - Harborne where I live has got very nice pubs, just 2 miles off City Center.

This country obviously decides for itself what kind of people it wants, I actually think the changes Home Office made are the right one - for some time I thought HSMP program has become very easy (at first it was very hard), so now balance is reasonably restored, the main issue is that they should have taken into account that people who already made committment should get some reasonable leeway, for example those who need to renew their HSMP visa about now are totally gobsmacked because requirements for that are light years different than what they were when they signed up for it last year.

I am pretty sure Home Office realised that a lot of people got here via HSMP program and they did not even have to earn decent money at the end of first year to get 3-4 more years stamped into their passports, basically this has become a big loopwhole that HO decided to close, pity like most things with Labour Govt they did it rather rushly in a rather inconsiderate fashion.

It should be easier for my sister to apply for the program since she has got PhD, a lot of people (some of which are good) are fecked by the changes though.

[xoggoth]

You know a chap is really British when he learns to abreviate swearing in English!

I really have no idea why they are always tinkering with the requirements for highly skilled migrants. Highly skilled migrants are not the problem (even ATW and his sister probably, although I bet she looks like a 2nd hand combine harvester in wellies like most Russian Ninotchkas), in most cases they are an asset (although obviously in ATW's case I make an exception as we have more than enough limbless moustaches in the Aztec section of the British Museum) it is the unskilled and low income groups that cause the problems in our society and that is where the selectivity is needed.

PS I have to be in Birmingham for a conference early January ATW, fancy a drink somewhere? I am actually very sympathetic toward ghastly foreign limbless people after a few vodkas.

[AtW]

Oh forgot the most important thing, market:

**** OFF ****!

[AtW]

No it's not - people who go via HSMP are the law abiding type, those who dodge immigration just arrive on visitors visa and stay here illegally, or get student visa to study "English" but never attend courses.

[Troll]

Isn't this a case of "closing the stable door after the horse has bolted"?

[AtW]

Looking at the changes it seems that it will actually be a bit easier for her to pass through as she has got PhD that is actually recognised as such in the UK.

Rather bad that Home Office makes such life changing decisions in an instant without giving some notice to people - I understand that HO wants to avoid rush of applications when criteria is harder, but they should not have made it easy in the first place.

For months http://homeoffice.gov.uk/ would not work because DNS would not be resolved to anything, it should have pointed towards same site as http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ - now it works, only after I reported this fault about 10 days ago.

[AtW]

Not good, my sister wanted to apply under this program damnation - they will most likely get score up so high as it used to be initially when they introduced the program. Bad news indeed

I have permanent residency so I am not affected, applying for citizenship shortly.

[market]

AtW might be leaving the UK soon.

http://www.workpermit.com/news/2006_..._announced.htm

http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=11153

yours truly
the market