| |
The following is the gist of the speech given
by Raji Govindaraj at the “Indo American Society"
in Mumbai in November 2004, and was widely published
in all the local newspapers.
THE HIGHLY MYTHICAL UK WORKING HOLDAY MAKER
VISA.
I don’t know if you have heard of this quote
“ Immigration is a mystery and a mastery in obfuscation
and the lawyers who can figure it out are worth their
weight in gold” This quote would be the most relevant
to the U.K Working Holiday Maker visa. It was a total
mystery even to us initially, until we figured what
the visa officer really expects, to issue the visa.
About a year ago, so much hype was created about this
visa, and every youngster that I met in places like
Gujarat and Mumbai wanted to go to the U.K on this visa.
The hype slowly settled down, as people found out that
the visas were hardly issued, so much so that there
is a myth today that the British High commissions do
not entertain these visas. Nothing can be more further
removed from the truth. Of course, there is a rejection
rate of 98% at the High Commissions in India, but these
visas are being issued if approached in the proper manner.
What is a Working Holiday Maker Visa?
The working holiday maker program was first introduced
in Australia. The program provides opportunity for young
people from overseas countries to enjoy an extended
holiday in Australia and take incidental work to supplement
their holiday money. The reciprocal nature of the program
offers similar opportunities for young Australians to
undertake working holidays overseas. Apart from the
benefits of cultural, social and economic awareness,
young people have a chance to expand their life’s
experiences thro travel. That is the purpose of this
visa.
Now lets look at the criteria for this visa.
Validity : 2 years
Eligibility :you are eligible to apply
for a UK working holiday visa if you are a citizen of
a commonwealth country and are aged between 17 and 30
years inclusively. India is a member of the commonwealth
and so qualifies.
Other Requirements:
- You must be single, or married to someone also eligible
for a working holiday visa and plan to take a working
holiday with you
- You must not have dependant children aged five
or over during your stay in the U.K
- You must show proof of sufficient funds in your
bank account.
U.K immigration does not specify how much "sufficient
funds” are. However, the idea is to show that
you wont get into any financial trouble and rely on
public funds to support you. Get a return ticket, if
you only have a one way ticket, you will need to have
more funds in your bank account.
Restrictions
As of 20th june 2003 all restrictions on type or duration
of work were removed. The law permits you to apply for
a work permit after 1 year of stay, if you can find
a sponsor. There is total paradox here. Until you get
the visa you do not even think about this aspect. Moreover,
for visa purposes you have to show proof of return in
the form of financial, social and emotional ties.
At face value, this criteria seems so simple and tempting.
But if you apply for this visa based on the above, the
answer to the question : Can I get the visa?, will be
a definitive NO. So many youngsters look into any U.K
website today and apply for the visa tomorrow. It is
only after they are rejected that they come to us and
say “ M’am, I provided all the paper work
listed in the website and yet I was rejected.
There are 2 issues involved in this. One is that if
it were that simple, at least 95% of our youngsters
would be in the U.K by now. The second is, that the
issuance of the visa is the sole discretion of the visa
officer, and he must be convinced that you are not using
this visa as a easy route to get to the U.K
So the question is “ How can one be successful
in getting these visas” And how is KARM so successful
in securing these visas for our clients?
After a careful study of the rejected visas, that came
our way we’ve concluded that there is only one
way to go about it.
The very name of the visa suggests that there are 2
components that anyone applying or advising should consider:
the holiday component and the work component. And technically
it’s the holiday component that is more important.
The work is only to support your holiday.
Any person living abroad, planning to go for an extended
holiday for 2 years, would naturally do an in-depth
research thro the internet or books, and have the curiosity
to find out the basics about that country, like the
weather, places to see, modes of transport, accommodation,
the job situation etc. We Indians lack this curiosity,
and have the lackadaisical attitude to find out about
a place only after we land in that country. Also we
have some distant friend, relatives relative who has
promised to at least initially take care of us. But
the visa officers at the British High Commission expect
u to know about the U.K in general.
A client of ours was asked “ Where is Buckingham
Palace? Even a child would say it is in London and such
an answer would be highly inadequate. The right answer
would be its exact location ie: at the end of the mall
between Belgravia, Westminister and Mayfair. The tube
is James park.
And for what is the speciality of Buckingham Palace,
instead of saying the queens residence, you elaborate
and talk about the State Rooms, the gardens and importantly
about the “change of guards”. It is ok if
the visa officer says “ enough, enough”
at least you have made a point that you have invested
time in your study, which is very very important.
Like wise, you select at least 8 – 10 places in
U.K including London, and learn abt the attractions,
events, weather etc abt that particular place. U will
be questioned on that and u must be focused to visit
the U.K.
As this visa allows u to work in support of your holiday,
research must be done in respect to part time jobs.
It need not necessarily be relevant to your academic
qualifications, but anything to support your stay in
the U.K without recourse to public funds.
Also detailed research as to accommodation for 2 years,
in the form of international youth hostel memberships,
guest houses, rental apartments etc. should be done.
Have a fair idea abt the various tarrifs, duration of
stay allowed and accessibility.
Last but not the least, have enough finances in the
form of bank statements, F.D’s property, to justify
your need to take an extended holiday. Remember, logically
anyone would think of a long holiday abroad only if
they can genuinely afford it and have excess funds.
We advice our clients to have a British pound draft
in their name for a minimum of 2000 pounds at least.
In conclusion, I would say that the time frame to prepare
for this visa would be at least a month. It’s
a very research intensive program. U must get responses
from job agencies that they might be interested in u
once u arrive there. Same goes for accommodation –
responses from various places that rooms are available
during the period that you are planning to be in that
location. Have an iternary made listing places of visit,
duration of stay, accommodation details and hob information.
So good luck to u all!!. But please feel free to revert
to me if you have any queries.
The author is senior consultant at the U.S / U.K immigration
law offices of Korenburg Abramowitz Raj & Mathi
and can be reached at raji@karmlaw.com
Disclaimer
" Any information on this website should
not be construed as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. The information is intended to be
general and should not be relied upon as being specific".
| |
