Hello everybody,

I am here to inform you guys about a very important aspect of tier 2 visas, most of the IMGS face troubles with (including me last year). One of the most important parts of your tier 2 visa application will be gaining 10 points for your MAINTENANCE FUNDS part. I am trying to just simplify what it is exactly.

You can get 10 points for the maintenance funds when you have 800 pounds in ur bank account for 3 continuous months and this balance should not drop below this amount ( ONE OF THE MAIN REASON OF WRITING THIS ARTICLE IS THIS MAIN ASPECT BECAUSE MOST OF THE PEOPLE DO NOT READ THE GUIDANCE OF VISAS MAINLY BECAUSE OF GETTING SO BUSY WITH PLABS AND ON TOP FOUNDATION APPLICATIONS SO I DO NOT BLAME ANY ONE FOR THIS ).

Now the main problem I faced last year is how to get a bank account in UK whilst I was on visitor’s visa and no bank could allow me to open a bank account, same goes for business visa and even after opening a bank account it was impossible for me to manage it for 3 months as I did not even have 2 full months. But to be on safe side I enquired from different banks that if there is anyone who could help me with this and came across HSBC Passport account which is mostly for those who are here on visitor’s visa and are here for short stay, I went to them took all the tier 2 guidance policy in a printed form and my hospital letters and kindly asked them to open an account, they did that but it took a while as they send an ID verification to your HOME address which is Pakistan and they say it will take 21 working days…Created more tension for me but I did not lose hope. One of the problem with that international passport account was that they said they have to deduct 8 pounds every month as a charging fee. It gets kind of difficult for IMGS like us who already are spending most of the money on plab and accommodation, THANKS GOD foundation people do not charge us for their application otherwise UK would have been the most Expensive place for doctors. I applied for hsbc passport account and got it opened in 7 working days which was kind a quick. But still the problem was to manage 800 pounds for which I had no time.

So I read the tier2 policy guidance very carefully once again and looked for alternative options which I am writing here and I want all of you willing to start foundation programme in 2012 to start working on it ASAP and by ASAP I really mean ASAP because time flies and I do not want any one to stay behind just because of this problem

First of all all of you take 20-30 minutes out and read TIER2 POLICY GUIDANCEAnd read the GENERAL section only, you do not need to read about Intra company transfers or other parts of it

The link of the PDF format I am pasting here

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/pbs/tier2-guidance.pdf

AND here is the maintenance Bit…

PARt 7: PoInts AVAILABLe FoR MAIntenAnCe (FUnds)

Introduction

148. You must score 10 points for maintenance by showing you have at least £800 of

available funds.

149. If you are unable to score 10 points for maintenance, your application will be refused,

even if you have scored 50 points or more for attributes and have met all the other Tier 2 requirements

Claiming points

151. You can claim 10 points if:

•             you score 30 points for switching from a post-study category (This applies to incountry applications only); or

•             you currently have entry clearance, leave to enter, or leave to remain as a Tier 2

Migrant; work permit holder; Jewish Agency Employee; Member of the Operational

Ground Staff of an Overseas-owned Airline; Minister of Religion; Missionary; Member

of a Religious Order; or Representative of an Overseas Newspaper, News Agency or

Broadcasting Organisation; or

•          your A-rated sponsor certifies on the certificate of sponsorship that they will maintain

and accommodate you up to the end of your first month of employment in the United

Kingdom if required. Your sponsor may limit the amount of the undertaking but any

limit must be at least £800;  ( THIS IS WHAT I OPTED FOR)

or

•             you have personal savings of at least £800 which must have been held for a

consecutive 90 day period ending no more than 1 calendar month before the date of

your application. ( ANOTHER OPTION FOR IMGS)

152. If you wish to rely on a joint account as evidence of available funds, you must be named

on the account along with one or more other named individual(s).( A SUITABLE OPTION)

153. Where the funds are in a currency other than pounds sterling, the amount we consider

will be based on the exchange rate for the relevant currency on the date of the application,

taken from the rates published on www.oanda.com. ( MOST PEOPLE GO FOR THIS TO SHOW EQUIVALENT FUNDS IN PAK ACCOUNT AND MAINTAIN IT FOR 3 MONTHS)

Now as I did not have time and whole of my family was in UK with me so I did not have option of opening an account in pak and transfer money in it, I kindly requested my hospital and made them aware about the tier 2 policy guidance and went to them and asked about it, also I rang the home office and wrote to them personally so that I get an extra evidence to show to my hospital management and after a lot a lot of struggle my hospital agreed and they gave me a MAINTENANCE LETTER .

Now there is another part I am pasting from the guidance which tells you about what document s they need as an evidence to show about your funds.. Please read it carefully

documents we require as evidence of your sponsor certifying your maintenance

156. If your sponsor certifies maintenance, this must be confirmed on your certificate of

sponsorship.

157. Only A-rated sponsors can certify your maintenance. ( ALL HOSPITALS TRUSTS ARE A RATED IN UK SO DO NOT WORRY)

documents we require as evidence of personal savings

158. If you are claiming 10 points because you have personal savings of £800, that have been

held for a consecutive 90 day period (finishing on the date of the closing balance) ending

no more than 1 month before your application, you must provide one of the following types

of specified evidence.

159. The evidence used to support personal savings for at least a consecutive 90 day period

must be original, and issued by an authorised official of that organisation.

160. Evidence must be in the form of cash funds held in an account (this includes savings

accounts and current accounts even when notice must be given). Other accounts or

financial instruments such as shares, bonds, pension funds etc, are not acceptable,

regardless of notice period.

161. If you are providing evidence of maintenance from a single account, we will always

assess the funds available to you from the closing balance given on the document

provided.

162. Where two or more pieces of evidence from a single account are submitted (for example

two consecutive bank statements) we will assess the funds available to you from the

closing balance of the most recent document.

163. Where evidence from two or more accounts are submitted, we will assess the funds

available to you using:

•             the most recent closing balance of one account, plus

•             any additional money available to you on the date of that closing balance, for which

you have provided the required evidence.

164. We will always use the closing balance date from the account that most favours you.

165. Only the following specified documents will be accepted as evidence of this requirement:

i)  Personal bank or building society statements covering  a consecutive 90 day period

The most recent statement must be dated no earlier than one calendar month before the date of

the application.

The personal bank or building society statements should clearly show:

•             your name; and

•             your account number; and

•             the date of the statement; and

•             the financial institution’s name and logo; and

•             any transactions during the 90 day period; and

•             that there have been enough funds in your account throughout the period (The

balance must always be at least £800) covering the 90 day period before the date of Tier 2 Policy Guidance (Version 04/2011) – Page 29 of 51

application ending no more than one calendar month before the date of application.

All statements must be on the bank’s stationery, unless the applicant is submitting electronic

statements.

Ad hoc bank statements printed on the bank’s letterhead/stationery are acceptable as evidence

(This excludes mini-statements from ATMs).

If you wish to submit electronic bank statements from an online account these must contain all

of the details listed above. In addition, you will need to provide either:

•             a supporting letter from your bank, on company headed paper, confirming the

authenticity of the statements; or provided. Alternatively

•             an electronic bank statement bearing the official stamp of the bank in question will be

accepted. This stamp should appear on every page of the statement.

We will not accept statements which show the balance in the account on a particular day as

these documents do not show that you hold enough funds for the full period needed.

ii) Building society pass book covering a consecutive 90 day period, ending no more than

one calendar month before the date of application:

The building society pass book should clearly show:

•             your name; and

•             your account number; and

•             the building society’s name and logo; and

•             any transactions during the 90 day period; and

•             that there have been enough funds in your account throughout the period (The

balance must   always have been at least £800) covering the consecutive 90 day

period before the date of  application.

iii) A letter from your bank or building society, or a letter from a financial institution

regulated by the Financial services Authority or, for overseas accounts, the home

regulator (This is the official regulatory body for the country in which the institution

operates and the funds are located) confirming funds and that they have been held for

a consecutive 90 day period, ending no more than one calendar month before the date

of application:

This letter must show:

•             your name; and

•             your account number; and

•             the date of the letter (which must be no more than one calendar month before the

date of the application); and

•             the financial institution’s name and logo; and

•             the funds held in your account; and

•             confirmation that funds of £800 have been in the bank for at least a 90 day

consecutive period on and before the date of the letter.

The letter must be dated no more than one calendar month before the date of application.

All statements must be on the bank’s letterhead/official stationery

We will not accept letters which show the balance in your account on a particular day as these Tier 2 Policy Guidance (Version 04/2011) – Page 30 of 51

documents do not show that you hold enough funds for the full period needed.

I HAVE TRIED MY BEST TO COMPILE ALL THE IMPORTANT ASPECTS FOR YOU GUYS HERE, I DO NOT KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE ACTUALLY READ THIS GUIDANCE BEFORE BUT WHEN I APPLIED I WAS ABSOLUTELY CLULESS ABOUT IT, NO ONE TOLD ME THAT YOU NEED ALL THIS BEFORE YOUR APPLICATION. THIS IS WHY I AM HERE TO HELP AS I DO NOT WANT ANYONE TO GO THROUGH THAT DIFFICULT TIME WHICH I HAD TO FACE LAST YEAR. THERE WERE SO MANY POINTS GOING AGAINST ME WHEN I APPLIED AND THE ONE AND ONLY THING WHICH COULD EASILY HAVE RUINED MY CAREER WAS THIS VISA ISSUE … BUT I BELIEVE IF I CAN GET INTO THIS SYSTEM AFTER ALL THESE HURDLES , ANY ONE CAN GET INTO IT..DO NOT LOSE HOPE. KEEP TRYING AND I AM AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU GUYS..ALL THE BEST TO EVERYBODY

REMEMBER IN PRAYERS

HINA