FAQ Thread:Concerning visa for overseas students, read carefully

[chotn]

International pre-reg pharmacy students demand justice from the Home Office | Facebook


As you all must be aware, the UKBA together with the government have enacted new laws/rules (whatever you want to call them), which affects all pre registration students who start this summer/autumn.

The new laws state that the community pharmacists have been taken off the shortage occupation list and also that the pre registration year salary falls below their requirements. This basically means TROUBLE for us international students.

The RPSGB and community pharmacies across the country are lobbying against these new rules, to allow us to carry on with our pre registration year. But the UKBA has only agreed to conduct a review in September.

As far as I know, any pre registration student doing their pre reg with Lloyds, has been given the green light to apply for a Tier 1 post study work visa - Is this correct?

And as for those of us "supposed" to be working for boots as pre reg students, we do not know what is happening at the moment. Boots says they are trying to fight the case and that there may be three possibile outcomes, as stated by them:

· UKBA accepts our position, the fact that this recruitment process began a year ago, that our salary is reflective of the community market place, and process your application under the old regulations
· Or there may be some delay to your commencement date as we continue the process of appealing on your behalf
· Or the UKBA refuse to grant you sponsored migrant status. In this event we would have no alternative but to withdraw our offer of employment

As of now, we are left hanging. Having spoken to a few officials at my University, I have gathered that there is a highly likely possibility of us not being able to start our pre reg on the 27th July, instead if the UKBA does decide to agree with community pharmacies, then we will be starting in October.

Also, if you're working for boots, they don't seem too keen on us applying for a tier 1 application and then doing our pre reg with them. Their argument being that they are not going to invest so much money in training us during our pre reg year and then having to let us go, not working for them, a chance of us working for someone else - as the post study work visa is only valid for 2 years.

Or, worst case scenario - we don't get to do our pre reg in this country AT ALL! Which means our last 4 years at uni are useless.

So, here's a group for us to share our thoughts and views, if possible, we can come up with a way of putting together how we feel and how unfair we think this is, as most of us will have been offered jobs by summer last year.

Here's a link to the article that was in the PJ last week:

http://www.pjonline.com/news/communi...age_says_m ac

And perhaps also help each other through this uncertainty..

[Rafael]

welcome chot! where the hell are you all! i barked for ages on this forum, looking for some of you who want to take action.
joined.... plz make me an admin, you should know who am i, i just joined.

[chotn]

welcome chot! where the hell are you all! i barked for ages on this forum, looking for some of you who want to take action.
joined.... plz make me an admin, you should know who am i, i just joined.

Raoul, hi lol, sorry i am not the admin so i do not have the power to do so, but i will let my fd know about it. The situation was not clear until mid June and we are only told today about this by the head of dept at our uni - after he has read the PJ lol. but yeah, if we get together i think in anyway it will make an impact.


EDIT: my fd asks why u wanna be the admin lol

[Rafael]

Raoul, hi lol, sorry i am not the admin so i do have the power to do so, but i will let my fd know about it. The situation was not clear until mid June and we are only told today about this by the head of dept at our uni - after he has read the PJ lol. but yeah, if we get together i think in anyway it will make an impact.

I was aware of a possible change since late april, however i never expected the home office to go that low and change the laws, implement it in a week time. i thought i would not be affected as i accepted my pre-reg offer in nov 2008, based on the old shortage list. my recruitment process started last year, so a mob has no right to change the laws in a week time and enforce them on me.

Multiples failed to do much, Lloyds delayed my starting date till 14th of august and asked me to obtain the Post study work visa, which i still do not satisfy one of the requirement ( having 800 pounds in your accound for the last 3 month) and it seems the home office can't wait to reject an application from ' internationals', you know they want to keep it withint the family ' aka europe'. they did not hesistate to nick our money through out the past 4 years, but now they are telling us indirectly bugger off we are full, you can't do your pre-reg.
How low could the home office sink to?

one good i am sure off, no matter what happens, i personaly won't ever forget this day....... when you have lots of pre-reg offers sorted since last year, and home office stops in your yar to do out pre-reg year.....

if you want to read more, have a look at my other posts on this forum ( come and join me OSPAP board and pre reg in a hospital board).

put me in touch with your mate, can't wait to invite all my mates, non-internationals before internationals to make them aware of the situation....

Raoul xx

[chotn]

I was aware of a possible change since late april, however i never expected the home office to go that low and change the laws, implement it in a week time. i thought i would not be affected as i accepted my pre-reg offer in nov 2008, based on the old shortage list. my recruitment process started last year, so a mob has no right to change the laws in a week time and enforce them on me.

Multiples failed to do much, Lloyds delayed my starting date till 14th of august and asked me to obtain the Post study work visa, which i still do not satisfy one of the requirement ( having 800 pounds in your accound for the last 3 month) and it seems the home office can't wait to reject an application from ' internationals', you know they want to keep it withint the family ' aka europe'. they did not hesistate to nick our money through out the past 4 years, but now they are telling us indirectly bugger off we are full, you can't do your pre-reg.
How low could the home office sink to?

one good i am sure off, no matter what happens, i personaly won't ever forget this day....... when you have lots of pre-reg offers sorted since last year, and home office stops in your yar to do out pre-reg year.....

if you want to read more, have a look at my other posts on this forum ( come and join me OSPAP board and pre reg in a hospital board).

put me in touch with your mate, can't wait to invite all my mates, non-internationals before internationals to make them aware of the situation....

Raoul xx

Thanks mate, seems you have been well informed. I was told to keep that 800 quid for at least 3 months for the visa apps. Also the fact that if u apply the visa outside uk, u got to have at least 2800 quid for at least 3 months, not allowed to have 1 penny less that those figures, we definitely should keep in contact, be it on that facebook group or here. I also do feel that now they are saying u have paid enough money, so bugger off without even a hand shake

PS cant find ur older posts mate, have u got the links? cheers

[Rafael]

Keep in touch, problem is we need time to get the other visa, might take between a month or two. you ring home office to make an appointment, they tell you no time slots available in july..... you ask your employer if you can star on your student visa the answer is no....... bloody hell, GIVE US A DAMN BREAK!

if they pay me back the money i spent on my degree, i would bugger off now! they can't steal my money and then tell me you can't do your pre-reg......... home office is the real bastard....

[chotn]

Keep in touch, problem is we need time to get the other visa, might take between a month or two. you ring home office to make an appointment, they tell you no time slots available in july..... you ask your employer if you can star on your student visa the answer is no....... bloody hell, GIVE US A DAMN BREAK!

if they pay me back the money i spent on my degree, i would bugger off now! they can't steal my money and then tell me you can't do your pre-reg......... home office is the real bastard....

so true man, heard the postal apps is 400quid, in person is 600quid, but no slot until august when my fd has just told me. I mean why take that long? to further worsen the situation, if i dont get registered in uk, i wont be able to sit the reg exam in hong kong, or convert my licence in australia. So if i bugger off now, i probs will end up as a cleaner

[Rafael]

15th of july is the big day! APP (all party pharmacy) and company chemist association (CCA), RPSGB and multiple's reps are having a meeting with the thugs at the home office.

we should sue the home office! they are resposible for creating this mess, when they know they could implement the rules in september after we all sort ourself, and other pharmacy students (3rd year now) will have time to consider their options (go for hospital places for example).

in the UK, at least NOW, if you are an EU citizen, you are welcome to nick all the jobs, such the locals blood, and claim their benefits, while if you are a HARD WORKING international student, with a respected degree, graduating from bloody UK universities you have to bugger off as you ain't welcome anymore.

no one can understand the feeling we are having at the moment, unless he was in the same situation....total madness.

to add on, even if i go home now, i won't be able to register with the society as one requirement if ' to prove you were able to practice in the country you graduated from, and bringing a letter from RPSGB'.

tit-for-tat, we need to take action in response to this humilating treatment. i am up to go on youtube and encourage internationals to keep their money and invest it in another country, that respect their right to do their training year, canada and australia on the top of the list.

Angry Raoul xx

[chotn]

yup, in aus if u have paid up 3/4 years of the international tuition fee, u will immedately be given a permenent residency, i regret that I chose the wrong country lol

[Rafael]

same here mate! my problem is i invested the money that i do not have to get a degree! need to pay a huge loan back to a private bank....
will change the pic of the group once i am made an admin, i got in touch with puja ( she does not know how to upgrade me to an admin).

a pic with a saying something like ' home office are the real thugs, give me my visa or my 50K tuition fees'.

Don't you feel you have been used? they issue student visas in the same day, then they prevent you to complete you registration year.......