Veni, Visa, Vici

So, you've aced your interview, received your COS, maybe even started to pack! But there's one more daunting task you must complete before you can really make the move: the Visa Application..

If you're in a situation similar to my own, it's honestly pretty straightforward, but with some tiny details sprinkled in that can make the visa process confusing if you don't stay strong. Here is how my Visa process worked:

Since I used a recruitment agency (MSI Recruitment), I needed to supply them with a loooooong list of documents:

- Police Clearance: this took about 24 hours to receive and you can request that here. I did have to go to a US Post Office to get my fingerprints taken and that set me back $50. Keep in mind that this is only valid for 3 months, and a valid one is required for your application, so keep the date you got the FBI clearance in the back of your mind.

- Proof of nursing qualification: I used my BSN degree and a PDF copy of the Texas Board of Nursing License Verification report.

- TWO proofs of address: I used statements from a savings account and a credit card. Both must have legal name and current address. This was hard for me as a new grad just now living on my own paying bills. I am glad I opened a credit card with my current address and changed my bank account info or else I have no idea what I would have done!

- Agency-specific forms: these included my personal information, shipping address, and other information needed to get my CoS ready. Oddly enough they also requested a signed personal statement explaining the ONE month gap in my resume between graduating and starting my job. Not a big deal, was just funny to me.

- TWO references spanning back 3 years: One is educational and the other is professional. Keep in mind that if you have been in university within the last 3 years, you will probably need to provide a reference that spans all 4 years of college.

- Vaccination proof: for the COVID vaccination

That may not seem like too many things, but when you're scrambling to make sure references are submitting on time, or actually finding two separate bank statements showing the same address even though you've only lived in your current apartment for a year can get exhausting, so be sure to have some idea of what documents you need to submit.

The next step in the process is my worst enemy: waiting. Waiting for the actual Trust that was hiring me to provide the CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship, aka the holy grail for immigrant nurses like myself) didn't actually take too long, maybe a week, but knowing that my start date was creeping up with each passing day and I couldn't take action made me feel so out of control, I kinda started going crazy.. ANYWAYS once it hit my inbox it was GAME. TIME. I have to admit, and don't make fun of me when I say this: one of my favorite things to do is filling out forms. Especially when it has such significance in my life as this I just get such a thrill!! One thing I need to stress is that whenever you're dealing with a document as important as this, always. check. for. mistakes. And I am glad I did because they misspelled TEXAS. Probably one of the more well known states in the US was spelled... "Texus"! I cannot. Anyways, once I was done spiraling and thinking this would set me back a few months (typical me response), I emailed them back and got it fixed. In the meantime, the actual information needed to start the Visa application was still valid, so I began the process. It is honestly not a hard application to fill out, theres just a couple of things to know before you hop in:

- Certifying maintenance: If a Trust certifies maintenance on a visa, this will be listed on your CoS as a simple "Y" for yes next to the statement: "Tick to certify maintenance for migrant (and dependents, if applicable)". Basically, this means the Trust is agreeing to financially support your transition to the UK. This comes with some cool benefits, most relevant: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PROVIDE PROOF OF FUNDS FOR YOUR VISA APP! YAY LESS PAPERWORK!

- Where you'll be staying: It kind of blew my mind that the application asked for a specific address of where you'll be staying once you arrive, but really thinking about it, it makes sense. They don't want randos just gallivanting around their country sleeping on sidewalks if they can help it. My Trust is providing 8 weeks paid accommodation, so I was instructed to put the address of the Trust in this space.

- Parent information: One of the most surprising parts of the application was asking for both parent information. Like, down to their nationality history and birthday. Honestly never received an answer as to why this information was necessary.

After I "finished" the application, I was instructed to send my application and password to the recruitment agency so they could pay for it and get my my next steps. If no one is paying for your skilled worker/health and care visa, it is $322 USD, which is significantly cheaper than most other visas, and you're exempt from the healthcare surcharge of almost $1,000 per year your visa is for.

Once your visa is paid for, you are able to book your biometric appointment. Honestly, this was the most confusing part of this Visa process. When you book your appointment, you will receive a checklist. Now my checklist only had four documents: Passport, CBT results, FBI background check, and my CoS. However, when I got to the website to upload said documents, there were so many places to upload even MORE documents. This lead to me second guessing what I needed to upload and caused a lot stress. Let me put your mind at ease: only upload the documents on the checklist. Uploading more can cause confusion and can slow down your application processing time. Once you upload all of your necessary documents, print out the appointment letter (this is the most important sheet of paper you will hold in your hands until the visa comes). This appointment letter will then be stamped and signed at your biometric appointment. Speaking of the actual appointment: SCHEDULE THE EARLIEST DAY AND TIME. I say this because I showed up for my 8am appointment at 7:40am, 20 minutes before the building was open, and 10 minutes before a single worker showed up. When I tell you there was already a line.. I'm not kidding. Now I wasn't in a rush or anything, but no one likes sitting in government buildings for hours. I cannot imagine what an afternoon appointment would look like. I got there earlier than suggested and I still had to wait in a chair for 10 minutes.. so keep that in mind.

After the appointment they will provide to you a QR code/website link printed in the most obnoxiously smudged ink you have ever seen. Honestly almost cried because I couldn't get the QR code to work because it was so illegible (just type in the website tbh). This website is genuinely just this page on the UK Government website that you could probably find on your own. There are instructions on what you need to mail in to have your visa application processed. You only have 5 days after your appointment, so make sure you plan accordingly for this. It only took a few minutes to gather what I needed to mail and head over to my nearest UPS store and get her shipped off! I said goodbye to my passport and shipped her to NYC to be sent to the UKVI Visa Processing Hub at this address:

VFS Services USA Inc. UKVI Scanning Hub 128 East 32nd St Floor 4 New York NY 10016

Since I had already uploaded my documents online, I did not have to include them with my package. I also did not opt for the VFS courier service, and I purchased no additional services through VFS. My thinking was this: if it was necessary for the application to be processed, it would say so. You do have to have UPS print a return label and place it inside the package anyways, so I did not feel like a return courier for an additional charge was necessary. I received my Visa in the mail with no problems this way.

According to this website, the final decision should take around 3 weeks (I did not choose priority service but do that if that's your jam). I have officially received my passport with the visa attached, so I wanted to break down the timeline:

6/15/2023: VISA paid for and Biometric appointment booked.

6/21/2023: Biometric appointment, Passport and documents mailed to VFS Global in NY.

6/26/2023: Passport and documents received by VFS and forwarded to UK Visas & Immigration.

7/6/2023: Decision made. Passport and documents sent back in the mail.

7/9/2023: Decision letter emailed to me (accepted).

7/11/2023: Visa delivered in mail by UPS.

In total, there were only 12 business days between them receiving the Passport and documents and me receiving my Passport/documents/& VISA! Definitely shorter than I expected. Now that I have my Visa in my hands I can breathe easy and just wait for my departure date! ...and pack.... definitely gotta pack, as daunting of a task as it is. The countdown is on! As always..

Go Travel,

TRN