Rob Morton-Jone

Please could anyone advise on thew following;

I have around 19 years sheet metal experience but have only one years city and guilds certification. I can get the last seven and a half years detailed references from my previous employer but am having trouble getting the rest. Two company's have ceased trading and the other has changed names loads of times but have not kept details of my employment when i was there and are very reluctlant to help.

So would TRA accept one years city and guilds certification plus the last seven and a half years detailed references from my previous employer and three stat decs regarding all other employers?

Please advise! there must have been others in the same situation!!!

Thanks

Rob

Lucyemma5

Rob

My husband is in the same situation - 22 years in the Royal Navy and only a couple of City and Guilds qualifications. The RN do not give employer references.

On our Stat Dec we had to include in our first paragraph

"Do solemnly and sincerely declare that:

I am unable to get work references from The Royal Navy required by the Department of Immigration/TRA, because the Armed Forces do not give employer reference letters as a matter of policy, and that the accompanying documentation is the most that I am able to procure".

Lucy

Rob Morton-Jone

Lucy,

So do you think that TRA will accept your stat decs?

Rob

Lucyemma5

Our agent looked over our Stat Dec and said that is what the TRA want, we then went into detail about the job and equipment used and points of reference. We have been waiting 15 weeks since our appeal (Stat Dec lodged) and should be any time now that we should hear.

Lucy

Atticus

Hi Rob

When we did our paperwork for the TRA (other half is hairdresser)

All he had was NVQ2 level plus four years apprenticeship and subsequent to that was self employed for 12 years. We provided an indepth Statutory declaration that detailed his career from the very beginning to the present day, including a couple of paragraphs in great detail of a day in his working life from opening premises, meeting with clients, cutting (how he cuts), colours etc etc to ending with closing of shop, details of any admin work etc. This SD also contained a paragraph where he stated that the business at which he did his apprenticeship with had shut down a long time ago, could not offer any references from this place and that he did not have a forwarding address of the owner/manager.

I am happy to say we received a successful TRA result. Bottom line is as long as you can provide as much info and where you cannot provide specific proof, provide an answer as to why you should be ok.

e.g. If the two companies which have ceased trading were limited companies, it may be possible to download brief details of this fact from the companies house website - www.companieshouse.co.uk (and follow links) along with this proof and a statement from you indicating the same in a SD together with lots of detail as to what you did for them, how long for, hours per day, indepth daily routine giving example of 1 average day in your life at each of these two companies. In addition, if you are in contact with any senior former officers of the company, may be in addition to your SD, you can draft letters for them to sign - letters should (probably duplicating what you say pretty much in your SD - please note we did a lot of duplicating which was inevitable) i.e. what you did, length of time you worked their, hours you worked etc.

For the company that is being reluctant, again go into great detail what you did etc hours worked, type of work etc in your SD together with details about the changes at the company and why as a consequence not possible to obtain records from them etc. Again in addition to this, maybe you can draft a letter as per the previous two companies and ask someone senior to sign it - as they are probably too lazy to do it themselves.

Whatever you do, if you do get letters try and get them on headed paper - if not, make sure full address, contact details e.g. telephone, email address etc for person signing and dont forget to date the letters.

All the best

atticus

claire edwards

I was unable to obtain 1 reference from employer and used a stat dec for my skills assesment for the TRA. The DIMIA has also asked for further information in the form of a reference from them, so I have sent them a letter explaining the problem (Company no longer trading) with a more comprehensive stat dec listing everything I did with the company. I hope it works!!!

I'll let you know the outcome Rob.

Rob Morton-Jone

Thanks Atticus,

Thats a great help.

I have actually got together alot of info regarding my employment since 1985 ish and have detailed job descriptions of all of my jobs. I think that i have written as much as i can but i am sure that there is always room for improvement.

I have done the companies houses thing and printed off the companies that have ceased trading and also for the company that has changed names many times.

The only thing that i have not done is a day in the life of my job so that will give me something to go on and do.

Rob

Rob Morton-Jone

Lucy,

what agent are you using?

I am using Glenn Newton the former head of TRA and am hoping to hear his views on my pre application assessment this week.

Rob

Rob Morton-Jone

Claire,

So once a positive skills assessment is approved, it still does not mean that you are in the clear if DIMIA is asking for more evidence?

Rob

claire edwards

Nope! They have asked for additional information from me. For example - did I work shift patterns and what those shift patterns were, they had to state whether the position was permanent, company structure and how I fell into it etc etc - from my employers over the last 4 years.

Atticus

Hi Rob

We did the TRA ourselves as we felt that as long as we followed instructions and where stuck ask the good people here, we should be ok. At the end of the day it boiled down to info, info, info and lots more info the detailed the better. What I put on the last page in the TRA was pretty much word for word what I put in a few paragraphs of my SD in addition, I did a separate and a slightly more detailed version of my SD for DIMIA when submitting the VISA application - again everything was pretty much duplicated reason for update was cos Im a pernickity (is that the right way/is there even such a word) b**ger.

My application was pretty thick by the time I had finished. I also got some of hubby's clients (also his friends!!) to do statements singing his praises, saying what service he provides for them, how long they have been using his services etc - all dated all providing contact details (this is important as if either TRA or DIMIA wish to check up they can without any hassles), in addition I drafted a letter for the accountant to sign - I drafted everything come to think of it!!! Accountant's letter basically stated how long he has been hubby's business accountant, type of business, hours hubby worked to his knowledge, fact that business healthy, hubby good business man, wouldnt hesitate to recommend him, hard grafter, works 6 days a week average of 10-12 hours per day etc etc.

1. 3 letters from 3 clients
2. Letter from bookkeeper (content similar to accountant's letter)
3. Letter from accountant
4. Letter from 2 suppliers (TRA require 3 but I stated in SD that only 2 as business quite small - this was after confirming same via email with TRA and their words "as long as you tell us reason why then ok") saying how long they have done business with hubby, what goods they provide to hubby, how much goods cost approx, good doing business with hubby reasons for that, i.e. prompt payer, places large orders, best customer etc etc
5. CV from hubby - usual/normal CV high school to present day
6. SD from hubby - very detailed
7. copies of business account statements
8. copy of business card and any adverts placed in papers (for staff/promoting business etc)
9. copies of invoices from suppliers, newspapers (for job ads), tax and anyother invoices I could get my hands on - these basically provided a paper trail going back to when hubby first became self employed - I indexed everything and provided dates for the little bitty stuff thus providing a dated paper trail so everything claimed in the SD to a certain extent i.e. when saying started first business in Aug 99 - could back this up with adverts from newspaper clippings promoting business, first supplier invoice etc.

All the above was duplicated for DIMIA - i.e.

1 set of docs certified for TRA - and same set certified for DIMIA a third set certified for DIMIA as part of recent/specific work experience (cant remember in exact order its been a few months!!) and cross referenced it to recent/specific e.g. if I provided the extra set for recent then I cross referenced it to the specific (or vice versa) along with an upto date SD.

hope the above helps and more importantly makes sense.

all the best

Rob Morton-Jone

Im hoping then that my seven and a half years and my one years city and guilds certification will be enough for TRA and the DIMIA

Rob

Lucyemma5

We are using the Visa Bureau in Harley Street in London. They use a company called DGA Associates based in Adelaide, apparently they are just down the road from the TRA.

Lucy

Atticus

Dont quote me but I think it should be ok - for us

hubby was 4 years training and then in 1990 set up own business - the deeming date if I remember correctly was from about 1990 onwards - they didnt class his years training as part of his experience - I was just grateful that we came in budget so to speak i.e. had a few years to spare - cant remember the exact work experience years now that is required but its less than 7 years so hence why I think you should be ok - however it is important you can account for each of those 7 and half years of experience - any discrepancies could cost you time so to speak. Make sure the dates in your CV back up the dates you give in your SD and if you can provide a paper trail even if you think surely they wouldnt want that - just send it as long as it shows as proof of the years you have worked. Like I said tho Im a bit pernickity!!

bridiej

hi Rob

I can't see why it wouldn't be OK. My hubby has got a C&G qualification that he got years ago, plus work experience.

Good luck x