Newbie in town

[smickers]

Hi everyone and a happy new year!!

I am new to the forum and hope I can get some much needed info..

I am a UK citizen and have been going out with a girl from the Philippines who has been working here for the past three years on a work visa.

She wants to extend her visa but it is too late to find a new sponsor as her visa is up in April and she doesn’t want to stay with her current employer.
She is also studying at university doing extra modules to her degree, so she was thinking of changing her visa status to a student visa – tier 4.
Does anyone know if there are restrictions to working hours if she goes for a student visa or is there any other way around this problem? Or if she extends her visa with the same employer and we get married will she be able to change her visa status and look for employment with a different company?
We are planning on getting married but we are not planning on staying in the UK but we need to get past this hurdle first. I would really appreciate any help you could offer.

[Arthur Little]

Hi everyone and a happy new year!!

I am new to the forum and hope I can get some much needed info..

I am a UK citizen and have been going out with a girl from the Philippines who has been working here for the past three years on a work visa.

She wants to extend her visa but it is too late to find a new sponsor as her visa is up in April and she doesn’t want to stay with her current employer.
She is also studying at university doing extra modules to her degree, so she was thinking of changing her visa status to a student visa – tier 4.
Does anyone know if there are restrictions to working hours if she goes for a student visa or is there any other way around this problem? Or if she extends her visa with the same employer and we get married will she be able to change her visa status and look for employment with a different company?
We are planning on getting married but we are not planning on staying in the UK but we need to get past this hurdle first. I would really appreciate any help you could offer.

Happy New Year to you ... and to the filipino/uk forum.

Unfortunately, I personally, have no in-depth knowledge of Employment Legislation and how it affects Student Tiers and/or Work Visas. But, if you'd care to "stick around", I'm confident someone here - who is better-qualified than me in relation to matters of this nature - will be able to advise.

[smickers]

Thanks Arthur..
The reason she was going to change her status is she is not happy with her current employer but thinks she has to find a sponsor at least 3 months before her visa is up for renewal. But I read the guidance on extending your stay and found a section that said…

‘You must apply within three months from the date your Certificate of Sponsorship was issued. You must also apply no more than three months before the start date on your Certificate of Sponsorship. If this is not possible, you should contact your sponsor.’

‘If you are applying from inside the United Kingdom, you should apply before your current leave expires. If you do not, you will be classed as an overstayer, which could affect any future applications you make.’

I understand that as once you get your certificate of sponsorship you have three months from that date to apply. If its more than three months after it will not be considered. And you can’t apply more than 3 months before the start. Does this sound correct..

Many thanks