Welcome to our Global Candidate Pipeline case study section, where you can see for yourself how NES is helping to address the skills shortage through its OISC registration and immigration advisory service.
Thomas Arnold*
- Country of origin: Australia
- Qualification: BEng Industrial Chemistry
- Experience: Process Engineering
Thomas Arnold accepted his first role through NES as a contractor in December 2005, where he was employed on a Working Holiday Visa (WHV). In October 2006, Thomas contacted level one OISC advisor at NES, Matt Pegram, for alternative options to his WHV as it was due to expire. While HSMP was a first consideration, it soon became apparent that with the points system that was in place, Thomas’ score would not have allowed him to qualify.
Due to these circumstances, a Work Permit appeared to be the most suitable option. However, as an employer declaration in addition to a representative declaration from NES could not be obtained (as specified within Work Permit regulations) it meant that the possibility was eliminated and alternatives to the WHV began to look slim. This was reinforced further when it became evident that composite companies did not meet the required criteria and were therefore unable to act as a sponsor in the absence of a willing employer.
During the process of identifying the most suitable type of documentation for Thomas, the HSMP scheme was suspended pending changes. For more than three weeks amendments were made to the system, which included increasing the points threshold from 65 to 75 and awarding further points for different ages and qualifications. The implementation of these changes in December 2006 meant that Thomas then qualified to apply for HSMP.
His enthusiasm for completing the application and gathering together all necessary documentation meant that Thomas had an exceptional application ready almost immediately and he was then able to put this forward for consideration. His HSMP was approved on 15th January 2007 and Thomas is still working for a major engineering consultancy in the UK.
Sunil Alkanan*
- Country of origin: Sri Lanka
- Qualifications: BSc Civil Engineering, MSc Water & Environmental Engineering
- Experience: Water Treatment
Sunil’s details were found by an NES recruitment consultant through an online job search database and he was contacted initially by resource co-ordinator, Matt Pegram regarding his visa status in October 2006. A major client within the civil-structural sector had a permanent requirement for an engineering role and Sunil’s qualifications and experience gave him a strong chance at being selected for the position.
The visa that Sunil was entitled to work on while he was enrolled as a student at the University of Surrey was due to expire at the end of January 2007 so the company’s condition before offering him the permanent position was that NES arranged the Work Permit on his behalf.
Level one OISC advisor at NES, Matt Pegram began working on the application, taking on the administrative duties that accompany the Work Permit application and relieving the client company’s Human Resources department of this burden. Once the documents required to complete the application had been collated, it was issued to Work Permits UK for consideration.
After requesting more information about the contract between the third party client and the subcontracting NES client, which established precisely how long Sunil would be required to work on the project for, Work Permits UK were able to determine the length of authorisation that Sunil would be granted. After receiving sufficient details to be able to approve the application, Sunil’s permit was granted on 16th January 2007 and will last until March 2010.
Xing Daiyu*
A major oil and gas client recently had a requirement that the NES London office were asked to recruit for. The vacancy was for a Finite Element Engineer with experience of the ABAQUS software suite and was a position that the company was struggling to fill. The NES consultant recognised the UK shortage of suitable candidates and informed his contact about the NES OISC registration that enabled immigration advice to be provided to skilled foreign nationals seeking work in the UK.
Approval was given for the consultant at NES to approach engineers outside the UK for the role and the OISC adviser approached Xing after her CV was sourced through an online external database search. With suitable qualifications and experience for the job, including PhD level education and ABAQUS software as her speciality, Xing also had one year’s practical experience gained within a major oil and gas company in Singapore, which further improved her desirability to the client.
The Work Permit process was more complicated than anticipated, as Work Permits UK required a more detailed job description from the client company after the application had been submitted in order to confirm that the skills and qualifications of the applicant closely matched the demands of the advertised role. The NES adviser co-ordinated this and the permit was approved on 8th December 2006, having taken a month from the point of initial submission.
Jin Xiu*
- Country of origin: Hong Kong (People’s Republic of China)
- Qualifications: BSc Chemistry; MSc Biochemical Engineering.
- Experience: Chemical Engineering
Director of NES Process, Lee Knowles, first contacted the FNC resourcer about Jin Xiu* in September 2006, after his skills and qualifications proved to be an accurate match to a process engineering vacancy.
HSMP authorisation seemed to be the most suitable option for Jin so contact was made by phone to provide further information and answer any queries. This was then followed up with an email detailing a selection of relevant information for Jin to read through.
It became clear after a review of this HSMP information that Jin was not eligible for the programme. He had not been in the UK for long enough to earn the points required to qualify and therefore would be unable to use this method of obtaining work in the UK until April 2007.
In March 2007, a new job offer was made and NES were asked to provide visa services. The Work Permit that Jin already had with his current employer was for a similar position, which meant that the time taken for approval was reduced considerably.
The FNC role in this process was to remove the client’s responsibility for arranging the Work Permit, saving them time and resources. In total it took nine working days, from submission through to obtaining the permit. Jin was then able to begin his new role on in April.
Adebayo Dusu*
- Country of origin: Nigeria
- Qualification: MSc Mechanical Engineering
- Experience: Oil & Gas
This Work Permit success came about as a direct result of NES’ reputation for working with Foreign National Candidates. Ade was initially contacted by NES towards the end of 2006. He was working for one of our clients on a student visa, but this was due to expire shortly.
Our client was already aware of the work we had done to help Foreign National Candidates as they had employed three non-UK candidates with them which had involved organising Work Permits, earlier in the year.
The client had made a number of previous attempt to apply for Ade’s permit but had been unsuccessful in obtaining it, so they approached us in the hope that we would be able to offer some help. The responsibility for obtaining the permit was passed over to NES at the beginning of March 2007 and the necessary documents were gathered together and submitted by the end of the month.
With Ade now back in Nigeria after the expiration of his student visa gave him no alternative but to return to his country of origin and await the arrival of his new visa, it was imperative that his application was flawless, so when he identified an error on his permit when it arrived, I contacted Boarder and Immigration to insist that they amend the error and re-issue the permit.
With such important documentation, it is essential that every detail is completely accurate. Applicants should check papers and return them for amendments if necessary so that entry clearance is not refused in their country of origin. Following his receipt of an amended permit, Ade was then able to return to his place of work in the UK. He did so at the beginning of May.
Ling Kai Leong*
Ling was first contacted by NES in September 2006 and shortly after she was put forward for a number of suitable positions. A major architectural client was impressed with her credentials and an interview was arranged, which went well. Ling was then invited to attend a 2nd interview and was successful in securing the position.
At this point the handling consultant contacted the FNC department to look into Ling’s status and discovered that she was on a sponsored Work Permit with her current employer, which meant that a new permit with her new employer acting as sponsor was required. The company agreed to this arrangement and an offer for a permanent position was produced for Ling.
As this was an offer of a similar role to that of Ling’s current role, it was not necessary to provide the usual advertising evidence for a permit to be granted. The FNC department worked on this visa application and sent a complete form with full supporting documents to Work Permits UK. The permit was approved quickly and Ling had full authorisation soon after. A start date was then arranged following the completion of the agreed notice period outlines in her existing position.
Currently, Ling is completing her Further Leave to Remain application. This must be stamped into her passport because her employer has changed and her working status in the UK has therefore changed too. She may begin working for her new employer before this is done because immigration rules state that you may begin working on a new status under your old leave to remain up until this runs out or six months have passed, whichever happens first.
*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the contractors and their employers.