Help! How to show my Working Holiday is temporary for SFE? 4 August 2018 at 5:56AM in Student MoneySaving 8 replies 2K views

June10

Has anyone else had problems with the ordinary residence requirements for Student Finance when you've been abroad on a Working Holiday?

Few months ago I submitted evidence of my temporary absences overseas, most recently a Working Holiday in Japan (where I'm still currently at and will return on 29th August). I submitted my Working Holiday visa which has a fixed period of 1 year from the date of entry. The date of entry was 8 November 2017.

But I've been asked to supply more information to prove the temporary nature of my stay. I don't understand why my fixed-term visa was not sufficient to prove my temporary absence from the UK. Does anyone else have experience submitting a Working Holiday visa and then being asked for more information?

I'm planning to submit the following supplementary evidence:
- My flight ticket receipt to show I will be back before 1 September.
- Some travel receipts in various cities on few days' trips but I mainly stayed in Tokyo so I'm afraid it may not be enough.
- Rent statements of my primary address under my parents' name in the UK.

If anyone else have had similar experiences, advice, and would like to share their outcome, that would be really helpful.

[Deleted User]

Rent proof from your parents won't work. You need evidence of permanent residence in the uk. Tenancy (yours) utility bills (yours)

Can't see it working if you don't have that.

June10

I have also maintained UK bank accounts which I can show transactions of. Would that hep?

I wanted to included rent statements to prove that I have maintained a home in the UK and family ties.

What I don't understand is that the Working Holiday visa is a temporary visa. I do not have another visa that can extend my stay in Japan. Is there a reason why it's not considered a temporary absence from the UK?

sheramber

Do you have a work contract showing you had a temporary contract of employment?

see
https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/1652/sfe-assessing-eligibility-guidance-ay-1819.pdf
section 2.6 page 11 onwards

Taiko

Work contract is the one you need for this.

June10

For anyone interested in the actual end result -

I called back several times and spoke to many advisors. One of the advisors actually referred my evidence for reassessment. My status has now been approved.

I suspect this has a lot to do with people not knowing what a Working Holiday visa is (like some of the posters above) - that it is a temporary visa primarily intended for travel and cultural exchange in the country of choice. That's why I was confused as to why I was repeatedly asked for a work contract during what is supposed to be a period of travelling.

In the future I would advise anyone who has to submit one to be clear about the purpose of a Working Holiday visa and what it is for.

agrinnall

June10 wrote: »

I suspect this has a lot to do with people not knowing what a Working Holiday visa is (like some of the posters above)...

Glad you've got it resolved.


I don't think you should be surprised that people at SFE are not intmately familiar with every type of visa for every country in the world, they might know about ones at the most popular countries such as Australia, but not for Japan where the numbers obtaining said visa will be much smaller. I'd say your last point is correct, and it is incument on the claimant to ensure the specifics are made clear when applying.

In the future I would advise anyone who has to submit one to be clear about the purpose of a Working Holiday visa and what it is for.

[Deleted User]

June10 wrote: »

For anyone interested in the actual end result -

I called back several times and spoke to many advisors. One of the advisors actually referred my evidence for reassessment. My status has now been approved.

I suspect this has a lot to do with people not knowing what a Working Holiday visa is (like some of the posters above) - that it is a temporary visa primarily intended for travel and cultural exchange in the country of choice. That's why I was confused as to why I was repeatedly asked for a work contract during what is supposed to be a period of travelling.

In the future I would advise anyone who has to submit one to be clear about the purpose of a Working Holiday visa and what it is for.

Working holiday visas may well be temporary but are frequently used as a means to PR in Australia and the UK. So wouldn't always indicate a temporary stay.

Starrystarrynight1

One type of visa may possibly lead to another and it's not the responsibility of SF assessors to find out; the onus is on the prospective student to show exactly the purpose of the visa. Glad to hear you got it all sorted out.