Hello

[Tina]

Hi everyone,

just to introduce us, my name is Tina and my husband is Mark. We are right at the beginning of this scary but hopefully worthwhile process. He is a painter & decorator and we are just going through the templates to go to the ex-employers plus his current employer to try and get references for his apprenticeship and work experience etc. We are already stressed at how detailed the references need to be, our agent (the emigration group) are helping us. Has anyone got any information on how detailed they have been when trying to go through this process for painting and decorating, also does it matter if you can't get all your work experience?. mark has only worked for 5 company's so it shouldn't be too difficult.

[dglamoore]

Hi Tina

Welcome to the site. It is scarey and exciting when you decide to go for isn't it :D

We also had to go through TRA and as Greg is a metal polisher there are no qualifications so all experience based also.

We had about 60 pages of info plus 4 stat decs by the time we had finished. Two of the companies that Greg worked for had closed down so we were unable to get references. We filed a stat dec for these detailing the work and training that Greg had done and requested a National Insurance history report to provide back up that he had worked there.

He has been self employed for the last 4 years so filed another stat dec for that and got references from 3 customers and 3 suppliers and sent a few invoices/bills etc to prove his company existed.

We used an agent too and found this is when they earn the most of their money :D Good luck with your adventure and let me know if I can help you out with anything!!

Lisa

[donna T]

Hi Tina

Welcome to the site and good luck with your TRA application
Russ is a print finisher again without any formal qualifications. It took ages to get all the refs together and 2 out of the 3 companies he had worked for had closed down. Again, we had stat decs and a NI report (this took 3 months to come through) and pages and pages of info on the references.

I remember Russ saying that the references were way over the top and included really basic stuff such as using a glue gun etc but that seemed to be exactly what they wanted - loads of detail.

i agree that the agent really helped here as I wold have been lost without their guidance and would have produced quite basic references which would probably have been turned down.

Best of luck again - when are you hoping to go?

[Angela]

HERE HERE - the agency helped loads with the TRA bit.

My OH Ashley is a painter & decorator, has been since leaving school - our evidence was all vocational - well sort of he has 2 years out of 3 years apprenticeship but the agency advised that we stick with purely job history & employer evidence! We received a positive result so I am sure you will be fine.

Include everything! Tools is tricky but don't be embarrased to include the most basic of tool types right down to overalls! It all helps........ GOOD LUCK, send me a pm if you need anything specific I am sure I kept some word docs that we completed if you need examples.

Angela

[Tina]

Thank you angela, we have just gathered all the information for our TRA application and hopefully it will be sent off before xmas. it has been quite stressful relying on others to provide you with references especially seems Mark has not worked for some of them for over 20 years but they came good in the end, also it was a bit scary with his current employer but they were really pleased for him and didn't blame him for trying to make a better life for us.
Our agent is completing the application and about to send it back to us for approval and then to the TRA for acceptance so hopefully we will hear in the new year.

Thanks

Tina

[Angela]

Super Tina, very best of luck !


Angela :)