Any Americans who have worked in the UK?

Question

How long could/does it take for a work visa to clear?

My girlfriend has applied for a work visa for the UK and we seem unable to get a clear idea of how long it will take to process.

She has been told by her solicitor (English) that there are no problems with her application and she is very elligible on the points system.

Answer 1

I worked in the UK as an accountant for a while.  It only took about a month and a half to process my work visa.  The problem that I ran into is that it is very hard for an american citizen to get a job in the UK if you have never worked there before.  I ended up moving there first and then looking for work.  I went through a few staffing agencies, but most of them told me that I needed to have at least 6 months previous working experience in the UK for them to promote me to businesses that have openings.  It took a couple of weeks, but I finally found an agency that took me on as a candidate and placed me in a great position.  On the other hand, if your girfriend already has a job offer, I don't think it should take much longer than a month or two to get her visa cleared and ready.