Does anyone know how likely is a foreigner, ie, those outside EU and need a visa, to be employed by companies in london? Are managers willing to interview those people and spend the time to get visas, etc?

Yes, they are. I had a lot of interviews before gettinh my HSMP, which only made things easier. One question, though: are you already in London?

Generally it seems to be easier to get interview/jobs if you are a foreigner than a brit....freoingers tend to bring more to the table than an average Brit....its a generalisation I know

Some firms say no, others are negotiable. Helps a lot if you've got a London address.

Generally speaking, you suggest its Easier to get a Job in Banking....Any advise, if i have HSMP ... should immediatley come or else wait for a good offer in my country..I am market risk guy...regard

You have to come to London. As any pimp will tell you, phone interviews are unsatisfactory from both sides.The worst (but quite common case) is for the manager to have English as a 2nd language, talking over a bad mobile phone connection to someone else whose English is not 100%.You will never look as smart then as you really are.Also, giving up your job is a bit risky, and since I don't know your skill set I'd can't say how rational that is.I'd start the process of getting interviews, then arrange a block of holiday around that to try and hit some other places.Another tip, make sure you indicate you have the HSMP. It has at least two advantages.First it means that hiring you is no hassle to them. It is unintuitive but banks are far more happy to spend 25K on pimpage fees than a 1K to sort out immigration issues.Also the HSMP is a scrupulously fair scheme, whereby your background has been checked and your qualifications verified objectively. In short it's actually more thorough thanthe checks banks do on entry level staff. We tend to model it as a qualification in it's own right.

You have to come to London. As any pimp will tell you, phone interviews are unsatisfactory from both sides.The worst (but quite common case) is for the manager to have English as a 2nd language, talking over a bad mobile phone connection to someone else whose English is not 100%.You will never look as smart then as you really are.Also, giving up your job is a bit risky, and since I don't know your skill set I'd can't say how rational that is.I'd start the process of getting interviews, then arrange a block of holiday around that to try and hit some other places.Another tip, make sure you indicate you have the HSMP. It has at least two advantages.First it means that hiring you is no hassle to them. It is unintuitive but banks are far more happy to spend 25K on pimpage fees than a 1K to sort out immigration issues.Also the HSMP is a scrupulously fair scheme, whereby your background has been checked and your qualifications verified objectively. In short it's actually more thorough thanthe checks banks do on entry level staff. We tend to model it as a qualification in it's own right.

check this page out... they got tons of information... http://www.hsmp-services.co.uk/hsmp-forums.php

Recently a very well known U.S. quant moved to London because [at least main stated reasons]: 1. Derivatives volume is much higher in London than the U.S.. 2. U.S. is too litigious. [I assume meaning too hard to set-up, get approval, trade new products, and the regulations, auditing, etc..] Number two is definitely true but I was surprised [naive] by number one. Does anyone have a feel/knowledge for trading volume [non-exchange] in London, Paris vrs. N.Y. ? If true, then for quants who want to do off-exchange products, London would sound like the place to be [ignoring visas, cost of living, etc.].

Hi,Just to digress this thread a little, how complex is the application for a work visa for the UK? I've been offered a job in London and was just curious at what time of time frame I'm looking at. I'm currently based in the US, where the application process is quite arduous and complicated.

5 weeks these days. Used to be shorter, but ever since the bombings, it takes longer now.

One more question about the UK visa...Like the US visa is it employer specific? Or is there more flexibility to move about among employers?

Yes, the visa that your company is applying for is employer specific.(You can change your status to HSMP-highly skilled migrant programme, but you would have to apply for that yourself.)

I finished my Msc in Financial Math in Germany this March. But I am not EU citizen. Currently I am working in a small retail bank in Frankfurt. It is really boring for me. I want to switch to a postion in IB or hedge fund in UK. How large the possiblity? And HH is going to consider my application? Any sugestion how shall I apply? Thanks a lot. QuoteOriginally posted by: DCFCYou have to come to London. As any pimp will tell you, phone interviews are unsatisfactory from both sides.The worst (but quite common case) is for the manager to have English as a 2nd language, talking over a bad mobile phone connection to someone else whose English is not 100%.You will never look as smart then as you really are.Also, giving up your job is a bit risky, and since I don't know your skill set I'd can't say how rational that is.I'd start the process of getting interviews, then arrange a block of holiday around that to try and hit some other places.Another tip, make sure you indicate you have the HSMP. It has at least two advantages.First it means that hiring you is no hassle to them. It is unintuitive but banks are far more happy to spend 25K on pimpage fees than a 1K to sort out immigration issues.Also the HSMP is a scrupulously fair scheme, whereby your background has been checked and your qualifications verified objectively. In short it's actually more thorough thanthe checks banks do on entry level staff. We tend to model it as a qualification in it's own right.

QuoteOriginally posted by: jfuquaRecently a very well known U.S. quant moved to London because [at least main stated reasons]: 1. Derivatives volume is much higher in London than the U.S.. 2. U.S. is too litigious. [I assume meaning too hard to set-up, get approval, trade new products, and the regulations, auditing, etc..] Number two is definitely true but I was surprised [naive] by number one. Does anyone have a feel/knowledge for trading volume [non-exchange] in London, Paris vrs. N.Y. ? If true, then for quants who want to do off-exchange products, London would sound like the place to be [ignoring visas, cost of living, etc.].A feeling, after trading in both in several firms in each is that London dwarfs New York. And Paris is way behind New York.London is the world's financial centre. There is more dollar yen traded in London than in New York and Tokyo added together. I am actually surprised that someone would think otherwise.