Working Holiday visa - expiring passport and other Qs

I've been a member of the forum for awhile but have only recently decided to take the plunge and go over to live and work in the UK. I was hoping I could get some questions answered here, since this forum seems to be a fount of information . I apologise if these questions have been asked before - I couldn't seem to find the answers.

First of all, I'm hoping to get a Working Holiday visa to begin mid-June of this year, but my passport will be expiring in December of 2009. Since my passport expires before my visa will, will I have to get a new passport before applying for my visa, or will it be okay to transfer the visa to a new passport if I apply for a new passport while I'm in London next year?

I have another question I can't find the answer to anywhere. I want to get my Working Holiday visa to begin in June because I'll be staying in the UK for 3 weeks at that point (to job hunt and travel a bit), but I have to come back home to Canada for about a month before moving to the UK mid-August on a more permanent basis. Will I have a problem with that? Is it okay to leave the UK so soon after my visa begins? Also, if I end up travelling to the U.S. while I'm home in Canada during that month in the middle, will having a valid Working Holiday visa for the UK in my passport cause any trouble? If it does, is it possible to apply for a visa that begins mid-August in advance, but still enter the UK normally in June with that visa in my passport (have a visa post-dated for mid-August in my passport when I want to visit for 3 weeks in June)?

Obviously, I tend to worry and would like to know what to expect . Thanks so much in advance! Any help at all is appreciated.

Okay, here's my attempt to answer your questions.

If you can renew your passport before you come over DO IT, it will make much easier. You can renew your passport over here. I've heard some conflicting thigs on what you'd need to do at that point though. The passport you get back will not have your visa in it so you will have to carry two visas. Customs does not like this. Therefore you may need to look into the option of transferring your visa to the new passport which would incur an additional expense plus be a pain in the butt to accomplish as the canadian consulate in london isn't the easiest to deal with.

As for your next question, no it will not be a problem but you will need to be aware that your visa starts on the date it states in your passport and also ends on that date. So it might be more to your advantage if you aren't planning to work to just enter as a visitor to start and when you go back home THEN apply for your WHM if you have your paperwork in order it should take very little time. That's your decision to make. The WHM visa is multiple entry so you can leave and come back as much as you like in the time on your visa.

Your visa shouldn't cause any problem in the US . if you had an expired US whm visa that would be another matter though.

I think you can ask them to post date your Visa for up to three months in advance if you like. And that shouldn't cause you any problems. However DO NOT enter the UK as a visitor if you are intending to work sometime in the duration of your stay without showing them your visa even if it hasn't taken effect yet.

Hope that helps clear things up.

Thanks so much riverfox, that helps a lot! Out of curiosity though, do you know how long the WHM takes to process, in general? From looking around on the forum, it looks like it varies for different people. The thing that's stopping me from applying for my WHM once I get home in July is that I'll only have a 2 week turnaround (since I'll be visiting family in Vancouver and the States and will need my passport with me), which seems a bit tight to me, especially in the summer. Is that actually enough time?

One other question that came to mind as I read your answer - is it difficult to enter the UK if you have an expired WHM visa in your passport? I'm thinking ahead now .

Hi there! I applied for a WHMV last year! I sent my application by courier and it arrived on a Thursday at 4:30pm (I received an e-mail from the office in Ottawa) and I received an e-mail THE NEXT MORNING at 10:30am saying it was approved, therefore it didn't even take 24 hours! I had my passport back in my hands within 5 days!

My passport expires before my visa does, and on my last visit to the UK, I asked the immigration officer what to do. She said it's fine as long as I carry my old passport with me with the visa in it! She said there's no need to transfer it. Hope this helps!

Thanks FRegier2985 . I actually went and got my passport renewed anyway and applied for my WHM visa too! I got an email it was approved the next day, then had it back in my hands one day later. I was so surprised at how quickly it had been issued, but I'm not complaining!