Successful PEO/PSC ILR applications

I will like to share my success story
I enter the UK 25th September 2005 as a student 
Renewed four times consecutively as a student untill January 2012
I was granted PSW till April 2014.
I then applied for FLR fp with my family, and hot refused July 2014 but with right to appeal. My appeal was dismissed by first tier tribunal in November 2014, but I was luck to be granted permission to appeal to the upper tribunal. 
My appeal was subsequently dismissed by the upper tribunal in February 2015, but I did not received the Judges decision letter till July 2015. I was give the right to seek for permission to court of appeal, but it was eventually refused on 14th of September 2015.
I was very luck again to get a premium appoint in Sheffield on 19th of September. 
On my appointment day, after given my biometric the case worker called me and haned me a letter saying that my application is on hold till she is able to get hold of my original documents from UKBA storage. (I did not go for my appointment with any of my documents because the documents are withheld by UKBA, but I was able to go with some photocopies )
On 25th September 2015 I received back my original documents and a letter from UKBA that my application was successful and to expect my biometric card within 7 working days. 
Alihamdulilah, to God all praise and glory.

Hi,

Had an appointment and successful ILR application at Solihull.

Director of Pvt Ltd company. Provided personal bank statements, business bank statements, letter from accountant, dividend vouchers, salary slips.

Also CT document, SA documents and cohabitation document. Did not take any photocopies but the case worker asked for photocopies of all documents. I told her that I don't have photocopies but she was ok with that.

I was asked to leave the premises. Got a call in 1.5 hours to collect docs.

Hope this helps

I had last week an appointment and were told that ILR application successful.
Appointment was in afternoon but reached in morning. I was told to come back around 1:00 pm as it was busy in the morning. I reached at 1:00pm, after security checks submit my documents. There was four stages appearing on status display board. After biometric the case entered into stage 3 (case under consideration). Around 2:30pm my number was called and lady told it is successful and gave me a slip to check and sign biometric information and told the same will be send within 10 working days.
It was on 10 years basis and I submitted all necessary documents specified in the guidance/form.
Thanks & Good luck to all of you.

Hurray!!!! I am really grateful to God and those who have contributed/shared their experiences on this forum.

I applied last week (30 Sept) at Croydon PEO Tier 1 ILR.

Got in at 7:30am with a token number100
Was the first to give my biometric
please ensure you submit ONLY required documents.
Don't try to impress the case worker with extras.
Still awaiting my biometric to be delivered hopefully
this week.

I wish everyone the best of luck.
Please feel free to ask me any question.

My ILR was approved last week. Here are my details,

1. Category.
PBS Dependent
2. Number of dependents.
PBS Dependent (Tier 1) + 2 children
3. Total cost.
£5700
4. PEO branch.
Solihull
5. Documents provided.
a. Life in UK test Pass certificate
b. UK Naric - English language assessment and comparability letters
c. Old and new passports
d. photographs
e. Non-UK birth certificate for the second child (This may not be required, just included to substantiate 5 months gap in the last two years for the main (dependent) applicant)
f. cohabitation proofs (both names - council tax letters and water bill, individual - polling card, electoral registration letters, bank statements (2 months), NHS letters - Dates on all these letters spread across last two years.
g. brp
h. last 6 month payslips
6. Absences more than 180 days in any of the qualifying years.
NO
7. Any Additional Comments.
This was a dependents only application. The Main applicant received ILR few months ago separately.

I sincerely thank everyone in the group for helping me out. Happy to help if anyone trying to apply in the same category.

My ILR was approved yesterday (waiting for cards to arrive). Here are my details,

1. Category.
Tier-1 (Gen)
2. Number of dependents.
1 (spouse)
3. Total cost.
£3800
4. PEO branch.
Croydon
5. Documents provided:
a. Life in UK test Pass certificate X 2
b. UK Naric - Only submitted the print-out of PBS calculator for our degrees, which both appear in the official list
c. passports X 2
d. photographs X 4
f. cohabitation proofs (both names - council tax letters X 4; individual - bank statements X 2; utility bills X 2 - Dates on all these letters spread across last two years)
g. BRP X 2
h. last 12 month payslips
i. Letter of Absences
j. Degree Certificates X 2 (just in case)
6. Absences more than 180 days in any of the qualifying years.
NO
7. Any Additional Comments.
No. No covering letter also.
8. As I am an IT-contractor, I submitted the following as suggested by my solicitor:
a. Dividend Certificates X 12
b. Company Accounts
c. Incorporation Certificate
d. Letter from Accountant (details of total funds)
e. Business Bank Statements X 12


I sincerely thank everyone in the group for helping me out. Happy to help if anyone trying to apply in the same category.

First of all, thank you very much to all the senior members in this forum who helped & gauided me with full co-operation.

I got my ILR on 24/Oct/2015

I was on Tier 1 General all 5 years and i was out of UK for 89 days in all 5 years.

Below is the list of documents i submitted ( Some are not necessary but i didn't want to take any chances)

1. Application Form
2. Passport Photos (2 each for main applicant and dependent)
3. Passports (1 each for main applicant and dependent)
4. BRP Cards (1 each for main applicant and dependent)
5. Personal Bank Statements (12 months for main applicant covering from Oct 2014 to sept 2015)
6. Payslips (10 month periods covering from Oct 2014 to July 2015 for main applicant)
(Note: I got redundant from July 2015, however i could easily fulfill the earning criteria with 10 month payslip.Moreover, I have explained clearly my current situation in cover letter that I am actively looking for job)
7. Main applicant employment history through P60 form of last five years
8. Letter from my current employer confirming redundancy.
9. Previous Employment Letter explaining annual holiday and Absences outside the UK during the past 5 years
10. Life in UK Pass certificates (1 for main applicant and 1 for dependant)
11. UK NARIC English language assessment (1 for main applicant and 1 for dependant)
12. Co-habitation proofs: There are many but i think all are not required...I have not even taken a photocopy of co-habitation docs.

Case worker has called me after an hour and informed me that she could not verify the LIUK certificate due to their IT system problem however she was satisfied with my application, so she has given me a latter saying that they will inform me their final decision through post. Me and wife came off the building then suddenly case worker called on my mobile saying that she has confirmed LIUK verification process and i can collect my approval letter.....we got back into the building and collected our approval letter. Now waiting for BRP.

I am more than happy to help anyone who got any issue whilst applying for ILR.

silk route...

Sheffield PEO:

I would like to start with thanking all the forum members for the help I have spent lot of time in last 6 months learning from various discussion in fact my father who helped me to get through this could easily make this his home page he was always here learning and improving our application.

My case was not straight forward as it might seem we had issues with HMRC getting records corrected, not getting documents we require from employers and missing P60’s.

I had 8:30 appt in Sheffield PEO. I entered at 8 am with a water bottle in my hand and I was stopped and told that guard wants to ensure that I only have water and he tasted some of the water. After all this we went to counter to register our case to a lady who looked confused and she said are you an applicant or a lawyer. I answered both, madam. As I am a lawyer who applied for ILR through Tier 1.
They took all our documents. Time was 8:15 am. Now, at 9 I was called to do a biometric which took sometime as they had issues with finger printing machine.

Here is only thing I am not impressed with Sheffield – Guy told me it should not take more than 50 min. After 3.5 hours I was called and given the good news no questions were asked. It would have been helpful to know the time frame so I do not keep on looking at the screen and my watch constantly.

Thanks to everyone and my father who is also member of this forum.
Leaving note:
Growing up in a suburb, a dream like this seems vaguely ludicrous and completely untenable but this moment is directly connected to all those imaginings for past 5 years for me and for anybody who is on the down side of an advantage and relying solely on courage all I can say is- it’s possible.

Teaching points:
1. Don’t try to save few pounds with HMRC as they do check hmrc records.
2. Ensure you provide a degree they do need it – despite form stating that you do not need to attach it (not sure though).
3. Dress smartly.

Hi all,

Just a note to say that my wife got her ILR.

We went for a day appointment at Sheffield PEO.

We were there for about three hours. The service was very good and the staff were polite and friendly.

I would say that don't arrive earlier than 1 hour before your appointment as you will be asked to come back closer to your appointment time. This is due to limited seating.

Now we are waiting for my wife's BRP. Was told that it will be posted. We should get it in 7 days.

Thanks to Amber, Casa and others who helped with my questions.

By the grace of God I got my ILR approved on Thursday at Croydon on basis of Tier 1 General.
Appointment was 08:30 reached office 8:00 AM get token 8:15 then case registration and biometric done at 8:45. Until 9:50 token waiting for biometric verification, then went to stage case under consideration.
10:40 ready for collection and then heard magic word " Well done ur settlement visa approved".
Document submitted:
1. Appointment letter
2. Payment Sheet
3. Application Form (SET O)
4. Life in the Uk and MBA degree for qualification and English language requirement
5. Payslips with employer letter
6. Bank statements
7 . Absence letter self explained not from employer.

Thank you very much everybody on this forum and admins

Hello Guys,
With the god's grace I and my wife have been awarded the ILR recently in Solihull PEO. I am a Director of a company and being self-employed for past 5 years. Thanks so much for this forum and moderators and members to enlighten with all the required knowledge to file the ILR by self without any need for specialist solicitors. I will be glad to share my experience with all the members of the group.

I was allowed to enter inside the PEO exactly 10 mins before my appointment. After the airport kind of security checks, Our Token flashed after waiting for 10 to 15 mins.

First Caseworker, Asked for my payment sheet and passports with BRP's which I readily gave in. After, He was asking for photocopies of passport and BRP's which I gave in.

Then he asked for all the supporting documents and photocopies for every document we submit which I have nicely collated and documented. He was very happy and gave all the documents.

Then we took the biometrics and asked to wait inside or to leave for 2 to 3 hours untill the case worker calls. We did go out to shopping area near by to calm the nerves. Hurray !!! exactly after 2 hours, I got a call to collect the documents from PEO Finally we are so happy to collect the documents and said we will be receiving the new BRP card in post very soon

The key to ILR success being a self employed is to make sure you have paid all the taxes correctly and filed in HMRC for the past 5 years without any dues. Being a prompt payer of the taxes and my case was very straight forward as I was just 35 days outside UK and no convictions or penalities.
Here is the document list I have submitted

Payment Sheet
Application Set (0)
Photos (Main Applicant and Dependant)
Life in UK (Main Applicant and Dependant)
NARIC English Assessment Certificate with Degree Certificate (Main Applicant and Dependant)

Previous Earnings
================

SA 302 (Five Years)
Accountant Letter for the earnings claimed
Payslips (Attested by my accountant with FCCA Seal)
Dividend Vouchers(Attested by my accountant with FCCA Seal)
Invoices
P 60 (Five Years)(Attested by my accountant with FCCA Seal)
Company Incorporation Certificate
VAT Registration Certificate
Company Insurance Certificate

Savings Proof (But it is not needed, I have submitted some healthy balance for 3 months)
Travel Proofs ( Airline e- Tickets and Vacation proofs, even though It is not needed)

Cohabitation Proofs
==================

Marriage Certificate
Joint Bank Statements,
Utility Bill (Electricity, Water etc...)
GP letter
Council Tax proofs

I had carried lot of extra documents in hand like, company contracts, self assessment returns, corporation tax returns, company tax returns and other HMRC communications etc... I guess they are really intrested in SA 302 for past 5 years or self assessment returns are valid for all extensions you have done so far and meeting the earnings you require to qualify for an ILR.

Good luck to all the people who are waiting to breathe the freedom of Air

Hi,

I used this site very extensively to find many details about my ILR application. With the confidence the members gave, I decided to do everything myself without a solicitor or Immigration adviser.

I applied for ILR using SET(O) at Solihull PEO and it was approved. I will give the details so it might help someone.

Brief immigration history

My initial VISA was TIER 2 (Intra company transfer) granted under the rules in place before April 2010. I got my VISA in Feb 2010 and entered UK in the same month. I might be one of last few people applying under T2 ICT as ILR route for ICT was closed on 6/4/2010.

My application was not very straight forward. I had two absences of more than 180 days because I was sent to home country by my company. But I have been with the same employer since the VISA was initially granted. But what I made sure was there is no break in continuous residence. That's the reason I had to apply 10 months after I was eligible. I split the 180 days to fall in consecutive years so in any one year I did not exceed more than 180 days.

Second I could not arrange a letter from my employer detailing my absences. So I was bit worried.

Now what happened on the day.

Reached Solihull PEO at 09:50 AM for a 11 AM appointment. I was politely told to come back after an hour. Came back to PEO at 10:50.

After Security check I was asked to wait.

11: 05 - Called for a giving a token. 2 mins job and wait again.
11:25 - Called for Case registration - 5 mins. Just had to provide the application form and all documents. NO Questions asked. Wait again.
11:55 - Biometrics. - 10 mins. After this I was told I can leave the building and they will call me if anything needed. Average time for a decision would be 2 hours.

I happily left. Didnt get any call until 3 PM. I got a bit worried as it has been almost 3 hours since I left.

Came back to check. The person at door asked if I got a call. I said no. Then he asked me to go somewhere else and wait for the call. But I requested him that I will wait inside. They try to fend people away as the space is very less. Finally he agreed and I went in by 3:05.

In just 5 minutes, I get called to go to a counter and the lady at the counter said my VISA was approved. A big sigh of relief. No questions asked. Not even a minor one.

I was worried about many things like my absences, no letter from employer and I could not manage to get the last month original payslip. I just submitted a copy of e-payslip. But nothing was an issue.

Documents I submitted

SET O application form
Cover Letter - This was necessary as I could not get a letter from my employer detailing the absences.
Payment sheet
2 photos
UK NARIC Letter
Degree Certificate
LIUK pass letter
12 months payslips - 11 months were attested by employer but last month was just a copy of e payslip
12 months bank statements - got a stamped transaction list from bank to show credit of last month salary.
Deputation letters - To show evidence for start and end of deputation in UK. Might not be required for any category except ICT
Home country payslips - evidence to prove that I was with same employer connected to same employment while I was not in UK
Last 5 years P60s
Letter from Employer - just showing that I am a employee with them since so and so date and my annual salary is xxxx. This is to prove that my salary is above the codes of practises as per my SOC code
Copy of COS from employer - proof for SOC Code
Spouse statement and passport copy.

Happy to answer any specific queries members may have.

Hi All

Wanted to share my experience as a reference for the fellow members of the board.
Succesfull application 5 years Tier 1 G to ILR.

Document submitted:
1. Appointment letter
2. Payment Sheet
3. Application Form (SET O)
4. Life in the Uk and Trinity Collage B1 ( I had expired IELTS which I previously used with my initial Tier 1 G application but I didn't want to risk it so got 10 mins speaking exam from TC)
5. Payslips 11 months
6. Bank statements 11 months
7 . About absence letters .. I gave letters from employers which states that I was working for them period of time and never had unpaid leave. I was a bit nervous about the time at the beginning of my Tier 1 G. First year, I was granted T1 on 4th of Jan 2011 , came here 10th of Jan, go back on 14th Jan and came 3rd of March. I put a reason "Preparation to move to London" for that specific gap.
8.Police registration letter

Thank you Jesus!!!

I applied for ilr two weeks ago.
I came into uk sept 2005, had student+ post study +3c(since 2013)

Withdrew my appeal 3 weeks ago.

I only waited for abt 1 hr at the PEO, after which the caseworker adviced she will need to request for my passport to confirm there is no break in my residence and to expect a decision last week.
I called this Monday ( got the number from this site)to say it's been almost two weeks and yet no decision as promised.
It came today! It has indeed been two weeks of sleepless nights.

Thank you to everybody that has shared experiences on this site. I've been on here so very many times and has been encouraged.
Thank you God.

Brief History:
I entered UK on Tier 1 Visa, I went back to India after couple of weeks and came back after 4 months.
I was out of the country for approx 80 days in the last 5 years and in that 30+ days was on Business/Office trip.
I am with the same employer for the last 4 years, approx. 2 years on contract and now on permanent role.
PEO: Solihull
Date Applied: 11-Dec-15
BRP Received: 15-Dec-15
The appointment was at 8:00, I reached there around 7:50 and was allowed to enter the same time, I was called around 8:20 by the caseworker who is very friendly and was asked to leave around 8:45 after biometrics. I got call around 10 to collect my docs. The total processing time took around 1:45 minutes

Documents submitted:
• Application Form.
• Photos, Passports, BRP .
• Personal Bank Statements .
• Payslips.
• Letter from the employer confirming salary payment, payment date and employment status.
• Letter from the employer confirming the absences outside the UK.
• Life in UK Pass certificates.
• PBS printout for English language (I have used TIER-2).

Thanks one and All who contributed to this form and best of luck for all the applicants!!!

Date of Application: 22nd Dec 2015

1. Category: Tier 1 G
2. Number of dependents. 0
3. Total cost. £1900
4. PEO branch. Solihull
5. Documents provided.
a. Set O
b. KoLL
c. Details of the travel outside UK(tickets, hotel bookings etc).
d. Letter of Emplyment & Payslips
e. Bank Statement where salary was being transferred
f. Two photographs
6. Absences more than 180 days in any of the qualifying years.NO
7. Any Additional Comments.
I was given a separate two page form to fill asking if i have ever been self-employed during my stay in UK. If so, what was the period, type of business, accountant details etc.

Date of Application: 23rd Dec 2015 Croydon PSC
Visa Category: Switching from T1 G to ILR Set(O)

Brief History: Got my T1 G visa in Jan 2011, for my initial T1 G application I declared income generated from emp + self emp. For T1 Ext and ILR only declared income from employments. All tax matters were up to date and correct amount of tax was always paid on time.

I claimed 90 points, including points for UK MSc. degree (evidence for MSc. qualification was not submitted this time).

Docs I submitted:

1. SET(O) form
2. T1 Ext Approval letter
3. LIUK Test Cert
4. 12 x Payslips
5. 12 x Bank statements
6. 5 x P60s
7. 5 x SA-302s
9. Employment reference letter
10. Letter from employer confirming annual leave (out side of country)
11. 6 x Savings account statements
12. Cover letter



In total it took 2.5 hours to process my application. Case worked review my case for more than 1.5 hours, rest of the time was spent on biometric etc.

Best of luck to all those who will be applying soon.

Thanks,

Hi, just got back to home after today's successful ILR SET(LR) application at premium service centre Cyrodon.
I have been dependant on spouse through out my 10 years in UK.
A very big big thanks to specially CR001 he always reply to me promptly, precisely and accurately. Thanks to Vinny Obie and Mani too.
My case was straightforward and i have submitted following documents with SET(LR) application form-19th Nov version.
*two phtograph *BRP *Passports *Life in the UK certificate and *B1 English language certificate...nothing else.
it took 2 hours and 15 minutes over all. Cyrodon centre was very quiet today.

Hi all,
I have got my ILR yesterday as Tier1 - General applicant at Solihull PEO and my visa was expiring in two weeks.
There are two ukba offices in Solihull, we went to the wrong address first. The right one is on the high street, 41 Dominion Court.

I applied as limited company director with 3 dependants. It all took around 4 hours.
First 2 hours were mostly spent for biometrics, presenting documents, it probably took around 2 hours for case worker to decide.

When I arrived at there they asked me to fill in a questionary sheet which I thing is targeting Self-Employed people mostly.

1. question I asks have you ever been as self -employed or limited directory : Yes
2. question confirms in which capacity : self-employed, contractor (this is not IT contractor thing), limited company director : Limited company
3. question to tick years that you have submitted self assessment as a self-employed person. : None
4. question have you used any accountant for self-assessment submission, if so, fill in accountant details. : Put accountant details.


I had taken huge dividend last year in July 2014 at wrong time, which I returned back to company in March 2015 as a loan repayment. My accountant advised me I could cancel the previous dividend and declare it as loan.
I then took a new dividend at the very beginning of April in the same tax year. However I was concerned CW might question me on this, as the loan repayment figures very high and they were on the business bank statements and I wanted to avoid an interview / deferral, so I had taken more dividend in the current year which took me to higher rate tax. It will cost me around £5500 extra tax.
Another costly thing was that I included my UK-born children in the application, had I known I could get ILR on the same day, I would have gone for their naturalisation directly.

Regarding absence I had my first visa stamped in November-2010 and my first UK entry was on 10th of Jan 2011. I then had a my longest absence of 55 days till March 2011, rest of the absences were in reasonable time frame.

In summary, it was quite a costly application, but in the end I got ILR which is now a big relief.

Documents submitted:
Accountant ref letter with salary and dividends breakdown in appendix.
8 months payslips
3 dividend vouchers
personal/business bank statements : 8 months
corporation tax (last 2 years)
vat returns summary from hmrc online (last 15 months) : CW kept it.
invoices (last 15 months) : CW didn't retain the copy
agency contract : CW didn't retain copy
p60 (5 years)
hmrc employment history
child benefit letter : CW didn't retain the copy
co-habitation docs
police registration
company formation letter and share holder structure: CW didn't retain it.
absence sheet + my own company leave letter + previous employer leave letter
absence explanation : CW didn't retain the copy.
previous self-assessments copies
current year company accounts draft
Life in the UK test
Trinity college English language test
previous year abbreviated company accounts. : CW didn't retain the copy
rental contract.


I got the impression they only check the evidences that relates to your case. When I got my papers back, I realised bank statements, self assessment docs were not in order (must be checked)

Key to success: Get prepared very earlie, potentially at least two-three months before for preparing the docs. I strongly advice to company directors to plan their income and dividend withdrawal very well before, at least 15 months so you can avoid any costly mistake.

Wish you all best of luck.

By the grace of God I got my ILR approved Last week on 6th Jan at Croydon on basis of Tier 1 General.


It took 2 hours upon submitting the documents after biometrics.
Document submitted:

1. Appointment letter
2. Payment Sheet
3. Application Form (SET O)
4. Life in the Uk and MBA degree for qualification and English language requirement
5. Payslips with employer letter ( From 2 jobs)
6. Bank statements
7 . SA302 last 5 years ( as pervious tier 1 and Extn income was from employment plus self employment)
8. Cover letter
9. P60s last five years
10. Passport and BRP
11. Photographs


I did not submit any document for absence proof . I was having 120 days in one go unpaid absence in first year and 55 days paid leaves in remaining 4 years of qualifying period of 5 years. I totally went out of uk 4 times. In form I just mentioned it as medical 120 days , holidays 21 days, holidays 15 days , holidays 20 days as reason.


Thank you very much everybody on this forum and admins

ILR approved for me and my wife at Croydon PEO. Took long time around 5 hours but no question asked.

1-Set O form
2-two photos each for me and dependant
3-Passports and BRPs, current and old
4-Life in UK, me and dependant
5-Uk degree certificate (me) and IELTS life skills B1 (wife)
6-Self assessment pbs calculator for dependant
7-Letter from employer confirming SOC and salary details
8- Last one month payslip (is this ok or more payslips??)
9-Last 3 month bank statements (main applicant)
10-Last 5 year P60
11-Absences from UK,confirmation from employer
12-Cohabitation documents (last two years):
marriage certificate,
joint bank statements
joint council tax,gas,electricity,water
nhs letters for dependant
home office letters addressed to me and my wife.

Goodluck to everyone

1. Category: Tier 1 G
2. Number of dependents: 1
3. Total cost: 3800
4. PEO branch: Croydon
5. Documents provided:
I. SET (O) current version and Payment Receipt
II. All Passports and BRPs
III. Photographs
IV. Cover letter explain overall application and absences
V. Salary calculation sheet
VI. Salary slips for 12 months
VII. Bank statements for 12 months
VIII. Letters for current and previous employers- Including reference and absences
IX. Life in the UK test pass notifications- self and wife
X. Original degree – Self and Wife
XI. PBS printouts for degree showing ten points- self and wife
XII. Marriage certificate and other cohabitation documents
Photocopies were also included.

6. Absences more than 180 days in any of the qualifying years: None
7. Any Additional Comments:
I had an early morning (08:15) appointment, though I was tempted to change it, as it meant travelling very early in the morning, in the end I didn’t. I was at the PEO at 07:45 and was allowed entry straight in. Token number was given by 08:05 and documents checked by 08:20. While checking the documents we were asked whether we have declared anything in the criminality questionnaire in the form, and the NI number for my wife was requested. We completed biometrics by 08:30 and all documents were submitted. The documents were ready for collection by 09:20.
I had various other documents including P60s, P45s, SA302, and HMRC Employment History, which I carried with myself but did not include in the application. The cohabitation documents provided covered duration since our last grant. The documents included Wife’s bank statements, Salary slips, Credit card bills, Council Letters and UK driving licence.
The forum has been very useful source of information. The questions that generally come to the mind of new applicants are already answered.
Many thanks to the forum and good luck to all applicants!

Hi All,

Tier 1 General - ILR Approved today. Thanks a lot for all the people in this forum who helped me out.

[b][u]My Situation:[/u][/b]
Permanent Employment only
1 Dependant
5 Years Settlement Route
Initial Tier 1 Grant: 15-Feb-2011
Extension on: 06-Nov-2015 Valid until 15-Feb-2016
Settlement Applied/Approved on: 20-Jan-2016
PEO: Croydon, £3800 (1 Main- Applicant + 1 Dependant)
Absence: 25 Days to India and 5 days to Paris on different time periods.
Appointment Time: 9:30
Approval time: 12:30 (took bit longer than expected)

[b][u]Supporting Documents Attached:[/u][/b]
1. Covering Letter (Stating the quick overview of my application which is optional)
2. Life in UK Pass Certificate
3. English Language - PBS Calculator 10 Points Printout for Me and My wife.
4. Original Degree Certificates
5. 12 Months Payslips
6. 12 Months Bank Statements
7. 2 years Co-Habitation Letters (Council, Water, Statements, NHS letters etc)
8. Photocopies of all supporting documents & passports - Retained by Home Office
9. All originals returned back to Me

Documents Not Attached but still I carried (just in case)
1. P60 or P45 for 5 years - Not required for Tier 1 General granted after April 2010
2. Absence Letter - Not required if absence is less than 30 days.

I strictly followed the immigration rules mentioned in the guidance and various other Home Office documents and submitted the minimum required documents.

Following document will be useful for understanding all the Home Office rules for Tier 1 General to ILR Application.

[b]Tier 1 G to ILR Rules[/b]: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... 1_2015.pdf

If you have any queries, please feel free to send me a private message.
I am not an expert but I can share my experiences if I had missed to mention here.

Good luck to your all.

Date of Application: 21st Jan 2016

1. Category: Tier 1 G
2. Number of dependents: 0
3. Total cost: £1900
4. PEO branch: Cardiff
5. Documents provided.
a. Set O
b. Life in UK and Degree Certificate
c. Details of the travel outside UK(Air tickets), NOT required as they were returned to me.
d. 12 months Payslips
e. 12 months bank statements
f. Two photographs
g. PhotoCopies - DO TAKE THEM

1. Category: Tier (2 General) - applying via SET(O)
2. Number of dependents: 0
3. Total cost: £1,500 + £400 for PEO
4. PEO branch: Glasgow
5. Documents provided: See comments below.
6. Absences more than 180 days in any of the qualifying years: No

7. Any Additional Comments:
Appointment was at 10:40, and I arrived later than I had planned to at 10:35. I was security checked and entered at 10:40. My case is pretty straightforward as I have been with the same sponsor for the full 5 year period, on a full-time permanent basis.

I was told by the security guard to go straight to a desk to get a ticket. They asked me to confirm the type of application I was making and whether I had been self-employed or acted as a company director (both no). They gave me a ticket number and I returned to my seat. My number was then called within a minute.

I went to another desk where I was asked what I was here for and then asked to provide my application and also to hand over any evidence that I wanted to submit in support of my application. I handed over my payment summary, application (including photos) and a continuation page for Question 6.2 (list of absences). I then handed over packs of documents split into:

1) Travel documents (current and expired passports & BRP card);
2) Life in the UK pass letter;
3) Employment/pay (letter from employer, 6 months’ payslips and my continuous period calculation); and
4) Bank statements (6 months).

The CW asked if I wanted to submit anything else and I said ‘well I have my P60s if you want those’ and he responded that I might as well include them as they can only help the application. The CW then explained the process to expect for the day and that it would likely take around 2.5 hours.

At this point I almost forgot to give them my copies of all the supporting evidence. I asked if the CW wanted these and he said ‘Oh yes, that will save us some time in copying everything when your case is under consideration’. He was going to accept my application as it was without them though, to it sounds like not providing copies MAY not get you a rejection (at least in Glasgow). However, providing them assists the CW (and therefore your application!) so I would always do it – better safe than sorry.

I was then back in my seat by 10:55. I was called to enrol my biometrics at 11:25 which went smoothly. I went back to my seat and my case status changed to ‘Case under consideration’ at 11:40. My number was called back to the window at 12:05 and I was told my case had been processed and that they would be happy to grant me ILR. They handed me my confirmation letter and original supporting documents, I signed a final page, they explained the postal process for receiving my next biometric card and I left. I was back in my car by 12:15 and SO happy!

The CW who gave me my success letter commented that it must have been a straightforward application since it was processed so quickly.

A point to note: my absences were more than most people I have read about – about 300 days over the 5 years, but I never broke the 180-day rule. All of my absences were for paid annual leave or for business travel. My employer letter confirmed that the business travel periods noted were required by them, and that the annual leave periods noted were in line with my annual allowances.

The whole process went smoothly (but more quickly than expected!) and all of the staff that I spoke to were very pleasant and helpful. I saw other staff helping people and being really friendly overall. I think that's partly a reflection of how friendly Glaswegians are normally but it was really nice to see at an immigration centre.

Good luck to everyone still going for their ILR!