Successful ILR at Croydon 14-jan-2013
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:05 pm
Hi everyone,
We got our ILR application approved on 14 Jan 2013 at Croydon. Below are details of our application:
1) Came to UK in Oct 2007 on Work Permit
2) Applied for and got Tier-1 (General) in June 2010 via postal application
3) Baby born to us in the UK in Apr-2011
4) Applied for baby’s Tier-1 (General) visa as dependant in Jul-2011 and received in 4 weeks.
5) Applied for extension in Apr 2012 for all three of us and got approval only in Jul-2012 (again postal application).
6) Applied for ILR via PEO at Croydon in Jan-2013
7) Have been in permanent jobs since coming to UK but my first job change was in Oct-2012
8.) around 165 days outside of UK and most of them as paid annual leave
Process: We reported at Lunar House half an hour ahead of scheduled time (8.30am). We were seated for a few minutes and then asked to go in around 8.10am for security check. We had a baby pram/buggy and other baby food/milk etc. and these were allowed in without any questions. Once through security, we were asked to go to the counter on the ground floor to verify the appointment letter, check passports etc. Once done, he gave us a token with a number on it, and asked us to go to 1st floor to make the payment. We did so which didn’t take more than 2 minutes as there were many people ahead of us. We were then asked to take a seat and wait for our token number to be called but thankfully we didn’t have to wait as our number was called almost immediately.
At the counter, the case worker asked for application form and passports. She did something on her terminal for a few minutes, looked at the application in detail, scribbled something on the form, and asked whether I was employed or self-employed. She then asked us to go for registering our biometrics, and wait for our turn.
Again, we didn’t have to wait as the biometric officer announced our token almost immediately. He verified a few things and then asked us to sit on the chair one by one, my daughter being the first and me being last! They offered a soft toy to us to get our daughter to look at the camera and were cooperative as my daughter was slightly restless given she is only 21 months. After a few clicks, they managed to get one that was satisfactory followed by my wife and then me. The officer read out the standard disclosure details and asked both adults if we were known by any other name earlier, and whether we had our finger prints taken in the past anywhere including at a police station.
We were then asked to go back to the waiting area and wait for our token to be called, and for the third time we didn’t have a moment to sit down as we were called to the same counter as before. The case worker then asked for the application form again, passports, and biometric along with copies of the same. She verified the documents and then started asking for original documentary evidence and their photocopies one by one: Life in the UK test, current employment letter (she again asked if I was employed or self-employed before asking for letter from employer), pay-slips, bank account statements, 5 years of P60s, work permit and proof of cohabitation. I mentioned to her that my bank account was jointly held and statements were addressed to both my wife and I, but she insisted on another set of cohabitation proof which I had handy nevertheless.
Once she had all the documents, she asked us to come back after an hour or so whilst she evaluates our case. She also pulled down the screen and after an hour and a quarter, she was back again. So we went back to the counter whilst she finished her work, for around half an hour or so. She returned my originals in the meantime and asked me to check if everything was in order.
For a long time, it was very quiet and I wasn’t sure whether the application was approved or not. Eventually, she started ripping the biometric cards apart and I got my answer (well, more or less). She then congratulated us and said our ILR application was successful and that we would receive our new biometric cards within 4-10 days though it usually is earlier than that. She also handed over a signed letter (only one letter) addressed to me (and didn’t include any details of dependants) which mentioned the same thing about the biometric cards. The letter did not mention anything about the successful ILR application and I found it quite strange since the previous Tier-1 approval letters were quite explicit. Nevertheless, we then left the Croydon office.
One of my friends had his appointment the next day again at Croydon and he received three individual letters addressed to him (main applicant) and dependants which I found quite surprising. I was a little nervous having heard about it as I had no evidence that I had dependants in my application. But all the fears were washed away when I received the biometric cards on the second day after my appointment date (excluding appointment date).
Other documents that I had carried and intended to provide as evidence (but never really got a chance or was asked for):
• UKBA Points Based Calculator self assessment summary
• UK NARIC Letter of Comparison
• Letter of Approval from UKBA for previous Leave to Remain under Tier-1 (General)
• Letter of Approval from UKBA for initial Leave to Remain under Tier-1 (General)
• Letter of Approval from UKBA for initial Leave to Remain under Tier-1 (General) for child
• Previous biometric enrolment confirmation from Post Office
• Original birth certificate of child
• Original marriage certificate
• Current confirmation of employment
• Current year’s P45 certificate
• Contracts of employment from both employers
• Relieving letter from previous employer
• Reference Letters from previous employer addressed to various agencies on random dates in the last 5 years
In case anyone has any questions, please revert. Many thanks to everyone on this forum and good luck to all who are applying for any type of visa.
We got our ILR application approved on 14 Jan 2013 at Croydon. Below are details of our application:
1) Came to UK in Oct 2007 on Work Permit
2) Applied for and got Tier-1 (General) in June 2010 via postal application
3) Baby born to us in the UK in Apr-2011
4) Applied for baby’s Tier-1 (General) visa as dependant in Jul-2011 and received in 4 weeks.
5) Applied for extension in Apr 2012 for all three of us and got approval only in Jul-2012 (again postal application).
6) Applied for ILR via PEO at Croydon in Jan-2013
7) Have been in permanent jobs since coming to UK but my first job change was in Oct-2012
8.) around 165 days outside of UK and most of them as paid annual leave
Process: We reported at Lunar House half an hour ahead of scheduled time (8.30am). We were seated for a few minutes and then asked to go in around 8.10am for security check. We had a baby pram/buggy and other baby food/milk etc. and these were allowed in without any questions. Once through security, we were asked to go to the counter on the ground floor to verify the appointment letter, check passports etc. Once done, he gave us a token with a number on it, and asked us to go to 1st floor to make the payment. We did so which didn’t take more than 2 minutes as there were many people ahead of us. We were then asked to take a seat and wait for our token number to be called but thankfully we didn’t have to wait as our number was called almost immediately.
At the counter, the case worker asked for application form and passports. She did something on her terminal for a few minutes, looked at the application in detail, scribbled something on the form, and asked whether I was employed or self-employed. She then asked us to go for registering our biometrics, and wait for our turn.
Again, we didn’t have to wait as the biometric officer announced our token almost immediately. He verified a few things and then asked us to sit on the chair one by one, my daughter being the first and me being last! They offered a soft toy to us to get our daughter to look at the camera and were cooperative as my daughter was slightly restless given she is only 21 months. After a few clicks, they managed to get one that was satisfactory followed by my wife and then me. The officer read out the standard disclosure details and asked both adults if we were known by any other name earlier, and whether we had our finger prints taken in the past anywhere including at a police station.
We were then asked to go back to the waiting area and wait for our token to be called, and for the third time we didn’t have a moment to sit down as we were called to the same counter as before. The case worker then asked for the application form again, passports, and biometric along with copies of the same. She verified the documents and then started asking for original documentary evidence and their photocopies one by one: Life in the UK test, current employment letter (she again asked if I was employed or self-employed before asking for letter from employer), pay-slips, bank account statements, 5 years of P60s, work permit and proof of cohabitation. I mentioned to her that my bank account was jointly held and statements were addressed to both my wife and I, but she insisted on another set of cohabitation proof which I had handy nevertheless.
Once she had all the documents, she asked us to come back after an hour or so whilst she evaluates our case. She also pulled down the screen and after an hour and a quarter, she was back again. So we went back to the counter whilst she finished her work, for around half an hour or so. She returned my originals in the meantime and asked me to check if everything was in order.
For a long time, it was very quiet and I wasn’t sure whether the application was approved or not. Eventually, she started ripping the biometric cards apart and I got my answer (well, more or less). She then congratulated us and said our ILR application was successful and that we would receive our new biometric cards within 4-10 days though it usually is earlier than that. She also handed over a signed letter (only one letter) addressed to me (and didn’t include any details of dependants) which mentioned the same thing about the biometric cards. The letter did not mention anything about the successful ILR application and I found it quite strange since the previous Tier-1 approval letters were quite explicit. Nevertheless, we then left the Croydon office.
One of my friends had his appointment the next day again at Croydon and he received three individual letters addressed to him (main applicant) and dependants which I found quite surprising. I was a little nervous having heard about it as I had no evidence that I had dependants in my application. But all the fears were washed away when I received the biometric cards on the second day after my appointment date (excluding appointment date).
Other documents that I had carried and intended to provide as evidence (but never really got a chance or was asked for):
• UKBA Points Based Calculator self assessment summary
• UK NARIC Letter of Comparison
• Letter of Approval from UKBA for previous Leave to Remain under Tier-1 (General)
• Letter of Approval from UKBA for initial Leave to Remain under Tier-1 (General)
• Letter of Approval from UKBA for initial Leave to Remain under Tier-1 (General) for child
• Previous biometric enrolment confirmation from Post Office
• Original birth certificate of child
• Original marriage certificate
• Current confirmation of employment
• Current year’s P45 certificate
• Contracts of employment from both employers
• Relieving letter from previous employer
• Reference Letters from previous employer addressed to various agencies on random dates in the last 5 years
In case anyone has any questions, please revert. Many thanks to everyone on this forum and good luck to all who are applying for any type of visa.
around 165 days outside of UK and most of them as paid annual leave