ILR Application Questions...

Hello all, I need some advice on my wife's ILR application. I'm English, she is Brazilian and she currently has a spouse visa.

Here are my wife's visa details:
Spouse visa valid until 03/01/10
First entry date: 10/01/08

From what I have read this means we should apply for her ILR SET(M) 28 days prior to her first entry, which I calculate as being 13/12/09, is this right?

Some other questions I have:

1. Is the 28 day rule applicable for both postal and personal interview applications?

2. All public enquiry offices in the country are fully booked for December (as the website says), is it worth phoning my local office, Croydon, to try and book an appointment or do we have to apply by post now?

3. Is it possible to apply for ILR from a different country, ie Brazil? We are involved in a child custody case in Brazil and my wife will need to go to Brazil sometime in the next 2 months. The timing is terrible, and with the UK immigration offices fully booked I don't really want to go down the postal route so was thinking is it possible to apply form abroad?

Many thanks for any advice on the above questions.

HP

You're spot on with the application date.
This applies to both postal and PEO applications.
You can't apply for ILR from outside of the UK.
I'd advise you to call the PEO application line constantly (needs patience ) and you may well be lucky with an appointment. Slots change (cancellations etc) often daily, and if you're flexible with what PEO you attend you may well be lucky. One tip...when you get through to the appointment line and if you get a message telling you there are no appointments available, hold on until you actually speak to an operator. That's when you're likely to be given a true picture with options.
Your wife has passed the Life in the Uk test?