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kindley
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Post by kindley » Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:35 pm

Congratulations to those that got their ILR.
Always Seek Further Opinion (ASFO)

nellis83
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Post by nellis83 » Wed Feb 10, 2010 6:12 am

daswilts wrote:Well congrats on getting your IRL. Did you get it back via the special delievery envelope you provided or did they return it via the post office or another carrier?

I'm trying to track our special delivery but I've heard that they dont seem to bother to use that method to return the Passports etc.
Hi there,

I didn't provide any means of returning the documents. It all came in an A4 brown envelope, recorded delivery (Royal Mail).

Keep me updated on your progress!

daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:25 am

Thanks for the reply. On the website it suggested sending vi special delivery and if you want your items returned via special delievery then just enclose a self address one. However, I've read that most seemed to be returned without using the special delivery so seems a waste of the extra £5

I will keep you guys posted on progress but hopefully we'll have news soon.

daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:42 pm

Wow, just after I did the last post I thought I'd check the post office checking website and found that it said my Special Delivery had left the delivery office. So I dashed home from work but missed the delivery by an hour. So now I have to wait to pick it up from the post office but might try later this afternoon just in case it's back at the office.

nellis83
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Post by nellis83 » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:53 pm

daswilts wrote:Wow, just after I did the last post I thought I'd check the post office checking website and found that it said my Special Delivery had left the delivery office. So I dashed home from work but missed the delivery by an hour. So now I have to wait to pick it up from the post office but might try later this afternoon just in case it's back at the office.
Got my fingers crossed for you!

daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Wed Feb 10, 2010 4:03 pm

Thanks! I went to the post office lunchtime but they said the delivery had not come back to the sorting office yet. I really hope this isnt just a request for more info and is the IRL. I'll update you tomorrow. If the iRL has been granted then it only took 4 weeks or 28 days since posting!

kindley
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Post by kindley » Wed Feb 10, 2010 6:57 pm

congrats to nellis83 and datwilts. Please hope you guys don't mind me asking where you both are originally from?
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daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Wed Feb 10, 2010 7:05 pm

Well I think its both our partners you are asking about as I'm from uk. My Partner is from Brazil and came here on a Civil Partnership Visa ( Which he was granted 7 days after applying to the consulate in Rio De Janeiro, which must be a record too!).

I think nellis83's partner is from Canada.

We are going to the Sorting office first thing tomorrow to pick up the special delivery to make sure the IRL has actually be granted. Will update you guys first thing tomorrow.

kindley
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Post by kindley » Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:28 pm

daswilts wrote:Well I think its both our partners you are asking about as I'm from uk. My Partner is from Brazil and came here on a Civil Partnership Visa ( Which he was granted 7 days after applying to the consulate in Rio De Janeiro, which must be a record too!).

I think nellis83's partner is from Canada.

We are going to the Sorting office first thing tomorrow to pick up the special delivery to make sure the IRL has actually be granted. Will update you guys first thing tomorrow.
Ok thanks
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daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:41 pm

Sorry, forgot to ask where are you from and what basis you are applying for IRL

daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:38 am

Here is the promised update. Went to the sorting office at 7:30 to pick up the special delivery and can confirm that my partner has been granted his IRL. So that took exactly 4 weeks.

12 Jan - send application
14 Jan - Acknowledgement letter and fee taken
08 Feb - Date of letter confirming Extention of leave
09 Feb - Despatched from HO
10 Feb - Post office tried to deliver to home address
11 Feb - Pick up from post office

Background to our application is the my partner arrived in UK in August 2007 with CP visa. Has worked for nearly two years after his further leave remain was granted. We have a house, good income etc. However, I think the time taken to grant IRL really depends on the Agencies that the HO may need to contact for your application.

We can now go ahead and book our holiday to Ibiza in June.

Good luck to everyone else with their applications and hopefully you don't have to wait too long.

nellis83
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Post by nellis83 » Thu Feb 11, 2010 9:31 am

daswilts wrote:Here is the promised update. Went to the sorting office at 7:30 to pick up the special delivery and can confirm that my partner has been granted his IRL. So that took exactly 4 weeks.

12 Jan - send application
14 Jan - Acknowledgement letter and fee taken
08 Feb - Date of letter confirming Extention of leave
09 Feb - Despatched from HO
10 Feb - Post office tried to deliver to home address
11 Feb - Pick up from post office

Background to our application is the my partner arrived in UK in August 2007 with CP visa. Has worked for nearly two years after his further leave remain was granted. We have a house, good income etc. However, I think the time taken to grant IRL really depends on the Agencies that the HO may need to contact for your application.

We can now go ahead and book our holiday to Ibiza in June.

Good luck to everyone else with their applications and hopefully you don't have to wait too long.
Congrats! Very happy for you. Perhaps it's an M4 corridor thing - you're in Swindon, I'm in Reading, and we've both had ILRs through within a month!

daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Thu Feb 11, 2010 9:56 am

Yes it could be M4 corridor although I have read on other forums that quite a few people have had their IRL back last week stamped as 02 Feb so maybe they are starting to catchup with the back log they had late last year due to the snow etc.

doodles1810
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GOT my ILR!!

Post by doodles1810 » Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:10 pm

I waited exactly 4 weeks from the day I sent my passport to the day I received it back.

So I just wanted to say thanx for putting me at ease about the wait (that I didn't have to do so much anyways) and good luck to everyone still waiting.

All the best!

:D

nellis83
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Re: GOT my ILR!!

Post by nellis83 » Fri Feb 12, 2010 1:46 pm

doodles1810 wrote:I waited exactly 4 weeks from the day I sent my passport to the day I received it back.

So I just wanted to say thanx for putting me at ease about the wait (that I didn't have to do so much anyways) and good luck to everyone still waiting.

All the best!

:D
Congrats! Sounds like the home office is getting its act together. 4 weeks is a reasonable wait time, whereas 12 weeks+ is ridiculous. Long may it continue.

kindley
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Re: GOT my ILR!!

Post by kindley » Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:14 pm

nellis83 wrote:
doodles1810 wrote:I waited exactly 4 weeks from the day I sent my passport to the day I received it back.

So I just wanted to say thanx for putting me at ease about the wait (that I didn't have to do so much anyways) and good luck to everyone still waiting.

All the best!

:D
Congrats! Sounds like the home office is getting its act together. 4 weeks is a reasonable wait time, whereas 12 weeks+ is ridiculous. Long may it continue.
I don't think so, well, for me lol. Congrats to everyone who's got theirs back tho.
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daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:21 pm

Hi Kindley, where are you from originally. It sometimes takes longer depend on where you are from and how long you have been in the UK. The longer you have been here it seems, the longer the applicaiton can take.

kindley
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Post by kindley » Sat Feb 13, 2010 4:47 pm

daswilts wrote:Hi Kindley, where are you from originally. It sometimes takes longer depend on where you are from and how long you have been in the UK. The longer you have been here it seems, the longer the applicaiton can take.
Hello Daswits,

Well, i'm starting to believe that it takes longer depending where you're from but I don't know why it should take longer if you've lived here for a while and have lived legally?
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daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Mon Feb 15, 2010 11:59 am

Looking at some of the other forums it seems that there isnt really any set lenght of time depending on your application. I think you need to be patient and if you dont hear anything after the 14 weeks then you can start to contact them and see how they are progressing your application.

The good news is that they do seem to be turning around IRL applications a lot quicker than last year.

mattfrombann
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Post by mattfrombann » Mon Feb 15, 2010 9:39 pm

Maybe things are improving ? I sent off my wife's SET(M) form on 5th Jan and got acknowledgement letter two days later. My daughter, whose husband got ILR two years ago, cheerfully informed me that his had come back in two weeks. Just as well I hadn't been reading this forum! My stepson is due off on a school ski trip to France at end of Feb, so we got a bit nervous and I phoned the UKBA enquiry number on 4th Feb. A very sympathetic lady gave me the Sheffield fax no to plead my case which I duly did several hours later. I also got on immediately to our MP who has been of immense help in previous immigration struggles ( I am Brit, the missus African), and he asked his office to contact UKBA. On the 9th of Feb I was surprised and delighted when wife and son's ILR were delivered. They had both been issued on the 4th Feb, same day as my fax etc. Co-incidence ? From this and previous hassles I would advise people to not sit and meekly wait but use your MP if a crisis looms. They are all up for re-election soon so should be even more attentive:)

daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Tue Feb 16, 2010 10:00 am

Well the HO website is quite clear about the current waiting times of 14 weeks for 75% and up to 6 months for 95%. It sound too long to process IRLs but these are the service levels they advertise. My partner and I therefore provisionally booked a week off in June as it was just under the 6 months waiting time and did not actually book any flights or hotels just in case. In the end we only had to wait 4 weeks.

The only problem I may have had is that I sometimes need to travel with my job but now I dont have to worry.

sheri
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waiting time for straightforward SET(M)

Post by sheri » Tue Feb 16, 2010 9:29 pm

Hi. I've relied on this forum for advice in the past so thought I would return the favour with the details of my application.

I filed a straightforward SET(M) application, transitioning from a spousal visa to indefinite leave to remain.

I submitted it by post as I was not able to get an appointment.

I included six months of payslips for both of us, as well as six months of statements from our individual and our joint bank accounts. For proof of address I also included a council tax bill, our lease, and a few bank statements from earlier in the two-year period to make sure it was representational. At a quick glance, it looks like they kept the table of contents I prepared, as well as the actual application, but I think the rest of the papers we provided have been returned.

They received it December 1. They took the money out of my account, and sent me a letter confirming that they had received the application within the first week.

I received my passport back on February 10. The visa is dated January 29.

righteousbabe
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Post subject: waiting time for straightforward SET(M)

Post by righteousbabe » Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:58 am

Hi!

I also recently applied for my SET (M) for unmarried partners. I am Canadian and my boyfriend is Scottish. We have been dating for almost 6 years (since i came to the UK as a student) and living together for about 4 1/2 years. I would say my application was straightforward however i did make sure my application was PERFECT before i submitted it!

I personally found that this application wasn't half as demanding as the first one (FLR M) 2 years ago, and i was slightly hesitant about sending not as much information as i had the first time and wary about using the postal service. Unfortunately we have been really broke this year do to a few cut backs at work and the time to go for the visa happened right after xmas - not the best time to have £820 handy!

2 years ago i went to HO in person in Glasgow with my partner and we brought a box of files as evidence and paid the extra money for the premium service. It was granted on the spot. I was desperate to stay in the UK having previously been refused a work permit on the basis that i don't earn enough (i very happily work in the third sector in Scotland - not Croydon wages!), i had only found out 2 1/2 months before my fresh talent scotland permit was up that i could not get a permit but could try for unmarried partner. It was a long shot (boyfriend didn't have much in his name at our address for the first year he lived with me) but we dug every scrap we had saved as proof that we were a couple. Wow, 2 years goes by really fast!

I was pretty confident this time around as we essentially had done all the hard work for the last application and we now simply had to prove that we were still together. To save money we sent the application by recorded post with all the documents they asked for, all organised clearly for them to see, in clear folders. We divided and labeled things into joint proof of cohabitation, his and hers individual proof of cohabitation, joint proof of finances, and his and hers finances. We included a letter from my partner's boss (an OBE) to add more clout to the application and it basically said that he knows both of us and that my partner has been living with me since he started his job in Nov 05.

*Form sent by me, recorded post, 26 January 2010
*Money withdrawn 28 January 2010
*Letter of acknowledgement dated 28 January, received 29 January 2010
*Stamped approved passport and all my info minus the letter which was addressed to them came back today 17 February 2010 in a manilla envelope 'signed for'. They even sent my Life in the UK Test pass sheet back!
Total waiting time 22 Days.

My UK Home Office application experience to date: 1 Student Visa, 1 Fresh Talent Scotland work permit, 1 FLR(M), 1SET(M)

I hope everyone has it as easy as i did!!!

Good vibes and best of luck to you all!!!

nellis83
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Re: Post subject: waiting time for straightforward SET(M)

Post by nellis83 » Thu Feb 18, 2010 6:28 am

righteousbabe wrote: They even sent my Life in the UK Test pass sheet back!
Congrats on your ILR! They sent your pass sheet back because you'll need it if you want to apply for naturalization. Hang on to it!

Nick

daswilts
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Post by daswilts » Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:46 am

It sounds like my partner didnt send as many documents as some of you guys. We didnt send 6 months bank statements for example and only had the gas and electricity bill in joint names for the past two years.

We both sent wage slips and he had a letter from his employer with his latest salary increase. He did of course send his life in the UK certificate and our Civil Partnership certificate which I guess we thought was the most important document. Also send proof of our savings and although we have separate bank accounts is showed evidence of regular money transfers between our accounts.

Overal it does sound like the turn around time has improved but I still think we hold the record for the shortest time for my partners CP visa to be approved in the Consulate in Rio. It took 7 days where on average it was taking 6 months previously!

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