ILR Success at PEO Croydon

Hi All,

I've successfully applied for and received my ILR today at the PEO Croydon. My sincere Thanks! as usual to the members of the forum, who take precious time out of their lifestyles and dedicate it to the betterment of immigration knowledge and services in the UK. Thanks once again.

In summary, the appointment went well... booked 6 weeks in advance for this date, it was a pretty standard WP-HSMP-ILR case. So I'll spare you all the reached-HO-at-08:46am-type details, but if anyone needs any info or believe I can clarify any queries, please feel free to ask.

Having said that, a couple of points I observed this morning at the PEO:

1. If you switched employers in the 5 year period or moved from WP to HSMP, make sure you have all the P46s with you... some case-workers can be pretty pedantic.

2. Expect the unexpected - I was asked if my company is VAT registered... still can't figure how that is relevant - luckily she didn't ask for the registration certificate... wasn't carrying it.

3. Carry a full 12 months' bank statements and salary slips... 3 months may be enough with some case-workers (mine, for instance), but I've noticed other c-ws asking for a full 12 months.

4. Don't print your photos at home... just not worth the effort... I've seen a family having to take a whole set again at the PEO just coz the photos they printed at home were not of an acceptable standard. When you are spending about £1000 getting an ILR, don't worry too much about the additional £4 each for the pics...

All the Best folks... go get it!

Cheers.

Congratulations

Congratulations Gorajim!

And thanks for the eye-opening description, thatz very kind of you.

gorajim wrote:Hi All,
I've successfully applied for and received my ILR today at the PEO Croydon. All the Best folks... go get it!
Cheers.

Hi gorajim,
My appointment at Croydon is at 10am. If I enter the buiding say 9am as I will already have arrived nearby, will I be attended to or I have to wait till 10am?

Hi,

From what I observed with my appointment and with the others around me, I believe they will only let you in around the time of your appointment.

So whenever you arrive, walk over to the security and let them know your appointment time... they are the best judge and if its time they'll let you in. I planned to arrive about 15 mins ahead of my appointment time and I didn't have to queue up.

You need to budget about 5 mins for the security check. Once you are through, state your application type (SET(O) in my case) to the person and (s)he'll direct you to the appropriate counter. If there are none free, you'll need to wait for a few mins., but I've seen this wait does not take longer than 5-7 mins.

The checks at this counter are crucial... essentially, if all the documents are in order, your application will be stamped "VALID". So be prepared to provide all the documents at this counter too... There was one person without a P46 and I heard her tell him he may have to come back another day with that certificate... unfortunately, I'm not aware of what happened to his case since I was busy with my own and didn't notice who she told that to. You get your reference number at this counter too... should be an A-number.

If your papers are in order, it should take about 7 mins.

You are then directed upstairs to pay the fee (which makes me believe that if ones application is invalid, they don't have to pay the fee, which is then similar to what happens at the rest of the PEOs).

The fee counter has major issues... when I applied, it took me close to 20 mins to get to the counter, since there was only one functioning counter and that didn't help... could be a one-off situation and may not happen to you, so make sure you don't delay things at your end (e.g., sneaking into the men's before paying the fee, etc.)

I should mention here, if you are taking your child along in a push-chair or pram, you will be accompanied in the lift by the security personnel to the correct floor. In order to save time, leave your partner to accompany your child in the lift while you yourself could take the stairs to reach the fee counter quicker.

As soon as you receive your reference number, technically you can be called to a counter at any time... if you hear your number called while you are in queue paying the fee, don't worry too much... I heard mine called atleast 4 times in the 25 mins it took me to pay the fee and when I eventually got to my counter, the c-w was sitting there waiting for me... my point is - your number will not be surpassed for a latter one if you don't arrive when called... I've seen c-ws waiting patiently for their cases.

If you do get panickly (you'll be full of nerves, trust me), no harm in going across to the called counter and let the c-w know you are in queue to pay the fee. So, with everything in order, it should take about 25 mins from the time you start the security check till you leave the fee counter after paying the fee.

All the best with your application and let us know how it went.

Cheers.

gorajim wrote:Hi,

From what I observed with my appointment and with the others around me, I believe they will only let you in around the time of your appointment.

If you do get panickly (you'll be full of nerves, trust me), Cheers.

Thanks goramjim for the excellent narrative. I am sure I will keep my cool and control my nerve even if provoked. I Cant wait to go through this 'ritual' . Its such a pain knowing new rules are still being thrown at us.

gorajim wrote: I should mention here, if you are taking your child along in a push-chair or pram, you will be accompanied in the lift by the security personnel to the correct floor. In order to save time, leave your partner to accompany your child in the lift while you yourself could take the stairs to reach the fee counter quicker.
Cheers.

Is it a requirement that one should be accompanied by his / her dependants to the PEO for the ilr application? I asked this question to the lady who gave me the appointment, but she didnt seem to know anything. In fact I was guiding her in almost every aspect of my telephone conversation with her. The only advantage she had over me was the screen showing the appointment slots available at PEOs. She even had no clue about 28 day rule nor arrival time! She sounded confused and I was so worried she could disconnect my call before giving me the appointment.

I can't speak of personal experience, but I know there were others in the forum who wrote in that dependants need not be present under some circumstances:

http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... ppointment


Hope this helps. Cheers.

gorajim wrote:I can't speak of personal experience, but I know there were others in the forum who wrote in that dependants need not be present under some circumstances:

http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... ppointment


Hope this helps. Cheers.

Thanks
I will let you know how my experience was once I cross the bridge.
Munisa