She first sent in evidence mid-October last year. The request for alternative evidence was dated the 20th of December and arrived on the 27th. She sent the evidence & passport 1st class recorded post on the 4th of January, including a self-addressed envelope with pre-paid 1st class post for return ...

Update: Someone at the Home Office confirmed over the phone that they do want the passport to be sent in, so that answers question 1.

If anyone knows how long it will take for it to be returned, that would still be very helpful for making plans!

Thanks!

Does she have a smartphone? If it's an Android phone, Google Maps will have tracked where she is daily and I believe it keeps data for longer than 5 years. You can see this data here: https://www.google.com/maps/timeline If she's taken photos, that would be another way to figure out where she was on ...

Background: My girlfriend is Polish and is applying for British Citizenship. She's sent in the application with a copy of her passport via the NCS. She has now received a letter back asking for "Alternative evidence of residence" for a short period of time (in-between her being at university and ...