Success - In-Person ILR - Solihull/Birmingham PEO - HSMP JR

Dear Forum Folk,

This is a quick note to say 'Thank You' for all the trouble you take to post your experiences up here - it is an incredible pool of information and has been very helpful!

My husband (main applicant) and I (dependent) had an in-person appointment booked at the Solihull PEO for 12pm yesterday. Our status was HSMP in Jan 2006 (1year) + Entry clearance in Feb 2006 + Entered in March 2006 + 4-year Extension in Feb 2007 --> HSMP JR ILR application.

We drove up from Oxford and decided to get there early to try to be seen earlier than our appointment. As others have said on the forum, the PEO is located smack bang in the middle of the town centre and we decided there would be plenty to do to kill time in case they asked us to come back at our appointed time. We parked in the Marks & Spencer secured car park, which is a 5-minute walk from the PEO building. In hindsight, I suppose we could've parked closer in the many public pay-on-foot car parks around (which are very well signed), but we got to the first one we found on the way in.

The PEO is on the ground floor of Dominion Court which looks like a bunch of new-build Victorian terraces stuck together. The building doesn't have a prominent signboard nor does the PEO, so we walked right past it because we couldn't see the signs behind the foliage and parking at the front of the building. We circled the block and eventually found it because of the building's car park being labelled 'Dominion Court Car Park'. What is easy to see however is the sign for a company called 'Taylor Wimpey' and the PEO is right next to it. This may save you a trek if you have the same problem as us.

We went inside and it was pretty much as described by the others who have shared their experiences of the Solihull PEO.

1. We entered at 9:30am and were made to go through a security beeper gate and our bags were checked. We were also scanned with a handheld metal detector. This was not intrusive at all and didn't take more than three minutes or so.
2. They are then supposed to give you a token number which they didn't in our case, as we went and sat down in the waiting area. After five minutes or so, we realised that we probably did need the token number and went to the reception desk to ask for it and they gave us one, apologising for not giving us one earlier. So, if you don't get one up front, ask for one.
3. We waited for our number to be called. The wait was reasonably short; about half an hour.
4. When called, we went over to the designated desk with our trolley-load of documents. I think the lady at the counter was mildly amused! Our documents were:
- Application Form
- Continuation Sheet for the Absences from the UK Section
- 2 photographs for each applicant (taken a week ago)
- Letter from employer confirming current permanent employment, job title, and employment history.
- P45s and P60s (for all four years)
- Salary slips (for all four years)
- Employment Contracts
- 12 months' worth of current account statements
- 12 months' worth of savings accounts' statements
- Land Registry Certificate
- Last Mortgate Statement
- Latest Council Tax Bill
- Latest Utility Bill (Gas/Elec)
- Letters confirming listing on the Electoral Roll
- 1st HSMP letter and HSMP extension letter
- 3 months worth of dependent's payslips
- Letter from dependent's employer
- Dependent's P60s
- Marriage Certificate
- Driving License
- Spreadsheet detailing absences from the UK

We had all of these indexed in a folder and photocopied and indexed in a separate folder.

5. The lady at the counter was extremely polite and friendly and asked us:
- what category we were applying under?
- how recent our photographs were?
- how we booked our appointment and if we had trouble with the booking?
- if the absences had all been for holidays or whether some had been business trips?

6. The lady said we didn't need to worry about bringing so many documents because they had all the information they needed linked to our profile on their systems from our earlier applications to the Home Office. So we didn't need to re-establish basics like proving we were married and giving our original approval letters.

7. She checked items off a list on a form she had, requested three most recent payslips for the main applicant, the latest P60 and also the letter from the employer endorsing the business absences.

8. She then said she was pleased to inform us that she was going to grant us our ILR and told us to pay at another counter and the come back in a couple of hours, with the same number slip, to pick up our stamped passports. All of this took no more than 5 to 10 minutes.

9. After paying at about 10:15am, we spent a couple of hours in the shopping centre, had lunch and got back at about 12pm. The PEO was heaving with lots of people standing.

10. We then unfortunately had to sit around and wait a good two hours or so before our number was finally called.

11. The passports were handed to us at a desk near the exit along with a letter and a leaflet about our basic entitlements as permanent residents.

Our experience was very pleasant and pain-free, save for the two-hour wait (a total of four hours) from when it was actually decided to give us our ILR. My only slight criticism would be that paying over 1000 quid for a premium service should make way for quicker processing times, especially in a straightforward case where a decision has been made. That said, it was not an unpleasant wait and it pales in comparison to the satisfaction of having had success with our application.

I hope our story is useful to someone. Please feel free to ask questions if you have any and I hope to be able to be as helpful as this forum has been to us.

Thanks again!

Congratulations for your success. My appointment is due next week.. Very nervous.

My case is WP+WP2 + Tier1. Just one question (though your case is not similar to mine) Is employer lette necessary for Tier 1 applicants also? and is it necessary for dependent also? What document did they check for ur dependent?

Great.. attending PEO earlier then appointment time. Congratulations once again and thanks for sharing!!

Thank you coolwp. Try not to worry too much!

I would imagine an employer's letter is necessary because it summarises and endorses your current employment situation. That said, they didn't request to see my husband's letter. All they took was the three most recent payslips and the most recent P60.

They didn't ask for any documents for the dependent. I would imagine you need a sort of letter of authority from the dependent(s) if you are representing them.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your application. I'm sure it will all be fine.

congrats , enjoy ur ILR.

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

1.I would like to know what do I have to do if I do not have p60's and p45's for the last 4 years. I have some but not all. I contacted my previous employers and they could not provide me one. I insisted but yet they did not give me any.



2.I have most of my pay slips but not all. Again might it be any problem?



3.In terms of bank statements do I have to have a certain amount of money or it is not important?



4.Might it be good idea if I get the last 12 months bank statements or last three months is enough?



5.Last question is the employer letter. What does ir suppose to say on it? Is there a format of letter has to be filled by the employer or standard reference letter stating your starting date, salary and position is fine?

I would be greatful if you could answer these questions.

Thanks,

Volkan

VOLKAN wrote:Last question is the employer letter. What does ir suppose to say on it? Is there a format of letter has to be filled by the employer or standard reference letter stating your starting date, salary and position is fine?

See Employment letter format for ILR.

regards

oxfordblues wrote:Thank you coolwp. Try not to worry too much!

I would imagine an employer's letter is necessary because it summarises and endorses your current employment situation. That said, they didn't request to see my husband's letter. All they took was the three most recent payslips and the most recent P60.

They didn't ask for any documents for the dependent. I would imagine you need a sort of letter of authority from the dependent(s) if you are representing them.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your application. I'm sure it will all be fine.

Congrats! I think employer letter is not necessary for Tier1. It's stated in the application form. Unless it is used for explaining excessive absence days from UK.

Dear Volkan,

In response to your questions:

1. Give the HM Revenue Office a ring and they might be able to send you copies of the ones you are missing. Take all the ones you have with you. The most recent one is probably the most useful to have.


2. Take all you have and the same rule as above applies - put the latest 12 months' worth at the top, forming a part of your core application. The rest can be treated as supporting evidence.

3. There is no stipulation as to how much money you're meant to have/show.

4. Yes, I'd go with 12 months' worth of bank statements.

If you think about it, a year is a reasonable length of time over which to prove that you've lived in the country and been economically active. I'd carry documents from the remaining years as supporting evidence, submitting only if requested.

Congratulations!!

Your post is really helpful.

I have my appointment in Birmingham next week.

All the best!

@oxfordblues

Congratulations!!

I am a bit confused with Police registration part.

I am from India. Do I have to produce one?
When they say "if you have been asked"? Asked when? During the booking of appointment?

Thanks

thanks oxfordblues.