Travelling with only an ILR Letter

matt1567 · Post by **matt1567** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:09 pm

Hi,

I need some advice. Today I applied to for ILR at the Croydon Public Enquiry Office (PEO) and it was accepted, however as the process has recently changed (i.e. Today) you no longer receive the "label" in your passport on the same day you apply, they are now issuing Biometric Residence Permits (BRP) which you have to wait 10 working days for.

Now the reason I booked the appointment (and paid the additional fee) is so that I could get my passport back in time to travel to South Africa for a friends wedding this weekend. However now I only have a letter which states I should wait for my BRP and that I am "advised to not make any travel arrangements". When I queried this at the PEO, I was told there was nothing that could be done and that I could take a chance and travel with just the letter. Now I am unsure of what I should do? Any advice would be appreciated.

If I have known that I would not be receiving the BRP on the day I would have waited till I returned as my previous Tier 1 Leave was still valid.

Thanks in advance,

Matt

linkers · Post by **linkers** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:04 pm

I would not advise you to leave the country if the letter says “you are advised to not make any travel arrangements".

imran22 · Post by **imran22** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:05 pm

Hi matt

Sorry I don’t have answer to your question but I will be grateful if you can tell us whether anything was different in biometric application other than that you didn't have your visa on the same day but just a letter.

thanks

legalalien · Post by **legalalien** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:15 pm

I would agree with linkers and advice not to travel until you get the BPR.
I thought they issue it same day? Are they going to post it then?

Greenie · Post by **Greenie** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:16 pm

legalalien wrote:I would agree with linkers and advice not to travel until you get the BPR.
I thought they issue it same day? Are they going to post it then?

no they don't issue them on the same day. they are not produced at the PEO.

matt1567 · Post by **matt1567** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:36 pm

Thanks for the responses. From what I can tell the process is the same (my girlfriend went though the process late last year and we have compared notes and it seems the same apart from the fact that the BRP is not issued the same day). All you receive is a letter saying that the BRP will be securely posted to you within 7 working days, which for me kind of misses the entire point of having a same day service....

evem · Post by **evem** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:11 pm

Well...I once did travel out of the country in the absence of my BRP card. I did a same day service but the machine broken down etc etc, and I had to do my BRP a couple of days later, which in turn delayed the whole process (not having my BRP card in time for my holiday). What I did was I informed the staff over the counter during my PEO, and she had that down in the system (that I'm out of the country from this date till this date).

When I returned, it took longer than usual to check my visa status due to obvious reason. But other than that, no problems whatsoever...

hsmpengineer · Post by **hsmpengineer** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 7:42 pm

DO NOT travel without your BRP!! You've been warned!!!

INSIDER · Post by **INSIDER** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:19 pm

Whether or not you should travel would depend entirely on if you are a visa or non-visa national.

If you are South African then you may have a problem convincing the carrier to bring you back to the UK if you have no visa in your passport. The letter may not be adequate. South Africans are visa nationals.

If you are a non-visa national then obviously boarding would not be a problem. When you arrive in the UK there may be a delay whilst your immigration status is checked but certainly refusal of entry is out of the question. Do be frank and DO NOT try and enter as a visitor.

hsmpengineer · Post by **hsmpengineer** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:21 am

please what is the difference between entering as a visitor and entering as an ILR holder? i have heard this a few times but never understood what its all about. In both cases i believe you hand your passport to the immigration officer and he stamps you in if satisfied...

peppekalle · Post by **peppekalle** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:30 am

hsmpengineer wrote:please what is the difference between entering as a visitor and entering as an ILR holder? i have heard this a few times but never understood what its all about. In both cases i believe you hand your passport to the immigration officer and he stamps you in if satisfied...

If you hold ILR holder you are deemed to be a permanent resident if you try enter as a visitor knowing full well you are a permanent resident UKBA might give you grief at the port of entry

hsmpengineer · Post by **hsmpengineer** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:36 am

i am still confused. do you mean ILR holders have to join the British/EU passports queue? What do you have to do when entering as an ILR holder that is different from a visitor? please explain

Greenie · Post by **Greenie** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:46 am

hsmpengineer wrote:i am still confused. do you mean ILR holders have to join the British/EU passports queue? What do you have to do when entering as an ILR holder that is different from a visitor? please explain

no you don't join the British/EU queue as you are not a British/EU national. What you are being advised is that when you seek entry at the border you need to make it clear that you are entering as a person with ILR and not as a visitor. What is your nationality? It is not advisable to travel without your BRP as already advised as you may not even be permitted to board the plane in South Africa.

peppekalle · Post by **peppekalle** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:55 am

hsmpengineer wrote:i am still confused. do you mean ILR holders have to join the British/EU passports queue? What do you have to do when entering as an ILR holder that is different from a visitor? please explain

I think you may loose your ilr if you mistakenly seek to enter as a visitor.Found this link http://www.visalogic.net/united-kingdom ... ?t=4&t2=50

hsmpengineer · Post by **hsmpengineer** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:29 pm

thanks guys. now let me re-phrase my question. Is there any difference in re-entering the country as a Tier 1/HSMP holder and entering as an ILR holder. All the time i travelled out of the country with my Tier 1 i was never asked any questions when I got back. so with ILR you are suggesting even though i am not asked any questions i should make extra effort to say "please take note i am an ILR holder returning home"

Has anyone of you travelled in/out the UK with ILR...please can you give us details for yor experience at the airport on returning. I think this will be beneficial for new ILR holders who are not sure about what to do different now as compared to what they did in their hsmp days. cheers :)

peppekalle · Post by **peppekalle** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:43 pm

hsmpengineer wrote:thanks guys. now let me re-phrase my question. Is there any difference in re-entering the country as a Tier 1/HSMP holder and entering as an ILR holder. All the time i travelled out of the country with my Tier 1 i was never asked any questions when I got back. so with ILR you are suggesting even though i am not asked any questions i should make extra effort to say "please take note i am an ILR holder returning home"

Has anyone of you travelled in/out the UK with ILR...please can you give us details for yor experience at the airport on returning. I think this will be beneficial for new ILR holders who are not sure about what to do different now as compared to what they did in their hsmp days. cheers

What did you do during your hsmp days?I am really curious.After i landed at heathrow after my ILR i was expecting lots of questions but they only asked me one question how long have you been away for? they then put a date stamp on my passport and that was it.

Markie · Post by **Markie** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:47 pm

Qeustions asked when I went out of UK with ILR stamp on my PP...

where did you go, how long and for what purpose?

that's it.

hsmpengineer wrote:thanks guys. now let me re-phrase my question. Is there any difference in re-entering the country as a Tier 1/HSMP holder and entering as an ILR holder. All the time i travelled out of the country with my Tier 1 i was never asked any questions when I got back. so with ILR you are suggesting even though i am not asked any questions i should make extra effort to say "please take note i am an ILR holder returning home"

Has anyone of you travelled in/out the UK with ILR...please can you give us details for yor experience at the airport on returning. I think this will be beneficial for new ILR holders who are not sure about what to do different now as compared to what they did in their hsmp days. cheers

hsmpengineer · Post by **hsmpengineer** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:54 pm

thanks guys.

Markie how did you visibly or verbally show you were re-entering as an ILR holder and not a visitor then? Theres nothing in your statement that indicates an attempt by you to communicate this. sorry if i am being a bit pedantic. we are all learning ;)

i dont want my ILR revoked hence this session with you guys lol

Greenie · Post by **Greenie** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:25 pm

hsmpengineer wrote:thanks guys.

Markie how did you visibly or verbally show you were re-entering as an ILR holder and not a visitor then? Theres nothing in your statement that indicates an attempt by you to communicate this. sorry if i am being a bit pedantic. we are all learning

i dont want my ILR revoked hence this session with you guys lol

I think this thread is in danger of going off course. This is not about someone who ordinarily re-enters the UK with an ILR vigentte (or now an ILR BRP) it is about someone who is travelling without their BRP and who needs to explicitly state on arrival that they are entering as a settled person, and not as a visitor (that is assuming that they are a non-visa national as a visa national doesn't have the option of entering the UK without a visa or residence permit). If you return to the UK with your ILR sticker then you don't need say anything about your intentions unless you are asked - ILR is not revoked simply because you don't state on arrival 'I am an ILR holder' they can see that by looking at your passport and stamping it. This thread, and discussion is about someone who is attempting to return to the UK with nothing apart from a letter confirming they have been granted ILR as evidence of their status.

hsmpengineer · Post by **hsmpengineer** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:15 pm

Apologies for dragging the thread off on a tangent.

zahid.ali.anwar · Post by **zahid.ali.anwar** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:32 am

I think if you have old valid visa on your passport, you should not have any problem. Plus you can carry your approval letter with you.

If that is not the case, then you MUST wait for BRP.

fireal · Post by **fireal** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:25 am

Hey Matt

Did you end up trying to travel? Any luck? I'm in a similar-ish sort of situation, except I'm a non-visa national as I'm from NZ.

Any info definitely appreciated!

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Travelling with only an ILR Letter

Travelling with only an ILR Letter