Transferring my ILR to a BRP; stolen passport!

Hi all

Any advice or sharing similar experiences would be very welcome.

I am a US citizen and was granted ILR in 1991 after marrying a British citizen (we divorced in 1996). My passport that contained the original ILR stamp was stolen from my house in 1999. I reported the theft to Staffordshire Police at the time but they did not come out to my house and, as I had just come back from hospital after breaking my knee, I did not follow up with them. I did not apply for a new passport as I had no plans to leave the UK.

After my mother died in 2008, I desperately needed to return to the US to look after my father. I was issued a new passport after attending a personal appointment at the US embassy in London but had neither the time nor the money to get a new ILR stamp. I asked for help from my MP, who arranged a letter from the Home Office for me confirming the date on which my ILR was granted in 1991. I used this letter, together with my new passport, to leave to visit the US and re-enter the UK in 2008 and also on another occasion in 2012.

I only found out about BRP cards this year, after hearing that immigration law had changed and researching. I have never been asked for proof of my ILR status but this is already now causing problems, as my partner and I would like to get married but we cannot in the UK unless I can prove my ILR status, and I am really worried that more problems might be on the way!

I can apply to transfer my ILR to a BRP, but would my stolen passport be a problem, especially as I do not have a crime reference number? I recently got in touch with Staffordshire Police but they have no record of the incident (it was 15 years ago now). I could try to prove residency but it is going to be really difficult to document 23 years. This country has been my home for 25 years and my whole life is here and the more I think about it the more worried I get.

hv u got any photocopies of ur stolen passport/ILR/cover letters

u can request a SAR from home office which can tell you what information they hold about you.

Thanks for the reply. I don't have a copy of my old passport unfortunately. I do have a letter from the Home Office comfirming my ILR was granted in 1991 though. I'm more worried because the guidance to transfer ILR to BRP states that you must have a crime reference or police report for any stolen passport, which I don't have. I phoned the police authority but they can't find any record.