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Hi,

I'll reach my 10 year in a year and half time. I was just browsing this forum and started to think about how HO calculates my absences if I apply for LR. I have all my passports but the first two entry/exit was to my country which were stamped but they are in Arabic numbers without any english numbers. We also have a different calendar. I checked all my emails and could not find any ticket booking information. All other entries/exit are fine as they are all to other european countries. What should i do? I'm really worried as I may lose the first two years of my long residency. Thank you so much for your help.

As long as you can provide ALL your preious passports, alongwith your current one, you should be fine. They will be able to figure out the entry/exit stamps on those passport. If your home country does not put an entry or exit stamp upon arrival/departure then you would have some problems proving your absences.

To calculate your absences, you simply need to know the dates of exit and entry from the UK. The foreign exit/entry stamps should help you get some picture of your absences and travels. Other calendar dates can be easily converted to their corresponding Gregorian dates.
Also HO possibly has your travel data including the UK exit dates. The Exit checks fact sheet says:

Since 2004 the UK has moved to a more sophisticated approach to checks by starting to collect Advance Passenger Information (API) for both inbound and outbound air passengers. API includes the passenger’s full name, nationality, date of birth, gender and travel document number, type and country of issue.

To get a better picture of what they hold on your file, you can request your personal data from UK Visas and Immigration via Standard subject access request (SAR)

Hi Zimba,

Thank you so much. I have couple of questions please.

Does the fast track SAR have exit data? I read the description and it says entry clearance records and landing cards. I obviously have all the entry stamps, my problem is exits.

Can I apply through a fast track SAR option? I only need visa application dates and approvals and entry/exit data. Do you think fast track is enough? Also Do I need a lawyer to confirm my identity like the full SAR need?

Thank you so much.

The fast track SAR provides you with the IT records, entry clearance records and landing cards information only. The standard SAR request also does not guarantee all exit data.

Thank you Zimba. Just one more question if you don't mind.

So let's assume the SAR does not have my full exit data. I obviously can easily figure out my exit dates by converting my country's stamps to Gregorian calendar but HO can't not read the stamps and confirm I'm telling the truth when I apply. Would I have any difficulty proving my residency in the first two years of my 10 years (I have not traveled to my country after the initial 2 years)? Thank you very much.