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Hi all,

As the topic describes the most, I hold a Refugee Status and work as a flight crew. I use my Refugee Travel Document for work which is valid for 5 years and until the last day of my residency. My company requires a min 6 months valid Travel Document in order to keep working. If I wait to apply for ILR until 28 days before the expiry of my residency, that’ll mean I will be unemployed for 6 months-28 days+ILR processing time+obtaining new TD. That means almost a year without a job.

I have my own house and all my family is resident in the UK so I have no intention of moving somewhere else. Is there any possibility to apply for ILR as early as 6 months as an exceptional case? Would using an immigration lawyer be useful in my case?

Thanks in advance.

You cannot get ILR unless you qualify. The issue of passport expiry could be resolved some other way. So instead of ILR you can extend your refugee residence again and renew your travel document which I assume will match its expiry. Then you can apply for ILR whenever you qualify

zimba wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 08, 2024 5:19 pm

You cannot get ILR unless you qualify. The issue of passport expiry could be resolved some other way. So instead of ILR you can extend your refugee residence again and renew your travel document which I assume will match its expiry. Then you can apply for ILR whenever you qualify

Thanks Zimba, you’re a life saver. Do you know how to apply for extension of refugee status? Searched google for an hour but can’t find an answer.

You may have a technical problem regarding your ILR by the very nature of your employment -
You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

The form to extend probably is FLR(HRO): https://visas-immigration.service.gov.u ... ct/flr-hro

Frontier Mole wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 09, 2024 12:42 am

You may have a technical problem regarding your ILR by the very nature of your employment -
You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

Thank you, this is one of my considerations. I am planning to get 2-3 months of leave (some unpaid probably) until my ILR application goes through. I don’t think there’s any way around this rule.

zimba wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 09, 2024 1:59 pm

The form to extend probably is FLR(HRO): https://visas-immigration.service.gov.u ... ct/flr-hro

Thanks, I’ll have a detail look.

There are exceptional circumstances that can be considered but you would have to contact UKVI and have that discussion. Given your job role I would be hopeful that some consideration would be given, however there is no guarantee. The single biggest issue would be getting hold of the right people / team to give that consideration.
Giving yourself a three month window is probably beyond optimistic as ILR is generally a slow process.