EEA Permanent Residence - can I travel while waiting for decision?

[fran_abroad]

Hello everyone,

I submitted my application to obtain an EEA Permanent Residence Document last week.

I realised after submitting it that a gov.uk page (https://www.gov.uk/permanent-residence- ... 1554220188) mentions that "You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.".

This is new to me, as it was not specified in the Guidance Notes, or mentioned by an immigration adviser I spoke to some time ago. I have checked with some colleagues that obtained the EEA PR last year, and they all told me they travelled while waiting for their application to be considered. I have even called a Home Office phone number, and the person on the phone only read the same sentence from the website. When I enquired as to whether this was a new rule, they said they did not know.

Has anyone had any experience with this? I am supposed to travel home for Christmas, and will need to travel for work in the new year.

Thanks for your help,
Fran