My case in point. I applied for an ILR (after 10 yrs of residency) in summer of 2008. I applied through a solicitor. Almost a year letter (summer 2009) we got a response. My application was rejected because during my student days, i had made "two out of time" applications. I was astonished by this decision as i had never sent my passport late. 95% of the time of renewing my student visa, i went to the Liverpool PO two weeks in advance and the remaining 5% i sent it via post a month before. So i had no recollection because i am always meticulous.
We discussed the way forward and decided to wait until my visa expired and then put in a fresh application or go to the AIT. Months passed and nothing. The solicitors wrote a reminder letter and got no response (i think they have a three month waiting rule) so in October of 2009, i got feed up with the pace of my application and decided to write to the HO. I wrote a heartfelt letter basically asking them to reconsider. Two weeks later i got a response asking for my passprt back etc. I sent everything and after a few remainder letters later (nice words of course) i got it last month.
I felt i undermind the solicitor because i wrote to the HO behing his back. If i had waited on his options, it might have taken a further year before everything gets sorted. Then again i don't care.
Till this day, i don't know why my application was rejected seeing as it was a straight forward application. When they asked for my stuff back, i sent them the same stuff i sent in the first place. The only difference been new bank statements. Weirdly enough the caseworker asked for bank statements for the last ten years.. I wrote in the cover letter that i could only provide statements that far (who can?)
I suppose the moral of the story is: if your application is rejected (regardless of whether you use a solicitor), write to the HO and plead with them nicely. Like in my case, they might reconsider.
Take care all
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