Passport needed urgently for identification

[suzedecruze]

Hi there

This is my first post as I can't seem to find any existing posts on this topic and really need some guidance at the moment.

I submitted my Tier 1 General visa renewal application 4 weeks ago, it was received at the UKBA on 18th April 2012.

I have to sit the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam on 2nd June 2012 which is 3 weeks away and the CFA Institute does not accept any form of ID but a current passport.

I called the UKBA this afternoon to put in a request for the return of my passport and they mentioned that they can only promise to return it within 20 working days. As my exam is on 2nd June 2012, I can't afford to receive my passport more than 15 working days from today.

Does anyone have any past experience requesting their passport to be returned and how long did it take for the UKBA to return them back to you?

Please, any guidance would be appreciated and would help to reduce the stress that I'm feeling at the moment wondering if I can sit for this exam that I've spent months studying for. I have already spoken with the CFA Institute about my situation and they will not consider any alternative ID.

Thanks
Su