First of all, I'd like to say thank you to all of you and especially to those who have helped me via PMs.
A little bit of background about my case - pretty straight-forward:
Background Info:
- Five-year WP holder - same employer throughout.
My appointment today is exactly 28 days away from my work permit's expiry date.
EC date was a day after the WP's "valid from" date.
Total number of days outside the UK was less than 180 and no single absence was greater than 90 days.
Next, I'd like to share with you my experience at the Croydon PEO this morning.
Croydon PEO:
Overall, I think the whole experience was very pleasant. Members of staff were friendly (more than I expected) & professional.
- Appointment booked at 8am. I arrived at 7am and was the first one there. I decided to spend some times to find a Starbucks for a cup of coffee nearby.
Got back at 7:20am and started queuing up, a security guy now appeared outside and he was extremely friendly. I was the second in the queue but first to be processed.
7:30am sharp, both doors open, I started moving to the airport-style security check, afterwards I was guided to one of the counters in the hall on the ground floor. A member of the staff checked my application form & passport quickly and issued me a ticket and advised me to go the 1st floor.
The "messengers" staff (standing at the stairwell) were very friendly, greeted me and guided me to where to go.
7:37am: Made my payment at one of those designated counters and then asked to move across the hall to sit down & wait in the waiting area on the 1st floor.
7:58am: my ticket number was called to one of the counters. A friendly lady apologised me for the wait and asked me for my application form & photographs. She did some sort of checking my application form & scanning my photo then told me to wait by the Biometric area.
8:08am: was asked to go to one of the counters in the Biometric area. The standard process took about 10 minutes. The lady then told me to go to the 2nd floor.
8:20am: Moved to the second floor and again, was the first person there. Waited….
8:50am: Finally a voice from the tannoy started calling out my ticket number. I moved to the counter, the case worker greeted me and asked for my passport & documents.
9:50am: The lady called me over and said my ILR application has been successful, gave me the letters confirming so and told me that a biometric card will be sent to my address within the next 7 working days.
- I started bringing out my ring-bound folder and she just asked me to give the whole thing to her. I was a little surprised as I was expecting her to ask for each document in turn.
She told me that she’d have a look at my application and warned me that it might take around 1.5 hours. She advised me to go elsewhere or just wait in the waiting area.
In my folder, I had separated my documents (except my passports) into 3 main categories, they were kept in punched pockets. Documents inside each pocket were further split by paper clips. They are:
I had a bunch of other supporting documents (e.g. 5 years P60s, 12months’ bank statements & payslips, original work permit document) but didn’t provide them to the lady.
- Passports (previous & current)
Application form
Originals:Photocopies: of all of the above except the application form
- - Appointment letter printed from email
- Life in the UK pass certificate (scored 100% btw)
- 3 months’ bank statement (one of which is a temporary one requested at one of the HSBC branches)
- Letter from my employer
- 3 months’ payslips (electronic but stamped plus a cover letter from HR stating that the payslips are true copies of the originals)
- Letter from my immigration adviser
10:00am: Left the building with a very happy face
Toilets were clean!
Note that you are not allowed to bring food & drinks inside. I had to leave my cup of coffee outside :p There are vending machines & a cafeteria inside the waiting area.
In the next section, as promised, I'd like to provide you some details on my supporting documents
Details of my supporting documents:
- Employment letter template:
HR certification of electronic payslips template:
Schedule of absences template:
Letter from immigration adviser:https://dl.dropbox.com/u/35884310/Sched ... neric.xlsx
This sheet was printed out & attached to the application form.
HSBC temporary bank statement:This is like a cover letter printed in the adviser's company's headed paper. The document states the full list of supporting documents as stated above.
There is also a statement in the letter saying that I clearly meets the ILR criteria and contact details for further documentation if necessaryHSBC doesn't stamp temporary bank statements. I would recommend you to ask for a Clearing Balance letter to supplement the statement. This letter contains your name & home address and has Branch manager's signature
Well, that's all guys. Once again, I'd like to thank you all for your support. If it is your turn next then best of luck.
I am happy to answer any questions and will provide update on the delivery of my card.
Thanks
Conan
PS: I forgot to mention that you'd receive an "appointment notification" email immediately from NoReply@ukba.gsi.gov.uk after each stage was done. In total, I received 10 notification emails from this address on the day.