ILR cautionary tale: Take ALL bank statements and a charger!

[Geezy17]

Hi all,

Just to share my cautionary tale/vent....

I had my appointment on August 7th at the premium service centre and I was SO SURE my application would be a straight forward case. I had all required documents, no complexities (or so I thought), until I got the biggest shock. I honestly feel scammed out of my premium fees but learn from my misfortune.

Here's me:
1. Category: Applying for ILR after 5 yrs on Tier 2 general visa
2. Number of dependents: 0
3. Total cost: £2,887
4. PEO branch: Croydon
5. Documents provided: Appointment letter; Application form; Current and old passports (3); BRP card; 3 months payslips; 3 months bank statement; Life in the UK test; Post-grad degree; Letter from employer confirming work-related absences/annual leave and ongoing employment.

On the day: I arrived on time (11.30) and went through the usual process - security, registration of details, biometrics and then waited, and waited, and waited....and waited. You get the picture.

After 7 long hours (yes, at 6.30 pm) they called me up and asked for the bank statement where my salary is paid. It hadn't even crossed my mind to include this because:
1) I submitted the bank statement from my second account where I move my money as soon as I'm paid (it pays interest and looks healthier); and
2) Since my salary account doesn't have that much money, it didn't seem helpful to include. I've always kept the account where salary goes to because it was the first account I opened in the UK, I have a good history there and it offers other perks.

Given that everything else was fine I thought maybe they would show a little mercy. I asked if the statement I provided doesn't satisfy the maintenance requirement, along with my pay slips. I clearly am not a financial liability. The man said he specifically wanted to see where my salary was paid to. Then he said if I had online banking I could show him on my phone.

Of course at that point my phone was dead after over 7 hrs of waiting! I hadn't anticipated being there for so long so I hadn't brought a charger. I wanted to cry. I asked if I could email it to him as soon as I got home (1.5 hrs later) since he was willing to take an online statement. He agreed and gave me the generic PSC email address.

Since then I've searched every relevant guidance document to see where it says bank statements have to be the same as where salary is paid for Tier 2 visa holders and I haven't been able to find it. Equally frustrating is now I don't have a time frame for receiving a decision (I asked and he wouldn't say) so I could be anywhere in the queue after paying so much for the premium service.

I understand that there's no guarantee they will give a response to a premium application on the same say and I know that they can ask for additional documents so I probably don't have a case to request a refund of my premium fees. But I had all the required documents and it just feels like such a reach to pull me up on this when everything else was is order - I provided multiple forms of evidence that I'm employed, paid above the financial threshold, and I have savings that satisfy maintenance requirements.

Anyway, if you've read this far, learn from my misfortune, people. Take ALL the bank statements and a phone charger!

Thanks to everyone on this board that has shared their experience and wisdom.

[makky86]

Hi all,

Just to share my cautionary tale/vent....

I had my appointment on August 7th at the premium service centre and I was SO SURE my application would be a straight forward case. I had all required documents, no complexities (or so I thought), until I got the biggest shock. I honestly feel scammed out of my premium fees but learn from my misfortune.

Here's me:
1. Category: Applying for ILR after 5 yrs on Tier 2 general visa
2. Number of dependents: 0
3. Total cost: £2,887
4. PEO branch: Croydon
5. Documents provided: Appointment letter; Application form; Current and old passports (3); BRP card; 3 months payslips; 3 months bank statement; Life in the UK test; Post-grad degree; Letter from employer confirming work-related absences/annual leave and ongoing employment.

On the day: I arrived on time (11.30) and went through the usual process - security, registration of details, biometrics and then waited, and waited, and waited....and waited. You get the picture.

After 7 long hours (yes, at 6.30 pm) they called me up and asked for the bank statement where my salary is paid. It hadn't even crossed my mind to include this because:
1) I submitted the bank statement from my second account where I move my money as soon as I'm paid (it pays interest and looks healthier); and
2) Since my salary account doesn't have that much money, it didn't seem helpful to include. I've always kept the account where salary goes to because it was the first account I opened in the UK, I have a good history there and it offers other perks.

Given that everything else was fine I thought maybe they would show a little mercy. I asked if the statement I provided doesn't satisfy the maintenance requirement, along with my pay slips. I clearly am not a financial liability. The man said he specifically wanted to see where my salary was paid to. Then he said if I had online banking I could show him on my phone.

Of course at that point my phone was dead after over 7 hrs of waiting! I hadn't anticipated being there for so long so I hadn't brought a charger. I wanted to cry. I asked if I could email it to him as soon as I got home (1.5 hrs later) since he was willing to take an online statement. He agreed and gave me the generic PSC email address.

Since then I've searched every relevant guidance document to see where it says bank statements have to be the same as where salary is paid for Tier 2 visa holders and I haven't been able to find it. Equally frustrating is now I don't have a time frame for receiving a decision (I asked and he wouldn't say) so I could be anywhere in the queue after paying so much for the premium service.

I understand that there's no guarantee they will give a response to a premium application on the same say and I know that they can ask for additional documents so I probably don't have a case to request a refund of my premium fees. But I had all the required documents and it just feels like such a reach to pull me up on this when everything else was is order - I provided multiple forms of evidence that I'm employed, paid above the financial threshold, and I have savings that satisfy maintenance requirements.

Anyway, if you've read this far, learn from my misfortune, people. Take ALL the bank statements and a phone charger!

Thanks to everyone on this board that has shared their experience and wisdom.

It is clearly mentioned in the form to bring last 3 months bank statement along with original pay slip to prove that you're being paid. I am sure everyone who is on Tier 2 knows about this.

But thanks for sharing this information.

[gratefulhart]

Your bank statement is not for maintenance purpose. It is to confirm that you are being paid the same amount written on your payslips and reference letter from your employer.

I hope you get your ILR soon

1) I submitted the bank statement from my second account where I move my money as soon as I'm paid (it pays interest and looks healthier); and
2) Since my salary account doesn't have that much money, it didn't seem helpful to include. I've always kept the account where salary goes to because it was the first account I opened in the UK, I have a good history there and it offers other perks.

Given that everything else was fine I thought maybe they would show a little mercy. I asked if the statement I provided doesn't satisfy the maintenance requirement, along with my pay slips. I clearly am not a financial liability. The man said he specifically wanted to see where my salary was paid to. Then he said if I had online banking I could show him on my phone.



Since then I've searched every relevant guidance document to see where it says bank statements have to be the same as where salary is paid for Tier 2 visa holders and I haven't been able to find it. Equally frustrating is now I don't have a time frame for receiving a decision (I asked and he wouldn't say) so I could be anywhere in the queue after paying so much for the premium service.

[CR001]

As the other posters have stated, there is no maintenance requirement for ILR and the requirement is to submit bank statements where your salary is paid into.

[paradoxical]

If you had only googled "Tier 2 Policy guidance", it has a section on requirements for settlement. And on page 62, it states exactly what documents are required. All that is required is a letter from employer , most recent payslip and bank statement showing the payment of your salary, as shown on your payslip. All this is mentioned very clearly, and you can find this information from several sources.
Here is the document link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... _04_17.pdf

Hopefully you will get your ILR soon but as has been mentioned, the bank statement's purpose was to show your salary and it had nothing to do with maintenance. Good luck

[Geezy17]

Thanks, all! I I looked through the Tier 2 guidance but I must have either focused on the wrong section or looked at a different version of document. I accept it was my oversight but still annoying nonetheless.

Anyhow, I have no choice but to be patient now. The online status check just says 'awaiting decision' so hopefully my case worker will revisit my application soonish.