Can't send documents within timefram what to do

[Zalchy]

Hello everyone,

I desperately need some advice. I have been gathering documents and preparing to apply for naturalization for months now. I have studied lived and worked in the UK for 10 years.

I paid the fee, submitted my biometrics or should I say they were submitted for me at the post office ( I planned to send everything together via post) and today on the day I was to send over all the relevant documents there have been unforeseen circumstances which will prevent me from sending the relevant documents over within the 10 working day limit I have been given.

I phoned the Home Office and enquired how to proceed, if there is anything specific I should do and they told me that if I cannot send the documents (seeing how my biometric information has already been and gone through the post office) that I will be charged in full. £1330!!!

I nearly had a heart attack on the spot as from what I understood of the invalid applications is that you receive a refund minus the administration fee of £25. I have phones numerous times asking them to please advise who to speak to and what to do but all I got from them was that they cannot comment on the outcome and that there is a 95% chance I will be charged for the whole thing.

Has anyone had a similar experience or can anyone please offer some advice? I have 3 days left until the deadline any help would be very much appreciated. I have been saving for years and surely if the application is incomplete it will be rejected as invalid? I applied online (not sure if that is relevant.

SO far all they have is the fee, my application and the bio-metric details.

ANY help from anyone would be greatly appreciated as I am absolutely devastated.

Thank you

Z

[cyclina1]

Hello everyone,

I desperately need some advice. I have been gathering documents and preparing to apply for naturalization for months now. I have studied lived and worked in the UK for 10 years.

I paid the fee, submitted my biometrics or should I say they were submitted for me at the post office ( I planned to send everything together via post) and today on the day I was to send over all the relevant documents there have been unforeseen circumstances which will prevent me from sending the relevant documents over within the 10 working day limit I have been given.

I phoned the Home Office and enquired how to proceed, if there is anything specific I should do and they told me that if I cannot send the documents (seeing how my biometric information has already been and gone through the post office) that I will be charged in full. £1330!!!

I nearly had a heart attack on the spot as from what I understood of the invalid applications is that you receive a refund minus the administration fee of £25. I have phones numerous times asking them to please advise who to speak to and what to do but all I got from them was that they cannot comment on the outcome and that there is a 95% chance I will be charged for the whole thing.

Has anyone had a similar experience or can anyone please offer some advice? I have 3 days left until the deadline any help would be very much appreciated. I have been saving for years and surely if the application is incomplete it will be rejected as invalid? I applied online (not sure if that is relevant.

Try to book a document return service with council. See if you are lucky to have a quick appointment -

https://www.gov.uk/government/collectio ... rn-service


SO far all they have is the fee, my application and the bio-metric details.

ANY help from anyone would be greatly appreciated as I am absolutely devastated.

Thank you

Z

[cyclina1]

For your futher info

you can go to any local council to have this service. not only the one you live in, so you can call them to see any of them can provide you service within 3 days.

[Zalchy]

Thank you for your comment.

That is not the issue. The problem is I now cannot supply one of the required documents within the required time frame.

I was told at the council today that I should just wait and not send the aplplication, but now I am terrified I will be denied due to missing the time frame. I assumed this would just delay my application, I rang the Home Office 4 times today and every person I speak to is saying something different. It was my understanding my application will not be complete and considered until I send off all the relevant documents.

They also told me there is absolutely nothing I can do. For the amount of money in consideration I cannot believe this is the case. One person said that when the post office submitted the biometric information that starts the application, although this was never specified anywhere.

I am now unsure weather to wait to hear back from them (I e-mailed several branches of the home office today) or to send what I have and hope I can add the missing later. I want to act correctly while I am still within the 10 day time frame. I have requested for my application not to be processed.

Will they just refuse it or contact me in regards to the missing document and we can re-arrange a new date? I am desperate to have a sufficient answer from someone but have been told my decision is now in the hands of whomever receives my application on their desk. Surely if I do not send my passport the application would be considered invalid?

If anyone has had a similar experience (documents lost on the post, missing the deadline atc. I would be eternally grateful.

Z

[rooney0511]

Just post the application with whatever you have now, write a covering letter saying that you will be sending additional documents shortly, it will be fine.

A friend of mine did that and he had no issues whatsoever.

[Zalchy]

Thank you,

I am very reluctant to send anything as I am worried my application will then be assessed and rejected with a full fee applicable. I do not know when I will be able to provide all the required documentation at this point.

i wasn't initially to worried as the checklist I received after paying online states:

If you do not provide all the mandatory documents your application will be rejected. Your application will not be considered and an administration fee for each person included in the application will be deducted from your refund.

As the passport is a mandatory document I expect my application would be invalid and I would be charged the administration fee. At this point this is what I am hoping for but every time I phone the Home Office I am told something different.

If anyone has had a similar experience or can offer some guidance please, I am absolutely desperate at this stage. To loose all that money would be unthinkable.

[CR001]

Which document or documents specifically are you not now able to send??

[Zalchy]

Thank you for your comment.

At this stage due to a bureaucracy mix up I have been left without my main supporting document - the passport. I have no idea when it will be returned to me.

I was initially not worried as the check list I was due to send with the document states:

If you do not provide all the mandatory documents your application will be rejected. Your application will not be considered and an administration fee for each person included in the application will be deducted from your refund.

But after calling the Home office they set me into complete panic telling me I will be charged in full and can do nothing. They also told me there is no one I can contact and nothing I can do about it.

I just don't believe that and am trying to do anything I can to prepare for the worst.

[CR001]

Where is your passport then??

[Zalchy]

Thank you for the comment.

It has been accidentally added to a wrong folder with some paperwork and sent back home. I will be able to retrieve it but certainly not within my deadline.

I am absolutely loosing my mind with worry now and just trying to find out what could be done. I'm not sure if I can go on what the Home Office told me on the phone. I would not worry too much if I hadn't phoned them and been told this.

Wondering if I should also post a letter, or an additional e-mail explaining the circumstances. For all I know all the worry could be for nothing as my application will be considered invalid and that is that but for that much money I want to be sure.

I just can't believe it could all be taken just like that.

[CR001]

Your flag suggests you are an EU citizen. Do you have a EU Identity card??

[Zalchy]

Thank you for your answer.

No not anymore. Also I put passport on the application form not the identity card so I assume that would not work either. I am just torn between doing nothing and sending what I have. I would assume that not sending my required documents will make the application invalid and that will be the end of that. It does say so on the paperwork - the online check list.

But the people at the Home Office have scared me now and I just don't know what to do or who to turn for for the best solution.

[demiane]

Do you have a photocopy of the passport? That might do for now. Explain in a covering letter the situation and that you will send the original as soon as you retrieve it.

You might also want to call an immigration lawyer and see what they recommend.

[Zalchy]

Thank you,

I will see if I can get some legal advice. I'm just shocked because the form does state I will be charged an administration fee only if the required documents are not submitted.

I understand there are procedures but my application has not even been processed and I am already being told no. The information is a bit over the place. Also I did not ask the post office to send my biometrics immediately. I understand this is what they do now but it doesn't say anywhere this is the point of no return.

Should I send them a letter requesting to just not process the application?

Z

[demiane]

I wouldn't trust the HO officers, they are known in this forum for giving wrong advice quite often. My personal experience with them is also quite bad. I would really recommend calling a lawyer about this.

[Zalchy]

Thank you!

I was just told by them that they cannot comment or tell me what I should do. They cannot advise me in any way but there is a 95 % chance I will be charged in full.

Also, when I asked them about details they were going on the website and reading the sections providing information that way. I would expect them to be trained and to know all this to be able to advise correctly.

Just very frustrating, the anxiety I am feeling right now is indescribable and it could be due to them just misinforming me.

[CR001]

The call centre is an outsourced third party and poorly trained. You are not speaking an HO employee or caseworker.

[TheRock9]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your situation. But you might lose all the fee if you don't send the documents within the 10 days period. So why not take a chance and right a cover letter and explain the situation and include the photocopy of the passport.

Send the original passport as soon as you got that. Post it to HO by special delivery mentioning your case number which you must have received by now after submitting the fee.

Thanks

[Zalchy]

Thank you,

It did seem they had little knowledge on the matter when I spoke to them.
The Check list I received upon payment does state if the Mandatory Information (Passport) is not provided my application will not be considered and I will be refunded minus the administration fee.

I am sorry I phoned them. I wonder if I should keep trying to get to speak to someone more qualified in advising me.

Because of what that documents states I am reluctant to send anything through incomplete without the mandatory requirements. And also after reading the unresolved application section it does seem there would be a procedure in place if they do not receive my documents where they contact me proposing new dates etc.

It just seems unreal that it would just be a sorry no minus all the money.

Z

[CR001]

I am sorry I phoned them. I wonder if I should keep trying to get to speak to someone more qualified in advising me.

The call centre is an outsourced third party and poorly trained. You are not speaking an HO employee or caseworker.

[Zalchy]

I am sorry I phoned them. I wonder if I should keep trying to get to speak to someone more qualified in advising me.

The call centre is an outsourced third party and poorly trained. You are not speaking an HO employee or caseworker.

Well I certainly wish they would not give out the wrong information then. I haven't slept or eaten in 2 days, I had to take time off work and just completely panicking now about what to do.

[itsnotlupus]

If you know where your passport is DHL (or other companies) have express document shipping services and you can get your passport back in a day, provided there is someone who can send it over.

[Zalchy]

Thank you yes I have looked into that however, it hos not even yet arrived to its destination.

I called them again and again they were very unsure of anything. They said that if the document I received states my application will not be considered then that is the case.

I am sending them a cover letter just in case to be added to my application. Fingers crossed, I guess not much more I can do.

[TheRock9]

Thank you yes I have looked into that however, it hos not even yet arrived to its destination.

I called them again and again they were very unsure of anything. They said that if the document I received states my application will not be considered then that is the case.

I am sending them a cover letter just in case to be added to my application. Fingers crossed, I guess not much more I can do.

Hi,

I am afraid nothing much you can do. The maximum loss is your full fee, but i hope they should ask for the passport later.

Thanks

[Zalchy]

Thank you,

I am hoping my apllication will just not be considered as stated on the cover letter they sent. If not I will argue that further.

Dont see how they cold take the money for an application they cannot even process. Seems a bit excessive and I'm sure other people get special corcumstances and things happen like in my case.