Cannot vary application at Premium Service Centre (PSC)

[darklym]

Not sure if this is the place to post this, so please feel free to move this where it is most relevant:

I drove from Glasgow to Sheffield last week to attend an early morning Premium Service Appointment. My intent was a simple variance from an FLR(m) to a Tier 2 Dependent extension. I had planned this based on quite a number of posts here dealing with this, and in particular the experience of a board member, who was successful, here.

All my supporting paperwork and completed FLR(m) application had been sent to UKVI Home Office Sheffield (in the same building as the PSC) a couple of weeks earlier, and I was now arriving with a completed Tier 2 application in hand.

The caseworker took about an hour, then called me over to say that although they had all the paperwork necessary to approve my varied application, and it would have taken them a few minutes to pull up my file and complete everything right there and then, the rules had changed a few weeks earlier, and they were no longer permitted to vary at a same-day appointment, and I would be now be required to send everything in a postal application (to London, in this case). They did appreciate the absurdity of the situation, but the rules were unbending. End of story.

Luckily, they agreed to refund my fees, however this is apparently not a given. So, just for anyone thinking of trying this, it will no longer work.

[CR001]

Useful to not that the topic you have lined to is from 2016. Rules change often and it is the applicants responsibility to keep abreast of things and possibly read up on the forum where members have been advised many times about this varying rule change.

[darklym]

You're absolutely right, Char. But I must say I've read all the posts regarding this and couldn't find any which stated it was impossible. What people were saying was that PSCs (and Priority postal I assume) would no longer vary complicated applications, and I assumed mine was quite simple, especially since I went to the same office so there was no need to shuffle my paperwork across the country. But it was worth a try, since I had considered how damaging it could be for my work and family life to be waiting 6 months for this to be done via post, and the cost of the attempt was relatively minimal. But alas, I've no other choice now.

[vinny]

They did appreciate the absurdity of the situation, but the rules were unbending. End of story.