ILR Application - for info

[jackrand]

Just some info for anyone applying for ILR.

Went for my ILR this morning with my wife at Croydon. Appointment was for 11:30am. Arrived at about 10:56am (as they recommend you arrive 30 minutes early) and was admitted immediately. Waited in a small queue for about fifteen minutes before being seen by a representative. He asked for our booking number and then proceeded to check our forms and my passport to see if I qualified for ILR (I applied being 4 years on a work permit). After he was satisfied he stamped my forms, and gave me another page with my name, date of birth, sex and call reference number on it. I then took our stamped forms and the new page I was given and proceeded to the first floor to pay my fee (£500...ouch). There was only one person in front of me and this process took about ten minutes.

Once I had paid, I was directed to the second floor to wait for my call reference number to be called. This is the number on the page they gave you when they checked your forms. Mine was A143 but I did hear numbers beginning with P also being called. After about 50 minutes of waiting my number was called and the counter I was to go to. To my recollection there are about 29 counters (I could be mistaken).

The representative took my application forms and our passports. After about five minutes tapping away at his keyboard (I take it he was checking my work permit status and time period), he asked for the letter from my employer. He then disappeared for about three minutes with our forms and passports. Once he returned he asked for proof that I could support my wife and myself. I handed him three months bank statements as well as three months salary slips. He proceeded to check the bank statements to see if my salary went into my account every month and matched with the amount on my salary slips. After he was satisfied he asked for our two photos. He then proceeded to tap away at his keyboard for a minute or so and then stapled my wifes photo and mine to the application form. The other photos were stapled to a separate sheet ie one for me and one for my wife.

He then explained that our passports would be ready in about two hours and that we could leave the building if we wished but to be back by 4pm otherwise they would not allow us back in. He then gave us back the slip of paper with our call reference number and explained that this would allow us entry back into the building and we were then to wait for the same call reference number to be called to collect our passports. The time was now 12:55 and the whole interview had taken about 30 minutes.

We left and arrived back at about 3pm to collect our passports. We showed our slip of paper with the call reference number and we were allowed back into the building. We proceeded to the second floor and waited for our number to be called. After about 50 minutes our number was called and we collected out passports. The lady representative explained that we had been granted indefinite leave to remain and explained that we were not to be out of the country for more than two years otherwise we could lose our ILR status. She also gave us a two page document which explained our ILR status regarding employment, leaving and entering the country and any children born.

With that we scooped up our passports and with an extra skip in our step left Croydon.

phew.....fingers are now sore from typing.....

[John]

Congratulations to you and your wife! Will you both be applying for Naturalisation in a year's time?

Thanks for posting such a detailed account of your day at the Croydon PEO. That will no doubt prove useful to others still to follow in your path.

[jackrand]

Hi there

Thank you very much.

Yes, we wil be applying for naturalisation next year......unless they change the rules....