First I want to thank you all for your advice and best wishes. I too wish you all the luck in the world if you are applying for your ILR. But I started this thread because I realised I had a very long wait ahead of me and I wanted to speak to similar people for support as I am very much alone in all this. Much to my surprise people have been kindly offering advice which I am more than grateful for. So before more advice is given here's the history of my situation.
First travelled to the UK on a working holiday visa in 1990 and mainly travelled. Returned to NZ in 1991 due to a family illness, fully expecting to stay but family problems prompted me to completed my "working holiday" in 1993, UKBA gave me another year. I was offered a permanent and my employer knew my immigration status. Family problems escalated with my sister being physically abused by my parents and forced out of the home. With this happening back home I was too scared to go back so when my visa ended in 1994 and sat and waited for either my employer to ask me to leave or the letter from UKBA asking to voluntarily go. None of this happened, time moved on rapidally and 16 years later I'm still here. For those 16 years I have paid income tax, NI and council tax and have not once broken the law, apart from the obvious. Completely paid my way, not once relied on the state and not defaulted on any debts. As I said in my last post I have had many dealings with the police but as a victim of thief. I have had all the financial and criminal checks due to my profession and not once has my illegal status arisen.
Last year I had enough of living a lie, waiting to be caught and working in a job I hated, therefore wanted out. I only discovered about the 14 year policy by accident when I was researching what the penalties would be for overstaying. Phone an immigration solicitor for advice and was told I had a good case. I had two options to stay put or to go for it. The latter seemed the right thing to do so I quit my job with enough savings to last me a year so I could concentrate on my ILR. Not once did my solicitor tell me that the timescales could be longer than 6 months!! At the moment I think it would have changed my mind. But I am already on that journey so I will continue until the worse happens.
The documents I sent with my application are (please note I submitted my application via a solicitor):
P60s/Payslips since 1993 to current (I have not been unemployed)
Bank Statements for 3 months (as stated in the UKBA checklist - but if they take 2 years to process they will be out of date)
PD11s - another proof of continuous employment and income tax contributions
Mortgage statements for 12 years
My degree certificate - I completed my university education in the UK
References from friends and work colleagues
Life in UK test pass certificate
Passport with entry stamp and original visa
Current passport
Council tax bills since 1993 (though some are missing)
Land Registry documentation proving I am the owner of my property
And another random documentation I thought would be helpful.
The only documentation I could not provide was tenancy agreements from 1993-1998 as I was flat sharing during that time and my flatmate held the agreement. I have had absolutely no absences since my arrival in 1993. I've actively participated in charity fund raising and supporting the local community.
Now I'm sitting here waiting patiently, trying not to go crazy. Thought I would be able to do volunteer work while I waited but was very wrong. Hoping I'm one of the very lucky ones who get their decision sooner rather than very later.
Any advice or comments greatly appreciated.
I'm not a very patient person, that's another problem!! I am a very active person and like to get involved in things. I quit my job in November (wanted a fresh start and didn't want to be working illegally whilst applying for ILR) and after 2 months of sitting around waiting I'm going stir crazy and I'm running out of free things to do in London. I want to get back to work!! Volunteering appears to be out of the question because they too need proof of legal immigration status.
I used a solicitor to process my app and he never mentioned that.