Hi,
Like many others who have benefited from this forum, I would like to share our recent experience of ILR success at PEO Birmingham:
The application:
WP + HSMP + Tier1 to satisfy the requirement of 4 years residence under the HSMP (JR) rule. The application is with my spouse as a dependent.
The appointment:
In the first week of January, I started my attempts to book an appointment using both the phone in the morning and online booking for the rest of the day. I took onboard the advice given on the forum for online booking that appointments online were mainly made available between 5 to 7 pm of the day. I guess with that clue, coupled with a bit of luck and persistence, I managed to book an appointment for 2 persons for 9 a.m. 15 Feb 2010 at PEO Birmingham after trying for about 4 days. It is true that even though some future weeks were already listed – it did not necessarily mean that appointments are open up to that week – it was in fact only up to about 2 or 3 weeks before the latest week on the list.
The day:
My spouse and I travelled by car to Solihull and arrived at about 8 a.m. We parked in the nearby car park about 3 minutes walk away. Since their doors were not yet open, we sought refuge from the cold in the Touchwood Shopping centre about 3 minutes away – using the entrance from the John Lewis car park. Even though the shops were still shut, the washroom facilities were open and there were seats in the foyer to wait in the warmth.
We made our way back to the PEO at about 8.30 am. This time we find the main door open, and there were 3 applicants queuing before us. At about 8.40 am, the reception door opened, and each applicant was asked to pass through security checks involving metal screening and bag-searching, then given a number. We got the 4th number. My netbook was removed from the bag and I was given a slip to reclaim it when leaving.
Once inside, we sat and waited. There was a plasma TV indicating the queue status and there was a water cooler. After about 5 minutes wait, the first and second applicants’ number were called. Ours were called at about 9.20 am. We proceeded to the counter, and exchanged greetings with a friendly woman as we sat down.
She asked me to hand over just my application form, photos, and passports only. She then flipped through the application form and then said she will now retrieve our records on their system. She then examined my passports while verifying the absences from the UK section. She asked about a stamp on my passport which I explained. She then asked me if I have pay slips for the past three months, which I promptly handed over. She then took out a checklist, and started ticking boxes and making notes.
She said she will now read my passport, and left the counter. After awhile, she returned and said everything’s fine, handed me a slip, and asked me to pay at the cashier counter with the slip. I went to the cashier counter and made the payment with a credit card. Upon return, the caseworker said everything is ok now, and she has decided to grant us ILR based upon my application. She explained that we can come back to collect our passports at about 11.30 am. I asked if she needed my P60s, she said that she has the information on the system, but she will take only the most recent one from me.
I reclaimed my netbook before leaving, and spent the next 2 hours in the nearby Touchwood shopping centre, and returned to the PEO at about 11.15 am. The waiting room is now almost full with very few empty seats. On the plasmaTV, we see that the queue for collection was listed with our number on. At about 11.50 am, our number was called to the security/reception where our passports, documents, and letter of endorsements were handed over to us. We checked that everything is fine, and left the PEO with much joy and relief.
There is also a letter that states that our ILR is backdated by about 12 months. I have never handed in the exact period for which I am claiming ILR for, but the caseworker must have worked that out from their system. We did not expect the backdating as there was a short gap of about (6 weeks) for the work permit that the backdating was for. The gap was simply because my employer (HR of a UK university) submitted the FLR for the work permit extension a little late. Although it was for the same job and by the same employer – I decided not to use the older work permit’s time in the 4 year calculation. I suspect the caseworker, in this case, may have ignored that small gap, and therefore issued us the backdated ILR letter.
Despite the initial difficulty in booking an appointment, we find the whole PEO experience very pleasant, organised and efficient. I hope this elaborated description is of some value.
Thank you to all of you who had contributed useful and timely information to this forum, and best wishes to everyone who is applying soon.
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