London102 wrote:Hi global gypsy,
Thanks very much. I look forward to hearing the information about whether or not the letter is required to be presented at interview.
global gypsy wrote:
London102, Spartac has answered your query. The point about whether we need the interview letter in hand I can confirm by tomorrow.
Spartac & London102:
My interview was at 5:30pm, and I visited a friend after that, hence this late posting...
I did receive my letter this morning and took it with me to the interview. However, I couldn't find it in my bag when I got to the reception! Luckily, I had jotted down the interview reference number in my notebook, and provided the number to them based on that.
So I can confirm that you don't need to show the letter at the IPS interview office.
(Funnily enough, I found the letter stuck in a remote part of my bag on my return home!)
The interview itself went off quite well. In addition to the information you provide in the passport application form (also your ILR application, I think!), they ask you about other things that you would be expected to know, e.g. your bank accounts, whether you have mortgage etc. etc. Pretty straightforward stuff.
Since mine was the last interview of the day, we had a nice chat on various topics. I even offered some feedback, e.g. that they should include the £3 (for the safe return of our documents) as part of the standard passport application fee, rather than leaving it as an optional element. Overall quite a nice experience.
I was told I could expect to receive my passport in about a week's time.
Hope I beat Spartac to the finishing line!
All the best.