Just sharing our experience in case it helps others out there.
Ours was a reasonably straight forward application. My husband applied using the set(m) application form. He arrived on his spouse visa in Jan 2009 expiry was April 2011, so we decided to apply this month.
The first thing he did before we booked our appointment at the Public Enquiry Office was to book and pass his Life in the UK test. Once that was passed we booked our appointment at Cardiff PEO for a week later (I read that you must leave it at least 2 days after the test). We then organised our file which included:
1. Completed set(m) application form
2. Life in UK pass letter
3. 2 x photos of applicant (my husband) 1 x photo of spouse (me)
4. Marriage certicate
5. 3 months husbands bank statements
6. 3 months my bank statements
7. 3 months husbands wage slips
8. 3 months my wage slips
9. Husbands P60's for 2 years
10. Letter from husbands employer
11. Letters in joint names which included joint bank account, council tax bills, water bills, tenancy agreement (approx 12 letters)
12. A few letters not in joint names (these were from the first couple of months my husband was here as we had not yet opened joint accounts etc.), which included N.I. letter, letter to confirm opening his bank account, a letter about my work pension scheme etc. (approx 6 letters).
13. Both of our passports
We went into the office around 9.00 for our 9.30 appointment. Went through security and sat in the waiting room. We didn't wait very long at all until we were called. At the first counter the lady checked all of our documents, and I had also made photocopies of everything. She then took the documents from the file along with the photocopies and told us that once we had paid we could leave the office and they would call my husband on his mobile when the case worker had reached a decision. We went next door to pay the application fee and then went into the town while our case was being decided, this was around 10.00. We went back around 13.30 as we had not heard and we were told it would be another 45 mins or so. Around 14.15 we got the call to say we could go back. We went through security again and only waited around 5 mins once sat down until the lady called us. We were then told that the ILR had been granted and that my husbands passport would be sent off to Sheffield to have the vignette put inside and he would receive it recorded delivery in a few days. The lady gave us back our original documents, and some of the photocopies as she didn't need all the letters we had included! Better to have too much though. And we went home feeling very happy and this was only yesterday so a lovely valentines day!
Hope this helps some of you out there
