ILR Success! HSMP JR pre November case - Croydon PEO

[linearkieran]

Hello guys,

Thanks to this forum, lovely guys helping others out and HSMP Forum Ltd.

Applied for ILR for myself and wifey yesterday, 15/07/11 at Croydon PEO. I have a boy but born here in UK so I did not include him in this application to save me few bucks.

Appointment was at 11:15am, reached well early at 10:15am and was asked to come back at 10:45am. Croydon PEO is a busy one so if you have got an appointment, you might want to take a walk to the shopping centre nearby as they won't let you in early.

Security check - as explained by other cases it is airport type security check.

Initial assessment - you will be assessed on the ground floor for initial assessment before they give you a token number. Keep your appoinment reference number and your application form out for this. They will ask you some questions like are you applying under HSMP JR? Have you got the documents to prove your economic activity? etc. Here it took some time for them to check my details I would not know why, but eventually I was given a token number and was asked to go the first floor, pay the fees on the left side counters and then wait on the right side for the token number to be called.

I went to the first floor, paid my fees. (called the bank a day before to tell them I was going to make this payment, was ready to call them if need be)

Then the wait started. It was a big waiting area, I was surprised by the fact that the counters were like they are in banks etc with a glass in between the caseworker and yourself. There is small partition in between two counters but from what I was reading from some cases from the forum I was thinking it would be individual cabins. May be at other PEOs. Anyway, there are two fixed seats provided for applicants and their partners to sit. You will have to stand up though while you talk or want to get documents out as they are bit further from the desk.

I had paid my fees by 11:10am but had to wait until 12 for my number to be called so I would recommend others to try and get an early appoinment if possible. For me travel was a problem, hence bit late appoinment.

In my form I had ticked HSMP under the terms of HSMP ILR judicial review policy document in Section 3, in Documents section I had selected 10G. I had also provided a reference number from my approval letter back in 2006 in 1.10 Home office reference number if you have one.

It was a lady caseworker for me, she asked my payment receipt and application form first. Then she said she would ask for the documents she thinks would be needed. She read my cover letter, went through the form. She asked me for economic activity over the 5 years period i.e. P60s. Then she asked me for Employment letter, 3 payslips. Then she asked me to provide with cohabitation proof for the last two years period. Here I had few problems as I did not have much on my wife's name. She finally settled with a card protection policy I had. So for cohabitation proof she took a letter from NHS, driving license counter part, Barclays bank statement, Children regular saver letter from Halifax and the Card protection policy statement. Finally she asked for my last 3 months bank statements and she also took council tax letter which was on my name. I was then asked to wait for half an hour again while she could made her checks. She took bit longer than she said and I got myself something to eat from the coffee shop on the second floor.

Finally at 1 o clock, I was called again for the good news and I was asked to come back again in an hour to collect the passports. I collected my passports before 2 and was out of the building.

Thank you guys again. Let me know if I could be of any help.

[mk357]

Congratulations and thanks for the detailed information which I am sure would be useful for the forum members, like myself.

[hariff_m]

Hello guys,

Thanks to this forum, lovely guys helping others out and HSMP Forum Ltd.

Applied for ILR for myself and wifey yesterday, 15/07/11 at Croydon PEO. I have a boy but born here in UK so I did not include him in this application to save me few bucks.

Appointment was at 11:15am, reached well early at 10:15am and was asked to come back at 10:45am. Croydon PEO is a busy one so if you have got an appointment, you might want to take a walk to the shopping centre nearby as they won't let you in early.

Security check - as explained by other cases it is airport type security check.

Initial assessment - you will be assessed on the ground floor for initial assessment before they give you a token number. Keep your appoinment reference number and your application form out for this. They will ask you some questions like are you applying under HSMP JR? Have you got the documents to prove your economic activity? etc. Here it took some time for them to check my details I would not know why, but eventually I was given a token number and was asked to go the first floor, pay the fees on the left side counters and then wait on the right side for the token number to be called.

I went to the first floor, paid my fees. (called the bank a day before to tell them I was going to make this payment, was ready to call them if need be)

Then the wait started. It was a big waiting area, I was surprised by the fact that the counters were like they are in banks etc with a glass in between the caseworker and yourself. There is small partition in between two counters but from what I was reading from some cases from the forum I was thinking it would be individual cabins. May be at other PEOs. Anyway, there are two fixed seats provided for applicants and their partners to sit. You will have to stand up though while you talk or want to get documents out as they are bit further from the desk.

I had paid my fees by 11:10am but had to wait until 12 for my number to be called so I would recommend others to try and get an early appoinment if possible. For me travel was a problem, hence bit late appoinment.

In my form I had ticked HSMP under the terms of HSMP ILR judicial review policy document in Section 3, in Documents section I had selected 10G. I had also provided a reference number from my approval letter back in 2006 in 1.10 Home office reference number if you have one.

It was a lady caseworker for me, she asked my payment receipt and application form first. Then she said she would ask for the documents she thinks would be needed. She read my cover letter, went through the form. She asked me for economic activity over the 5 years period i.e. P60s. Then she asked me for Employment letter, 3 payslips. Then she asked me to provide with cohabitation proof for the last two years period. Here I had few problems as I did not have much on my wife's name. She finally settled with a card protection policy I had. So for cohabitation proof she took a letter from NHS, driving license counter part, Barclays bank statement, Children regular saver letter from Halifax and the Card protection policy statement. Finally she asked for my last 3 months bank statements and she also took council tax letter which was on my name. I was then asked to wait for half an hour again while she could made her checks. She took bit longer than she said and I got myself something to eat from the coffee shop on the second floor.

Finally at 1 o clock, I was called again for the good news and I was asked to come back again in an hour to collect the passports. I collected my passports before 2 and was out of the building.

Thank you guys again. Let me know if I could be of any help.

Hi linearkieran,

congrats. Can you tell me when u were granted ur initial HSMP, please?

Hariff

[linearkieran]

I got my approval on 14 July 2006 while I was in UK already. I got my visa stamped on 9 August 2006.

[fora]

could u tell us please what last visa was in ur passprt when u applied for ilr.Was it Tier1G?

[linearkieran]

This is the cover letter I wrote for my application.

------------------------------------------------
Public Enquiry Office
Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY

<DATE>

Re: Indefinite leave to remain application

Dear Caseworker,

I applied and was granted my Highly Skilled Migrant Visa on <DATE>. Therefore I am covered by the 6 April 2009 judgement in the judicial review brought by the HSMP Forum Ltd.

I got my extension for further 3 years on <DATE>.

I now complete my 5 years stay in qualifying categories and would like to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. Please find the completed SET(O) form and enclosed documents for my application.

Yours sincerely,
<NAME>

Enclosed:

Photographs
Passports
SET(O) Application form
Financial evidence
3 months payslips
3 months bank statements
Employment letter
5 years P60s
Evidence of Cohabitation
Previous visa application and approval letters (All the correspondence)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[linearkieran]

Hi Fora,

Yes, I was on tier 1 general migrant. So it was HSMP (2 years) + Tier 1 (3 years).

[fora]

thanks a lot for your answers,linearkieran
Wish you all the best luck with citizenship application