Experience at PEO Croydon

[joy_kavee]

Hi

First of all, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this forum. I am sure that the information, tips and previous experiences have helped everyone in some way or other. I am extremely grateful to you all.

I had my same day appointment for Tier 1 extension at croydon in the month of November 2011.

Well, i won't go into details into what documents that you need to bring as there is enough information to help you in this forum.

First, you need to be there 30 mins before your scheduled appointment. Don't try to enter any earlier, they won't let you. Then you will have to queue and follow some kind of airport security. Just a tip to any female applicant, just to avoid bring things like make up, rings or ear rings etc etc in your bag ,, as they will check every single thing if the bell rings. And you are the biggest loser as you waste time and other will go ahead of you. Guys( remove the belt to save time)

After wards, everythings is well guided , where to pay and where to go.

Payment: Make sure that you call your bank and inform them that you will be making a big payment. In this way , your payment won't be stopped at the crucial moment.

In general, staff at croydon are very good, understanding , not intimidating and as most public services, they have a very relaxed working enviroment.

Be confident of what you are doing .

Coming to giving your bio metrics, just make sure you remember if you have ever ever given your fingerprints to the police , post office or anywhere in the UK. Disclose it and if you want your case to speed up, please tell them where exactly , date and time if possible of where you have previously given your finger print. Do it this way and when UKBA contacts the police, they will know where exactly to check on police data base. Also, they will check you bio metrics with 2 data bases, one is immigration and second they need to get in touch with police.

You have got to wait a while , some took 30 mins , others took 5 hours before you get to see the case worker.

Now, I would suggest you do bring some food and drink with you. It may or may not be a drainning process but better be prepared. There are 2 vending machines for chocolates.
At croydon , there is a small cafe , just where you wait for your case to be called. It is very very VERY expensive food. A cofee cost £2.40 . You get cold sandwiches and biscuits. Bring your own food or you have got to spend a lot if you need to wait. The lady working in the cafe is very rude. Don't argue with her to spoil your day.

Feel free to go to toilet as there are speakers even in the toilet, so if you are called , you can hear it anywhere you are.

When you are there, try to be positive. You will see some people getting stressed , others having intense conversation with their case worker. Don't be affected . Focus on your positivity.

Now A tip : If you are not called after 3 hours, there is one counter called ' customer service enquiry' . Go there , wait till somebody comes. Tell them you paid same date application and they will tell you why you are not being called. You need to be proactive or else you will wait and wait.

Something else. I paid for same day application , waited from 9.30 till 4 p.m . I was called at 4.10 to give the case worker my documents. Reason i was given was that , my bio metric result was not in yet. So , as you may have guessed it already, i was told to leave and somebody will contact me via phone.
You can't do nothing about this. I was told , this happens especially you have given your fingerprints overseas and never in the Uk && also if you have given the police your finger prints but not disclosed it.

Well, after 2 days i got a call at 9.15 in the morning , Visa was approved and told that i would receive my passport and documents viw recorded mail Royal mail. Received those after 4 days. Later , in the afternoon, a private courrier brought my bio metric visa card.

Hmm anything else....

-- Highlight your pay in your bank staments.
--- I submitted bank statements that i printed at home and got each and EVERY page stamped at my halifax bank.

_-- Print the points calculator & give it to the case worker... I saw the case worker , using that piece of paper quite a lot.

--- Last but not least , dress appropriately and sleep well as you need to remain focus there.

----Also, remember that if you leave the building whilst the case worker is dealing with you case, when you come back , you need to go through security again. So be aware of you actions.


--- Make sure you buy a decent file from a bookstore and put all your documents , so that when you submit it, the case worker don't struggle.

--- Don't get afftected by others. It is a huge place . Be confident , patience and ... Good luck

Hope you have enjoyed reading .

LAST LAST things. My visa was due to exprice in Feb 2012, applied in Nov 2011. Was happy to get new visa that was valid from Feb 2012.
..Just pray for it .... Believe in it....

be good and good happens to u!

Thanks to you all once again....

[ashdaone1]

Brilliant!!! Thank you for such a detailed and informative post. very helpful. And congrats on your visa

Cheers

[dilip_gem]

Thanks for the detailed mail. Just want to know one thing, How did u manage to get a PEO appointment? When did u do that? I tried from 1.5 months and finally sent my application via post in the last week of Nov. Did u use any Visa Consultant's help inorder to secure appointment? I was not even sucessful in securing appointment for the next 41 days (then).. I was even ready for an appointment in Jan (I was open for any center including Belfast) but couldn't get !! Really wonder how people secure appointments ? Would be great if you share those details.. For me No X-mas as my passport is still with HO

anyways lots of Congtratulations !!

Cheers,
Gem

Hi

First of all, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this forum. I am sure that the information, tips and previous experiences have helped everyone in some way or other. I am extremely grateful to you all.

I had my same day appointment for Tier 1 extension at croydon in the month of November 2011.

Well, i won't go into details into what documents that you need to bring as there is enough information to help you in this forum.

First, you need to be there 30 mins before your scheduled appointment. Don't try to enter any earlier, they won't let you. Then you will have to queue and follow some kind of airport security. Just a tip to any female applicant, just to avoid bring things like make up, rings or ear rings etc etc in your bag ,, as they will check every single thing if the bell rings. And you are the biggest loser as you waste time and other will go ahead of you. Guys( remove the belt to save time)

After wards, everythings is well guided , where to pay and where to go.

Payment: Make sure that you call your bank and inform them that you will be making a big payment. In this way , your payment won't be stopped at the crucial moment.

In general, staff at croydon are very good, understanding , not intimidating and as most public services, they have a very relaxed working enviroment.

Be confident of what you are doing .

Coming to giving your bio metrics, just make sure you remember if you have ever ever given your fingerprints to the police , post office or anywhere in the UK. Disclose it and if you want your case to speed up, please tell them where exactly , date and time if possible of where you have previously given your finger print. Do it this way and when UKBA contacts the police, they will know where exactly to check on police data base. Also, they will check you bio metrics with 2 data bases, one is immigration and second they need to get in touch with police.

You have got to wait a while , some took 30 mins , others took 5 hours before you get to see the case worker.

Now, I would suggest you do bring some food and drink with you. It may or may not be a drainning process but better be prepared. There are 2 vending machines for chocolates.
At croydon , there is a small cafe , just where you wait for your case to be called. It is very very VERY expensive food. A cofee cost £2.40 . You get cold sandwiches and biscuits. Bring your own food or you have got to spend a lot if you need to wait. The lady working in the cafe is very rude. Don't argue with her to spoil your day.

Feel free to go to toilet as there are speakers even in the toilet, so if you are called , you can hear it anywhere you are.

When you are there, try to be positive. You will see some people getting stressed , others having intense conversation with their case worker. Don't be affected . Focus on your positivity.

Now A tip : If you are not called after 3 hours, there is one counter called ' customer service enquiry' . Go there , wait till somebody comes. Tell them you paid same date application and they will tell you why you are not being called. You need to be proactive or else you will wait and wait.

Something else. I paid for same day application , waited from 9.30 till 4 p.m . I was called at 4.10 to give the case worker my documents. Reason i was given was that , my bio metric result was not in yet. So , as you may have guessed it already, i was told to leave and somebody will contact me via phone.
You can't do nothing about this. I was told , this happens especially you have given your fingerprints overseas and never in the Uk && also if you have given the police your finger prints but not disclosed it.

Well, after 2 days i got a call at 9.15 in the morning , Visa was approved and told that i would receive my passport and documents viw recorded mail Royal mail. Received those after 4 days. Later , in the afternoon, a private courrier brought my bio metric visa card.

Hmm anything else....

-- Highlight your pay in your bank staments.
--- I submitted bank statements that i printed at home and got each and EVERY page stamped at my halifax bank.

_-- Print the points calculator & give it to the case worker... I saw the case worker , using that piece of paper quite a lot.

--- Last but not least , dress appropriately and sleep well as you need to remain focus there.

----Also, remember that if you leave the building whilst the case worker is dealing with you case, when you come back , you need to go through security again. So be aware of you actions.


--- Make sure you buy a decent file from a bookstore and put all your documents , so that when you submit it, the case worker don't struggle.

--- Don't get afftected by others. It is a huge place . Be confident , patience and ... Good luck

Hope you have enjoyed reading .

LAST LAST things. My visa was due to exprice in Feb 2012, applied in Nov 2011. Was happy to get new visa that was valid from Feb 2012.
..Just pray for it .... Believe in it....

be good and good happens to u!

Thanks to you all once again....

[joy_kavee]

I started to book my appointment date three months ago. I think i was lucky to get a date and what i did is that i just kept on rescheduling it as far as i could.
However , in November 2011, there seemed to be no more dates being relased. I contacted UKBA and i was told that there are no dates available for Nov/Dec 2011. It seems that they change their workload based on what is happening like strike, christmas, bank holiday,, etc..
No, i did not use a consultant help to secure my appointment, i just spent 24 hrs a day for 2 weeks to get one appointment. ( That's the fate of being a migrant in the UK !!)
If your application is straight forward, you should not worry too much as postal applications too are being dealt quite quickly. The 'customer service' element at UKBA has dramatically improved in the past year.

all the best to you
and let us know the time frame of your application when you get your passport back..

cheers

[pegakrishna]

Hi joy_kavee,

I gave biometrics while I was applying UK Work permit in 2008 and then switched into Tier 1.

Do I need to mention this while I'm giving to biometrics ??

Looking forward for your reply.

Is your case is similar like mine ??

[kirankaja12]

I have been trying to get an appointment at any PEO since mid-October. Tried for nearly month and a half both online and on the phone with no luck. Finally, sent the application by post. Mine is a straightforward application but wanted to use the same day service as I travel on business regularly and need my passport rather quickly.

I was told by someone that consultants and immigration law firms are blocking all available appointments quickly. I have no idea if this is true.

Hoping that my application will be processed quickly. looking at the timelines posted in another thread here, I notice that it seems to take slightly longer for postal applications to be processed in November. It is either this or forum members haven't updated their postings with latest info about receiving their approval letters/BRPs.

I did submit a letter from my employer saying that I have upcoming business travel and if the application can be processed quickly but I don't imagine this will have any impact at all.

[zaynab79]

I just had my application approved yesterday at PEO Croydon. It was a nervewrecking experience. My appointment was at 9:30. the photographs had to be taken again for which i had to run outside building to get cash then go back to booth. Booth did not accept £10 note then rushed to coffee shop where yes as jpykavee mentioned the coffee lady is too rude. She refused to give me change for £10 even though i was buying water for £1.30 (yes too expensive). Anyway i asked around and finally a couple helped me out and gave me change then i ran back to booth got the photos taken finally wen through the whole procedure and the WAIT is stressing uff !! DEfinitely worth the wait and going in person as after 3 hrs of going through my docs and app form i received the decision at 1:30 pm.
Best of luck to everyone else.

[zaynab79]

Though i do wana inquire that when i will need second extension in 2014 will the same points apply or different points as i scored points for rules in place before april 2010

[sahi]

[quote="zaynab79"]Though i do wana inquire that when i will need second extension in 2014 will the same points apply or different points as i scored points for rules in place before april 2010[/quote]

Congratulation. Did you apply on self employed basis because in your last posts you were asking about invoice verification.
please share your experience with regards to the documents.
thanks

[newbie_t]

I just had my application approved yesterday at PEO Croydon. It was a nervewrecking experience. My appointment was at 9:30. the photographs had to be taken again for which i had to run outside building to get cash then go back to booth. Booth did not accept £10 note then rushed to coffee shop where yes as jpykavee mentioned the coffee lady is too rude. She refused to give me change for £10 even though i was buying water for £1.30 (yes too expensive). Anyway i asked around and finally a couple helped me out and gave me change then i ran back to booth got the photos taken finally wen through the whole procedure and the WAIT is stressing uff !! DEfinitely worth the wait and going in person as after 3 hrs of going through my docs and app form i received the decision at 1:30 pm.
Best of luck to everyone else.

Please could you let us know why you had to take photographs again?

Thanks,
Jay

[zaynab79]

I applied as employed and self emplyed. major portion of earnings was through employer.

My photos had grey background they wanted white background.
I was told they might verify invoices and give me decision by post and not same day. also read it here on some forums but it didnt happen with me they gave me decision same day which was worthwhile.

[longshift]

Hi

First of all, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this forum. I am sure that the information, tips and previous experiences have helped everyone in some way or other. I am extremely grateful to you all.

I had my same day appointment for Tier 1 extension at croydon in the month of November 2011.

Well, i won't go into details into what documents that you need to bring as there is enough information to help you in this forum.

First, you need to be there 30 mins before your scheduled appointment. Don't try to enter any earlier, they won't let you. Then you will have to queue and follow some kind of airport security. Just a tip to any female applicant, just to avoid bring things like make up, rings or ear rings etc etc in your bag ,, as they will check every single thing if the bell rings. And you are the biggest loser as you waste time and other will go ahead of you. Guys( remove the belt to save time)

After wards, everythings is well guided , where to pay and where to go.

Payment: Make sure that you call your bank and inform them that you will be making a big payment. In this way , your payment won't be stopped at the crucial moment.

In general, staff at croydon are very good, understanding , not intimidating and as most public services, they have a very relaxed working enviroment.

Be confident of what you are doing .

Coming to giving your bio metrics, just make sure you remember if you have ever ever given your fingerprints to the police , post office or anywhere in the UK. Disclose it and if you want your case to speed up, please tell them where exactly , date and time if possible of where you have previously given your finger print. Do it this way and when UKBA contacts the police, they will know where exactly to check on police data base. Also, they will check you bio metrics with 2 data bases, one is immigration and second they need to get in touch with police.

You have got to wait a while , some took 30 mins , others took 5 hours before you get to see the case worker.

Now, I would suggest you do bring some food and drink with you. It may or may not be a drainning process but better be prepared. There are 2 vending machines for chocolates.
At croydon , there is a small cafe , just where you wait for your case to be called. It is very very VERY expensive food. A cofee cost £2.40 . You get cold sandwiches and biscuits. Bring your own food or you have got to spend a lot if you need to wait. The lady working in the cafe is very rude. Don't argue with her to spoil your day.

Feel free to go to toilet as there are speakers even in the toilet, so if you are called , you can hear it anywhere you are.

When you are there, try to be positive. You will see some people getting stressed , others having intense conversation with their case worker. Don't be affected . Focus on your positivity.

Now A tip : If you are not called after 3 hours, there is one counter called ' customer service enquiry' . Go there , wait till somebody comes. Tell them you paid same date application and they will tell you why you are not being called. You need to be proactive or else you will wait and wait.

Something else. I paid for same day application , waited from 9.30 till 4 p.m . I was called at 4.10 to give the case worker my documents. Reason i was given was that , my bio metric result was not in yet. So , as you may have guessed it already, i was told to leave and somebody will contact me via phone.
You can't do nothing about this. I was told , this happens especially you have given your fingerprints overseas and never in the Uk && also if you have given the police your finger prints but not disclosed it.

Well, after 2 days i got a call at 9.15 in the morning , Visa was approved and told that i would receive my passport and documents viw recorded mail Royal mail. Received those after 4 days. Later , in the afternoon, a private courrier brought my bio metric visa card.

Hmm anything else....

-- Highlight your pay in your bank staments.
--- I submitted bank statements that i printed at home and got each and EVERY page stamped at my halifax bank.

_-- Print the points calculator & give it to the case worker... I saw the case worker , using that piece of paper quite a lot.

--- Last but not least , dress appropriately and sleep well as you need to remain focus there.

----Also, remember that if you leave the building whilst the case worker is dealing with you case, when you come back , you need to go through security again. So be aware of you actions.


--- Make sure you buy a decent file from a bookstore and put all your documents , so that when you submit it, the case worker don't struggle.

--- Don't get afftected by others. It is a huge place . Be confident , patience and ... Good luck

Hope you have enjoyed reading .

LAST LAST things. My visa was due to exprice in Feb 2012, applied in Nov 2011. Was happy to get new visa that was valid from Feb 2012.
..Just pray for it .... Believe in it....

be good and good happens to u!

Thanks to you all once again....

Thanks for such a detailed experience. Mate, can I ask you whether you have seen any people with child buggy in Croydon, PEO. I am going for my extension with 2 kids. 1 is as little as 6 months. Was wondering if they will allow her buggy or even a car seat so that she could be bit comfortable during the waiting period. Its going to be a nightmare but Postal application is not a choice for me.

[karthik_nk]

Hi

First of all, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this forum. I am sure that the information, tips and previous experiences have helped everyone in some way or other. I am extremely grateful to you all.

I had my same day appointment for Tier 1 extension at croydon in the month of November 2011.

Well, i won't go into details into what documents that you need to bring as there is enough information to help you in this forum.

First, you need to be there 30 mins before your scheduled appointment. Don't try to enter any earlier, they won't let you. Then you will have to queue and follow some kind of airport security. Just a tip to any female applicant, just to avoid bring things like make up, rings or ear rings etc etc in your bag ,, as they will check every single thing if the bell rings. And you are the biggest loser as you waste time and other will go ahead of you. Guys( remove the belt to save time)

After wards, everythings is well guided , where to pay and where to go.

Payment: Make sure that you call your bank and inform them that you will be making a big payment. In this way , your payment won't be stopped at the crucial moment.

In general, staff at croydon are very good, understanding , not intimidating and as most public services, they have a very relaxed working enviroment.

Be confident of what you are doing .

Coming to giving your bio metrics, just make sure you remember if you have ever ever given your fingerprints to the police , post office or anywhere in the UK. Disclose it and if you want your case to speed up, please tell them where exactly , date and time if possible of where you have previously given your finger print. Do it this way and when UKBA contacts the police, they will know where exactly to check on police data base. Also, they will check you bio metrics with 2 data bases, one is immigration and second they need to get in touch with police.

You have got to wait a while , some took 30 mins , others took 5 hours before you get to see the case worker.

Now, I would suggest you do bring some food and drink with you. It may or may not be a drainning process but better be prepared. There are 2 vending machines for chocolates.
At croydon , there is a small cafe , just where you wait for your case to be called. It is very very VERY expensive food. A cofee cost £2.40 . You get cold sandwiches and biscuits. Bring your own food or you have got to spend a lot if you need to wait. The lady working in the cafe is very rude. Don't argue with her to spoil your day.

Feel free to go to toilet as there are speakers even in the toilet, so if you are called , you can hear it anywhere you are.

When you are there, try to be positive. You will see some people getting stressed , others having intense conversation with their case worker. Don't be affected . Focus on your positivity.

Now A tip : If you are not called after 3 hours, there is one counter called ' customer service enquiry' . Go there , wait till somebody comes. Tell them you paid same date application and they will tell you why you are not being called. You need to be proactive or else you will wait and wait.

Something else. I paid for same day application , waited from 9.30 till 4 p.m . I was called at 4.10 to give the case worker my documents. Reason i was given was that , my bio metric result was not in yet. So , as you may have guessed it already, i was told to leave and somebody will contact me via phone.
You can't do nothing about this. I was told , this happens especially you have given your fingerprints overseas and never in the Uk && also if you have given the police your finger prints but not disclosed it.

Well, after 2 days i got a call at 9.15 in the morning , Visa was approved and told that i would receive my passport and documents viw recorded mail Royal mail. Received those after 4 days. Later , in the afternoon, a private courrier brought my bio metric visa card.

Hmm anything else....

-- Highlight your pay in your bank staments.
--- I submitted bank statements that i printed at home and got each and EVERY page stamped at my halifax bank.

_-- Print the points calculator & give it to the case worker... I saw the case worker , using that piece of paper quite a lot.

--- Last but not least , dress appropriately and sleep well as you need to remain focus there.

----Also, remember that if you leave the building whilst the case worker is dealing with you case, when you come back , you need to go through security again. So be aware of you actions.


--- Make sure you buy a decent file from a bookstore and put all your documents , so that when you submit it, the case worker don't struggle.

--- Don't get afftected by others. It is a huge place . Be confident , patience and ... Good luck

Hope you have enjoyed reading .

LAST LAST things. My visa was due to exprice in Feb 2012, applied in Nov 2011. Was happy to get new visa that was valid from Feb 2012.
..Just pray for it .... Believe in it....

be good and good happens to u!

Thanks to you all once again....

Thanks for such a detailed experience. Mate, can I ask you whether you have seen any people with child buggy in Croydon, PEO. I am going for my extension with 2 kids. 1 is as little as 6 months. Was wondering if they will allow her buggy or even a car seat so that she could be bit comfortable during the waiting period. Its going to be a nightmare but Postal application is not a choice for me.

You can take buggies inside,no problem whatsoever. The staff are very helpful indeed and offer to take you in a lift when going upstairs.