Overall my case was simple - HSMP (not JR) on to T1G. But had 375 days absence, 215 business related. Longest was about 3 weeks.
I had brought with me employer letter and absence spreadsheet, based on templates here, plus 5 years of pay slips, bank statements and p60s to show continued economic activity here.
I took the earliest appointment of the day, 8.00 am, to try to avoid the inevitable long waiting times.
My experience:
7.20: Arrived at Lunar House. Already quite a queue outside, and it is COLD outside!
7.28: Someone comes outside to re-arrange the queue between appointments and maybe asylum applications. Somehow I end up dead last
7.30: We are allowed inside and queue for airport style security checks. On the way in, they ask to see appointment reference number.
7.40: Through security, and now we queue again for first document checks. Someone checked first page of application to make sure the version was correct, she said.
8.00: At the first counter of the day. Asks to see application form, and proceeds to quickly check everything is in order, checking that I have all the proper documents, etc. Asks if I've had any absences over 90 days, to which I respond no, but offer I have gone over the 180 days. She asks how much over, and I reply "Not *that* much". She seems satisfied, stamps a few documents, and gives me a number to take upstairs.
8.10: A bit shorter queue, and I'm paying. They now accept Amex, even though the sticker on the window does not show it! A few people here were being admonished, as they had not filled out the payment page of the application. They were allowed to stand out of line fill it out, though. Finished with this, I go into the waiting room. Its an enormous hall, with at least 20 windows and many many seats. At 8.10 in the morning, there is one window open, with someone already having their application processed. I am the only other person in the room.
8.30: The room has a few more people in it, but still only one open window. The last applicant has finished (successfully, from the sound of it) and my number is called.
The caseworker asks for:
Application form
Absences spreadsheet
Employee letter
Payslips and Bank Statements for the last year, copies only. I have provided all bank statement pages, and he asks me to please only give him the pages which show my salary coming in. He also asked me to circle the amount on both and number them to line them up. While I do this he walks away, I believe with my Absences/Employee letter.
I hand back the Payslips/Bank Statements when he returns, and nothing more is said about absences. He never checks my passport to match up stamps with the absence sheet.
He now asks me for my LIUK sheet. Tells me I got 24/24 -- seems surprised they didn't give me my score before!
Now asks for P60 copies.
Asks for photocopies of front passport pages and of HSMP/T1 stamps. I did not have this, so he went behind to copy them himself.
He types quite a bit, arranges the application, and after total of 30 minutes in front of him, he tells me the application is successful, and I can collect my passport in 2 to 3 hours. I can leave the building, or stick around, coffee shop upstairs. I opt to stick around, in hopes it will go quicker as there's no one ahead of me.
13.30: I've now been waiting for 4 1/2 hours, watching countless others come and go. The guy who was before me has left for a bit, came back, and he has also not gotten his passport back. I've checked several times, but so far its still in process. The other guy complains again, and asks her to please go check, as he's now been 5 hours waiting. I piggyback on this, and have her check mine as well. A few minutes later I see her walking quickly with 2 folders towards the vignette area -- clearly ours were lost somewhere in the process. Bad luck!
14:00: After 5 hours of waiting, and almost 7 hours in the building, I am given my passport with a shiny new ILR stamp
Something else to note. While I was waiting, I overheard one unfortunate bloke who appeared to have a similar case to mine -- he had many short trips abroad. He did not bring a letter from his employer stating this was for business purposes. His caseworker sent him away "not with an outright rejection, but an extension". She gave him an address to post the letter to, and told him someone would look at again once that came back. She implied it would only be one week turnaround, even! Anyway, come prepared!! Without the help of this board, that very well could have been me!!
Overall -- a bit frustrating that I spent the better part of a day in Croydon, but a win is a win, so I will not complain! Again many thanks for all the effort everyone here has put in.