ILR (2 years marriage) granted at croydon after 5 hour wait

[msjuv]

Just wanted to thank everybody here for helping me in the past with valuable advice and sometimes just a kind word. I got my ILR at Croydon after 5 hours wait. Just a few tips: 1. Take something to eat and drink with you, their cafe is not that good and you have to go through a security check every time you go outside. 2. After your initial info is typed into a computer by a clerk that sends you for biometrics, make sure you listen for the numbers called and they dont skip yours. It happened to me and a couple of other people when the biometrics taking officer called out for numbers 201, 202, 203 and then 209 etc. Skipping ours in the middle. After that they started calling out numbers starting with 400 etc. So, we assumed it is just random and kept waiting for another hour... Then I asked what about us and they obviously messed up the sequence, apologised and got us through. All in all, it delayed the whole thing and was annoying as apparently premium service applicants are not served before others as one might expect. Anyway, my main advice is keep asking them (at window 11) about the progress of the application, just like some solicitors were doing for their clients despite arriving later than some of us but leaving with decisions earlier... Good luck everyone!

[msjuv]

It did take them 2 hours to call me for biometrics and 2 more hours to just take my docs, the decision itself was made in another hour. I knew that they could claim some IT issues cause delays when after 5pm they started asking the remaining people if they were premium applicants or not... Then about every half an hour after that someone would come up and ask the same thing again, writing down our numbers on a plain paper. I asked if they plan to close without seeing us and the clerk went missing looking for an answer to that. I was so tired and pissed off by then, I said I would claim the difference between the postal and premium service if they dont give me their answer on the day. The clerk went looking for my officer and he finally appeared guess what... Claiming IT problems caused the delay but apologising and at least with my ILR! It was almost 7pm by then and there were about 7-8 people still waiting, I hope they got their answers...

[Kestane]

Conguratulation msjuv on getting your ILR.

It must be quite frustrating to wait that long and the whole process not running smoothly, I feel you. I'll be going through the same process in 5 months so just wanted to ask you a question about your application. Did you have any abscences from the UK in the last 2 years? if so how many days and were you asked by your caseworker about details on those trips? If you have please explain in detail since I'd like to have all the documents they might ask for on the day.

Thanks

[msjuv]

Thank you. The officer never asked any questions (about absences or anything else) when he called me to the window, he was rushing me and just took the whole folder without giving me a chance to explain what was where. I only told him that I have all the copies and he took the whole bundle away to his office somewhere out of the view. It was nearly 6pm then and football was starting soon and he just wanted to go to see the game (he actually said so
Good luck to you in a few months!

[Kestane]

...he just wanted to go to see the game

ahahah thats funny that he admitted that so bluntly Well I hope that I'll get the same result as you I wouldn't mind the wait Congurats again