Upcoming ILR Appointment at Liverpool PEO for self employed?

[Haideez]

Hi Guys,

I have a premium appointment for an ILR application at Liverpool PEO on the 14th of January. My background is that I am currently here on UK Ancestry visa which I renewed early in 2012. The reason I did this was because when I initially came to the UK in 2007, it was four months after my visa actually commenced, and thus would not be eligible for ILR at the expiry of my first Ancestry visa as I had not spent the full five years here. Now I have renewed and waited a bit, I have now been here a full five years of continuous residence. An expensive way to do it I know!

My employment history - for the first four years in London I was a full time employee of a few different companies, but I quit my job in November 2011 and registered with HMRC as Self Employed Sole Trader and have been working freelance ever since, but not as a limited company, just regular sole trader. In my research on this board and the in general I have recently come across a few alarming suggestions that the Liverpool PEO might not be able to handle my application on the day, and either turn me away or turn my application into a deferred one. This is suggested in posts like this one --> http://www.ukresident.com/forums/topic/ ... in-75mins/

Wanting clarification I called the only available contact number that the UKBA website lists - the premium cost 0870 number 'Immigration Enquiry Bureau' and spent an infuriating 25 minutes on hold just for 'Wayne' to tell me that all he could do was look up information on the UKBA website and as far as he could see there was no reason why I couldn't go to the Liverpool PEO. The only info I can find on this on the UKBA website is here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/about ... ginperson/
and that page specifically states that "PEO Glasgow can not currently take any applications which rely in full or in part on self employed earnings." so is it safe to assume that Liverpool PEO can handle these applications?

My reason for wanting to apply for the premium appointment is that I would like to travel in the next couple of months and don't want my passport indisposed for (up to) 6 months with the postal application. But is there any point paying the extra money and travelling all the way up to Liverpool from London if they are likely to defer my application anyway? Does anyone who is self employed have any experience with successfully applying for ILR at the Liverpool PEO? I am curious to hear from people who specifically went for ILR on Ancestry visa (rather than HSMP Tier based system) and who are self employed, but not a limited company. My case should be fairly straight forward I would imagine because (for example) I don't have to prove I earn a certain amount like someone applying on a points based system, and I have recently completed the 2011-2012 tax return for myself as a self employed sole trader. Any comments or suggestions?

[Haideez]

Nobody with any experience going for ILR at Liverpool PEO who was applying under UK Ancestry and as Self Employed (but without Limited Company status)?

[mulderpf]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Generally the problems you are reading about is for people who are claiming points from earnings (so earnings need to be scrutinised). Your applications doesn't depend on earnings, so it should generally just sail through (if not, you'll be informed on the day and it may take a few days longer, but not as long as postal application).

(As an aside, if you thought that doing an extension for an ancestry visa was expensive, spare a thought for tier 1 applicants (who have most of the problems you were reading about) who are forced to extend at least once and pay almost 3x more than you had to when you extended).

[Haideez]

Hi Mulderpf,

Thank you for your reassurance. Yes all my research seems to indicate that going through the UK Ancestry route is far less complicated than the points based system and hopefully as you say it will just sail through. I still have extensive documentation just in case.

I understand that £850 for a premium appointment at a PEO for UK Ancestry extension is probably a fraction of what it costs Tier 1 applicants, especially those who employ the services of an migration agency or a solicitor to help them prepare their case. Don't worry having been through these first two legs of the road to citizenship myself I have sympathy for anyone who has to face the financial and administrative headache that is the UKBA visa application process! They certainly don't make it easy for you and the salubrious helpful activity on this site is testament to the fact that it is a daunting and confusing process for many people.