ILR and absences

[SunShines]

Hi

I am completing 5 years of stay in UK and want to apply for ILR. I was stuck with the list of absences to be filled in the form.
Is there any guideline on how long absences are good bad?

I had absences as 21,3,2,4, 43, 34 days over five years. The maximum 43 days in one stretch or one year.

Will this affect the ILR application?

Thanks for your views.

[sunnyday]

I think your case is perfectly fine for ILR.

[Dawie]

The general guideline is no more than 90 days in any 1 year period. That's 90 days accumulative. So therefore the TOTAL amount of days outside the UK in any 1 year period cannot exceed 90 days.

[vic]

Hi,

I will be applying for ILR in september this year when I complete my 5 years on work permit here. My absences out of UK amount to a total of 7.5 months in the 5 year period with the longest absence being 2.5 months last year.

What do you think are my chances of getting the ILR ?

Many Thanks,

Vic

[jazbaati99]

Hi Vic

It depends upon the reason(s) of your abscences. If it was due to company business, you should be fine but I do suggest to take a strong worded company letter with you when you go for your ILR.

Rgds

[vic]

All my absences have been for holidays, etc (not business). The 2.5 month holiday last year was to help me complete my dissertation (I have been doing a part time M.Sc.).

My paid annual leave entitlement over the last 5 years does add upto about 220 days while my total absences abroad during this period only add upto 214 days. I did have to take some unpaid leave last year to complete my dissertation in India when I was away for 74 days (about 2.5 months).

My total time outside the country does not exceed my paid annual leave entitlement over the 5 year period and I have never been away for more than 3 months in any single year.

I am not very happy with the HO having increased the qualifiying period from 4 to 5 years without actually increasing the allowed away time from the original 180 days. Surely they have failed to take into acount that people are entitled to annual leaves over the last year of the 5 year stay just as well as they were during the first 4 years !! But I guess we just have to live with this for now.

As my ILR eligibility approaches I am beginning to get increasingly tensed about having exceeded the 180 days period.

Any comments on my chances with the case worker ?? (I intend to apply for my ILR in person at Croydon)

Thanks again,

Vic

[sunnyday]

I think for whatever reasons you had to leave the country, you should back them up with explainations. But it's all down to the discretion of the case worker.