ILR - Stamping passport by IO

[bhavna]

Hi,
Previously i was on work permit. In this case whenever i used to go out of UK and come back , the IO at Heathrow never used to put any kind of date stamp in my passport.

Recently i got ILR. However this time when i went out of UK for about two weeks and came back the IO put date stamp in my passport. Anybody know why ?

Cheers
Bhavna

[Chess]

Recently i got ILR. However this time when i went out of UK for about two weeks and came back the IO put date stamp in my passport. Anybody know why ?
Bhavna

Either there are new procedures or possibly trying to track your absences (i.e to ensure that you are not in breach of the 90 day rule assuming you are gonna apply for naturalisation )


It is also quite possible that it was a junior IO who enjoys stamping ppts

[tvt]

This is an old procedure because ILR is lost after two years in which you have not visited the UK.

[bhavna]

hi tnavon,

do you mean to say that for a person having ILR every time he leaves and comes back to UK, the passport will be stamped.

Cheers

[Kayalami]

bhavna,

2 Q's to help answer yours.

1. When (month) were you granted ILR?

2. Have you since then travelled outside the UK?

[bhavna]

hi kayalami,
i was granted ILR in July this year.

This was the first time i travelled outside uk since then.

Cheers

[Epiphany]

Bhavna,
yes, your passport is stamped every time you come back after you've received your ILR. That was true in my case too.

[Kayalami]

hi kayalami,
i was granted ILR in July this year.

You sure about your ILR grant timing

This was the first time i travelled outside uk since then.

Where you have obtained a further limited or indefinite leave to remain stamp in the UK as granted by the Home Office this will get stamped on your 1st entry into the UK on its basis. The same applies to a 1st time entry on a visa issued overseas be it limited or indefinite. On subsequent entries the IO will not stamp your passport but your admission is logged onto the HO database - after all they need to verify your entries/absences to ensure compliance with the immigration rules and for naturalisation purposes.

[Joseph]

ILR holders have always had their arrivals stamped, even after the changes which took place in August 2000, when they discontinued stamping arrivals for people with limited leave to remain.

By the way, I noticed that before I got ILR, they started stamping my passport again (since June or earlier), even though I had leave to remain until 2006.

Joseph

[Jeri]

Hello!

When are the absences counted...from the day you entered UK or day the consulate issued you the visa?

My visa was issued last July and will flyback to UK mid-Sept. Does it mean I've already exhausted 2months?

Thanks.

[Chess]

Just another variation to this question - The HO forms such as SET(O) / FLR(O) ask for the date when you first entered the UK..

..does this mean the date that you entered the UK as per your most recent visa or the date you first ever ever ever entered the UK .

Forexample someone could have entered the UK in the early 90's as a student then left the UK then came back several times..blah blah blah...so do you give the most recent date (i.e when you entered on WP) or the date you first ever enterred the UK (say on a student visa or visitors visa)?

[User]

I think that one should enter the first date of their arrival in the UK on a visa based on which he/she is applying for the ILR.

For example, if one entered the UK for the first time as a tourist and then went out of UK and came back in as a WP holder and then has been living in the UK since then for 4 years. In this specific case, since he will be applying for ILR based on his WP (and HSMP visas if any) for a continuous period of 4 years, he should state the date of his first arrival on his WP visa and not the date of actual first entry to UK - which happens to be a tourist visa in this example case.

regards.

[ForeignMan]

Dear User,

Thats quite interesting. I have got the same problem. I was on a student visa which was "transferred" to work permit visa while I was still in the UK.

For the ILR application, I was gonna enter the date I "first entered" UK i.e. my student visa entry 6 years ago.

What you are saying contradicts this and makes a lot more sense. But do you know if there is any site or link we can look at to get a definitive answer on what should this date really be?

I am just concerned that if I put down my work permit visa date on the form rather than the "first entered" date, the IO might freak out

Cheers.
TheForeigner.

[Joseph]

Foreignman

User is right. You need to put down your WP entry date because a Student Visa will not count toward Settlement. As a WP holder, you really need to hold a WP for the full 4 years.

However, if you had an HSMP visa, you could in the 4 years count time spent in a lot other categories, as listed in sections 128 through 319 of the Immigration Rules:

Work permit employment 128-135
Highly skilled migrants 135A-135H
Sectors-Based Scheme 135I-135K
Representatives of overseas newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting organisations 136-143
Sole representatives 144-151
Private servants in diplomatic households 152-159
Domestic workers in private households 159A-159H
Overseas government employees 160-168
Ministers of religion, missionaries and members of religious orders 169-177
Airport based operational ground staff of overseas owned airlines 178-185
Persons with United Kingdom ancestry 186-193
Spouses of persons with limited leave to enter or remain under paragraphs 128-193 (but not paragraphs 135I-135K) 194-196
Children of persons with limited leave to enter or remain under paragraphs 128-193 (but not paragraphs 135I-135K) 197-199
Multiple entry work permit employment 199A-199L
Persons intending to establish themselves in business 200-210
Innovators 210A-210H
Persons intending to establish themselves in business under the provisions of EC Association Agreements 211-223
Investors 224-231
Writers, composers and artists 232-239
Spouses of persons with limited leave to enter or remain under paragraphs 200-239 240-242
Children of persons with limited leave to enter or remain under paragraphs 200-239 243-245

Part 7: Other Categories Persons exercising rights of access to a child resident in the United Kingdom 246-248
EEA nationals and their families 255-262
Retired persons of independent means 263-270
Spouses of persons with limited leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom as retired persons of independent means 271-273
Children of persons with limited leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom as retired persons of independent means 274-276
Long residence 276A-276E

Part 8: Family Members Spouses 277-289
Victims of domestic violence 289A-289C
Fiance(e)s 290-295
Unmarried partners 295AA-295O
Children 296-316
Parents, grandparents and other dependent relatives 317-319

But note that unfortunately Students are not part of this list .

Regards

Joseph