return of documents

[alexgrd]

Currently I have an EEA residence permit, and I am applying for a permanent residence card.
It seems that there is a possibility to request return of documents, and the documents
will be return within about 20 days from the date of applications.
Has anyone used this option?
How accurate is this?

My residence permit is on a separate piece of paper.
Can I ask my residence permit to be return to me?
Or would HO say that it is cancelled once I applied for PR status and don't send it back?

Thank you for you help.

[allanghouston]

Don't count on it.

My experience:

Sent 1st return of Document request for my passport February 20.
At end of process it says wait 10 working days.

Didn't receive it so used the follow up form on March 5.

2 weeks passed. Called UKVI. The guy I spoke to said he'd email the team and I should receive it the following week.

Called again at the end of the following week and they had transitioned to a new call centre (in Glasgow I think). They can only request callbacks and can't access your application or check if the passport has been dispatched.

I was called back 3 days later on a Sunday morning (surprisingly) from Home Office. They said someone would contact me that week.

No contact. Called back 2 weeks later on a Thursday. They said they put in an urgent request for me to be called that day. It's now 2 days later and I haven't been called. And it's almost 2 months after my first return of document request.

Can't they see everyone's time is being wasted. The call-centre's especially. Why does it take 2 months. And am I supposed to take it on faith that they're handling my passport with care, when they seem so inept?

So in summary. If you know you need you documents for a certain date, do not rely on getting them back promptly.

[GMB]

I agree with allanghouston that you shouldn't count on them coming back by any specific date. But of the four EEA applications I've been involved with (one in 2012 and three in 2014), in each case ive had the passports back in less then two weeks from the date of request; the most recent time in 5 days. So experiences can be highly variable. For these applications no RC was sent in, so I'm not sure if that would be returned with the passport -- I'd say it SHOULD be, since like the passport all they need to do is verify it's a real document and has the right name on it. Legally I don't see how applying for PR could invalidate the RC, and I've never heard that one cannnot have both at the same time -- after all it's not a visa, it just a confirmation of rights.