ILR (10 years) application in 2 days

[k7501]

Hello everyone

I'd greatly appreciate a second opinion on my upcoming application for SET(LR) in 2 days' time.

I have been living in the UK since june 2005. My first 5 years I went to a boarding school, the next 4 years I did a BSc in London. The next year I was working for my own company with a T1GE. Having raised a certain amount, I switched to T1E last December.

I have in total had 7 visas (3 student, 2 T4, T1GE and T1E). I also held 3 different passports throughout the period. Passport number 1, however, is missing since 2014. I do have a full photocopy of it in a PDF. I never thought the need to report or recover it since it's expired and I had the full copy of it stored. Will this be a problem?

For the last 2 years I was a company director and registered for self-assessment. I have not made any income declarations yet, as the only one I need to submit is not due till March next year. I have never worked before that. Any potential problems here that I should prepare for?

I have a very long list of absences, tourism only. It's accurate and detailed. The total number of days is within the limit.

Please advise on any extra preparation that I could put into it today or tomorrow.

Thank you for your time

[k7501]

a little help.. please?

[k7501]

The more I read the more T1E->SET(LR) problems I hear. Can't firgure out whether I should or shouldn't bring as much as possible with me, such as the docs required for the T1GE->T1E Switch

[k7501]

Alright, seems the case is totally unique and there is nothing to say about it, fair enough
Could I please at least have some help in differentiating between being self employed and being on self assessment? Is it normal to be on SA and not be SE?
Thanks a lot

[k7501]

Would like to share my experience from today, in case it helps anyone prepare

I had an appointment at Glasgow at 3pm, arrived at 2. Initial registration and biometrics done within half an hour. Another half hour later the case worker approaches me and says "why aren't you missing a passport here". I explained why, she said "alright, but how am I supposed to believe that your absence days are accurate?" I explained that for that reason I provided a scan of it and stamps can clearly be seen. She said that a scan I could have done myself on a computer, cants trust that. She then told me that it is my responsibility to prove that I have not been absent for more than 540 days and I haven't done that. I explained how I did the best I could, requested a SAR, went through all the passports, etc. She said that she isn't satisfied that I proved to have lived here continuously, so instead of refusing me right here and now, she will conduct "some checks" and make a decision based on them. I wonder what can she check that I didn't already. It is also a great disappointment having spent £2400 and going into uncertainty for an undefined period of time.
A bit sad, but could be a lot worse I suppose

[cyborg001]

Sorry to hear that mate but you basically went there with missing docs and no counter prep!

The form clearly states on page 24 that "All the passports you have held during this time. If you cannot provide them all, you must provide the passports you have together with any Home Office letter(s) or other document(s) granting you leave to enter and/or remain in the UK. You should also provide documents of the type listed below to show that you were continuously resident in the UK during any periods for which you are unable to provide a passport."

e.g. doctor's letters, council tax letters, bills etc etc.

[k7501]

Thanks for your reply!

If I was unprepared I wouldn't have minded that kind of outcome. I have pictured this day for ages now and have been gathering documents for a long time. To support the absence of the passport I provided the letter from the school confirming my full attendance, statements from the school agent (the one which all under 18s are required to have), the scan of the missing passport and of course it had all the entry clearances that were in it with all the stamps around them.

What bothered me was the attitude of "I could have refused you just because you don't have the passport which means you can't convince me that you weren't away for more than 540 days". I expected taxes to be a problem given my very small history of being a director, but def not this..

[noajthan]

Thanks for your reply!

If I was unprepared I wouldn't have minded that kind of outcome. I have pictured this day for ages now and have been gathering documents for a long time. To support the absence of the passport I provided the letter from the school confirming my full attendance, statements from the school agent (the one which all under 18s are required to have), the scan of the missing passport and of course it had all the entry clearances that were in it with all the stamps around them.

What bothered me was the attitude of "I could have refused you just because you don't have the passport which means you can't convince me that you weren't away for more than 540 days". I expected taxes to be a problem given my very small history of being a director, but def not this..

Most unsettling but you have to expect the unexpected and the devil is always in the detail.

If caseworker crosschecks your documents, agent's letter & etc etc and it all hangs together then all may be well.

[k7501]

Thank you, yes, very unsettling!

Although her estimate was "a couple of weeks", I read in the other threads that it could be months and months. Really hope that's not the case, else why give false hope. She also mentioned that "since you have made so many journeys, it might not be the quickest check". I wonder what she will look for, given that I did the SAR and it only returned a couple of landing cards from 2005 and 2006.

n.b. I made 87 (give or take) trips during the last 10 years, almost all them were tourism and only 30 or so to my home country

[noajthan]

Thank you, yes, very unsettling!

Although her estimate was "a couple of weeks", I read in the other threads that it could be months and months. Really hope that's not the case, else why give false hope. She also mentioned that "since you have made so many journeys, it might not be the quickest check". I wonder what she will look for, given that I did the SAR and it only returned a couple of landing cards from 2005 and 2006.

n.b. I made 87 (give or take) trips during the last 10 years, almost all them were tourism and only 30 or so to my home country

One assumes HO has combined resources of the state to rely on and to trawl through;
not all necessarily pop up in a SAR from one department.

[k7501]

Yes, that would make sense. Hope if they can collaborate at least some of the information that I gave them it will be alright without having to wait a while

[k7501]

The other thread I was participating in has come to its logical conlcusion so I will continue my story here

I have not sent any additional documentation since the appointment. I have got a call from my caseworker and it has cleared up the fact that I have not received a letter from them that was sent to me on the 10th of October. They did thankfully accept this to be the case and I have now received a duplicate, also dated the 10th of October. At least that explains why the Home Office has been waiting for my response, while I was waiting for theirs, which effectively cost a month of waiting.
Nevertheless, I have to now submit extra evidence to show my continuous lawful residence between 2006 and 2011. What concerns me is that the letter itself is an edited template, the purpose of which was to ask for documents proving continuous residence (e.g. GP records, school attendances, etc), however the part which my caseworker added there referred to me having to prove my absences rather than residence. The list of suggested documents on the template, therefore, will not help her. Therefore I am not sure whether to go with proving the continuous residence or the absences, and if it is the latter – nothing in the suggested list would help.

Would be grateful for any comments or thoughts