SET(O) Success @ Solihull - with Visa Gap

[haniffa.s]

Hi,

First of all, I should thank all the members of this forum who have been sharing their experiences which actually gave me a courage and confidence to go ahead and apply mine.
My case was NOT straight forward. Though my two work permits (2+3) are overlapping I had a visa gap between two ECs when I changed my employer.
This was discussed here
http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=57961

Appointment:
I booked an appointment with Solihull PEO for 07-March at 10.30 and reached there 45 minutes earlier. After a simple security check they issued a token and asked me to wait. The staff were extremely polite and helpful.
While waiting I was just looking through different wall posters there and one was very interesting which has step by step procedure of all applications at Solihull.
Steps are
• Book an appointment over phone or online
• Arrive and Wait till you are called
• Attend the Interview(this is where the case is decided)
• Pay the fee
• Collect the passport
Everyone knows these things but the point I am trying to make here is they process the payment only after the case is decided. This is very official because they have written this clearly on the wall. I have had my previous experience at Croydon where they process payments straight away.
Coming back to my story I was called after 15 minutes to the counter and I had started feeling very nervous already.

My case worker was a woman in her 50s and polite again.

At this moment she only asked my application form and passport. She spent couple of minutes on her computer typing details from my form and put the form aside.

She then took my passport landed straight into my first EC page and started typing again. I was literally praying that she should miss out the gap.

But after couple of minutes she had a look at my second EC and said there is a gap. I thought the game over but did not want to give up so told her the second work permit was approved before the first visa expiry. She looked at the passport again and not fully convinced. She asked my first work permit and had a look. She asked the reason why I did not submit my application on time .I said i had a family emergency.

She noted something down on her form and discussed this with the other case worker sitting next to her. But still they were not convinced and asked me to wait for couple of minutes because she wants to check this.

As the PEO is very small I could see what was happening inside. She walked away from the desk and started having a chat for couple of minutes with the guy wearing a proper UKBA uniform and he signed the form she had.

Then she came back with the smiling face and said its ok.Thank god thats what I am waiting for.

I was then asked for LIUK test certificate, employer letter and last three months payslips.

Once she had them she said i will be granted ILR and proceed for the payment and asked me to collect the passport after an hour.

That’s it guys I paid and left the building the case working process only took 20 minutes. Went back after an hour my passport was ready to collect.

Checked the passport and left the building with happy ending.

Documents Submitted:

• First Work Permit
• LIUK Certificate
• Employer Letter
• Last three months payslips.


No P60s
No Bank Statement
No proof from previous employment.

[jager]

Everyone knows these things but the point I am trying to make here is they process the payment only after the case is decided. This is very official because they have written this clearly on the wall. I have had my previous experience at Croydon where they process payments straight away.

Bearing this in mind, should we have a thread where we list the PEOs and which ones take payment before/after caseworker consideration?

[geriatrix]

At Croydon also, the application is assessed by UKBA staff, supporting documents are checked and only when this person approves the application to be valid / okay, does one pay for the application. Please note that this person, who does the initial checks, is not the caseworker who formally assesses the application and makes a decision.

After the fees has been paid, is the application then assigned to a "caseworker" for formal assessment and decision making.

AIUI, the process is similar for all the PEOs.


regards

[haniffa.s]

At Croydon also, the application is assessed by UKBA staff, supporting documents are checked and only when this person approves the application to be valid / okay, does one pay for the application.

Please note that this person, who does the initial checks, is not the caseworker who formally assesses the application and makes a decision.

AIUI, the process is similar for all the PEOs.


regards

Sushdmehta,

Yes in Croydon a person checks formally before making a payment and I have been there once.But the final decision is upto the caseworker.So there is chance to get the case rejected and loose the fee.

But in Solihull the case worker takes the final decision and asking for the payment at the end.

[NK1]

Hi Hanniffa,
I am having same situation as yours regarding GAP in Visa and need your help/advice regarding same. Will you please mail me on nk_sap@yahoo.co.uk so that I will write in detail.

Thanks
Nitish

[slugmeister]

If your case was not straight-forward, why did you take a chance and apply in person?

Rather brave, I'd say.

I'm just curious about your rationale?

[haniffa.s]

If your case was not straight-forward, why did you take a chance and apply in person?

Rather brave, I'd say.

I'm just curious about your rationale?

I was curious as well for over a year from the date i noticed this gap, and wanted to know the result and a piece of mind. I was just waiting for the time and booked the appintment exactly 28 days before

And the changing rules gave me no options and in the worst case I would only loose a couple of hrs in home office(not even a fee in solihull)

I'm just curious about your rationale?

Information I gathered from this forum from different cases discussed.

As far as i know ,no case is rejected just because of the gap, on the contrary there are many people who got their ILR with gaps.

I was thinking of going through a solicitor but my company solicitor said if there are multiple ECs in passport its a break which is completely wrong.so i decided to go in person .

My conclusion was

If you have a gap between ECs

1.If it is not more than three months
2.If you have not overstayed
3.If the reason for the gap is justified

then case worker applies the descretion.

But I still do not know my WP overlapping helped my case or not.

[slugmeister]

Very interesting, thanks. My appointment for ILR (set-0) is tomorrow at Solihill. Hope it goes as well as yours did.