When is Indefinite Leave not indefinate?

[Meridian]

answer. when dealing with the home office.

I have just been sorting out my passport (US) and had no trouble completing the form and sending it off and got my new passport back in a little over a week, quite good I thought, but now with further investigation we have found that I need to renew my indefinite leave to remain visa. and i think its a bit extortionate, really and makes no sense that you have to pay something like £150 for one measely little sticker.. or worse £500 if you want to talk to a human being and not leave things to fate and the post office. And the thing I really dont get is that it requires proof that i have been here for the past seven years, obviously the stamps in my old passport wont be enough and it dosent say exactly what proof is needed. Oh and will take ages to be processed and sent back...

it just seems a little rediculous is all, to be paying for something I thought I already had.. you know? ok rant over anyone else had this gripe?

[wotsits]

Do you need to have the new sticker? I asked the immigration guy at Heathrow about putting a new visa on my new passport and he said it's expensive and I should just bring both new and old passports when travelling to show immigration when re-entering the UK. I was told this a couple of years ago, and last travelled with both passports in April this year.

[scienceteacher]

You have to carry your old passport with you, or pay for the new stamp. They used to do it for free but not anymore.

The only way of being released from this is by getting British citizenship.

[Meridian]

not asked anyone only been checking it out on the home office website with my dh and its just really unhelpful. we coulden't find anything that said it you were ok to kepp your old passport with the oldstamp with you. will check again to be sure... thanks for the help

[scienceteacher]

You are definitely OK to keep your old passport. My DH did this for a couple of years until he naturalised last year.

[sibble]

I empathise, I was granted permanent residency in NZ. Having been here 4 years + I was stopped trying to re-enter NZ from Brisbane quite spectacularly as my visa had expired . Apparantly after 2 years you need to pay again for another stamp in your passport having shown that you have been resident except for holidays during that period. A few hundred dollars lighter I now have another stamp {hmm}.

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

I have been traveling with 3 passports for ages, two expired ones (one with the american visa and another with the Indefinite Leave to remain)

Apart of DH packing 2 expired passports on the way to Sweden, I never had any problem...

... thinking of that, since travelling with 2-3 passports I always get "randomly" selected for a second security check when boarding an American flight .