Not sure I'm posting in the right place, or if anyone can help, but I thought I'd put a thread about this on Mumsnet as it may help someone else out at some point.
I'm a Kiwi to the UK on a Working Visa in 1998. Worked for a bit, travelled for a bit, visa ran out and my work sponsored me to stay in the UK. Changed work a few times, get sponsored each time.
Met my British husband, and we got married in 2000, had DD1 in 2001.
In 2002 I applied for Indefinite Leave to Remain ( IDL) as it was cheaper than Citizenship and received a vignette in my Passport and a letter stating that there were no restrictions on my right to live or work in the UK.
My PP expired a few years later and I was told I didn't have to move the vignette to my new PP( at a cost) but could just carry my old PP with any new one I was travelling on.
I went on the have three more kids, and have been self employed since 2004 and submitting tax returns regularly. We have also left the UK on holiday most of those years and I've never had a problem getting back into the UK. The point being I haven't been hard to track down.
This year I spotted a job vacancy in the field I work in, and have been offered a job as an employee, but was horrified to learn that my ILR vignette should have been swapped for a Biometric Residents Permit in 2014.
I have a lot of ex-pat friends and keep an eye on issues that might affect me as an immigrant in the UK, but I hadn't come across this change . Apparently it's fine for me to live in the UK, I just can't prove I have the right to work!
So I've been going through the application and I am expected to provide proof of residency in the UK for the last 19 years!! We've moved house twice in that time, so I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel somewhat.
There is a list of 'included' documents but they are vague. One of the suggestions is Council Tax Bills but we haven't kept all of these and will only be able to supply a letter of liability for the periods of time we lived in each house.Some of the doctor's surgeries I attended have been less than helpful and I don't really fancy immigration going through my entire medical records either!
I did pay for an hour with an immigration lawyer but I knew more than she did, and it was a waste of £150 tbh.
Has anyone on here gone through this process and if so, what documents did you use?
I have an appointment with UKVCAS in the middle of June to have my biometrics taken, and to download my documents. Apparently, someone will be able to tell me if my documents are suitable at that appointment. If they aren't I will have until 10pm to provide replacement documents, otherwise my application will be refused and I have to try again.
I'm a bit stressed and I really just want to work!