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Original poster

Indefinite leave to remain. How long did yours took?

20 replies

Chandra · 22/06/2004 16:26

A friend of mine sent her passport to get it and it was a disaster (his father died and the IND couldn't find her passport so she could go back to her country to attend the funeral), the passport returned after 2 yrs, just when the local MP send a letter to the IND.

Another friend is about to send his passport but he is terrified to let go of it knowing what my other friend had to go through. So I thought of asking here if any of you has requested one recently and how long did it take to be processed (if all the papers are correctly submited). He is portuguese and his wife is brazilian.

Thanks

OP posts:

Original poster

Chandra · 22/06/2004 16:50

Anyone?

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Original poster

Chandra · 22/06/2004 17:31

Even hearsay would do???

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hana · 22/06/2004 17:37

I did this a few years ago and I 'think' it was close to 2 months. I did send it off at a time when I knew I wasn't travelling ( though emergencies have no time table....) and don't remember it taking longer than I was told.

marialuisa · 22/06/2004 20:01

Hearsay amongst the students i deal with suggests that it's between 3 and 6 months.

Don't quite understand why he needs indefinite leave to remain if he's Portuguese though!

Sari · 22/06/2004 20:25

If you look on the Home Office website it gives current processing times. If all the papers are correct it shouldn't take too long. He should make sure he's not going to need it, although if you need to get it back you can normally do it pretty quickly - difficult getting through on phone but email and fax work.

Caribbeanqueen · 22/06/2004 20:31

Just got first UK passport for dd, who was born abroad, so she would have dual nationality. It took about 4 - 6 weeks.

Original poster

Chandra · 22/06/2004 21:04

Thanks for your answers, I will pass them on to him.

MAria Luisa, I guess he needs it because if anything may happen to him which prevents him from working he wouldn't have the right to stay here and his wife may be deported. In my opinion, I would only get it just to avoid the embarrasing questions every time you arrive to UK, but well, I always thought that the only thing that keep us here is DH's job so no job, no need to stay, therefore I never applied for one.
(well, you already know how do I feel about living here from my other threads )

Sari, where in the Home Office web site?

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Tanzie · 22/06/2004 21:05

If he is Portuguese, he is an EU national, so why does he need ILR? Surely he would get it anyway from the right to live and work anywhere in the EU if you're an EU national.

Lunar House (if that is where it still goes) is chaos. Could he not go there in person (if he definitely needs ILR) with his passport and see if they can do it then and there?

Original poster

Chandra · 22/06/2004 21:22

If he wants to apply for one for his wife he needs to have one as well (red tape in its purest form IMO)

I don't think is a good idea to go directly to Lunar House, some years ago when I was trying to sort up my working permit I asked that to a couple of port officers, they both said that the faster way to do it was to go to Spain (DHs country) and have it done at the British Consulate, and one of them even said (his own words): "If you send your pasport to Croydon your grandchildren will get it for you, they don't even pick up the phone, actually, they don't even pick up the phone when we ring them and we also work for the same department!!!"... So, you can see what a caos that could be so...I don't expect they will be able to do something on the day

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Tanzie · 22/06/2004 21:29

Oh aren't we just fantastic at bureaucracy!! I will try and remember and ask one of my contacts who does immigration work for some advice tomorrow.

I did immigration work overseas many moons ago. The only thing I remember about ILR was that it was hugely expensive - think consulates may charge more as they need to cover their costs. But I am talking about the 80s, so things may have changed since then (but Lunar House doesn't appear to have done so...)

Meid · 22/06/2004 21:33

When DH sent his off the estimated time was 12 weeks. It took 16, but the last few weeks we nagged and nagged with lots of phone calls and faxes because we had a holiday booked.

Anyone got any idea how long a citizenship application takes? Thats our next hurdle...

Original poster

Chandra · 22/06/2004 21:43

Tanzie, I just think that they are far too busy with so many applications, but at the end the port officer was right.

When I asked the question to him I have already writen to IND about it (that was in oct 1998) so in April, when my tourist visa was about to expire I flew to Madrid and sort it up in a day, then 18 months later I got a reply from the IND specifying which forms I need to fill! Imagine if I have send the forms to be processed to Croydon? maybe I wouldn't be able to work for 3 yrs!!! But back to the ILR, probably because a European is involved is there any way deviced for express service? (to avoid calling it "jumping the que"

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Original poster

Chandra · 22/06/2004 21:44

Meid, when did your husband sent his? was it this year?

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Meid · 22/06/2004 21:47

It was about 18 months ago. But when you first apply, if I remember correctly, they write back and confirm receipt and tell you the estimated time it will take.

In our case, going 4 weeks over I don't think is horrific.

Sari · 22/06/2004 22:22

Chandra - there doesn't seem to be anything very precise about waiting times for indefinite leave to remain, but this seems to be the Home OFfice page you need.

Meid - bad news for the citizenship application, I'm afraid. Dh got his through in March, having applied in February the year before. The actual application was done in about three weeks as it was straightforward and all the papers were correct. The previous year was spent waiting in the queue. We hung on for almost a year without going abroad, then had to visit his family so got the passport back, at which point they said they had taken a photocopy so didn't need it back again. Um, couldn't they have done that in the first place?

janinlondon · 23/06/2004 12:17

I fronted up at the horrendous Lunar House at about 6am and found myself somewhere in the region of 50th in the queue. No way was I letting go of my passport. They did it on the spot. But a word of warning, you still have the third degree every time you go through Heathrow. Every time I come or go I am asked "Why do you want to come into England today" and "How long do you plan to stay". Because I've lived here for fourteen years, my job is here, that's my husband and screaming daughter standing behind you, and if I don't pay the mortgage tomorrow there'll be hell to pay. They don't seem to be able to read?

pmh · 23/06/2004 12:18

My husband's work put in application for the "indefinite leave to remain" for all 3 of us (him, me and dd) on a Monday and we had all documents and the passports (with the lovely "stamped" page) back on the Thursday of the same week!! Needless to say his work's lawyers dealt with it and I have no idea what the cost was. I just mention this bc it obviously can be done quickly if you are prepared to pay for an immigration lawyer etc who has an arrangement with the Home Office.

Original poster

Chandra · 23/06/2004 17:36

PMH, Would it be possible that they send somebody to queue outside Lunar House?

Janinl... 50th in the queue at 6 am is not that bad, I once was the 200-250th in a queue out of an American consulate at 4 am! crazy time! I was so happy when I renewed my last year student visa! However I don't know who are faster of the British or the American, with the American you would be out by 3:00 pm, how long does it take at Lunar House?

OP posts:

SueW · 23/06/2004 19:54

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

janinlondon · 24/06/2004 09:09

I think it took about 4 hours once they opened the doors. Mine was pretty straighforward though. The real eye opener for me was the mass of legal advice people waiting to pounce on you as you left if you didn't get approved. It was like a scene from an American drama about wetback immigration.

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