ILR granted in Solihull last week

My partner and I went to Solihull again last week to apply for his indefinite leave to remain. As you may remember, the last time we went they could not take the application as it was too early and the letter they had sent us quoted the wrong date for the second application.

We got an appointment (you can now only apply one week in advance due to staff shortages) for 9:40 am. We took the 6:30 am train from Marylebone, arrived in Solihull around 9 am, and walked to the office from the station. They saw us right away, only glanced at the supporting information we had with the application (didn't actually take it out of the folder), and said that we'd have the visa in an hour. We actually waited for 1.5 hours, and the officer who gave us the visa said that it had taken her 5 tries to print out the letter.

There's a nice shopping centre down the street and we went there for some shopping and a lovely lunch (best hamburger I've ever had in the UK) at Ma Potter's Chargrill on the ground floor. Back home by 4 pm.

Return tickets for two were £50. So, if you can scrape up the time it's a good alternative to Croydon--appointments, no waiting in a queue, relatively fast service. I hope I never have to do it again, but I'd recommend it to anyone who is going to apply at Croydon.

Chris Hansen
http://www.hansenhome.demon.co.uk

http://www.hansenhome.demon.co.uk/indefinite_leave.html

Thanks for posting this.  I can't wait until we apply for my ILR next September!  :-)

Chris, I'm definitely keeping this in mind for next March/April.  Already mentioned it to my husband as an alternative to ANOTHER trip to Croydon (we've been there twice so far).  And he was happy with ANY alternative to Croydon!  

Glad to hear it (finally) went painlessly and (relatively) quickly!  Must be a great weight off your shoulders.

Chris, I'm definitely keeping this in mind for next March/April.  Already mentioned it to my husband as an alternative to ANOTHER trip to Croydon (we've been there twice so far).  And he was happy with ANY alternative to Croydon!  ;)

Glad to hear it (finally) went painlessly and (relatively) quickly!  Must be a great weight off your shoulders.

Yes, we're both very relieved. I suppose it's a bit annoying that all the evidence we submitted was just glanced at, but better than they look at it and find a hole or a lack.

I would recommend Solihull for any visits to the IND that anyone needs to make from the Soutyh of England.

Cheers

Chris

Congrats on the ILR!

Congratulations Chris!  Bet that's a relief to have everything sorted!

Can I ask you when you booked your appointment?  Did you have to call first thing on Monday morning?  I've been trying to get an appointment in Solihull for the past few weeks, with no joy (they always say they are booked for the week & to try again the next week).

Fantastic and congrats!
And thanks for sharing your experience. Sounds like a great alternative!

Congratulations Chris!  Bet that's a relief to have everything sorted!

Can I ask you when you booked your appointment?  Did you have to call first thing on Monday morning?  I've been trying to get an appointment in Solihull for the past few weeks, with no joy (they always say they are booked for the week & to try again the next week).

We did book on Monday, but it took nearly until noon before we got through. You have to be persistent: it's the telephonic equivalent of queueing at Croydon. The recording may return again and again, asking you to press "1" for this and that; simply press "1" or whatever again and continue to wait.

We finally got through Monday late noonish and had to take an appointment on Wednesday, as that was the first one they had available. But, to reiterate, persistence is everything.

I suspect that the most recent immigration mess that the IND and the government are engaged in will draw some attention away from the day-to-day work of the Enquiry Offices and there may be a period where it becomes more difficult to make and get appointments. However, it changes overnight sometimes. In February they were booking appointments two weeks in advance; in March and April, one week. Who knows, it may be a whole month in advance come May and June!

Next Monday, I think I know what you'll be doing at 9:01 am!  

Cheers!

Chris
http://www.hansenhome.demon.co.uk