ILR success SET O PEO@Croydon-Didn't pay initial £100 fee
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:40 pm
Hey all
Here is my experience today at Croydon
Nationality - Australian
Visa timeline - HSMP 2yrs + Tier1 3yrs
Entry Clearance 16/08/08
First Entered UK 01/10/08
Expiry Date 29/07/13
I Initially paid for the services for one of those many visa companies out there as originally I had trouble securing a PEO appointment but also to get advice. I paid the £500 and then discovered this website. Also I realise now how easy it it to book one of these PEO appointment (the home office release dates bang on midnight) it was abit of a waste of money. Unless your case is complicated just use this helpful forum and don't bother with the services of all these solictors blah blah..
One thing my visa compnay did was book my PEO appointment. Due to a misunderstanding I didn't releasie I had to pay the £100 appointment fee and only realised this a few days beforehand!! the border agency didn't cancel my appointment so I turned up hoping for the best. Once there all they asked was did I pay, I said no and that's it. So for people who for whatever reason haven't paid their £100 fee, don't stress!! unless you receive an email the next day saying it's cancelled then it should remain there like mine. Having said that I still had to pay the £100 on the day.
So as for the actual day well you go through the ubiqitious screening and checking procedures whereever you walk. It's airport in nature but bottled water is permitted in. The place is generally characterless with a hint of sterility. Like alot of public sector workers they distract themself from the mundane with forced humour and in-house jokes which you're supposed to jump in on but if you try to initiate or attempt humour you're looked at with suspicion and somehow out of character. People on here have said dress formal/smart attire, bullocks to that I just wore flips flops and shorts as did other people, it's not a fashion contest their assesing you based on the written evidence you present, simple.
My application took 2hrs to process but try not to stay there for the entire duration - the place is like a zoo with kids running around screaming, nervous applicants pacing up an down about to go into labour and lawyers/solictors making awkward small chat with their clients. The whole thing is chaotic and very unnerving. There is a big shopping centre across the road from Lunar House but this will only hold your attention for an hour maximum.
I generate my earnings through an Umbrella company which receive the monies through my agencies which find me work, so the evidence I supplied is:
* Bank Satements
* Payslips and cover letter from my Umbrella compnay
* Remittance slips and cover letter from 2 different agencies
* Life in the UK certificate
* Copy of degree certificate
* Tenancy contract (proof of accomodation)
* Table of days outside of UK (I had 272 days over the 5 years, all holiday related. Had a list of countries etc)
I had P60's spanning 5yrs as a backup but they didn't ask for them. In fact they didn't ask for anything additional and the whole thing was straight forward. PEO is the way to go! The whole process of preparation was very stressful I found. As long as you preapre everything simply and concisely and only declare the minimum earnings that is required (i just used 4months of earnings) then there'll be less work for you to do.
Best of luck everyone!
Here is my experience today at Croydon
Nationality - Australian
Visa timeline - HSMP 2yrs + Tier1 3yrs
Entry Clearance 16/08/08
First Entered UK 01/10/08
Expiry Date 29/07/13
I Initially paid for the services for one of those many visa companies out there as originally I had trouble securing a PEO appointment but also to get advice. I paid the £500 and then discovered this website. Also I realise now how easy it it to book one of these PEO appointment (the home office release dates bang on midnight) it was abit of a waste of money. Unless your case is complicated just use this helpful forum and don't bother with the services of all these solictors blah blah..
One thing my visa compnay did was book my PEO appointment. Due to a misunderstanding I didn't releasie I had to pay the £100 appointment fee and only realised this a few days beforehand!! the border agency didn't cancel my appointment so I turned up hoping for the best. Once there all they asked was did I pay, I said no and that's it. So for people who for whatever reason haven't paid their £100 fee, don't stress!! unless you receive an email the next day saying it's cancelled then it should remain there like mine. Having said that I still had to pay the £100 on the day.
So as for the actual day well you go through the ubiqitious screening and checking procedures whereever you walk. It's airport in nature but bottled water is permitted in. The place is generally characterless with a hint of sterility. Like alot of public sector workers they distract themself from the mundane with forced humour and in-house jokes which you're supposed to jump in on but if you try to initiate or attempt humour you're looked at with suspicion and somehow out of character. People on here have said dress formal/smart attire, bullocks to that I just wore flips flops and shorts as did other people, it's not a fashion contest their assesing you based on the written evidence you present, simple.
My application took 2hrs to process but try not to stay there for the entire duration - the place is like a zoo with kids running around screaming, nervous applicants pacing up an down about to go into labour and lawyers/solictors making awkward small chat with their clients. The whole thing is chaotic and very unnerving. There is a big shopping centre across the road from Lunar House but this will only hold your attention for an hour maximum.
I generate my earnings through an Umbrella company which receive the monies through my agencies which find me work, so the evidence I supplied is:
* Bank Satements
* Payslips and cover letter from my Umbrella compnay
* Remittance slips and cover letter from 2 different agencies
* Life in the UK certificate
* Copy of degree certificate
* Tenancy contract (proof of accomodation)
* Table of days outside of UK (I had 272 days over the 5 years, all holiday related. Had a list of countries etc)
I had P60's spanning 5yrs as a backup but they didn't ask for them. In fact they didn't ask for anything additional and the whole thing was straight forward. PEO is the way to go! The whole process of preparation was very stressful I found. As long as you preapre everything simply and concisely and only declare the minimum earnings that is required (i just used 4months of earnings) then there'll be less work for you to do.
Best of luck everyone!