# FLR (M) - Premium Service Centre Croydon - SUCCESS! Experience, doc checklist, etc



## SJDurrant (Jan 31, 2017)

Hello everyone, 

First of all - huge thanks again to Joppa, nyclon, clever-octopus, and skyf for their feedback. It helped my wife and I so much in this rather stressful process! 

We had our in-person appointment at the Croydon Premium Service Centre yesterday at 1.40pm which was a SUCCESS. I felt confident about it but was still stressing out like mad about it. 

I thought other members in similar situations may find it informative to know about our experience with a premium appointment and our document checklist. So here goes... 

We arrived at Lunar House in Croydon at 1.05pm - our appointment was at 1.40 so we were earlier than expected. First of all, the security guard asks for your appointment booking confirmation. Then, you are guided through to a waiting room pre-security. After waiting for about 10 minutes we were allowed into the security area. Much like an airport, you have to take out all metallic objects, belts, phones, etc. 

The Premium Service Centre itself is on the 3rd floor. In the main room, there is a reception area to the left and about 20 or so desks at the other end of the room. First of all, we went over to the reception area. They checked the applicant's passport, booking confirmation form and had a quick glance over the application form. After that, we were given a numbered ticket and told to wait until we were called. After waiting about 20 minutes, I felt that we had been forgotten so I went back to the desk to check. Turns out there was some kind of IT issue, so the lady went over to one of the desks and got one of the employees to look at our application straight away. 

The lady was very pleasant and chatty. Said she wasn't a case worker herself. She asked for the application form, which she went through and typed some of it into the computer. She also asked for the documents, which she put in a clear wallet that she provided along with the application form. 

*Note - I wrapped everything in string as per Joppa's post but was asked to take it off straight away, which was a slight pain. So my recommendation would be to keep the application form as one pile, original documents as another pile and photocopies as another pile. Don't bother with wallets or string or anything like that as it was wasted. 

My wife then went for her biometrics, which took about 5 minutes in total. At this point, the application form and documents are taken and given to the case worker 'behind the scenes'. 

We headed to the cafe area, which is small and, at least yesterday was staffed by a po-faced, 'Pat Butcher from Eastenders' type who was actually quite rude to customers. There are 3-4 screens which show the progress of everyone's application. I became slightly worried that we had been forgotten again after our number failed to progress from 'Verifying Biometrics' to 'Under Consideration'. After about an hour of waiting we were called to one of the desks (nerve-wracking!) When we got there we were told that there had been ANOTHER IT issue! 

After this was sorted, we went back to the cafe area for another 2 hours or so. We were called back to the desk. They gave our documents and passports back and said it was successful. They had kept all of the photocopies as well as the letters that my HR manager and bank managers wrote. 

So now we just wait for the Biometric Residents Permit to arrive – they said it should take up to a week. 

Here is our document checklist, in the order we submitted them (we were Category A, salaried for first leave to remain after entry clearance): 

Applicant's passport
Sponsor's passport
Appointment Booking Checklist (we booked online)
IHS surcharge receipt
Photographs 2 x applicant, 1 x sponsor
FLR (M) Application form – filled in with black pen/capital letters

Finance Documents
Letter from sponsor detailing account switch, missing bank statement and tax deductions from work payslip
6 Payslips – Jan 2017/Dec 2016/Nov 2016/Oct 2016/Sept 2016/Aug 2016 (clipped with paperclip)
Letter from HR manager about tax deduction from August payslip, signed.
Letter from Bank branch manager with my name, account number and amount in account. 
Bank statement – Printed in branch, signed and stamped.
Bank statement (official duplicate), signed and stamped in branch
Letter from bank confirming account switch
Bank statements from July 2016 – January 2017 (one duplicate statement signed and stamped in branch)
Letter from HR manager confirming employment, gross salary, job title. On company headed paper.
Letter from HR manager confirming authenticity of employment (we use Adobe Sign). On CHP.
Employment contract, signed on each page by HR manager.

Accommodation
Land registry document

Correspondence
Council Tax demand notice – Joint – Jul 2014
Gas bill – Sponsor – Dec 2014
NHS letter – Applicant – Jan 2015
Council Tax demand notice – Joint – Mar 2015
Council Tax bill – Joint – Jul 2015
Water bill – Joint – Sept 2015
NHS letter – Applicant – Nov 2015
Letter from council – Applicant – Dec 2015
Gas bill – Sponsor - Jan 2016
HMRC letter – Sponsor – Feb 2016
Bank statement – Applicant – Jun 2016
Broadband bill – Sponsor – Sept 2016
Water bill – Joint – Nov 2016
Bank new account letter – Applicant – Jan 2017
Council Tax Bill – Joint – Feb 2017

English Language Requirement
Trinity College Grade 3 certificate

Other
Japanese marriage certificate with translation
Japanese koseki (family register) with translation
Son (British citizen) birth certificate
Copy of applicant's refusal letter from 2009

PHOTOCOPIES OF ALL DOCUMENTS – Bank statements and payslips highlighted to show payments. 

Hope this helps someone out there at some point!


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

Congratulations! No more worries for another two and a half years! My husband's BRP arrived the next day so you may get it sooner than expected!


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## skyf (Mar 26, 2015)

Well done. You can sleep now!!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

About using strings to tie the documents. It's primarily for those who have to send in their documents. For in-person application, just take document and copy piles in a box or bag, ready to present them at the desk, which they put into their own transparent plastic wallets.
Also we don't recommend highlighting any documents, which can be seen as defacing them.


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## agentstar (Jul 6, 2016)

*In person application*

Congratulations 

Our experience is very similar at the Solihull centre
One of the security guard was a bit rude. we were kept waiting for a long time and we also felt as if we were forgotten. When they were working on our file behind the scenes we were told that ALL CLIENTS AT THIS STAGE HAVE TO leave the building and wait for a phone call to come in. AT that stage NO ONE is allowed to wait in the building. It was cold out side and we did meet another person in the same stage as us out in the cold. 
When we did get a phone call we were allowed in to see the case processor who was vociferously and unnecessarily asking for a financial document which I did not have at that time on me. I said it was not necessary because I havd had already provided more than ample alternative documents to cover the proof that we comfortably meet the criteria.. She went back and her supervisor agreed with us and so gave us the decision. 
They kept us waiting right till the end of the day because they said it was an IT problem. ALL the clients were dealt with and gone...and even some staff were also starting to go home but they kept us waiting for a long time because they said they had IT PROBLEMS. 
EVENTUALLY THEY GAVE US THE LETTER AND ALL THE DOCUMENTS BACK. SUCCESS AFTER A VERY LONG WAIT


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## Luckyladyinasia (Jun 6, 2014)

We went to Croydon for the premium service on 24th May at 6.00pm. We were a little bit early but they let us in to register and join the queue of only a few people. I was nervous as I lost my job just before we were supposed to apply for my husbands visa extension, beg April. Thankfully, I managed to get a job offer within 2 weeks and started my new job beg May. My ex employer are mean and refused to give me an employment letter, I included the email correspondence in the pack along with the employment letter from new employer, but I also had no payslip from current employer, I put in an explanation about this and said I will submit my new payslip if required at the end of the month when I receive my salary.

We waited in the cafe which was closed, my husbands number was called and we were told our application was a success at 7.45pm, we were so relieved!!!


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

IT issues seem to be the norm these days... when I went for ILR back in October 2014, I was the first appointment of the day and had biometrics taken well befor 08:20 am. 

Due to a MASSIVE IT glitch system wide (I was at Croydon and got my FLE(M) at Solihull 3 days after we were married), I didn't receive a decision until 2:30 pm.


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## neilcperks (Aug 7, 2014)

Different centres seem to be totally different.

We went to Liverpool where the staff couldn't have been friendlier, once the documents were handed in we were told to wait in case there were any queries. After about an hour they called us over and told us the application was successful and returned our document and thanked us for providing copies of all the documents.

A really relaxing experience.


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## sprite75 (Aug 11, 2014)

congrats!
i found the staff at solihull to be very friendly and helpful, but the BRP computers went down. I arrived around 8am, computers came back up around 1pm, I left at 4 pm. did not feel like my premium service money had been well spent!


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## MND (Oct 3, 2014)

Our Croydon Experience: 
You are allowed into the building exactly 30 min before your appointment and can report to reception 15 min beforehand. We had to wait around an hour before we were called to go to a desk. Our appointment was at 10:20, we reported at reception at 10:05 and were seen at 11:19. We used the documents as recommended and nothing more.

And then we waited for 5 hours. Don’t stress, apparently that is normal, despite them telling you it takes 2-2.5 hours. 

For the spouse visa extension, you don't get another sticker in the passport, just a letter and then your BRP 7-10 days later.

Thank you for all the valuable information provided on this amazing forum.
We'll be back in 30 months' time for the indefinite leave to remain application.


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## kezcon (Jun 22, 2014)

Hi did you have to give any relationship evidence?


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## Avleen (Sep 8, 2017)

Dear All

I have an appointment at croydon for 10 yr long residency 

Any valuable guidance would be appreciated 

Got Tier 1 ENT. In May 2017 after long battle of TOIEC

Documents 

Life in UK
Trinity English Pass Certificate with Distinction 
Absences from UK as no any absence from last 8 yrs
Last two passports 

Additional 
Bank statements 

Kind regards


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