What types of application can you make?

This page describes the types of application that you can normally submit in person using the 'premium service' at our public enquiry offices in the UK. Some offices cannot handle all types of application.

Our public enquiry offices cannot consider your application if you are:

• a person who has been given discretionary leave to remain or humanitarian protection;
• a person with a poor immigration history;
• applying for permanent residence on the basis of 10 or 14 years' residence;
• a business person, innovator, sole representative or investor;
• a seaman;
• a Gurkha; or
• an elderly dependant;
• a parent of a child who is settled in the UK
• a parent exercising access rights
• any application outside of the Immigration Rules or not on any of these lists are not considered in our public enquiry offices.

Also, they cannot consider your application if:

• your case is complex; or
• your case is not covered by the Immigration Rules; or
• your sponsor is a staff member of the Home Office or the UK Border Agency. To protect the confidentiality of your sponsor and to prevent any possibility of corrupt behaviour, these applications must be made by post. You should send your application to the address on the application form, with a note stating that the sponsor is a serving member of staff at the Home Office or the UK Border Agency; or
• you have applied for settlement in the following categories where the continuous residence period includes time spent in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man:

points-based system;
work outside the points-based system (work permit holder, overseas domestic worker in a private household, UK ancestry); or
business person, innovator, investor, or sole representative.

Applications for settlement or extension of stay

Public enquiry offices accept applications for permission to extend your stay (known as 'limited leave to remain') or to settle permanently (known as 'indefinite leave to remain') in the UK, in the categories below.

General

• husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried partner or same-sex partner - forms FLR(M), SET(M).
• children - forms FLR(O) for non points-based system cases under the Immigration Rules, SET(O) and SET(F) (only if the child entered the UK with the correct entry clearance)
• visitor - form FLR(O) (for medical visitors, academic visitors and parents accompanying children under 12 years of age who are receiving private education in the UK)
• (some offices only) transfer of conditions into a new passport forms NTL (for transferring indefinite leave to remain) and TOC (for transferring temporary permission to stay)

If you are applying on form SET(M) (to extend your stay or settle in the UK as the spouse or partner of a person who is settled here), both you and your partner must attend your appointment. If your partner cannot come with you, you must bring a letter they have written to say they support your application. They must sign and date the letter and give us a daytime phone number so we can contact them, if necessary. Your spouse or partner who is settled here, must be present in the United Kingdom at the time of the application.

Points-based system

• Tier 1 (Post-study work)
• Tier 1 (General)
• Tier 1 (Investor)- leave to remain (super premium only)
• Tier 2 (General)
• Tier 2 (Intra company transfer)
• Tier 2 (Minister of religion)
• Tier 2 (Sportsperson)
• Tier 4 (General)
• Tier 4 (Child)
• Tier 5 (Temporary worker - creative and sporting)
• Tier 5 (Temporary worker - charity worker)
• Tier 5 (Temporary worker - religious worker)
• Tier 5 (Temporary worker - government authorised exchange)
• Tier 5 (Temporary worker - international agreement)
• dependents of migrants under the points-based system - form PBS (Dependant)

Work outside the points-based system

• domestic worker in a private household - forms FLR(O) and SET(O)
• offshore worker - form FLR(O)
• UK ancestry - forms FLR(O) and SET(O)
• applying for an extention of your visa on the highly skilled migrant programme- form FLR HSMP (leave to remain)

Government and military

• armed forces indefinite leave to remain following discharge - form SET(O)
• armed forces dependants- extentions and indefinite leave to remain - form FLR(O) and SET (O)
• civilian emloyee of armed forces (civilian component) - form FLR(O)

Medical studies

• Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test - form FLR(O)
• clinical attachment - form FLR(O)

Applications for travel documents

The offices do not accept applications for travel documents. These applications should be made by post. See Home Office travel documents for details.

Applications for registration certificates - European citizens (Croydon only)

If you are a citizen of a country in the European Economic Area, you can apply for registration certificates at Croydon public enquiry office. Only limited numbers of appointments are available for this.

Applications on behalf of other people

The public enquiry offices are for personal applicants. However, in exceptional circumstances you can submit an application on another person's behalf if you are their husband, wife, sister, brother, parent or legal guardian. You must carry a letter of authorisation signed by the applicant.

Legal representatives cannot use the public enquiry office service on behalf of clients, unless they are registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner and have sent us a written request. See Legal representatives' same-day service for more information.

Return of documents (Croydon only)

If your travel documents are currently with the UK Border Agency but you urgently require them for travel, Croydon public enquiry office offers a service that can return those documents to you (unless they have been sent to us with an application for British Citizenship).

We will need to find and retrieve the documents before you can collect them, so we can only offer this service if you contact us in advance, by completing a return of document request form.

When we tell you that your documents are ready for collection, you can collect them from the 'return of documents' desk at the public enquiry office between 09:00 and 12:00, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays). If you arrive at the desk after 12:00, you will not be seen and will need to return on another day.

The European Economic Area (EEA) consists of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Although Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU), their citizens have the same rights as EU citizens to enter, live in and work in the UK.