§ Mr. DhandaTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the length of time it takes for those given indefinite leave to remain in the UK to have the stamp transferred from an expired passport into a new passport when applying(a) in person to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in Croydon and (b) by recorded delivery to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [124516]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 8 July 2003]: The Public Enquiry Office offers a same day service for the endorsement of a "No Time Limit" stamp on an applicant's national passport. As long as the applicant presents the previous expired passport showing Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and a new passport which has been obtained legally through the relevant embassy or high commission.
We aim to screen all postal applications, including those where a request is made to place a "No Time Limit" stamp into a new passport, within three weeks of receipt and to complete approximately 70 per cent. of these cases at that point. If that is not possible then the application can take up to 12 months to decide.