Applications should always be made as soon as possible.  The Unit needs to receive all necessary information and documentation a minimum of 3 weeks before any hearing date or deadline for which help is requested. 

Once the initial application and documents have been sent, we may need to request further information, and must have enough time to ask for it, and receive it, with 3 weeks still remaining before any hearing date or deadline.

The most common reason for delays in processing an application is that the application does not contain all the necessary information and documentation.

At particular points in the year, for example over the summer and Christmas break, a longer time may be required to process applications.