Commentary on Sections Applications Section 118: Leave pending decision on variation application
285.Section 118 replaces section 3C of the 1971 Act, which ensures that persons who make an application for leave "in time", that is before their current leave expires, are protected from becoming overstayers while their application is outstanding and while an appeal against a full refusal can be made in time or is pending. The earlier provision made no allowance for leave extended by this section to expire when an application was withdrawn or the applicant left the United Kingdom without formally withdrawing the application. These situations are now covered in subsection (2)(a) and (3) of the substituted section 3C.