I'll chase it up with CATS then. I don't profess to having vast experience, merely that I'm not a sub-1000 hour wonder, and I can and already am doing the job flying commercially in the UK. With my father holding US citizenship, and having sponsored me to immigrate, I can't see myself staying in the UK more than another 2-3 years... So that raises the question whether the expense of converting everything "properly" would be worth it for the little return I might get back.
Thanks for all the helpful advice, and references. Apologies for rubbing anyone up the wrong way, but it is frustrating and I might yet find I do all these exams only for this BASA to come in and remove a large brunt of the groundschool/exams requirement. Will certainly see what's involved in doing only the CPL exams, as opposed to ATPL. Presumably with the CBIR, coming from FAA would mean I wouldn't need the IR exams? So there may be some light at the end of the tunnel? Would that be correct, in that it would only be CPL exams?
Reversebucket gets it. Standardisation on EASAs terms it seems.
Cheers,
L