I don't know anyone in the immigration office. But my profession includes study and understanding complex and Byzantine systems. Often, I have to find the holes. Using human language, legislatures and bureaucrats attempt to create systems of rules that they think will be foolproof, when professionals working with formal languages and executed by highly predictable systems are not capable of getting it right. No wonder there are often holes in such systems - both that can be exploited by those using the system as well as allowing innocents to fall into them (it sounds like you're more along the latter category.)
Regardless of what you do, the best strategy is to educate yourself on the rules and then consult with people familiar with the process. While you can know how the process SHOULD work, someone who has been dealing with it for 10+ years will have practical insights you won't have (nor, will most people on this forum.)
Good luck!
