"PaulaJay1" wrote in message
...

Cleveland App wants me at 3000 when I come in over Lake Erie
from the north. I cancel IFR if I can and stay high. Do you mean
that I can request ( and get) VFR on Top and then stay high and
still be IFR?


You're IFR whenever you're operating VFR-on-Top.



Can they refuse and insist I came down or cancel?


Unless you cancel, they're going to direct you to come down at some point.
What else can they do? You can't maintain VFR-on-Top all the way to your
destination airport. If there's a solid undercast below you, the lowest you
can go is 1000' above the clouds. At some point you're going to be given a
hard altitude and as soon as that happens you're no longer operating
VFR-on-Top.