A C182 PLT VFR RATED IS CAUGHT ON TOP OF THE CLOUDS AND REQUESTS A DSCNT THROUGH THE OVCST TO LAND. THE CTR CTLR REFUSES TO ISSUE A CLRNC THROUGH THE CLOUDS UNTIL THE PLT DECLARES AN EMER. THE ACFT LANDED AT GYY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

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RETURNING TO LAF WE WERE STUCK ABOVE THE CLOUDS; CMI APCH INDICATED WE COULD DSND IN TO LAF VIA ZAU. AFTER CONTACTING ZAU THEY REFUSED TO ALLOW US TO DSND INTO LAF. FLT WATCH HAD INDICATED A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS AT GYY; IN; SO WE WENT TO GYY. CONDITIONS WERE NO BETTER AT GYY AND ZAU SAID WE SHOULD CONTINUE ON AND FIND A HOLE. RUNNING LOW ON FUEL WE DECIDED TO DECLARE AN EMER TO LAND AT GYY. ZAU VECTORED US TO GYY; WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. IN HINDSIGHT; WE WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER OFF TO HAVE DECLARED AN EMER OVER LAF AND LANDED THERE. CONDITIONS WERE MUCH BETTER AT LAF THAN GYY. AS PIC; AFTER TALKING TO APCH AT CMI AND EXPLAINING THAT WHILE I DON'T HAVE AN IFR RATING I DO HAVE 12 HRS TOWARD IFR RATING AND 5 HRS ACTUAL AND FLYING THE ILS; THEY SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT THEY WOULD VECTOR ME INTO CMI OR ZAU WOULD DO THE SAME AT LAF. ZAU WAS UNWILLING TO VECTOR US INTO LAF EVEN THOUGH WE WERE 10 MI DUE W OF RWY 10 AND THE ILS RWY; AND PICKING UP THE ILS. I UNDERSTAND I CANNOT FLY IN THE CLOUDS VFR. BUT THIS WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL SIT AND WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN; AS I AM COMPLETING MY IFR ASAP.