1. Because my husband is self-employed, does he have to have his financial proof (accounts prepared by an accountant) notarized?
Only copies of documents have to be notarised. You should always send original documents, unless the original cannot be provided, in which case you must provide a notarised/certified copy of the original.
So, if he has the original documents for the accounts, then he just provides the originals (along with copies) and doesn't need to get anything notarised.
2. Regarding the cohabitation proof, is it okay that some of my mail is in my married name and some is in my former name (the name that is on my passport/BRP)?
Yes, that's perfectly fine - in fact, many people are in this situation. Your marriage certificate will show that you are the same person anyway.
3. Is there anything else that needs to be notarized? I seem to recall having a few things notarized when I applied for FLR.
As I said, the only things that need to be notarised/certified are copies of original documents, where it is not possible to provide the original.
All documents are expected to be originals, so there shouldn't be much, if anything, that needs to be notarised unless you don't have the original.
It is now acceptable to send a regular photocopy of the UK citizen's passport, instead of a notarised copy, so if you don't want to send his actual passport, you can send a photocopy of it, but it must be a copy of EVERY page.
ILR is much more straightforward than a fiance visa or FLR(M) - with less requirements (no financial requirement and no accommodation requirement) and less documents needed, so it should just be a case of gathering the documents listed on the SET(M) form and sending off the application.
All you really need to show is:
- you are still married
- you have been living together as a couple for the entire 2 years
- you (the visa holder) haven't accessed any public funds
- you have enough money to live off without you (the visa holder) accessing public funds
