Hi! Congrats!

I only just did this in November/December so its' pretty fresh, but anyone else please feel free to correct me if my information is wrong.

The most important thing here is this: "When it asks on the online application how long I've been in the UK I put 4 years and 11 months. Is it a problem that it is less than 5 years? I've seen somewhere online that people say to wait to do your biometrics until after the 5 year mark. Is there any accuracy to that?"

YES! You have to have been here the full five years before you can apply.

Here is my comprehensive list of what I put in my application.

Scan of your current passport

Scan of your sponsor's passport/ID

Last time I checked you also needed to provide scans of your previous passports if you have any.

Scan of your current BRP

Signed sponsor's declaration

Proof of pass for Life in the UK test. Your ref should be enough.

I also submitted part 1 & 2 of the 'consent to checks form' but I had those from previous visas and do not know if the are still relevant. I submitted them anyway.

at least 6 months of bank statements (I always submit 7 also) proving that you meet the financial requirement. These should only come from the sponsor (either yourself or your partner, whoever is sponsoring you).

You will also need an employer letter from said persons' job confirming that they work there and make that salary, and the matching month's worth of payslips.  The employer letter should be dated no more than 28 days before the application date (the online application)

For good measure I also submitted my sponsor's job contract, their latest p60 and a letter from their payroll confirming the payslips are genuine, as they were only digital.

Current tenancy/housing documents

latest council tax bill

6 items of original mail under join names spread evenly over the last two years from at least three different sources.

marriage certificate


You listed several of these in your list, I just added a few things I submitted with mine. Happy for anyone else to chime in and add more/correct me on mistakes. But I just submitted mine in December and got approved in February and these are the exact documents I submitted.

I entered the reference number as part of the application. Do I need to submit a screenshot of the email as well?
Keep the screenshot handy but I doubt you will need it if you provide the number they send you.


As part of the online application we were asked what the source was and I entered it there. Do we need to draft a seperate letter detailing the source or does that count as the declaration? Also do we need to specify that it's immediately available? It's a regular savings account.

Is it okay if our most recent bank statement is from the same day that we apply?

I can't answer this bit as I never declared savings as part of my application. I always got my bank statements printed and stamped as close to the date as I could.

Best of luck to you!

So there is no one of holding these dual reportable funds as a UK resident? Whether in an ISA or not? If it was inside an ISA would it need to be HMRC reporting, as it would be tax free anyway? (so I thought if there is an ISA provider that allows US ETFs inside the wrapper that should be OK?).

I see that I am very late to this post (I have not logged into uk yankee in a while). Did you begin your application/do you still need any help?

Hi all! Long time no see! I got ILR in February 2024!! I'm officially a permanent resident!

It's been a whirlwind few months and I wanted to share a few non-essential updates and some information that might be helpful to someone if they find themselves in a similar situation. I am putting this in Expat Life as to not take away from important essential-visa posts in the Visa channel.

I actually didn't visit the forum for this visa, as I had so many lists and information from my previous two, I managed to do it on my own. Not necessarily recommending people do that, but I had saved every single checklist, website, etc. to the point where I was over-prepared for my ILR visa application. I scheduled my Life in the UK test first, (passed first try!).

Then, I ran into a bit of trouble. 

I had the same job for 4 years, and it all went to sh*t in November 2023. I'd already been in touch with HR about my employer letter and had already gathered all my payslips, etc. All the necessary stuff to 'sponsor' myself in this visa. Unfortunately, things hit a boiling point with my job after a meeting, and I rushed outside to phone Visas & Immigration to ask if it was too late for my husband to sponsor me if I quit. (I had only done the online application at this point, NOT biometrics and I had not sent off any documents. Basically, I'd only told them I would be using my documents) I was desperate to quit my job, and was relieved when they told me as long as I meet the requirements, it should not matter. I needed only to provide a note saying why the application info doesn't match what I submitted and switch it with my husband's info. It was a crunch, because he had a mere week to get the documents from his job, but we did it in the end. I then thought I would take 6 months to process (I did not have priority processing), but I received  my ILR by February. They approved it, so all of that stress about quitting my job was for nothing.

I am still on the job hunt, but so grateful that I now have ILR and don't have to worry about being put on a 'contract' or having another visa looming over my head.

I have to say it's incredible to me that I'm already at this point. I was just making baby posts in here confused as all hell about what to do, how to move, and crying every other day about moving to a new country. I've made a little life for myself out here and it feels good. Now, I just need a better job that does not make me miserable.

New chapter, go!

Thank you!