questions for student to unmarried visa

hello,

i am currently attempting to switch from a student visa to an unmarried partners. I will have been here living with my partner for 4 years this coming august. i have already booked my appointment for the unmarried partners visa for april 12th.

my question to anyone is how should i prepare for this appointment under my current circumstances:

1) my student visa doesn't end until feb 2010 but i have graduated from my american college in london with a bachelors officially in december. i have already had a letter written from my school confirming this for the purpose of the visa. problem is, because i finished my senior art work before the semester was officially over, i was able to have my work assessed by the lsbu board in november. so my london bachelors says november 19th. but my american degree also given at the college says december 2008.

my question is, is it necessary to show my british degree at the interview being that they may look at it as overrunning the 4 months time allowed after graduation. if i just give in my letter from the university and/ or my american degree it will show that i still have enough time on my visa to apply for the unmarried visa.

2) me and my partner have just moved to a new place and are subletting from a friend for the next 4 months while he's away. will that be a problem?

3) i'm confused about how much documentation is needed to apply for a unmarried visa for the first time. i've read else where that i need 20 documents from 5 different sources spanning 2 years together. but i've read on the flr(m) and elsewhere that it is 6 documents from 3 sources. i have read some of the post here but i'm now even more confused.

i thank anyone for advice
sincerely
goodchilde101

I went from student to unmarried partner, but I am not an immigration expert, so please verify things!

1. I did my application in-person and I didn't have to show any information about the end of my student period.  I officially finished the degree in June, hit the two-year living-in-sin mark in October, and switched in January, with a visa expiring in February.  I don't think you should have a problem with the length of time remaining on your student visa (did they think you were finishing the degree much later than you actually did?) but please check with someone who can confirm this.

2. I don't think it would be a problem.  Presumably you can show that wherever you have been living in the previous two years, you have mail addressed to both of you - if not jointly, then at least at the same address.  If you have a joint tenancy agreement for the sublet, I suggest using it as part of your evidence.

3. It used to be 20 documents.  It's now 6.  So you probably ran into older information somewhere.

thank you so very much for answering back PtC.

to answer your question:
i transferred  from a college in the US to an american college here in london. since i didn't have all of my credits transferred at the time of my student visa extension, i was considered a full time 3 year student here in the uk and got the full full 3 year visa. once i had my transfer credits in i finished out my degree within a year and a half and still had a year and a half left on my visa.

its kinda left me in a weird limbo not sure if that makes my visa valid after graduation. i even talked to an immigration solicitor about my visa and she said that i was ok to stay here for the term left on my visa. but i don't trust her now. so i'm going ahead with the unmarried visa.

what is the real case with a student visa in this scenerio?

You are allowed to stay for the duration of the course, but still within the terms of the student visa, so you can still only work part time.

However, if you apply in person you might well have problems as the people at the PEO almost certainly won't realise this.


Vicky

hello vicky,

thank you for answering. are you saying that i might run into problems if i extend beyond the four months after graduation? or i'm going to run into problems regardless because i am graduated? because i have applied in person. is that not a good idea?

I am saying that if you go to apply in person the IO might ask for evidence of your continued studies.


Vicky

ahhh i see. thanx for that! i do think now that post would be the ideal choice especially after reading your post on the subject. but from reading here and elsewhere, it would take 12 to 14 weeks for me and my partner to get our visas back. is that right?

That's right.

Vicky

wow...! that is quite a long time. i'll have to go through with the in person application and hope for the best!

i had another question. my partner has a full time job making about 25,000 a year with about 3,000 in the bank at all times. i'm only working part time at the moment making about 350 a month. as i am applying in person, is that enough money for suitable accomodation for the people at IO?

g-

My partner made less than yours, I had more savings than your partner does, and my income was a) probably equivalent to yours but b) very sporadic - I didn't earn *anything* in one of the three months prior to my ILR application.  I was approved without any problems.  I think you should be fine (assuming you can document everything! - payslips, bank statements, etc.).

Something unrelated - is your partner coming with you to the appointment?  If not I think you need to provide a letter from him stating that he supports the application.  (You'd think signing the application form would be sufficient, but no....)

big thanx for the reassurance PtC!
yup we're going there together!
still nervous though. :-)