Cohabitation evidence dates - FLR

Hello,

The way I understand the process is this:

1. Gather all your documents
2. Make sure the documents meet all the requirements
3. Fill out the online application
4. Submit the online application, pay for the IHS surcharge and visa fee
5. Wait for email with code to register on the UKVCAS website
6. Register on the UKVCAS website
7. Book biometrics... or if no appointments are available, keep checking until you can get one... it could take a few weeks to be able to attend an appointment due to Covid delays
8. Before biometrics, scan and upload all your documents to the UKVCAS website... or when you book the appointment, you can choose to pay extra for all the documents to be scanned at the appointment
9. Attend the appointment
10. Wait for approval email and for the BRP to be mailed to you

My question is, let's say I complete my application form on the 17th November. Does all my documentation need to be dated from 17th November backwards (2.5 years)

OR - is it that the documentation needs to be dated backwards (2.5 years) from the time I book the biometrics appointment, which lets say is 2nd December for instance (so i'd need to provide payslips and bank statements starting december?)

it's a bit confusing - hope I can get some clarification, thanks.

If it helps to summarise my issue, I'm thinking of applying within this week, but my payslips and bank statement for November don't get generated until the 28th. So do I apply on the 29th once I have these two? or can I apply now, and then upload those when I get them?

My question is, let's say I complete my application form on the 17th November. Does all my documentation need to be dated from 17th November backwards (2.5 years)

OR - is it that the documentation needs to be dated backwards (2.5 years) from the time I book the biometrics appointment, which lets say is 2nd December for instance (so i'd need to provide payslips and bank statements starting december?)

It's the first one. Your official application date is the date you submit your online application. So, if you submit on November 17th, then all your documents must be dated BEFORE November 17th... that includes your financial, accommodation and cohabitation documents.

So, you would want your cohabitation documents to be dated in the following months:
May 2018
October 2018
March 2019
August 2019
January 2020
June 2020
November 2020

Alternatively, if you are applying in mid-November, you may not have any mail from November yet, so you could use the following months instead:
April 2018
September 2018
February 2019
July 2019
December 20219
May 2020
October 2020

If it helps to summarise my issue, I'm thinking of applying within this week, but my payslips and bank statement for November don't get generated until the 28th. So do I apply on the 29th once I have these two? or can I apply now, and then upload those when I get them?

The most recent payslip and bank statement you provide, plus your employer letter, must be dated no more than 28 days BEFORE the date you apply online.

So, if you were to apply online on November 17th, you just need to make sure that the most recent payslip and bank statement you include must be dated no EARLIER than 20th October 2020.

Therefore, if your October payslip was dated 28th October, then you use that one, along with a bank statement showing that payslip deposit, and you do not need to wait until you get the November payslip/bank statement.

If you are using the end of October payslip as your last one, then you will need to include the following payslips and bank statements to cover the whole 6-month period:
April 2020
May 2020
June 2020
July 2020
August 2020
September 2020
October 2020

Alternatively, if you are applying in mid-November, you may not have any mail from November yet, so you could use the following months instead:
April 2018
September 2018
February 2019
July 2019
December 20219
May 2020
October 2020

So I just realized something, perhaps I am applying too early (I know you've advised to leave it slightly later @ksand24), however I don't think I have much of a choice but to leave it for a bit later on.

1st May 2018 my wife was granted her BRP.
8th June 2018 she had come to collect it

Then, she had left to go back to the US to tie up studies/work, and moved for good on 10th Aug 2018. So the earliest document evidence I have for her is 24th August which was when I put the Gas and Electric on her name.

So far, this is what we have for our evidence list. We've incremented it every 3 months because the 4 months gap did not work for us (could not get enough to be evenly spaced).

What would you advise? wait for a few more months, so maybe October + 3 months, so Jan?

Document list so far:

October 2020: (Wife and me) Joint bank statement
July 2020: (Wife) NHS letter. (Me) Bank statement
April 2020: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) Bank statement
January 2020: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) Bank statement
October 2020: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) City Council letter
July 2019: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) DVLA car tax reminder
April 2019: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) Admiral car insurance no-claims bonus letter
January 2019: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) Bank statement

Fall outside the pattern:

October 2018: Wife: Gas bill, September 2018: (Me) Confirmation letter of resignation from old job
August 2018: Wife: Gas bill start letter, July 2018: (Me) NHS letter
May 2018: (Me only) Tenancy agreement

Oh, hang on, if you’re applying for FLR(M), your cohabitation documents must only cover back a MAXIMUM of 2 years, not 2.5 years. I got confused and gave you ILR document spacing (every 5 months) instead.

Therefore, if you apply this week, your documents should instead be dated:
November 2018
March 2019
July 2019
November 2019
March 2020
July 2020
November 2020

Or
October 2018
February 2019
June 2019
October 2019
February 2020
June 2020
October 2020


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Ahh, OK - that makes sense. Thanks @ksand24.

The 4-month spacing is ideal, but it doesn't work very well for us, is it going to be a big issue if we opt for the 3-month spacing like I've listed earlier:

October 2020: (Wife and me) Joint bank statement
July 2020: (Wife) NHS letter. (Me) Bank statement
April 2020: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) Bank statement
January 2020: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) Bank statement
October 2020: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) City Council letter
July 2019: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) DVLA car tax reminder
April 2019: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) Admiral car insurance no-claims bonus letter
January 2019: (Wife) Gas bill. (Me) Bank statement

October 2018: Wife: Gas bill, September 2018: (Me) Confirmation letter of resignation from old job

Notice the October 2018 and September 2018 are not the same dates, but i'm good until Jan 2019 in that they're evenly spread out. Do you think its worth waiting till Jan 2021 so then I have documents that are completely evenly spaced with no discrepencies, and are 3 months apart?

Or in either case, the 3 months apart case and the Sept/Oct 2018 case, will I have to write a letter explaining why they are not 4 month spaced/matching?