ILR Application Procedure + Timelines - Reference Doc

Hi mbmoffat, just a piece of clarification regarding timeline for biometric appointment. I believe the timing of 21 days after submission was taken from my earlier post? I should mention that this was for a "free" appointment, i.e. one that I didn't have to pay for (free as free beer, as they say). If I had been willing to pay, I would have been able to book one much sooner, IIRC possibly even on the next day. I didn't see a need for such a hurry for a citizenship application, and in fact I could use the time gap to get the supporting documents scanned and uploaded.

The availability of appointments also varies greatly from location to location. Again IIRC, the location most convenient to me had no "free" appointment available in the future at that time.

Understood, many thanks!

Updated 26 April 2022 - Reference Doc addressing 5 areas:

1. The current ILR Application Procedure for a spouse.
2. Up-to-date processing timelines.
3. Priority slot availability.
4. Application Documents required.
5. Subsequent Passport/Citizenship Application.

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.


ILR APPLICATION PROCEDURE - 5 Year Route.
1) You can apply 28 days before the 5th anniversary of the date you landed.
2) Use the SET(M) form to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK as a partner of a person or parent of a child already settled in the UK.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-settle-in-the-uk-form-setm/apply-online-form-setm
3) Fill out the application form  (includes Life in the UK reference code - which looks something like this PSJ/201120/SW200JF03/C6OO212) ...
4) Submit the Application and pay the application fees - £2400
5) If Super Priority (£800) is available and you choose it you will not be offered use of the app. You will instead receive an email with a registration code for the UKVCAS website, then you:
- Book Biometric Appointment on the UKVCAS website immediately.
- Upload documents to the UKVCAS website before the Biometrics appointment.
- Attend Biometrics Appointment.
- Receive Visa Approval email if criteria is met - currently within 4-5 hours of the appointment.
6) If you do not choose Super Priority one of two things will happen.
a) You receive the app invite where you can upload documents and Biometrics.
b) You don't receive the app invite so you will:
- Book Biometrics Appointment on the UKVCAS website.
- Upload documents to the UKVCAS website before the Biometrics appointment.
- Attend Biometrics Appointment.
- Wait for visa approval email.
- Then wait.  Try not to fret.  Remember this is a visa guaranteed to be approved if you meet the criteria, which you do...



PROCESSING TIMELINES
Time from completing ILR application to being granted access to the app (app is optional and not always available):  4-10 days.
Time from completing ILR application to booking a Biometric Appointment (non-Priority): Range 15-30 days.
Time from attending Biometrics Appointment to receiving ILR decision:
- Super Priority gives the decision shortly after Biometrics.  Currently running at 4-5 hours after Biometrics.
- Normal Applications - if you use the app, or attend an appointment instead of using the app, it can take 6 months from submitting the biometrics.
Recent Decisions (please submit yours so we can see how they're running).
Applicant          Biometric Appointment       Decision
HMcartlidge     19JAN2022                           27APRIL2022.



PRIORITY SLOT AVAILABILITY
Ksand24: "Not many - I think it was about 50 slots per day but with a lot Ukraine refugees applying now, there aren’t many slots available at all at the moment."



APPLICATION DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
Application Documents
- Applicant's passport.
- Any other passports held since moving to the UK.
- Signed sponsor's declaration (part of online application).
- Life in the UK Test.
- Language Test B1 (not required for applicants from the US, Canada or some other English speaking countries).
Proof of Identity/Travel History
- Sponsor's UK passport.
- Applicant's BRP card.
Finances
- 7 months of payslips.
- 7 months of bank statements.
- Employer letter.
Optional but recommended:
- Job contract.
- Latest P60.
- If using savings - £34,600 held in an account for over 6 months and immediately available.
Residence in the UK
Accommodation
- Lease agreement in both names.
- Latest council tax bill.
Cohabitation
- 6/7 items of mail in each name dated every 5 months going back 2.5 years (from at least 3 different sources). Either named together or within the same calendar month.
Other
- Marriage certificate.
- Any divorce decrees.
If you have any children under 18 living in the UK:
- Each child's passport.
- Each child's birth certificate.
- A letter dated in the last 3 months confirming each child's address (i.e. from GP or school).
- No IHS Surcharge!



CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
This is a starting point – any help to improve the quality of the info is much appreciated.
1)   Fill out the Application Form.
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it. Register and book Biometric Appointment – availability approx 21days as of April 2022.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR
- Married to a UK citizen
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years)
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes)
- 2 referees to confirm your identity

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
Average Citizenship Application processing times are usually 3-6 months from biometrics.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.

Here is the link to Form AN – Application for naturalisation as a British Citizen.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/997950/form-an-07-21.pdf







.

The biggest difference between this and the Spouse Visa applications is the need for two referees and referee forms

Not quite.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.

It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- hold ILR
- married to a UK citizen
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years)
- good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes)
- 2 referees to confirm your identity

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- no accommodation requirement
- no financial requirement
- no relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Citizenship Timelines (from one "straightforward" Non-Priority applicant in April 2022).
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - 21 Days
Time from Citizenships Biometrics to Citizenship Decision - 37 Days
So Total from Application to Decision - 58 Days

That is a very unusual, extremely fast citizenship decision.

Average citizenship processing times are usually 3-6 months from biometrics.

There is no priority service available for citizenship because it is not a visa.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not quite.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.

It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- hold ILR
- married to a UK citizen
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years)
- good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes)
- 2 referees to confirm your identity

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- no accommodation requirement
- no financial requirement
- no relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms

Brilliant - updated the Reference Doc

Hi mbmoffat, it's me again. May I respectfully suggest that you move the section on Citizenship onwards to a new topic, should you wish to maintain it? The reason is that the discussion gets confusing as to whether it is referring to ILR or Citizenship: There are very important differences (for example, there are no provisions for "Priority", "Super Priority" etc. in the Citizenship application and associated biometric appointment.) It would be better if the topic is focused on one or the other only.

Updated 28 April 2022 - Reference Doc addressing 5 areas:

1. The current ILR Application Procedure for a spouse.
2. Up-to-date ILR processing timelines.
3. ILR Priority slot availability.
4. ILR Application Documents required.
5. Subsequent Passport/Citizenship Application.

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.


ILR APPLICATION PROCEDURE - 5 Year Route.
1) You can apply 28 days before the 5th anniversary of the date you landed.
2) Use the SET(M) form to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK as a partner of a person or parent of a child already settled in the UK.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-settle-in-the-uk-form-setm/apply-online-form-setm
3) Fill out the application form  (includes Life in the UK reference code - which looks something like this PSJ/201120/SW200JF03/C6OO212) ...
4) Submit the Application and pay the application fees - £2400
5) If Super Priority (£800) is available and you choose it you will not be offered use of the app. You will instead receive an email with a registration code for the UKVCAS website, then you:
- Book Biometric Appointment on the UKVCAS website immediately.
- Upload documents to the UKVCAS website before the Biometrics appointment.
- Attend Biometrics Appointment.
- Receive Visa Approval email if criteria is met - currently within 4-5 hours of the appointment.
6) If you do not choose Super Priority one of two things will happen.
a) You receive the app invite where you can upload documents and Biometrics.
b) You don't receive the app invite so you will:
- Book Biometrics Appointment on the UKVCAS website.
- Upload documents to the UKVCAS website before the Biometrics appointment.
- Attend Biometrics Appointment.
- Wait for visa approval email.
- Then wait.  Try not to fret.  Remember this is a visa guaranteed to be approved if you meet the criteria, which you do...



PROCESSING TIMELINES
Time from completing ILR application to being granted access to the app (app is optional and not always available):  4-10 days.
Time from completing ILR application to booking a Biometric Appointment (non-Priority): Range 15-30 days.
Time from attending Biometrics Appointment to receiving ILR decision:
- Super Priority gives the decision shortly after Biometrics.  Currently running at 4-5 hours after Biometrics.
- Normal Applications - if you use the app, or attend an appointment instead of using the app, it can take 6 months from submitting the biometrics.
Recent Decisions (please submit yours so we can see how they're running).
Applicant          Biometric Appointment       Decision
HMcartlidge     19JAN2022                           27APRIL2022.



PRIORITY SLOT AVAILABILITY
Ksand24: "Not many - I think it was about 50 slots per day but with a lot Ukraine refugees applying now, there aren’t many slots available at all at the moment."



APPLICATION DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
Application Documents
- Applicant's passport.
- Any other passports held since moving to the UK.
- Signed sponsor's declaration (part of online application).
- Life in the UK Test.
- Language Test B1 (not required for applicants from the US, Canada or some other English speaking countries).
Proof of Identity/Travel History
- Sponsor's UK passport.
- Applicant's BRP card.
Finances
- 7 months of payslips.
- 7 months of bank statements.
- Employer letter.
Optional but recommended:
- Job contract.
- Latest P60.
- If using savings - £34,600 held in an account for over 6 months and immediately available.
Residence in the UK
Accommodation
- Lease agreement in both names.
- Latest council tax bill.
Cohabitation
- 6/7 items of mail in each name dated every 5 months going back 2.5 years (from at least 3 different sources). Either named together or within the same calendar month.
Other
- Marriage certificate.
- Any divorce decrees.
If you have any children under 18 living in the UK:
- Each child's passport.
- Each child's birth certificate.
- A letter dated in the last 3 months confirming each child's address (i.e. from GP or school).
- No IHS Surcharge!



CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
This is a starting point – any help to improve the quality of the info is much appreciated.
1)   Fill out the Application Form.
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it. Register and book Biometric Appointment – availability approx 21days as of April 2022.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR
- Married to a UK citizen
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years)
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes)
- 2 referees to confirm your identity

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
Average Citizenship Application processing times are usually 3-6 months from biometrics.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.

Here is the link to Form AN – Application for naturalisation as a British Citizen.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/997950/form-an-07-21.pdf







.

Has anyone recently had any success or news booking Priority for ILR?


.

Has anyone recently had any success or news booking Priority for ILR?

I was wondering the same as I didn't see it as an option anywhere when I applied on Monday. I am still awaiting an email about whether or not I can use the app for my documents.
.

Updated 16th May 2022 - Reference Doc addressing 5 areas:

1. The current ILR Application Procedure for a spouse.
2. Up-to-date ILR processing timelines.
3. ILR Priority slot availability.
4. ILR Application Documents required.
5. Subsequent Passport/Citizenship Application.

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.


ILR APPLICATION PROCEDURE - 5 Year Route.
1) You can apply 28 days before the 5th anniversary of the date you landed.
2) Use the SET(M) form to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK as a partner of a person or parent of a child already settled in the UK.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-settle-in-the-uk-form-setm/apply-online-form-setm
3) Fill out the application form  (includes Life in the UK reference code - which looks something like this PSJ/201120/SW200JF03/C6OO212) ...
4) Submit the Application and pay the application fees - £2400
5) If Super Priority (£800) is available and you choose it you will not be offered use of the app. You will instead receive an email with a registration code for the UKVCAS website, then you:
- Book Biometric Appointment on the UKVCAS website immediately.
- Upload documents to the UKVCAS website before the Biometrics appointment.
- Attend Biometrics Appointment.
- Receive Visa Approval email if criteria is met - currently within 4-5 hours of the appointment.
6) If you do not choose Super Priority one of two things will happen.
a) You receive the app invite where you can upload documents and Biometrics.
b) You don't receive the app invite so you will:
- Book Biometrics Appointment on the UKVCAS website.
- Upload documents to the UKVCAS website before the Biometrics appointment.
- Attend Biometrics Appointment.
- Wait for visa approval email.
- Then wait.  Try not to fret.  Remember this is a visa guaranteed to be approved if you meet the criteria, which you do...



PROCESSING TIMELINES
Time from completing ILR application to being granted access to the app (app is optional and not always available):  4-10 days.
Time from completing ILR application to booking a Biometric Appointment (non-Priority): Range 15-30 days.
Time from attending Biometrics Appointment to receiving ILR decision:
- Super Priority gives the decision shortly after Biometrics.  Currently running at 4-5 hours after Biometrics.
- Normal Applications - if you use the app, or attend an appointment instead of using the app, it can take 6 months from submitting the biometrics.
Recent Decisions (please submit yours so we can see how they're running).
Applicant          Biometric Appointment       Decision
HMcartlidge     19JAN2022                           27APRIL2022.



PRIORITY SLOT AVAILABILITY
Ksand24: "Not many - I think it was about 50 slots per day but with a lot Ukraine refugees applying now, there aren’t many slots available at all at the moment."



APPLICATION DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
All documents must be dated before you apply online, it is a good idea to gather them before you submit the online application.
Application Documents
- Applicant's passport.
- Any other passports held since moving to the UK.
- Signed sponsor's declaration (part of online application).
- Life in the UK Test.
- Language Test B1 (not required for applicants from the US, Canada or some other English speaking countries).
Proof of Identity/Travel History
- Sponsor's UK passport.
- Applicant's BRP card.
Finances
- 7 months of payslips.
- 7 months of bank statements.
- Employer letter.
Optional but recommended:
- Job contract.
- Latest P60.
- If using savings - £34,600 held in an account for over 6 months and immediately available.
Residence in the UK
Accommodation
- Lease agreement in both names.
- Latest council tax bill.
Cohabitation
- 6/7 items of mail in each name dated every 5 months going back 2.5 years (from at least 3 different sources). Either named together or within the same calendar month.
Other
- Marriage certificate.
- Any divorce decrees.
If you have any children under 18 living in the UK:
- Each child's passport.
- Each child's birth certificate.
- A letter dated in the last 3 months confirming each child's address (i.e. from GP or school).
- No IHS Surcharge!



CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
This is a starting point – any help to improve the quality of the info is much appreciated.
1)   Fill out the Application Form.
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it. Register and book Biometric Appointment – availability approx 21days as of April 2022.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR
- Married to a UK citizen
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years)
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes)
- 2 referees to confirm your identity

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
Average Citizenship Application processing times are usually 3-6 months from biometrics.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.

Here is the link to Form AN – Application for naturalisation as a British Citizen.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/997950/form-an-07-21.pdf







.

Hi mbmoffat! I recognized your name right away from summer 2017.

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm eager to keep an eye on priority appointment availability and duration.

My 2020 renewal got dragged out due to covid (application submitted in Feb. but my biometrics appointment got delayed by lockdown) and I ended up with a December '22 expiration on my BRP card. I can technically apply at end of June, but reading here that priority appointments seem to be elusive confirmed my plan to wait until after the summer holidays to apply.

Good luck to all my summer 2017 buddies doing their applications!

I apologise for this stupid question in advance:

At what stage are you offered the option of Priority Processing?

Do you hit the submit button, pay the fee - and then the option comes up (if available)?

We want a Priority Processing slot.  We can apply after the 28th of this month.  If we hit submit and there are no appointments for priority, is that it?

Do we submit and pay and then have the option of checking for a Priority Processing every day?

I appreciate any advice.

I apologise for this stupid question in advance:

At what stage are you offered the option of Priority Processing?

Do you hit the submit button, pay the fee - and then the option comes up (if available)?

If Super Priority is available to you, it will be offered when you submit the application and pay for it.

If only Standard processing is offered, that means there are no Super Priority slots left for that day.

Normally they release new slots around midnight each night, so you can keep trying during different nights to see if you can get one. However, due to an increase in Ukraine applications, there are very few slots being offered at the moment so I’m not sure how likely you will be to get one.

We want a Priority Processing slot.  We can apply after the 28th of this month.  If we hit submit and there are no appointments for priority, is that it?

Yes, that’s it. If it is not offered at the time you pay for the application, and you go ahead and pay for it, there will be no opportunity to add it later.

Do we submit and pay and then have the option of checking for a Priority Processing every day?

No, you need to do it the other way around… keep checking for priority processing each day BEFORE you submit and pay.

You should only pay when you either manage to get a priority appointment or if you run out of time on your current visa and have to submit anyway without booking priority.

Once you have paid, you can’t go back and try to get priority later.

But you will be able to go to the Submit page and check for priority without actually submitting the application. The application is only considered submitted once you have paid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for clearing that up for us.  It makes so much more sense when you explain rather than the gremlins going over everything in my mind.

Hubby arrived in the U.K. on the 25th June 2017.
Further Leave to Remain was granted in 2020.
FLR visa expires 27th August 2022.

That gives us a good amount of time to try and get a Priority slot with the document evidence just needing a tweak to make sure they still cover the required three years.  If we can’t get a Priority appointment by mid August, we will just submit then.

Thanks again.

Always best to use the gov site for up to date processing times. In Feb/Mar they had ILR at 10 months and then changed to 11 months for processing. But it has dropped to 6 months again. You have to keep a close eye on them.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visa-decision-waiting-times-applications-inside-the-uk#when-your-applications-waiting-time-starts-and-ends