ILR Application Procedure + Timelines - Reference Doc

This news has made my day! I can only imagine how you both must be feeling. 

Huge, huge congratulations. 

Yes! Apply for citizenship as soon as you can, while you still have the momentum! 

We're over the moon!


I'll look into Citizenship and get that out of the way ASAP.


Phew! It wouldn't have been possible without this place. <3

Reference Doc addressing 4 areas:

1. Current ILR Application Procedure for a spouse.
2. Processing timelines.
3. Priority slot availability.
4. Application Documents required.

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 (see PRIORITY SLOT AVAILABILITY below for availability times) 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): 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 Non-Priority Applications - if you use the app, or attend an appointment instead of using the app, it can take 6 months from submitting the biometrics.  Normal Non-Priority Applications taking 4.5 months (July 2022).




PRIORITY SLOT AVAILABILITY
• A certain number of priority slots are released each day.  I think the person who set this up used a very simple routine which releases the appointments each day but did not account for Daylight Savings.  So the appointments become available at 1am.  If I am right this will be Midnight in Winter.
• We think it's 50 each day.   If you stay up until 1am you should get one.
• Once that is booked and paid for you make your Biometrics appointment at one of the UKVCAS centres.  These slots are available up to 28 days in advance.  Each day at 9am the newly available slots (i.e. the ones in 28 days time) are added.


Still with me?  ....

APPLICATION DOCUMENTS REQUIRED + CONFIRMED/APPROVED UPLOAD CATEGORIES (July 2022)
Proof of Application
- Applicant's passport.
- Any other passports held since moving to the UK.
- Signed sponsor's declaration/consent form (part of online application).
Other
- Life in the UK Test (if code not earlier uploaded in application)
- Language Test B1 (not required for applicants from the US, Canada or some other English speaking countries).
Residence in the UK
- 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.
- Lease agreement in both names or Official Copy of Title Deed if owned.
- Latest council tax bill.
- Latest mortgage statement, if you have a mortgage
- A letter dated in the last 3 months confirming each child's address (i.e. from GP or school).
Finances
- 7 months of payslips.
- 7 months of bank statements.
- Employer letter.
- If using savings - £34,600 held in an account for over 6 months and immediately available + a declaration stating source of funds and that the funds are immediately available to withdraw.
Optional but recommended:
- Job contract.
- Latest P60.
Proof of Identity / Travel History
- Applicant's BRP card.
- Sponsor's UK passport.
- Marriage certificate.
- Any divorce decrees.
If you have any children under 18 living in the UK:
- Each child's passport (if you have any children under 18 living in the UK)
- Each child's birth certificate (if you have any children under 18 living in the UK)
- No IHS Surcharge!

If you have paid for UKVCAS Document Checking (£48) you will receive the following email before Biometrics:
Thank you for uploading your supporting documents to the UK Visas and Citizenship Application Service website. We have now completed the following checks of the files that were available as of (today's date).
• Checked for the presence of all mandatory documents
• Checked that all documents are legible
• Checked that all documents been uploaded to the correct category
• Checked for any obvious missing pages
• Checked that all uploaded documents are in either English or Welsh language, or have an accompanying English or Welsh translation.
No action required: Following a review of supporting documents available, we can confirm that:
• Mandatory documents are present in all required categories
• All documents are legible
• All documents have been uploaded to the correct category
• There are no obvious missing pages in any of the documents
• All documents are in either English or Welsh language, or are accompanied with an English or Welsh translation that obviously relates to the original

4) Submit the Application and pay the application fees - £2400
5) If Super Priority (+£800) is available (see PRIORITY SLOT AVAILABILITY below for availability times) and you choose it you will not be offered use of the app.

Can these fees be updated? The application fee is now £2,885 and Super Priority is £1,000.

I have done a standard application myself, as £1,000 for a same day decision didn't seem worth it when I don't have plans to travel outside the UK in the next 6 months. I just had my biometric appointment and have my fingers crossed that it won't take the full 6 months to process.

Reference Doc addressing 4 areas:

1. Current ILR Application Procedure for a spouse.
2. Processing timelines.
3. Priority slot availability.
4. Application Documents required.

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 - £2885 (Updated Jan 2025)
5) If Super Priority (+£1000 (Updated Jan 2025)) is available (see PRIORITY SLOT AVAILABILITY below for availability times) 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): 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 Non-Priority Applications - if you use the app, or attend an appointment instead of using the app, it can take 6 months from submitting the biometrics.  Normal Non-Priority Applications taking 4.5 months (July 2022).




PRIORITY SLOT AVAILABILITY
• A certain number of priority slots are released each day.  I think the person who set this up used a very simple routine which releases the appointments each day but did not account for Daylight Savings.  So the appointments become available at 1am.  If I am right this will be Midnight in Winter.
• We think it's 50 each day.   If you stay up until 1am you should get one.
• Once that is booked and paid for you make your Biometrics appointment at one of the UKVCAS centres.  These slots are available up to 28 days in advance.  Each day at 9am the newly available slots (i.e. the ones in 28 days time) are added.


Still with me?  ....

APPLICATION DOCUMENTS REQUIRED + CONFIRMED/APPROVED UPLOAD CATEGORIES (July 2022)
Proof of Application
- Applicant's passport.
- Any other passports held since moving to the UK.
- Signed sponsor's declaration/consent form (part of online application).
Other
- Life in the UK Test (if code not earlier uploaded in application)
- Language Test B1 (not required for applicants from the US, Canada or some other English speaking countries).
Residence in the UK
- 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.
- Lease agreement in both names or Official Copy of Title Deed if owned.
- Latest council tax bill.
- Latest mortgage statement, if you have a mortgage
- A letter dated in the last 3 months confirming each child's address (i.e. from GP or school).
Finances
- 7 months of payslips.
- 7 months of bank statements.
- Employer letter.
- If using savings - £34,600 held in an account for over 6 months and immediately available + a declaration stating source of funds and that the funds are immediately available to withdraw.
Optional but recommended:
- Job contract.
- Latest P60.
Proof of Identity / Travel History
- Applicant's BRP card.
- Sponsor's UK passport.
- Marriage certificate.
- Any divorce decrees.
If you have any children under 18 living in the UK:
- Each child's passport (if you have any children under 18 living in the UK)
- Each child's birth certificate (if you have any children under 18 living in the UK)
- No IHS Surcharge!

If you have paid for UKVCAS Document Checking (£48) you will receive the following email before Biometrics:
Thank you for uploading your supporting documents to the UK Visas and Citizenship Application Service website. We have now completed the following checks of the files that were available as of (today's date).
• Checked for the presence of all mandatory documents
• Checked that all documents are legible
• Checked that all documents been uploaded to the correct category
• Checked for any obvious missing pages
• Checked that all uploaded documents are in either English or Welsh language, or have an accompanying English or Welsh translation.
No action required: Following a review of supporting documents available, we can confirm that:
• Mandatory documents are present in all required categories
• All documents are legible
• All documents have been uploaded to the correct category
• There are no obvious missing pages in any of the documents
• All documents are in either English or Welsh language, or are accompanied with an English or Welsh translation that obviously relates to the original

Can these fees be updated? The application fee is now £2,885 and Super Priority is £1,000.

I have done a standard application myself, as £1,000 for a same day decision didn't seem worth it when I don't have plans to travel outside the UK in the next 6 months. I just had my biometric appointment and have my fingers crossed that it won't take the full 6 months to process.

Done .  It's a few years since I wrote this,  thank you for taking the time to make a suggestion and improve/update it.

Hi,

I notice that the checklist doesn't include relationship evidence such as photos of us together, travel/holiday evidence like boarding passes etc... is there any benefit in including this kind of thing in our ILR(M) application or is it really not needed?

Oh, also - is it worth providing a cover letter explaining where we're at after two FLR's and listing the documents we're uploading with brief descriptions? We did this for the last two but not sure if it was overkill or if it's worth doing it for ILR too.

Thanks!

Hi,

I notice that the checklist doesn't include relationship evidence such as photos of us together, travel/holiday evidence like boarding passes etc... is there any benefit in including this kind of thing in our ILR(M) application or is it really not needed?

Oh, also - is it worth providing a cover letter explaining where we're at after two FLR's and listing the documents we're uploading with brief descriptions? We did this for the last two but not sure if it was overkill or if it's worth doing it for ILR too.

Thanks!

I only included photos together and travel/holiday evidence when I applied for my first visa from the USA in 2019. You don't need to include relationship evidence (other than marriage certificate); instead you need to prove you've been living together the past 2.5 years by uploading mail you've received in both your names spread out about every 5 months for the past 2.5 years. You don't need the cover letter either.

Hi,

I notice that the checklist doesn't include relationship evidence such as photos of us together, travel/holiday evidence like boarding passes etc... is there any benefit in including this kind of thing in our ILR(M) application or is it really not needed?

Oh, also - is it worth providing a cover letter explaining where we're at after two FLR's and listing the documents we're uploading with brief descriptions? We did this for the last two but not sure if it was overkill or if it's worth doing it for ILR too.

Thanks!

Just include what they ask for.  The original checklist I wrote here is a bit old now.  I have tried to keep it updated, and it's a good starting point as there isn't an official guide.

Perhaps someone might reconcile it against a new application!   




.

Thanks both - we submitted mostly according to the above checklist with super priority and received a successful result yesterday!

Just for safety we added an extra month of payslips and bank statements (total of 8 of each) and added a few extra pieces of cohabitation evidence (around 8 in both names and 2-3 in separate names just to plug 5+ month gaps in the 2.5 years).
One final extra thing we did was a very basic cover letter just briefly explaining the dates of entering the UK initially on a student visa and then clarifying living here on a valid FLR(M) visa for 5 years minus 26 days as we were eager to make use of the 28 day buffer. But this was us just trying to hedge against any remote chance of misunderstanding, it probably wasn't needed in the end.

I'd say the checklist is pretty accurate as is. We didn't submit any photos or other relationship evidence other than the marriage certificate and cohab evidence. The categories on TLS Contact are a sliiiightly different to what is expected on the checklist as the upload portal has a question mark button (?) at the top giving some examples of what would be appropriate for each category. Following this, there is a "Life Events" section where we put the marriage cert, a "qualifications" section where we put the Life In The UK test result email, and a "sponsor/employer" section where we put the sponsor's passport. Everything else pretty much aligned to the checklist, though I got the impression that the categories really don't matter too much, they are kind of just catch-all bins designed to accommodate various different types of visa people use the system for. My feeling is that the most important categorization is that your bank statements and payslips etc. all end up in the "Finances" section rather than in, say, the "proof of residency" section, and that your passport and BRP etc. are put in the "proof of application" section.

Enormous thanks to you guys for putting this list together. We're very grateful for this forum's advice, resources and encouragement through FLR and ILR. Onwards to citizenship!

Thanks both - we submitted mostly according to the above checklist with super priority and received a successful result yesterday!

Just for safety we added an extra month of payslips and bank statements (total of 8 of each) and added a few extra pieces of cohabitation evidence (around 8 in both names and 2-3 in separate names just to plug 5+ month gaps in the 2.5 years).
One final extra thing we did was a very basic cover letter just briefly explaining the dates of entering the UK initially on a student visa and then clarifying living here on a valid FLR(M) visa for 5 years minus 26 days as we were eager to make use of the 28 day buffer. But this was us just trying to hedge against any remote chance of misunderstanding, it probably wasn't needed in the end.

I'd say the checklist is pretty accurate as is. We didn't submit any photos or other relationship evidence other than the marriage certificate and cohab evidence. The categories on TLS Contact are a sliiiightly different to what is expected on the checklist as the upload portal has a question mark button (?) at the top giving some examples of what would be appropriate for each category. Following this, there is a "Life Events" section where we put the marriage cert, a "qualifications" section where we put the Life In The UK test result email, and a "sponsor/employer" section where we put the sponsor's passport. Everything else pretty much aligned to the checklist, though I got the impression that the categories really don't matter too much, they are kind of just catch-all bins designed to accommodate various different types of visa people use the system for. My feeling is that the most important categorization is that your bank statements and payslips etc. all end up in the "Finances" section rather than in, say, the "proof of residency" section, and that your passport and BRP etc. are put in the "proof of application" section.

Enormous thanks to you guys for putting this list together. We're very grateful for this forum's advice, resources and encouragement through FLR and ILR. Onwards to citizenship!

Your feedback is great and much appreciated.   I wrote the same type of Doc for Citizenship here: 
https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=100371.0

You clearly have an eye for detail - perhaps you'd be kind enough to do a similar update on that one too?   
You will find Citizenship really easy after all of these!!   Good luck and well done!