ILR checklist and questions

Hello!

Can't believe it's time to apply for ILR. This website and the helpful members have been such an amazing help over the years.

If anyone could take a look below and give us any pointers it would be greatly appreciated.


Entered the UK on 23 Jun 2019

Application Documents
- Applicant's passport.
- Signed sponsor's declaration
- Life in the UK Test.
I entered the reference number as part of the application. Do I need to submit a screenshot of the email as well?

Proof of Identity/Travel History
- Sponsor's UK passport.
- Applicant's BRP card.

Finances
- 7 months of bank statements showing over £34,600.
- Declaration of cash savings

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?

Residence in the UK
Accommodation
- Lease agreement in both names.
- Latest council tax bill.
- Letter from landlord detailing current rent and that we are in a rolling month to month lease

Cohabitation
- Jan 2022 joint energy bill
- June 2022 joint bank statement
- Nov 2022 joint energy bill
- April 2023 joint energy bill
- Sep 2023 joint energy bill
- Feb 2024 joint water bill
- May 2024 joint energy bill

Other
- Marriage certificate.
- Speeding warning


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?

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!

Thanks for your reply^

Had a nightmare today. Went to get the last 6 months of bank statements at Lloyd's because they stopped sending them electronically a while ago. Was told that they can only print the last three and wouldn't stamp the ones we printed.

So we've had to order them to come in the post. That messes up our applying plans as we were planning to apply this weekend or next week.

Our most recent correspondence is from May. If we end up applying deeper into June do we need to re-do all of our post or is it close enough to May?

I applied for ILR on May 21.  Biometrics were May 26 and I received my approval using super priority service on May 28.

To answer a few of your questions:

I provided my Life in the UK Test reference number as part of the application.  No need to submit a screen shot.

I responded to the question about how long I had been in the UK with 4 years and 11 months.  I applied on the 28th day before the 5th anniversary of the date I entered the UK.  This was the first date I was eligible to apply. 

I submitted a separate letter declaring the source of my savings.  It was a requirement on the page where I uploaded my documentation.  I said that the money in the account is under my control and that I'm able to access the money immediately.  I don't know if that part was necessary, but it only added one sentence to the letter.

I didn't submit the Consent to Checks forms that were required on my prior visa.  They weren't required for ILR which seems strange to me.

I don't see why the bank statements can't be dated on the date that you apply, but I'm not sure.

I got conflicting information about whether my spouse's expired passport during my 5 year settlement period was required.  It was not requested on the UKVI website.  I added it in the "Other" section of my documentation and submitted a brief cover letter saying that I included it to be sure that my application was complete.

I hope you get your statements from the bank quickly.  It's a shame they were so unhelpful.

Thank you so much for your reply and help!

For different sources of the mail.

Are electric/gas bill and a water bill two separate sources or are they both considered one source (utilities)?

For different sources of the mail.

Are electric/gas bill and a water bill two separate sources or are they both considered one source (utilities)?

They're seperate sources unless for some reason they are the same company.