When to apply for ILR and travelling outside the UK in the meantime

Hi everyone,

A couple of hopefully quick questions:

I'm on the five-year SET(M) route.  My first FLR(M) was approved on 29 January 2013 and the second on 7 September 2015.  I gather the earliest I can apply for ILR is 1 January 2018?  Taking the Life in the UK Test is on the to-do list.  Oh, and finding £2300.

Is there any concern with travelling outside/re-entering the UK with a residence permit that's expiring in less than six months (as mine is due to expire on 8 March)?  I'm planning on travelling to Sweden this week for a few days and the US in mid-December for about a month.  My US passport doesn't expire until August 2020.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I'm on the five-year SET(M) route.  My first FLR(M) was approved on 29 January 2013 and the second on 7 September 2015.  I gather the earliest I can apply for ILR is 1 January 2018?

Yes, the earliest you can apply is 28 days before you reach 5 years on FLR(M) visas.

If you have had two FLR(M) visas valid for 30 months each (rather than entering the UK on a 33-month spousal visa), then this will normally be 28 days before your current FLR(M) visa expires.

Is there any concern with travelling outside/re-entering the UK with a residence permit that's expiring in less than six months (as mine is due to expire on 8 March)?  I'm planning on travelling to Sweden this week for a few days and the US in mid-December for about a month.  My US passport doesn't expire until August 2020.

As long as you're back in the UK with enough time to apply for ILR before your visa expires, you should be fine.

So, the trip to Sweden won't be an issue. The trip to the US might be mean you're returning to the UK pretty close to the expiry date, so you might get questions about the fact that it's expiring soon, but as long as you're preparing to apply for ILR and are aware you need to submit the application before January 29th, it shouldn't be an issue.

Hi everyone,

A couple of hopefully quick questions:

I'm on the five-year SET(M) route.  My first FLR(M) was approved on 29 January 2013 and the second on 7 September 2015.  I gather the earliest I can apply for ILR is 1 January 2018?  Taking the Life in the UK Test is on the to-do list.  Oh, and finding £2300.

Is there any concern with travelling outside/re-entering the UK with a residence permit that's expiring in less than six months (as mine is due to expire on 8 March)?  I'm planning on travelling to Sweden this week for a few days and the US in mid-December for about a month.  My US passport doesn't expire until August 2020.

Thanks in advance for any help!

If applying by post, keep in mind ILR takes six months to process and you’ll be “stuck” in the UK while it’s processing.

Thanks very much for the replies, ksand24 and KFdancer!

Yes, the earliest you can apply is 28 days before you reach 5 years on FLR(M) visas.

If you have had two FLR(M) visas valid for 30 months each (rather than entering the UK on a 33-month spousal visa), then this will normally be 28 days before your current FLR(M) visa expires.

As long as you're back in the UK with enough time to apply for ILR before your visa expires, you should be fine.

So, the trip to Sweden won't be an issue. The trip to the US might be mean you're returning to the UK pretty close to the expiry date, so you might get questions about the fact that it's expiring soon, but as long as you're preparing to apply for ILR and are aware you need to submit the application before January 29th, it shouldn't be an issue.

So just to clarify, as my current visa/residence permit expires on 8 March, presumably I'll have until that date to submit my IRL application?  Or is it 29 January?

If applying by post, keep in mind ILR takes six months to process and you’ll be “stuck” in the UK while it’s processing.

Thanks for the heads up!  Despite my upcoming travel plans, I don't routinely travel outside the UK very often.  However, as that's a LONG time to be passportless, I'll have to seriously consider whether to just cough up the extra for an in-person IRL appointment.

So just to clarify, as my current visa/residence permit expires on 8 March, presumably I'll have until that date to submit my IRL application?  Or is it 29 January?

Yes, the earliest you can apply is 28 days before January 29th and the latest is the expiry date of your visa.

If your visa does not expire until
March, you have absolutely nothing to worry about with travelling. Your visa just needs to be valid when you re-enter the UK


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, the earliest you can apply is 28 days before January 29th and the latest is the expiry date of your visa.

If your visa does not expire until
March, you have absolutely nothing to worry about with travelling. Your visa just needs to be valid when you re-enter the UK


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cool; thanks for confirming!  I at least feel more confident about the timing of everything now.