ILR application

Hello all,

After 8 years on the forum, I’m finally ready to apply for ILR at the end of next month. Obviously, I am now in document gathering hell and would appreciate some input. The application process seems to have changed a fair amount since I got my last FLR (copies allowed now??) and so I’ve got a few questions.

First, since copies are apparently allowed now, since my payslips are electronic, do I still need a letter from my employer stating they are correct? Or can I just upload the downloaded PDF’s directly for the app?

Next, for the ever annoying correspondence items, my DH has of course managed to misplace one perfectly times bank statement of his so I’m having to cobble together some bits that aren’t as ideally timed as I’d like them to be.  I’ve pasted below what we’ve got. I know right now it’s too many, but was hoping for some input as to whether my husband’s late 2018 bit time of time going to be problematic, and which of the docs I’ve gathered would be best to use.

My last FLR was granted in April 2018.

May 2018 -joint
June 2018 - joint
August 2018 -DH only
Oct 2018 - me
Jan 2019 - DH only
April 2019 - DH only
April 2019 - me
Sept 2019 - me
Sept 2019 - DH only
March 2020 - joint- council tax
Aug 2020 - DH only
Aug 2020 - me

Obviously I know we should t be overwhelming them with unnecessary docs so I wondered which ones you would cut from my list above.

Finally, am I correct that I don’t have to submit a photo of my husband with this one? I started the online app last night and don’t recall seeing it there?

Thanks in advance!


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First, since copies are apparently allowed now, since my payslips are electronic, do I still need a letter from my employer stating they are correct? Or can I just upload the downloaded PDF’s directly for the app?

Yes, you do. Nothing has changed with the financial document requirements, it's just that they are all uploaded now instead of being mailed.

So, if your payslips are electronic, they MUST be accompanied by a letter from your employer confirming their authenticity. This letter can be combined with the mandatory employer letter confirming your employment details, so that you only have to provide 1 letter.

The letter should state, for each payslip:
- payslip date
- pay period
- gross pay
- net pay
- date paid into your bank account
- an explanation for any discrepancies between payslip date and date paid into your bank (i.e. if the payslip is dated the 31st, but the pay was deposited on a different date), and any discrepancies between payslip amount and amount paid into your bank

Same goes with the bank statements - if they are online statements, they must either be stamped by the bank on EVERY page or accompanied by a letter from the bank confirming their authenticity.

Next, for the ever annoying correspondence items, my DH has of course managed to misplace one perfectly times bank statement of his so I’m having to cobble together some bits that aren’t as ideally timed as I’d like them to be.  I’ve pasted below what we’ve got. I know right now it’s too many, but was hoping for some input as to whether my husband’s late 2018 bit time of time going to be problematic, and which of the docs I’ve gathered would be best to use.

My last FLR was granted in April 2018.

Okay, so you need to cover 2.5 years, with the documents spaced every 5 months, from at least 3 different official sources.

So, assuming you are applying next month, September 2020, you need 1 document in each name from each of the following months:
March 2018
August 2018
January 2019
June 2019
November 2019
April 2020
September 2020

From the document dates you have listed, you can use:

March 2018
1. Applicant: ?
1. Sponsor: ?

August 2018
2. Applicant: ?
2. Sponsor: August 2018 - what type of document is this?

January 2019
3. Applicant: ?
3. Sponsor: Jan 2019 - what type of document is this?

June 2019
4. Applicant: ?
4. Sponsor: ?

November 2019
5. Applicant: ?
5. Sponsor: ?

April 2020
6. Applicant: ?
6. Sponsor: ?

September 2020
7. Applicant: ?
7. Sponsor: ?

So, unfortunately, based on your list you have 0 documents for you, and only 2 documents for him... and you need 6 in each name (7 if you count Sept 2020).

Finally, am I correct that I don’t have to submit a photo of my husband with this one? I started the online app last night and don’t recall seeing it there?

That's correct. No photos are required anymore.

Yes, you do. Nothing has changed with the financial document requirements, it's just that they are all uploaded now instead of being mailed.

So, if your payslips are electronic, they MUST be accompanied by a letter from your employer confirming their authenticity. This letter can be combined with the mandatory employer letter confirming your employment details, so that you only have to provide 1 letter.

The letter should state, for each payslip:
- payslip date
- pay period
- gross pay
- net pay
- date paid into your bank account
- an explanation for any discrepancies between payslip date and date paid into your bank (i.e. if the payslip is dated the 31st, but the pay was deposited on a different date), and any discrepancies between payslip amount and amount paid into your bank

Same goes with the bank statements - if they are online statements, they must either be stamped by the bank on EVERY page or accompanied by a letter from the bank confirming their authenticity.

Okay, so you need to cover 2.5 years, with the documents spaced every 5 months, from at least 3 different official sources.

So, assuming you are applying next month, September 2020, you need 1 document in each name from each of the following months:
March 2018
August 2018
January 2019
June 2019
November 2019
April 2020
September 2020

From the document dates you have listed, you can use:

March 2018
1. Applicant: ?
1. Sponsor: ?

August 2018
2. Applicant: ?
2. Sponsor: August 2018 - what type of document is this?

January 2019
3. Applicant: ?
3. Sponsor: Jan 2019 - what type of document is this?

June 2019
4. Applicant: ?
4. Sponsor: ?

November 2019
5. Applicant: ?
5. Sponsor: ?

April 2020
6. Applicant: ?
6. Sponsor: ?

September 2020
7. Applicant: ?
7. Sponsor: ?

So, unfortunately, based on your list you have 0 documents for you, and only 2 documents for him... and you need 6 in each name (7 if you count Sept 2020).

That's correct. No photos are required anymore.

Thanks this has all been really helpful! I have loads of various correspondence so I’ll reshuffle and repost.

His august 2018 doc is a letter from his bank. Not a statement, but it’s the best I’ve got for that period.

In my past experience, it wasn’t the end of the world if some of the correspondence was one month earlier or later than the ideal. Is that still people’s experience?


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His august 2018 doc is a letter from his bank. Not a statement, but it’s the best I’ve got for that period.

That doesn’t matter - as long as it’s from an official source, it doesn’t have to be a statement specifically.

In my past experience, it wasn’t the end of the world if some of the correspondence was one month earlier or later than the ideal. Is that still people’s experience?

What you want to do is get the documents as evenly-spaced as possible, and if you have separate documents for one month, they should be dated as close to each other as possible as well.

So, what I would do is gather everything you have, list them all here, including the exact dates on them and the type of each document, and then we can work out how best to space them and which ones you can use.


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That doesn’t matter - as long as it’s from an official source, it doesn’t have to be a statement specifically.

What you want to do is get the documents as evenly-spaced as possible, and if you have separate documents for one month, they should be dated as close to each other as possible as well.

So, what I would do is gather everything you have, list them all here, including the exact dates on them and the type of each document, and then we can work out how best to space them and which ones you can use.


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Thanks again! I’ll regroup and be back!


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Ok so I’ve gone back to my giant piles of pepework and now have the following;

March 2018: council tax bill, joint names

August 2018: bank letter, DH
August 2018: bank statement, me

January 2019: bank statements, separate, one for each of us

June 2019: water bill, joint names

November 2019: water bill, joint names

April 2020: bank statement, DH
April 2020: tv license, me

Look good now? Obviously I’ll have September bank statements shortly too. I’ve also got this years council tax bill and our original signed tenancy agreement for this year in joint names.

Thanks in advance!


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Oh also, just to make sure I have my dates right- my first spousal FLR was granted on 22/10/2015 (in country, in person app) which means I can apply for ILR from 24/9/2020 right?


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Yes, those documents look good:
- they are evenly-spaced, every 5 months
- you have 6 in each name (7 when you get the September ones)
- you have 4 different sources

Look good now? Obviously I’ll have September bank statements shortly too. I’ve also got this years council tax bill and our original signed tenancy agreement for this year in joint names.

Great - you'll use the tenancy agreement and council tax bill for the Accommodation Requirement, and then your March 2018 to Sept 2020 documents for the Correspondence/Cohabitation Requirement .

Oh also, just to make sure I have my dates right- my first spousal FLR was granted on 22/10/2015 (in country, in person app) which means I can apply for ILR from 24/9/2020 right?

Yes, that's correct .

You can submit the online application at any time between 24th September and the expiry date of your current FLR(M)

Yes ruin on the employer letter:

Do it need to be physically signed, pen to paper, by whomever has written it?

At my firm all of our actual signatures were scanned into the system when we started so that when we write to clients our real signatures can be inserted into letter and we can make signed letter headed PDF’s etc.

So would that type of headed signed PDF be ok?

All of our offices are still closed so I think I’d have a very hard time getting what I needed if it had to be an original pen on paper signature.


Also, best for my HR rep to sign her own name or as the name of my law firm? She’ll have both options.


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Yes ruin on the employer letter:

Do it need to be physically signed, pen to paper, by whomever has written it?

At my firm all of our actual signatures were scanned into the system when we started so that when we write to clients our real signatures can be inserted into letter and we can make signed letter headed PDF’s etc.

So would that type of headed signed PDF be ok?

All of our offices are still closed so I think I’d have a very hard time getting what I needed if it had to be an original pen on paper signature.


Also, best for my HR rep to sign her own name or as the name of my law firm? She’ll have both options.


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It's supposed to be printed and hand-signed by the person who wrote it (so signed by the HR rep, not the name of the law firm).

However, due to Covid, they are allowing some leeway with the documents, so if it cannot be signed with a wet signature and mailed to you, it should be okay to use an electronic copy of the letter.

Thanks this has all been really helpful! I have loads of various correspondence so I’ll reshuffle and repost.

His august 2018 doc is a letter from his bank. Not a statement, but it’s the best I’ve got for that period.

In my past experience, it wasn’t the end of the world if some of the correspondence was one month earlier or later than the ideal. Is that still people’s experience?


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Yep. My post wasn't perfectly spaced (or even matching months for me and my husband when seperate) and I got ILR just fine.

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Hi all I am back with copies of my employer letter. I’ve redacted some bits but rest assured my salary is above the requirement and remains above it even with cut hours due to Covid.

Anything missing from this? Should the HR rep include their contact details? Should they sign with the company signature or their own?





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Forgot to say also that HR password protected this. Assume I should ask them to remove that?


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Is it on company letterhead?
And yes, remove the password protection.
It needs a wet signature on it.

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Is it on company letterhead?
And yes, remove the password protection.
It needs a wet signature on it.

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Yes it’s letter headed. Wet signature not possible at the moment since our offices are closed but my company told me others have had electronic signed ones accepted recently so it’s all I can do unfortunately.


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