ILR Application Questions

Hello! I am looking to submit my Set (M) online application for ILR finally and have a few questions as it seems to have changed yet again from when I did the FLR(M) which JUST changed to online only in the middle of me applying last time!

I am always so nervous with these, so need to be 100% sure before submitting anything and have to ask all those horrible, annoying questions that could have some very obvious answers (again). Thank you for any help!

What I think I need:
- My BRP
- My passport
- Marriage certificate
- Husband's passport (I think I just sent a copy last time of every single page, including front and back - if this is still the case)
- Letter from husband's work confirming employment, original job contract, 6 months payslips and P60
- 6 months of statements from the bank (using his salary only)
- A letter addressed to my stepson to where he lives with his mum (this was so confusing last time and frustrating to get)
- 6 months of correspondence at our address over the last 2.5 years either addressed to the both of us (6) or separately (6 each). (I *THINK* this is to include May 2021, Dec 2020, July 2020, Feb 2020, Sept 2019, April 2019 - which is proving incredibly difficult to hit those exact months despite loads of letters kept. I have our council tax bills for example, in both our names, but all dated March!).

Do I still need photos of us together?
Do I need my stepson's passport? He's 17, doesn't live with us but I don't remember if I needed his passport or not.

Also, in the application so far it has asked about my friends and family back home. I think I was quite vague in the past, giving names, relation and state. It now asks for what kind of contact I have. How in-depth are they wanting this? I talk to my mom occasionally via messenger...sadly last my dad since my last application...my siblings don't talk to me for some reason (just everyone's doing their own thing) and I talk to my best friend there nearly every day but this is all via messenger.

Not sure what they mean about social networks/groups either on this same page. I don't think so but then it asks for why not?

Are there any big changes with this application or additions to the previous ones (other than the Life in the UK test)? I think last time I filled out online, printed stuff, had it signed, had my biometrics done and sent the paperwork I had with a prepaid envelope along with it for everything to be sent back.

Finally thank you for the Life in the UK test advice a few months back! I studied, studied, studied and would not have passed if I didn't! It was crazy, but I somehow managed

Thanks again all! (I am sure there will be more questions along the way. I can't find my last application saved anywhere which is so strange for me otherwise I'd consult that!)

Just going to arrange your documents into the various different upload sections for the application. My comments are in blue, any missing documents are in red:

Application Documents
- Applicant's US passport (full scan of every page)
- Any other passports applicant has held since moving to the UK (full scan of every page)
- Part 1 Consent to Checks form signed by applicant (part of online application)
- Part 2 Consent to Checks form signed by UK sponsor (part of online application)
- Sponsor's Declaration signed by UK sponsor (part of online application) (part of online application)

Proof of Identity/Travel History
- My BRP
- Husband's passport (I think I just sent a copy last time of every single page, including front and back - if this is still the case) This time you scan and upload every page

Finances
- Letter from husband's work confirming ALL of the following:
i) current employment and salary
ii) length of employment
ii) length of time earning current salary
iv) type of employment
v) if the payslips are electronic, the letter must also verify each payslip and explain any discrepancies between payslip date/amount and bank deposit date/amount
- 6 months payslips  (You normally need to send 7 months' worth in order to cover every single day of the 6 months)
- 6 months of statements from the bank (using his salary only) (You normally need to send 7 months' worth in order to cover every single day of the 6 months)
- original job contract
- P60

Residence in the UK
Accommodation
If you rent, you must provide:
- current tenancy agreement
- latest council tax bill
If you own, you must provide:
- Land Registry document
- latest mortgage statement
- latest council tax bill
Cohabitation
One item of mail in each name from each of the following months, from at least 3 official sources, going back 2.5 years:
November 2018
April 2019
September 2019
February 2020
July 2020
December 2020
May 2021
If you do not have enough documents, or they are not evenly-spaced every 5 months, or you do not have at least 3 sources, you must write a letter explaining why not

Other
- marriage certificate
- any divorce decrees from previous marriages
For every child under 18 living in the UK that either of you have, you must provide:
- the child's passport
- the child's birth certificate
- a letter dated in the last 3 months confirming the child's address
- if the child lives with their other parent, I believe you also need evidence of where that parent lives/that parent's passport

Do I still need photos of us together?
Do I need my stepson's passport? He's 17, doesn't live with us but I don't remember if I needed his passport or not.

No, you do not need any photos of you together.

Yes, it is a requirement to provide his passport, birth certificate and evidence of where he lives

Also, in the application so far it has asked about my friends and family back home. I think I was quite vague in the past, giving names, relation and state. It now asks for what kind of contact I have. How in-depth are they wanting this? I talk to my mom occasionally via messenger...sadly last my dad since my last application...my siblings don't talk to me for some reason (just everyone's doing their own thing) and I talk to my best friend there nearly every day but this is all via messenger.

You need to list every single relative you have and friend you know in the US. You should just need to provide their name, relationship to you (i.e. sibling, friend) and city/state they live in. So, you start with all your immediate family, then go to extended family, then to friends.

They will only look at your answer to this question if your application falls for refusal and they have to see if you qualify to be put on the 10-year path to ILR under Article 8. They need to see whether, if they were to refuse the application, you would be able to return to the US to live, or if you would end up homeless and alone because you didn't have a single person who could help you.

Not sure what they mean about social networks/groups either on this same page. I don't think so but then it asks for why not?

They mean groups you are a member of in the US that could act as a support system for you if you had to return to live there, such as:
- religious groups/communities
- ethnic groups/communities
- social clubs, societies or organisations

Again, they will only look at this answer if your visa falls for refusal and they have to consider Article 8, and whether you have a support system back in the US.

Are there any big changes with this application or additions to the previous ones (other than the Life in the UK test)? I think last time I filled out online, printed stuff, had it signed, had my biometrics done and sent the paperwork I had with a prepaid envelope along with it for everything to be sent back.

The entire application process has changed since you last applied. Everything is done online now, and nothing is mailed anywhere, not even your passport or BRP.

The process is:
- gather documents
- fill out online application form
- submit application form and pay for the visa... you can also purchase the 24-hour Super Priority Processing for £800 at this time if you wish (it gives a decision within 24 hours of the biometrics appointment)
- wait for email with a registration code for the UKVCAS website
- register with the UKVCAS website
- book your biometrics appointment (you may need to pay £70-130 for an appointment as the free appointments are almost impossible to get at the moment)
- scan and upload all your documents to the UKVCAS website before biometrics (or if you have purchased document scanning, you take your documents to the appointment to be scanned and uploaded for you)
- attend biometrics
- wait for visa to be processed and your new BRP to be mailed to you

Finally thank you for the Life in the UK test advice a few months back! I studied, studied, studied and would not have passed if I didn't! It was crazy, but I somehow managed

Congratulations .

Thank you as always, Ksand! Incredibly helpful.

Looks like I got most of that aside from the information for my stepson's mum and letters from those exact months. I remember last time when we weren't sure about sending his details (as I did not need to do that on the first application), and she was NOT willing to do that. She is very amicable and happy to help where she can normally but then felt like she was being infringed upon when it had nothing to do with her. Not sure how this will go down.

That new digital/scanning service sounds handy though!

Thank you again. I am sure I will be back it more questions (sorry!)

Looks like I got most of that aside from the information for my stepson's mum and letters from those exact months.

If you can wait to apply until you have some mail from June 2021, how about using mail from the following months instead:
December 2018
May 2019
October 2019
March 2020
August 2020
January 2021
June 2021

If you can wait to apply until you have some mail from June 2021, how about using mail from the following months instead:
December 2018
May 2019
October 2019
March 2020
August 2020
January 2021
June 2021

Sadly that is looking difficult too. I have opted in for paper everything and kept anything with our names and a date and STILL don't seem to have those exact months. I will have to include a letter and really hope for the best 

Sadly that is looking difficult too. I have opted in for paper everything and kept anything with our names and a date and STILL don't seem to have those exact months. I will have to include a letter and really hope for the best 

If you can list all the documents you have, we can see which combination and spacing will work best .

It doesn’t have to be in joint names, so if you have individual mail, that can all be used as well.

And if you have anything delivered every month, such as bank statements, they can be useful as they can be used to fill in any missing months.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you can list all the documents you have, we can see which combination and spacing will work best .

It doesn’t have to be in joint names, so if you have individual mail, that can all be used as well.

And if you have anything delivered every month, such as bank statements, they can be useful as they can be used to fill in any missing months.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I appreciate that SO MUCH. I have loads though...just nothing that seemed to land perfectly on those months. Last night, I went through the huge pile I have collected over the last 2.5 years to put them into neat piles over each month (this is me being extremely pedantic over my application!) I think I can manage the ones from May, but it's July/June 2020 that I don't seem to have anything for both of us.

May 21 - NHS letter and bank statement (the bank statements are for a period until the end of April and doesn't give an exact date when it was sent so don't know if this is okay?)
April 21 - Bank statement for me only
March 21 - Council tax (in both our names)
Feb 21 - Phone bill, Sky, electricity and NHS letter
Jan 21 - Phone bills x2, NHS letter

Dec 20 - Bank statement summary (for period ending 11 Dec 2020), phone bill
Nov 20 - Letter from insurance and phone bill
Oct 20 - NHS letter, statement from O2 and phone bill
Sept 20 - Letter form electricity company, phone bill and letter from insurance
Aug 20 - Car finance statement (it's dated for the period ending 31 July but no date on when it was sent so again, not sure if this is okay) and phone bill.
June-July 20 - Phone bill for me only.
May 20 - Phone bill, insurance letter and letter from Supervisor of Elections in Florida (not sure if this counts but kept anything with a date!)
April 20 - Bank statements (mine is for period ending 7th April and his is for 24th of April but again hope this is okay), letter from phone company
March 20 - Council Tax (in both names)
Feb 20 - Letter from Sky, electric, bank correspondence, a letter from the Border Force when I paid too much tax on a parcel.
Jan 20 - NHS letter and phone bill for me only.

Sept-Dec 19 - Bank letters or phone bills for me only
Aug 19 - Car finance statement, electric, phone bill
July 19 - Bank statements
June 19 - NHS letters, phone bill, letter from bank
April-May 19 - Phone bills for me only
March 19 - Council tax (in both names)
Feb 19 - Sky, letter from GP for me only.

Another question (that I thought I would keep in this thread for my ILR if that's okay!)

I think I have all my documents now so want to go ahead and finish the application online. I want to get the scanning service with my biometrics, but I think from what I have seen, these appointments may be limited?

So I'm wondering if it is worth finishing the application tomorrow morning, rather than a Sunday night, if more appointments are available? I don't want to get somewhere after I paid and I'm stuck with choosing what's available there and then, if that makes sense.

In the meantime, I am going ahead and filling out what I can with the application and saving until I know for sure when's best to proceed with paying/booking. There is a question that asks how long I have lived in the UK and I don't know what to put.

I was here on a student visa when I met my now husband, but I had to go back home when my visa expired, which I was there for just over a month before arriving in the UK on a fiancee visa in Feb 2016 (spousal visa granted April 2016). Are they just looking for the time from my fiancee or spousal visa or back from when I entered in 2009 minus the month I was in the US? [Edited to add: I for some reason can't find my last application but I see my spousal visa one and on that I put my entire time. It asks for time spent away from the UK in that time where I will put the month's absence due to waiting for fiancee visa.]

Thank you!

I think I have all my documents now so want to go ahead and finish the application online. I want to get the scanning service with my biometrics, but I think from what I have seen, these appointments may be limited?

No, there’s no limit, as the scanning service is just an extra service you can add to any appointment. Or if you book an appointment at an Enhanced centre, the document checking and scanning services are automatically included in the appointment fee.

However, there is a limit on the number of people who can purchase the 24-hour Super Priority Service, but that’s the only limit I know of. If the Super Priority service is available to you, it will be offered as an option when you submit the online application (this is not related to booking an appointment).

So I'm wondering if it is worth finishing the application tomorrow morning, rather than a Sunday night, if more appointments are available? I don't want to get somewhere after I paid and I'm stuck with choosing what's available there and then, if that makes sense.

Submitting the application and booking an appointment are completely separate processes and one does not have any bearing on the other.

Your application process will be:
- submit your online application and pay for the visa when you’re ready and are sure all your documents are sorted out (you can also purchase the Super Priority service at this point if you want/have the option)
- wait for an email with a registration code for the UKVCAS website
- register an account on the UKVCAS website
- book your biometrics appointment and add the scanning service if you want it... it may take a few days of checking to find a suitable appointment
- if you will be scanning and uploading the documents yourself, they just need to be done before your biometrics... or if you are paying for the scanning service, you just take the documents with you to the appointment

In the meantime, I am going ahead and filling out what I can with the application and saving until I know for sure when's best to proceed with paying/booking. There is a question that asks how long I have lived in the UK and I don't know what to put.

I was here on a student visa when I met my now husband, but I had to go back home when my visa expired, which I was there for just over a month before arriving in the UK on a fiancee visa in Feb 2016 (spousal visa granted April 2016). Are they just looking for the time from my fiancee or spousal visa or back from when I entered in 2009 minus the month I was in the US? [Edited to add: I for some reason can't find my last application but I see my spousal visa one and on that I put my entire time. It asks for time spent away from the UK in that time where I will put the month's absence due to waiting for fiancee visa.

Yeah, I’d put the whole time and then include the absence explanation somewhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you so much!

I have pretty much finished the application, but it's not offering me the super priority, which I was going to get. So going to have a good night's sleep, triple check everything tomorrow, submit and pay then, and hope it's available at that point!

Surprisingly, this time it asked me if my husband's child was subject to any immigration control, where he lives and why and that was that. No asking for proof like last time, or even his name. Still, his mother gave me his passport and a council tax letter addressed to her just in case.

Thanks again for all the help. I keep saying it but I wouldn't even be at this point if it weren't for this forum!

I have pretty much finished the application, but it's not offering me the super priority, which I was going to get. So going to have a good night's sleep, triple check everything tomorrow, submit and pay then, and hope it's available at that point!

I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think the option for Super Priority (if available) will come up until after you press the submit button on your application.

Surprisingly, this time it asked me if my husband's child was subject to any immigration control, where he lives and why and that was that. No asking for proof like last time, or even his name. Still, his mother gave me his passport and a council tax letter addressed to her just in case.

It is a definite requirement that you must provide the following documents for his child:
- the child’s U.K. passport
- the child’s birth certificate
- a letter dated in the last 3 months confirming the child’s address (usually from his school or GP)

In the last few months, we have seen some people be contacted by UKVI after applying, asking for them to provide all these documents even though the online application did not mention them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is a definite requirement that you must provide the following documents for his child:
- the child’s U.K. passport
- the child’s birth certificate
- a letter dated in the last 3 months confirming the child’s address (usually from his school or GP)

Thankfully I have all that! 

Re: The Super Priority, I will see tomorrow anyways. I definitely still want to have another run through after getting some sleep!

All submitted and appointment for biometrics and document scanning at an Enhanced Service location for the 23rd. I guess the hard bit is done though so I will breathe for a bit - and thank you for that!

I think the Super Priority service, if available, would have shown up on the services page as it told me to 'select a service', but only standard was even listed and selected by default. It'll be a long wait for me then, which is unfortunate as we wanted to get that sorted first and buy a house but oh well I guess!

All submitted and appointment for biometrics and document scanning at an Enhanced Service location for the 23rd. I guess the hard bit is done though so I will breathe for a bit - and thank you for that!

Awesome .

I think the Super Priority service, if available, would have shown up on the services page as it told me to 'select a service', but only standard was even listed and selected by default. It'll be a long wait for me then, which is unfortunate as we wanted to get that sorted first and buy a house but oh well I guess!

Yeah, I think it would have given the option at that point if it was available.

I’m not sure what their limit is on how many applications will be offered Super Priority. I just know that a few people here have been able to purchase it in the last couple of months.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good luck!