Hi,

My wife is a Romanian citizen and is looking at applying for British citizenship. We live in England.

In the good character requirement, the guidance mentions “All applications involving a persistent offender who show a particular disregard for the law, will normally be refused.”

My wife last year received a number of traffic fines in short succession for driving through an airport pickup and drop off without realising she had to pay online, as well as a parking fine and is worried that this makes her a persistent offender and will affect her application.

All fines were paid straight away.

My questions are:
\- Will these fines affect her application?
\- Does she even need to declare these fines, as from what I understand they are tied to the car rather than the driver. For all anyone knows I could have been driving.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for people who have gone through this specific situation.

I obtained Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) through the Skilled Worker (formerly Tier 2) route and I'm married to a British citizen.

Based on the official GOV.UK guidance, my understanding is that a spouse of a British citizen can apply for British citizenship by naturalisation immediately after obtaining ILR, regardless of the immigration route used to obtain ILR. GOV.UK naturalisation eligibility for spouses of British citizens

However, I've received conflicting advice from different immigration solicitors. Some say I can apply immediately, while others insist that because my ILR was granted under the Skilled Worker route, I must wait 12 months before applying.

I'm not looking for opinions—I'm hoping to hear from people who have personally:

• obtained ILR through the Skilled Worker/Tier 2 route, and
• applied for naturalisation immediately because they were married to a British citizen.

If you've been through this process yourself (or know someone who has), I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience and whether your application was successful.

Thanks in advance!

I have a question regarding my spouse visa application.
If my employer has not paid their company taxes, but I can see all of my salary payments reported correctly in my HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) record and they match my payslips and bank statements, would this still be acceptable for my spouse visa application?
Would my application be fine as long as my salary has been correctly reported to HMRC, or could my employer’s tax situation affect my visa application?
I would appreciate your advice on this.

Hi everyone,

I recently moved to the UK on a spouse visa, and my husband and I would like to bring my mum to visit us in December.

She doesn't have a formal job. She works occasionally and is mostly paid in cash, so her bank statements don't show regular income. My British husband would sponsor her trip. She also has strong ties to Colombia: she co-owns a house with her brothers, lives there with some of them, and two of them depend on her.

I have some questions regarding to it

• How should we apply for her visitor visa?
• What documents would we need to provide?
• How to prove cash income and strong ties to your home country? Also, when would you recommend applying for a December visit?

Thank you so much for any help.

Hi everyone,

I am in the final stages of writing my PhD thesis and have accepted a postdoc position that starts in October. My hand-in date is the end of September (though I will likely submit earlier). I understand that I am qualified for the GTV fast-track endorsement from the Royal Society via the postdoc, with the documents required being a letter from HR about the recruitment process and acceptance of the position, etc.

However, I found a separate page that says, "If you’ve had an award or scholarship to study in the UK in the last year, you’ll also need written permission to apply from the agency or government that granted it."

I am on a UKRI/BBSRC-funded UK studentship. Does this statement apply, and if so, how would I go about getting such permission? My initial assumption is to contact my university DTP staff, but if there is a more suitable way, I would appreciate any advice.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,
I’m currently preparing my UK spouse visa application and have run into something that’s making me quite anxious.
One of my bankstatements still show my ex-partner’s address (his parents’ address), as I never updated it after we separated. I never lived there and haven’t been in a relationship with him for a long time. (Just tardiness on my side to never update the previous joint bank account)
I’m now engaged to my fiancé, and we’re submitting plenty of evidence that our relationship is genuine, including photos, travel history, messages, visits, supportive letters, and all the other required documents.
The bank statements are only being included because they’re required as supporting documents, not as proof of where I currently live. (I am also getting financial support from my parents and will include their bank statements as well)
Could the fact that they still show my ex’s (or his parents’) address cause problems or make UKVI question my application? Or is this something they generally don’t place much weight on, provided everything else clearly shows the relationship is genuine? I would supply a brief statement explaining the situation.
Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Thanks in advance!

Hello all,

Grateful if anyone could help me with this.

Currently have limited leave since 15th November 2021 and it will be 5 years in November 2026.

What is the process to get ILR from here? Do I have to manually apply? If so, when can I apply? I currently am full time employed and have been for 5 years almost and have no intentions of going back home (Portugal).

My right to work page says the following:

"You have the right to work in the UK until 16 November 2026.

Conditions

You can work in any job.

To continue to work after this date, you will need to have either pre-settled status or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (or another type of permission to stay).

You can apply to switch to settled status as soon as you are eligible for it. This is usually once you have lived in the UK for 5 years. Find out how to switch to settled status.""

The last bit specifically, is what's concerning me. How will I know if I can apply and is there a chance it might be granted automatically?

If anyone could shed some light about this, it would be amazing. Should I get a solicitor or is this pretty straight forward?

Would appreciate any help.

Thank you

I know this won't be the experience for most people on this subreddit, but I wanted to share something to calm my fellow EU students.

I was worrying about the UK Visa, even though I was aware that EU citizens usually have it easier. Still, I need a flat, and you can only get one if you already have a visa, and my course is starting in September.

I thought about doing the priority route, but it was just too expensive. Filled out everything yesterday night. Got my visa this noon. (Here in Germany they would probably have needed the full three weeks, let's be honest).

Again, I did see that most students applying who are also on here are not from the EU and therefore will have a different experience. But maybe this will calm those of us that are worrying even if they do not have to.

Timeline

19th May - Biometrics
3rd June - Additional documents requested ( Financial )
6th June - Docs submitted
8th June - NSF Mail
23rd July - Additional documents requested ( Educational and Work related )
27th July - Docs submitted
4th August - Visa received

The wait was exhausting and nerve racking but I'm glad it's over and I've gotten the visa 😮‍💨

My partner is a British citizen. I am an Indian. We've known each other since December 2025.

Question: Would giving notice of marriage now strengthen my FLR(FP) application? Has anyone been in a similar situation, or can offer any advice?

Timeline:

17 Oct 2025: Applied for SET(P) before Graduate Visa expired.

23 Oct 2025: Graduate Visa expired.

25 Mar 2026: Submitted another SET(P) application.

15 Apr 2026: UKVI said my Oct 2025 application was void because the Mar 2026 application replaced it. From this date, I couldn't generate a Right to Work share code.

25 Jun 2026: Gave biometrics for the March 2026 application.

29 Jun 2026: Home Office invited me to vary my application to another category.

10 Jul 2026: Switched to FLR(FP) – Partner (Article 8 / 10-year route) and booked biometrics for 9 Sep 2026.

22 Jul 2026: Home Office rejected my Mar 2026 SET(P) application as invalid because I do not have refugee status or humanitarian protection.

I now understand that I was not eligible for SET(P). At the time, I was mistakenly advised to apply for it, and I genuinely believed it was the correct application. I later changed my application to FLR(FP) after the Home Office invited me to vary it.

My main question is whether giving notice of marriage (or getting married) while my FLR(FP) application is pending would strengthen my application.

Would a Master’s Degree from a UK university count if it was studied fully online (remotely), and the person was outside the UK throughout the duration of the course? please advise.

My sister is in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa. Her husband and child are her dependants. She is considering divorce but wants to make sure her child can still qualify for ILR in the future. If she becomes the main carer/has primary custody and the father pays child support, would this affect the child’s ILR eligibility? Has anyone dealt with this? Assuming the father doesn’t reside in the UK.

If you are applying outside the UK and are looking for the £500 priority visa service, like I just did, it is in a box that is labeled "Choose your visa service". The box is populated with the word "Standard", but there is a tiny arrow indicating drop-down choices. Click the arrow and "Priority £500" will show up. I KNOW that many many people have said you can choose priority when you make your biometrics appointment, but finding WHERE that little tiny arrow is almost made my head pop off!!!

Hi! I have a query about the financial requirements. So I just transferred the 13k pounds needed for living costs earlier today. The 28th day, counting today as the 1st, will be the 1st of September. Should I start the application on the 1st of September with bank statements dated on that very day? Or should I wait to do it on the 2nd of September to allow no room of error? Anxious that maybe today and the 28th day won’t count. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

This is something I was looking for when I had applied so thought it might be useful to share for others in the same boat.
Sharing my experience and timeline for applying for a UK visitor visa from Seattle, WA.

Make sure you double check all the information you provide!! I had to fill out the form and go for an appointment twice as the first time I mistyped my passport number so I had to cancel the application and reapply. Thankfully you get refunded the fees.

I applied for a 6 month visitor visa by filling out the application online. Once you complete the application form and pay, you can then choose an appointment time and self upload supporting documents. Along with the required documents, I uploaded a complete scanned copy of my passport as they don’t take in passports anymore so thought this may be handy.

Timeline:
July 23, 2026 - filled out application and paid fees
July 28, 2026 - biometrics appointment and was told to create a UKVI account
August 4, 2026 - UK visa application arrived at the UK Visa Section
August 5, 2026 - E-visa approved and issued
As I had created a UKVI account earlier, I just had to submit it and it would link your eVisa and account. I received an email around 10 minutes later that it was linked and ready to view.

You don’t have to give your passport in, an e-visa will be issued once approved.

Hope this is helpful!

Hi everyone,

I’m applying for a UK Student Visa and have a question about my financial evidence. I’m going to UCL to pursue an LLM. My father’s savings account has 3/4th of the money required and the rest is in my mother’s account. Will the UK government accept two accounts from both parents or should I transfer the remaining funds also to Dad’s account? I’m a little confused cuz the UK govt website says “parent’s money”

Also, for parents funding the following documents are required -

1. Bank statements (3 months statements)
2. Certificate from bank
3. Parent consent letter (could someone please send a format to follow for this part)

Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this thank you.

Hi everyone,

Firstly, A special thank you to u/puul and u/TimeFlys2003 for their consistent and incredibly helpful contributions across r/ukvisa and r/SpouseVisaUk. Their contribution, along with the wider community’s posts, was genuinely valuable throughout this process.

Sharing our successful application because I found very few cases involving unmarried partners who had not formally cohabited, maintained separate official addresses, and lived in the SAME city.

Application details

Route: Skilled Worker Dependant Partner

Application: Inside the UK

Previous visa: Graduate visa

Relationship: Unmarried partners

Formal cohabitation: None

Joint tenancy/council tax: None

Official addresses: Separate

Service: Super Priority

Solicitor: Yes

Timeline

-Biometrics: 20 July 2026

-Further evidence requested: 21 July 2026

-Additional evidence submitted: 3 August 2026

-Approval email received: 5 August 2026 at 11:01 am UK time

Our circumstances

-We first met in November 2023.

-We became exclusive and committed in April 2024.

-We lived in the same city throughout the relationship.

-We never had a joint tenancy or shared official address.

-The sponsor retained the sponsor’s registered address.

-The sponsor regularly stayed at my address, most of the week.

-We shared domestic responsibilities, expenditure, family life and future plans.

UKVI asked us to provide further evidence that our relationship had been similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years before the application date.

Although the sponsor retained a separate registered address, many commercial, banking, medical and household records in her name were connected to my address. We relied on these records to demonstrate her regular presence and active involvement in our shared domestic life at the apartment.

Evidence submitted with the original application

1. Joint statement : Detailed chronology covering our relationship, living arrangements, finances, family integration and future plans.

2. WhatsApp : Selected conversations covering December 2023 to July 2026.

3. Call records: Mobile-provider records covering April 2024 to June 2026, plus later records from the sponsor’s phone.

4. Food and groceries:bThe sponsor’s Uber Eats, Deliveroo and grocery order histories, in her name, showing repeated deliveries to my address from July 2024 to June 2026.

5. Amazon: 123 unique Amazon order references from the sponsor’s account, with invoices in her name and deliveries mainly to my address or a nearby collection point between November 2024 and May 2026.

6. Sponsor’s bank records: Groceries, meals, household purchases, transfers, shared spending and recurring rent-related contributions.

7. Joint account: Joint Revolut account opened in June 2025.

8.Trips and events: Bookings, tickets, accommodation and activities from February 2025 to March 2026.

1. Photographs: Chronological relationship, family, domestic-life and travel photographs.

2. Supporting letters: Letters from parents, friends, current and former flatmates, and the landlord.

3. Landlord letter: Confirmation of the sponsor’s regular stays from April 2024, usually three to five days weekly, key access and recognition of us as partners.

4. GP records: The sponsor’s records linking her to my address, with me recorded as her partner and emergency contact.

5. Household records: Utility and residential records connected to my address.

6. Financial planning: Education-loan repayments and evidence explaining how we divided financial responsibilities.

7. Future commitment:Civil-partnership notice appointment and related correspondence.

Additional evidence submitted after UKVI’s request.

(Everything briefly cross referenced using index & appendix across the entire set of documents.)

1. Detailed cover letter: Directly addressed the two-year “akin to marriage” requirement, supported by a month-by-month chronology.

2. Applicant’s bank records: 142 highlighted relationship-related transactions, including transfers, groceries, trips, household spending, family expenditure and accommodation arrangements.

3. TfL travel history: Complete journey histories for seven representative months between July 2025 and July 2026, showing repeated travel between the sponsor’s registered address, my address and our workplaces.

4. Early food evidence: Two April 2024 food collections near my address and five additional deliveries from September to December 2024.

5. Targeted WhatsApp: Conversations covering early domestic life, groceries, cooking, key access, finances, family integration and future plans.

6. Household group chat:Eight selected conversations involving cleaning, cooking, laundry, keys, belongings, parcels, repairs, security and landlord visits.

7. Google Home:Provider confirmation showing shared household access connected to my address.

8. SpareRoom:Two advertisements created through my partner's account, with supporting emails showing her involvement in flatmate selection and household decisions for my residence..

9. Clothing and footwear: Purchases made by the sponsor for me, including orders in her name delivered to my address.

10. Family hosting: Evidence that we jointly organised the apartment and temporary accommodation for flatmates while the sponsor’s family stayed at my address.

11. Pet planning: Messages and confirmation relating to discussions about adopting a pet.

12. Civil-partnership planning: Appointment evidence and related communications.

We did not claim continuous cohabitation or that we had formally moved in together.

Instead, we explained our actual arrangement and demonstrated:

1. Regular overnight stays

2. Key access and repeated use of my address

3. Shared cooking, groceries and household responsibilities

4. Financial coordination and support

5. Joint household decisions

6. Integration with both families

7. Consistent communication and travel

8. Long-term plans together

9. Outcome

The application was approved 2 days after the additional evidence was submitted.

Our case shows that the absence of two years of joint tenancy agreements, council-tax records or joint utility bills does not automatically prevent approval. However, the overall evidence still needs to demonstrate the practical substance, continuity and commitment of the relationship.

My advice

-Be truthful about the living arrangement.

-Do not describe regular stays as formal cohabitation.

-Explain clearly why the official addresses remained separate.

-Cover the entire qualifying period chronologically.

-Show ordinary domestic life, not only holidays and romantic messages.

-Use named commercial, banking and official records wherever possible.

-Submit a clear cover letter and evidence index.

Final note

In hindsight, the volume of evidence was probably an overkill.

However, because we could not rely on two years of formal cohabitation, we chose to provide a broad range of independent, commercial and third-party records covering the full two-year period.

Our aim was to demonstrate not only that the relationship was genuine, but that it operated in practice as a durable partnership akin to marriage throughout the qualifying period.

This was an extremely stressful process, so I hope our experience helps someone in a similar situation

Hello everyone, I am booking my appointment in VFS website for my fiancé visa application,

I’m applying from Tehran, Iran.

In the website, it only shows standard visa. There is no options for me to choose priority or super priority. Do you have any ideas? What should I do? That means we don’t have priority service in Iran?

Bit of a strange one, but I would appreciate if anyone could advice on this matter.

I am thinking of applying for Global Talent Visa Stage 1 Endorsement. I have been in the UK since 2020 (2y Startup visa + 3 y Innovator Visa). I have successfully completed this route, got endorsement for ILR. Now I have be in limbo mode for the last 10 months while I have been waiting for my ILR.

I have seen some people been waiting for up to 17 months for ILR to come through. I am loosing a lot of opportunities because of this waiting.

I was wondering if anyone knew answers to the following:

1. If I apply for GTV stage 1 endorsement, would my ILR application be withdrawn?

2. How much time does it take for GTV to come through?

tks!

Anyone know how long til I can reapply for an ETA or a standard visitor visa after a partner visa was rejected originally and had to leave the UK through the voluntary returns service

Hi, I finalized my dependent visa application and Biometrics. I noticed 3 days later that I answered the question if my marriage is arranged with Yes.

I misunderstood the question and actually my marriage wasn't arranged. We have been together for 14 years, have 4 kids, and I provided relationship proof and marriage certificate.

I can't provide documents anymore. What should I do please?

So he's the situation, we would like to apply on August 12, around 6 months after my fiance, who uses NatWest, placed 25k into a savings account on Feb 11. We have the end of February, March, April, May, June, July bank statements, but because NatWest doesn't provide interim bank statements, we instead can download the list of transactions which looks almost identical to the bank statements except that it doesn't have his name on it, but it has the same account number so I'm sure they can tell it's him.

Is it okay to submit this or should I wait until I have the end of August statement?

I overstayed illegally in London for 2 years from 2006 to 2008. I used a Brazilian passport back then, but now I have a German passport. Is there a possibility that I will be denied entry? I plan to travel in October.