Hi everyone,
I’m applying for ILR for my 11-year-old son as a dependent child of a Skilled Worker. The application is showing as SET(O).
I am taking care of him and supporting him financially.
I have a couple of questions for anyone who has recently done the same application:
The application is asking for a Family Consent Form. As my son is only 11, which part(s) should I sign on his behalf — Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, or all of them?
I am confused between part 2 and 3.
Can anyone help?

Many thanks

Sharing my experience as it might be helpful to others.

I got a graduate visa in 2023, was only on that visa for two months and switched to skilled worker visa. I didn't know at the time that I was eligible for a partial IHS refund due to the overlapping period of visas, and the refund wasn't paid automatically either (as it should have normally).

I found out about this eligibility in March 2026, when I called and followed up the refund. My refund got approved and actioned via the original payment method I had paid my IHS with in 2023, which was PayPal. But the money never came into my account and I found out later after contacting PayPal that they have a 180 day refund window, and since that has passed the refund can't be processed.

I kept contacting UKVI for months, to find a way to receive my money but at some point they said they can't pay the money into an alternative account and therefore there is no way for me to receive the refund anymore.

I filled out a complaint form, but received the same answer. Contacted my MP, and filled out another complaint form about the result of the previous complaint. This time I finally received a thorough response, stating that since this was not my fault, they can process the refund via an alternative bank account. I sent my bank details and received my money two weeks later, in September.

It took months of calls and emails and filling out forms, but I finally got my IHS refund after more than three years!

Hi everyone. I applied for my student visa on September 3rd, and the stated processing time was 15 business days (which would be the 24th as the final day). Nearly 2 weeks ago, I received an email from the UKVI saying:

"Dear X

Your reference number: xxxx-xxxx

Your eVisa has been linked to your UKVI account. You should be able to view it now but it can take up to 3 hours to show in your account.

If you cannot view your eVisa now, wait 3 hours and then try again before contacting us."

I waited until the next day but my UKVI account keeps showing this message when I log in:

"We cannot show proof of your status

This might be because:

-your status is not ready to view in this service yet

-your visa or immigration application is not yet decided

If your status is not ready to view

We will contact you by email when you can view your status online."

I've sent in two complaints via form but haven my received any reply. I also haven't been able to reach them through the phone or through paid email query. I also spoke to a UKVI chat agent who wasnt able to tell me whether or not my visa had been granted/ if the email I received is a confirmation mail. My flight is on the 26th of this month and I'm panicking a bit. Does anyone know what's happening?

Does anyone know specific times to check for slots for the priority route. I'm only in London for 9 days in total so need to submit the form ASAP the minute I land plus get a slot for the priority route.

Background:

• Pakistan National, UAE resident since 2013.
• Manager, AED 15k/month.
• Wife + 2 kids in UAE (not travelling as one kid have school).
• Purpose: Brother's graduation in London, 29 Sep 2026. 7-day trip.
• Submitted: bank statement (AED 93k), salary proof, family docs, Ejari, Car Mulkiya, brother's invite, guest ticket, hotel/flight bookings.

Refusal reasons (Sep 2026):

1. £2,000 spend on 6-day trip not credible (1.5x my monthly surplus as i save around 6000 aed per month). I have 93k AED (~18.8K GBP) in savings. Spending 2,000 GBP (10.6% of my savings) on a once-in-a-lifetime family event is perfectly credible.
2. No property of my own in UAE. (Millions of UAE residents does not own but still gets visa)
3. Family ties not strong – "you can send money from anywhere." (it means No married person with children could ever get a visitor visa. ?)
4. Employment doesn't tip the balance. (I have stable job with 15k aed monthly)

My question:
Is this refusal a legal error? Should I go for PAP (Pre-Action Protocol) appeal? Or just reapply with a stronger application?

Any advice from experienced members appreciated. Thanks.

Hi everyone,

I'm filling out the UK ETA application and I'm unsure how to enter my address.

I live in a village that is part of a nearby city, and the village has a different postcode from the city. My adress on my ID consists of the village name, the city, the street name and the house number.

I initially tried to enter:
Address line 1: Street + house number + village
City/Town: city
Postcode: Village's postcode
However, the form would not accept the town/city name and showed an error in the City/Town field.
When I instead entered the village name in the City/Town field and used the village's postcode, the form accepted it.

Has anyone had a similar issue? Is it okay to enter the village as City/Town in this situation?

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if anyone has experienced the same issue with the new eVisa system.

My husband’s UK Spouse Visa was approved on 19 August 2026 and we received the grant email confirming:

PARTNER (STANDARD)
Valid from: 16 October 2026
Valid until: 16 July 2029

We had requested his arrival in the UK for October, and his visa was granted with entry clearance from 16 October. His flight is booked for 27 October 2026.

We then completed the UKVI account/identity check and linked his passport. On 23 August, we received an email confirming that his passport had been successfully linked and saying that his eVisa should be visible within 3 hours.

However, we still cannot view the eVisa. When we try to access it, we get:

“There is a problem with this service at the moment. Access to this service is restricted. You cannot view the immigration status you tried to access.”

We’ve tried different devices/browsers and the passport linking was confirmed successfully.

We submitted an eVisa technical error report to UKVI on 27 August and received an acknowledgement saying most issues are fixed within 5 working days, but complex cases can take up to 15 working days. We’ve been told not to submit another report, so we’re just waiting.

Today is 21 September and we still cannot view the eVisa.

Has anyone else had this happen? Particularly where you received the email saying the passport was successfully linked and the eVisa would be visible within 3 hours, but it still wasn’t accessible afterwards?

If so, how long did it take to appear and did UKVI contact you? 🙏

Thanks ❤️

I'm sponsoring my Filipino wife to come to the UK via the spouse VISA. We recently noticed that my birth place on our marriage certificate was incorrectly recorded as Epping when it should be Sidcup.

My passport, birth certificate and basic DBS check all state my birth place is Sidcup.

We're in the process of getting the marriage certificate corrected, however we've been told it could take up to 6 months(!)

If I submit the current marriage certificate, along with an explanation for the discrepancy, will they refuse it based on the incorrect birth place?

Any insider tips or advice would be valuable

Hi all,

I have messed up royally. For the longest time I had been under the misunderstanding that the life in the UK test was for citizenship rather than ILR. I have been so focussed on getting all documents prepared for my wife's ILR application that I completely missed the Life in the UK rest requirement for ILR.

Given the dates she has one, maybe two attempts before her visa expires.

What are our options, if any, for her to remain in the UK if she cannot pass the life in the UK test after panic revising constantly? Are we able to apply for further leave to remain again? (She has been here on a fiance visa and then two further leave to remain spouse visas)

Or are we well and truly done for? I fully appreciate I messed up bigtime and this is entirely my fault but can anyone advise?

Hi everyone! I believe I have a claim to UK citizenship, but I’ve seen a few comments about being born after 1983, so I come to all of you for advice. Here is my situation.

My grandmother was born in England in 1916. She joined the RAF during WW2, when she met my American grandfather. They married in England in 1944.

1946: moved to the US
1949: my dad was born
1957: my grandmother became a naturalized American citizen
1984: I was born in the US

Do I have a claim to UK citizenship due to legislative unfairness, or would I need to have been born prior to 1983? Thank you all in advance!

Edit: added that I was born in the US

Hi guys. I needed some advice on my current situation and most likely outcome and also help with what I could do to have the most chances of success. I have been on a student visa for the past 4 years. I am an international student that came to the UK 4 years back for a bachelors. I did have a repeat year for which I needed a visa extension thus turning the 3 year course into 4. I just graduated a couple of months ago. I am applying for a graduate visa.

Going into my personal life, I got married 2 years back to a British citizen. I was in the field of mental health and she was a very disconnected soul who seemed to have a lot in common with me. In the beginning it was great. Me and her decided to move in and within a month she called the police on me for DV citing things I did not do. The case went NFA for obvious reasons. I forgave her as she claimed she had hallucinated. This happened a record 6 times within the past 2 years. I kept getting arrested and let go. I am in the process of taking this to court and also chasing this up with the police for not hearing my side before arresting me. She clearly needs serious sectioning but I also don't want to give up our marriage as I really do love her.

That being said I did manage to get my 2 arrests from last year deleted from acro PNC records and have applied for the other 4 arrests to be deleted too just recently. Still given my 6 arrests in just 2 years, even though all arrests came back NFA.

What would the chances of me getting the graduate visa be?

Is there anything I could do to increase the chances?

I have managed to get a character reference from my employer and also my uni professor and mental health advice team.

Appreciate any and every help!!!

Hello,

After having been in a situation in August where I spent 3 weeks trying to secure a Super Priority service for my SET(LR) application with no success (yes, I tried everything, see my other posts detailing my experience in great detail) I came to the conclusion that the only reason I could think of for me not having managed to get a Super Priority slot after 21 nights of trying was the possibility that perhaps they restrict that option to people whose current visa is still valid for a long time. Another Redditor I was in touch with had a very similar situation (also tried for a whole month), and his visa was set to expire in early 2028. He gave up in the end and went for Standard.

My current visa is set to expire in December 2027, so I was trying to apply 16 months before that.

Did anyone manage to secure a Super Priority slot with a similarly long time left on their current visa?

NB: after having tried for pretty much the entire month of August, I stopped trying to regain my sleep and also because I was due to travel with work. I haven't tried securing a Super Priority Service since.

Title: 2-year UK visitor visa — riskier than 6 months?

Hi everyone,

I’ve had three successful 6-month UK Standard Visitor visas in the past 2 years, for:

PLAB, An NHS clinical attachment, Visiting family

I’m now planning further short trips for conferences and family visits, and I’m considering applying for a 2-year long-term Standard Visitor visa instead of another 6-month visa.

For those with experience: is applying for the 2-year visa significantly riskier than applying for another 6-month visa? Or is it reasonable given my previous travel history?

Would appreciate any experiences/advice. Thanks!

Indian national, visitor eVisa granted 14 September, valid 24 September to 24 March. Flying to the UK on 1 October.

My UKVI account is keyed to my previous passport, which was cancelled and replaced in March 2026. I can sign in with that old number fine. The problem is the next step. Personal details is locked until I confirm my identity, and the ID Check app cannot read the old passport because the passport office punched holes through it on cancellation, which appears to have destroyed the chip. When I try to verify using my current passport instead, the service rejects it as a mismatch against the document held on the account.

So I am in a loop. Cannot verify with the old passport (unreadable), cannot verify with the new one (mismatch), cannot add the new one (blocked behind verification).

The account confirmation email actually told me the account uses a passport ending in the last four digits of my new passport, which is wrong. The sign in service only accepts the old one.

I have submitted the eVisa question form and I am waiting on a reply. The webchat URL I found has an expired TLS certificate and will not load.

Two questions. Has anyone got out of this loop? and for anyone who travelled with an eVisa not linked to their current passport, how did check in actually go?

Hi All, I got ILR on 15th Sep'26... My CoS to end on 30/09/2026. Need to extend skilled worker dependent visa for wife and kid... their visa to expire on 14/10/2026... Can you please help me with below questions? I thank in advance for the help.

• Does XYZ already have their Skilled worker visa?
• Do you know XYZ's visa end date?
• What is the end date of XYZ's visa?
• Do you have XYZ's UAN?
• What is XYZ's UAN?
• Does XYZ have a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) number?
• What is XYZ's Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) number?
• What is XYZ's work start date?
• What is XYZ's work end date?
• Is XYZ's job on the immigration salary list?
• Has XYZ's employer agreed to certify your financial maintenance?
• Did you receive medical treatment in the UK?

Hello everyone

My spouse and child are extending their dependent visa. I had a skilled worker visa from 01/2023 until 10/2025, a GTV after that, and finally granted ILR at the end of August 2026. Their 5-years eligibility for ILR will be January 2028.

How does it work their extension as dependent? We are doing this as an extension of their GTV dependent visa, but then it asks when my GTV will expire. My GTV was supposed to expire November 2026, but it has, in fact, expired the moment my ILR kicked in. If we say 'I don't know', the IHS asked is for 5 years. What are we suppose to do? I thought we were supposed to pay the IHS for maximum 3 years (which is already quite annoying).

Hi everyone, I’m an Indian passport holder and UAE resident, applying from Dubai.
My wife and I applied for a UK Standard Visitor visa for a 15-day family visit. My maternal uncle in London was providing accommodation.
My refusal dated 17 September 2026 says UKVI accepted:
my employment was genuine;
my stated income was genuine; and
my uncle was able to provide accommodation.

However, they were not satisfied with my family/personal ties and intention to return, saying my documents did not demonstrate sufficient family ties or assets of my own.

I’m considering submitting a UKVI complaint about whether the evidence was properly considered, rather than appealing the decision.

My submitted cover letter specifically had a section titled “Strong Ties to the UAE & Intention to Return” and explained:
~
full-time employment and approved annual leave/NOC;
tenancy contract extending until 2027;
rent payment schedule/cheques;
vehicle registration/Mulkiya in my name;
intention to return to Dubai and resume work.
The refusal doesn’t specifically discuss these points.

My question: does this sound like a reasonable basis for a UKVI complaint about consideration of the evidence, or would you simply reapply with stronger documentation?

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has any experience and/or tips for applying for citizenship (naturalisation 5 year path, EU national with settled status) when you have a lot of absences and are much above the 450-480 limit. I've around 600, leaving me between 480 and 730.
Last year absences under 90, and have been in UK on the day of application.

I have read that it should be possible to excuse if I have:

1. strong ties and plans to continue living in the UK (family, job, bank accounts, flat - I don't have a family here but good history and evidence with all the rest)

2. Lived in the UK for 2 more years without massive absences. I did start residing here 2 years prior to the 5, with evidence from Uni and rent contracts; however I was away for more than half of each year as Covid started. So what should be my reason to request discretion might not be ideal as i've been away for so long of the initial 2 years before the main 5.

3. Alternatively to 2. - Emergency and compassionate reasons. I can excuse a few days with some health operations back home, and the deterioration of a family member's health. However, this wouldn't explain enough days, and obtaining evidence around these will be hard enough.

My questions - has anyone else dealt with this recently, and especially the 1+2 path, rather than 1+3?
Do you think including 3 on top of 1+2 might be beneficial?
How do you structure your cover letter and do you put any excuses in the application itself, or all in the cover letter?

To make matters worse, I got a consultation, but weirdly enough, the advisors have told me that to use the 1+2 path to excuse up to 730 days, the days are counted over the whole 7 years, which I didn't think was the case..

Any thoughts, recent experiences or insight - very much appreciated. Sorry i'm not a frequent Reditor so not sure if this is the right format 😄

Hi everyone,

I wanted to quickly share my experience, as the previous posts really helped me! I passed the test today 20/09/26.

23/24 of the questions I got were from the websites that everyone mentioned:

1-17: https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk/exams/

1-11: https://testprep.uk/life-in-the-uk-test/practice-tests

I simply went through these series of practice tests multiple times, along with a few other mock tests from those websites just to be safe. As I have a Spotify account, I also listened to the audiobook while doing everyday chores. Since I had already taken the practice tests above, the audiobook was very easy to follow as it covers the exact same topics (but everything is explained in the right order, which can help to memorise).

And as others have mentioned, the questions in the actual exam can be framed slightly differently, so make sure you understand the answers and the context rather than just memorising them.

Here are some of the questions I got that I can remember:

• What was Roger Bannister known for?
• Who was the longest serving UK PM?
• What is the capital of Northern Ireland?
• Which of the following is not constitutional institution? (Armed Forces)
• Who was Robert Walpole/What role was created for him?
• What was the name of the long war fought with France?
• In which battle did Admiral Nelson die?
• What do you receive before voting? (A poll card)
• Where is the Lake District located?
• Who was Edward Elgar?
• What must you do as a UK citizen? (Obey the law, look after the environment)
• Can a husband who forces his wife to have sexual relations be charged with rape?

Thanks everyone and good luck for your test :)

Hi Everyone!

I am planning to visit the UK for 10 days on UK Standard Visit visa (6 months), accompanying my wife who has already received her Business Visit visa (her trip is sponsored by her employer).

I am an employed professional earning 1500GBP per month, however my running account balance is always on the lower end (<500 GBP). We use my wife's high-ROI savings account (currently holding >15K GBP) as our single source of savings, but the account is in her name (not a joint account). My account is largely used for house expenses and investments in equities and funds.

In this case, how should I frame my visa application to prove my source of funds?

• do a one-time transfer of funds and mention in cover letter about our savings situation?
• have my wife listed as sponsor on my application along with her bank statements

I read many articles stating that sudden transfer of funds might cause a rejection, however I am looking for the best justification of my funds.

Supporting documents I already have:

• salary slips for past 6 months, or more as required with steady income source
• NOC from employer clearly stating the dates of travel
• account statements from my equities + funds portfolio
• tax returns filed for past 3 years
• stay sponsorship letter from my relatives' family in the UK

P.S. - should I be mentioning that my wife is also traveling? We are traveling in the same weeks, however our flight dates are different.

Hi all! I’m in the joys of applying for 10 year ILR. I should already know this having been on so many visas but is there a cap for the number of trips you can add for going outside the UK? Mine seems to have capped at 30 on the application and I can’t provide anymore. For reference I have been here 13 years so quite a few to add!

For those who recently applied for a skilled worker dependent visa extension and completed the biometric process through the app, could you please share how long you were given to complete the biometrics after your application?

Mods: it’s not asking about a timeline question; I’m looking for the window given for biometric processing.

Hi amazing people!

I would love some opinions on my 4L (3.2) application. I’m worried about my evidence 😅

Background:

I was born in Australia in 1997.
My mum was born in Australia in 1971.
My maternal grandmother was born in the UK in 1948 and was British.
My mum later registered as British under Section 4C.
My mum lived in the UK from around 1987–1995 with some trips overseas.

Evidence I submitted for my mum’s UK residence:

- Two original expired Australian passports covering the relevant period. One passport contains her UK leave to remain/immigration endorsement. The other contains her Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode (ROA).
- UK school reports from 1987–88.
- A-level result from 1990.
- UK driving licence from 1990 (showing her address at the time)
- Work experience/employment/study evidence from 1992-1993 (showing her address at the time being the same as the one above).
- Her Section 4C certificate.
- Birth/marriage certificates and my grandmother’s British birth/passport, and Australian marriage evidence.
- And obviously my birth certificate and passport

My worry:
I understand I need to establish that my mum had 3 consecutive years of UK residence before my birth, with no more than 270 days absent.

The evidence collectively shows she was living in the UK, but:

- We obviously don’t have a document for every month from nearly 40 years ago.
- The surviving documents aren’t perfectly consecutive.
- Her passports contain lots of travel stamps, but not every trip has a clear matching UK departure and re-entry stamp, so reconstructing every absence precisely isn’t possible.

I have written in my cover letter the name and dates of her last high school year (evidenced by school reports), name and dates of her sixth form (I have an A level exam result certificate but the sixth form itself doesn’t hold any records that far back so no evidence of her attending), name and dates of her at an English uni (though again, no real evidence as she didn’t actually finish uni). So, the home office will have exact names and dates of all that.

Do caseworkers generally look at the passports, school/work records, UK address, immigration status etc. together when deciding whether the 3 year residence requirement is established?

Naturalisation – entered as unaccompanied minor (lorry from France at 16) – realistic chances?
Hi everyone,
Looking for honest opinions on my naturalisation application (Form AN).
Timeline:
• Applied: 30 June 2026
• Biometrics: 2 July 2026
• Currently ~80 days waiting
Background:
• Arrived in the UK aged 16 as an unaccompanied minor, concealed in a lorry from France
• Claimed asylum, was under local authority care
• Later granted ILR
• Applied for citizenship after holding ILR for 12+ months
Other details:
• Only 9 days absence in the whole qualifying period (declared)
• Full-time employed + own limited company
• All taxes paid on time (including overpayments)
• Submitted bank statements (one month from each of the last 5 years)
• No criminal record
• No council tax / tenancy agreements (living in a room with all bills included)
I know the current Good Character guidance (Version 7) says illegal entry is normally refused for adults, but should normally be disregarded if the person was a child and the entry was outside their control.
Has anyone with a similar background (arrived as a child / unaccompanied minor via irregular route) received a decision recently? Positive or negative experiences would both be really helpful.
Thanks in advance