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It has been 18 months for an extension for family visa we have sent a PAP in 2024 October but got a standard reply it is now February and we are still waiting what should i do?

Hey everyone,

Any advice for applying for the Exceptional Promise visa, in regard to Fine Art Photography, and the endorsement process via British Arts Council?

I've been doing conceptual and fine art photography for 3 years.

I am struggling to understand what they are looking for in terms of the work produced, what makes the work classified as "fine art", and publications one has featured in. They make the process sound very daunting, but at the same time, I’ve found landscape photographers, or very beginner photographers with a limited amount of work, get this visa. So I am quite confused.

Would appreciate some insight as I want to aim to get this visa and endorsement application down on the first try.

Thanks in advance!

My fiance / soon to be husband lives in an EU country working for a UK employer. I currently do not have a job but he makes more than the financial requirement, however when he comes to the UK he can’t work. Can we still apply for the spousal visa or will we no longer financially qualify because of him coming to the UK?

I am currently on a Skilled Worker visa (Year 1 of 5). My wife is on an ICT (Global Business Mobility) visa, which does not lead to ILR.

Would it be advisable for her to switch to a dependent visa under my sponsorship? I am considering leaving my job in a year or two to pursue a master's degree, and if I leave before completing five years, I will need to reimburse my company for visa costs on a prorated basis. To minimize this expense, I want to avoid adding my wife as my dependent.

What would be the best course of action?

I am an Algerian residing in Sweden and traveling from Copenhagen to Philadelphia, transiting through Heathrow Airport in London. I am not sure if I need a UK visa. I hold a Swedish residence permit that allows me to move freely within the EU. The itinerary shows that I will land in Terminal 5 at Heathrow and need to switch to Terminal 3 to catch the leg to Philidelphia. As an Algerian, I generally need a visa to visit the UK, so I am wondering if I still need one since I am only transiting. I should also add that I do have a J1 US visa.

i’ve seen people on reddit say that the working week defined in the student visa is monday-sunday, but i cannot find this on the official UK immigration website.

i’m concerned because my workplace designs the schedules from sunday-saturday and i have been careful to try and stay within 20 hours (only going over twice) but if the week is monday-sunday then i would have gone over my limit much more.

is anyone sure that the working week is defined as monday-sunday? is this cause of concern for me if i try to get a graduate visa after my student visa?

Hello everyone!

I would just like to ask for an advice. I have received my certificate of sponsorship (CoS) and my employer put a start date of February 17. However, I still have to process exit requirements in the Philippines which will most likely take weeks or even months. Also, I won’t be able to provide my biometrics until the 14th of February, so I know that I won’t be able to start on the 17th.

As I am filling up the online visa application, I was just wondering if it is okay to put a later date on the section regarding date I plan to arrive in the UK like end of February or even middle of March.

Will this be a cause for visa rejection? If it is not an issue, what would be the latest date I can put in this section of my visa application?

Thank you very much!

Hello can someone tell me what kind of “reasonable grounds” are still accepted for get “Right to work”/COA in uk and how to make the application? Cause i’m struggling with the situation after 3 refused applications. Thank you so much. I need to mention as i have 25 yeara old , my both parents and my brothers have been granted with PSS ( my dad was in Jan 2020) . I am romanian I live in the uk since 2019 but with gaps cause i was in Romania to university since 2020-2021 I have National insurance number since 2021 or 22 smthlt. I tried to apply with my parents but i was refused because they said i don t have reasonable grounds. Thank you! P.S my both parents are on my Birth certificate!

If I went from a spouse visa to a skilled worker visa, would I have to restart my time that I would be eligible for my ILR? I've been here for four and a half years, if I changed visas now, would I have to wait five years again to apply for IRL?

Hello! For applying the U.K. visit visa in Morocco , Can anyone advise if they submitted the bank statement in French? The bank only allows us to download the statement in French or Arabic

I am an American citizen, have a degree from the University of Edinburgh in costume (graduated in 2018), and have since been working in New York as a tailor. I would like to find someone to sponsor a visa in either of these fields. Would anyone be able to point me in the direction of how to make this happen? Is there a specific visa that you've heard of creatives applying for successfully? Thanks!

Hi! I’m newly looking at applying for the UK spouse visa for my wife who is a US citizen and based in LA. This might be the most stupid question, but hey. I am usually self employed but I don’t earn enough to bring her over after expenses are deducted from my turnover, and I can’t combine my savings with self-employment. If I were to get a job as an employee but that wasn’t a salary, does that count as “salary” even if the amount fluctuates? And could that be combined with cash savings?? I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to meet the criteria. Thank you!!! 🥺

I’m currently preparing the documents for my UK citizenship application. Would a summary downloaded from my HMRC online account (like the one attached) be sufficient proof of residence? It shows my taxable income and National Insurance contributions for each relevant period.

Has anyone submitted similar documents successfully?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

https://preview.redd.it/ekb5y88sjpge1.jpg?width=595&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6aa90d38b8623289069536336875ee4b46ab0081

Hi, I’m applying for the UK ETA but I’m unable to get all the way through.

The fault appears the step after it lets me know that my uploaded photo matches the requirement. When I press continue, the fault “Sorry, there is a problem with the service” appears. I’ve tried everything I could think of. Using the app, different browsers, on my PC, Incognito mode, work PC, asked a friend to apply for me through their own PC, nothing helps.

I read somewhere that someone had luck by accepting the cookies on the page, I did all that. Still nothing. I got in contact with support which weren’t much help and they raised a ticket for me but I haven’t heard back either. I would really appreciate the help anyone can provide.

Edit: to add, I’ve also tried uploading different pictures, different formats. Didn’t change the result.

Hello guys last year before they expired the BRP cards on the 24th of December I went the government website to link my visa But I think I linked it to the BRP card rather than my passport Is this an issue ? Do I need to do anything about it ? Will this affect any travelling i want to do outside the country ... etc ? Any information will be helpful Thanks in advance

Hi I currently work for a UK company that does not allow sponsorship. My HR said that if there is someone living there that I know (permanently) I'm allowed to work there. How do I go about this? Please help, I'm currently living in SA.

I am from the USA and flew to the UK from Europe. I came into the country after Jan 8. I did not know I needed an ETA, I never applied for one but was able to enter the country with no problems through the electric scan passport area of the boarder. I never spoke with a boarder agent. I fly out back to Europe soon, will I have issues leaving. Or will I have issues if I try to come back to the UK in the future?

Travelling back to London from the Netherlands today and they had no idea how a student visa worked or what an eVisa is. He was asking for my "Application number" whatever that is. After 20 minutes of me trying to explain what an eVisa is I finally pulled out my brp card then he let me through. I know people who've even thrown away their brp card

I read that I am able to apply for citizenship after living here for three years if I'm on a spouse visa. I have been here for 4 and a half years and don't have my indefinite leave to remain or enter. I'm just confused about all of it.

Hello everyone,

I recently applied for Settled Status - arrived in the UK in January 2020, left in August 2024.

I have formally hit 5 years of continued residence in October 2024, as I have evidence of a 1 week visit in October 2019 (bank statement from foreign bank). I have submitted the application with such evidence a few weeks ago, from abroad.

When I did the automated checks, the application asked evidence for 6 months for both 2023 and 2024, although I have contributed to NI for 41 weeks in 2023-2024 tax year by receiving benefits. Hence I had to provide evidence for 2023 and 2024 (council tax + lease contract with payments - as I didn't work more than a couple months either years).

I have not filled a tax return for the 23-24 tax year, as my earnings were far below the £6.7k threshold and I wouldn't have to pay any taxes.

3 questions;

1. I am wondering why the automated checks did not pick up my HRMC benefits records (there is definitely 6+ months of records in 2023 + at least 2 in 2024), and whether paying voluntary NI contributions, or filling my self assessment tax return would make them appear?

(I am now passed the deadline for filling tax return so I would rather do the former to avoid paying the penalty.)

2. Is there any risk in withdrawing the application and re-apply before a decision on the first application?

3. Anyone here who applied from abroad and encountered any problems for being granted SS in doing so?

The bottom line is that my CR will be broken on February 14th 2025. I will be back in the UK in a few days for a short time.

I am ready to extend my stay should I need to, withdraw my made-from-abroad application and re-apply from within the UK - hopefully with automated checks for 23-24, so that the application gets processed quicker and with (potentially?) higher chances not to have to re-submit evidence of residence in 3 months should they ask me to.

Because in 3 months my CR will be broken and it will be clear I don't live on the UK anymore (I have hit the 5 year CR regardless of whether I'm staying in the UK afterwards or not so theoretically no one can remove that from me - but I am unsure whether it hurts my application in practice).

Any tips and / or feedback from similar experiences would be gladly appreciated!

My mom was born on a US military base in the 1960s and lived there until she was 5 with her parents. From what I can recall, she had her documents but lost them about a decade ago. She's unreliable so I don't know if I'd be able to call any embassy or government body with her US citizenship info and see if they could find and verify her status in the UK.

Will she need to provide her UK documentation in order for me to be able to apply? I am looking to move to Scotland or Britain if possible, though as a freelance artist who works primarily online I don't know if it is feasible for that to grant me a work visa.

My girlfriend is from an EU country, I know entering and exiting the UK via airport is logged, so if she came and stayed with me for a year she'd be seen as overstaying, but since there's no hard border between NI and RoI can she just come and go via the CTA without it being logged as such? Does the RoI share entrance and departure via airport with the UK? would they even know without border controls?

Sorry for my ignorance, I know that many of you live and breathe this stuff. But my girlfriend, who lives in the UK, and me, who lives in the US, have been long distance for around 7 years.

I find myself very much in the dark here, despite years of casual investigation. Can this community help educate me? How do we get to be together?

My grandmother’s father was born in scotland in 1909. He was naturalized as an american in 1941 and then my grandmother was born in 1942. Because he was naturalized by the time she was born does that disqualify her from British citizenship?

Hello! I know there have been a number of posts about Ancestry visas, but each one seems to be geared to individual, and I don't want to add onto another conversation.

My details: My Grandmother was born in Scotland in May 1922, and came to Canada as a war bride after the war, and became a citizen. Myself, I am a Canadian by birth, born in 1986.

Outside of gathering funds to use towards the visa process, and having a cushion so I am self sufficient, would I qualify based on these details? And! Would I be able to bring my spouse with me.

Everyone here seems so knowledgeable based on their own experiences, and I do look forward to your answers.

I am a US/UK duel citizen living in California. My husband and children only have US citizenship. My husband works for an international company that has several offices in the UK, but it would take him some time to get the work visa stuff figured out. If we were to move to the UK, how would I go about getting the process started to get my kids citizenship? Could I enroll them in school right away using their US paperwork? I’m looking into this as an option if we feel the need to start a life outside the US pretty quickly. I’ve always wanted to get my kids duel citizenship and have been wondering when the right time would be. We’ve been holding off taking any steps because of family/friends here, aging parents, jobs, and loving the school our kids attend, but are feeling the need to have a plan. Thanks!

Hi everyone I have some questions.. I came in UK on a student visa(on a MBA )in September 23. Can I still bring my dependent this year before my visa expires? According to my CAS my course ends at sep-2025. On the other hand, my visa will expire on January 2026. Which date is the latest date when my spouse can arrive in Uk? I will get married at April and would like to apply after that.. Please if anyone' can enlighten me into this matter.

Hi!

Could an absence of 23 months be covered by COVID? It’s exactly during March 2020 - February/March 2022. I was just out of uni and couldnt find a job, had to go back to my country and stay with my parents.

What I could upload as evidence would be:

• my letters to Student Loan Company, stating that I was being financially supported by my parents during these 2 years and that’s why I couldn’t pay my loan as I was not working
• article from gov.uk covering the Coronavirus timeline (& hilighting the start and end dates coinciding with my departure & return)
• graph showing coronavirus cases were higher in the UK than in my home country (at no point were they lower than abroad)
• POSSIBLY emails/linkedin applications showing I tried to search for jobs (but not sure if I can find any).

Also March 2020 could be covered by the fact that I had in-person transactions; and February 2022 is covered by having tax records (I started working remotely for a UK company in February 2022 and returned March 2022).

Also, I will also upload evidence for residency during Sep 2016 - March 2020 (uni letter, transactions, but no tax records)

So should I base my application for the residency during Sep 2016 - March 2020 (thus having an absence of only 18 months - until acquiring 5y CQP by Sep 2021)

OR

February/March 2022 - February 2025 (having an absence of 23 months)

I was granted Pre-settled on February 6, 2020 and I was already given the 5-year extension.

Thanks!!

I was born in the UK and have lived here my whole life, I fit all the requirements of Form T however I cannot provide a list of every absence nor would I even be able to give an approximation of it, would I be able to apply via form MN1 instead and just list my past 5 years of absences?