# Acceptable FLR M cohabitation letters



## Kakalokia (Dec 30, 2017)

Hi everyone,

Was hoping if someone can please shed some light on a question I have regarding acceptable letters for FLR M cohabitation section.

One of the letters we get in our joint name is an invoice payment letter for our child's nursery.

The letter appears to be issued by the city council on behalf of the nursery. The letter is on a city council headed paper, has the council logo etc. It basically looks very similar to the council tax letter, the only difference is that it's a nursery payment rather than council tax.

Is this form of letter still acceptable? The guidance says council tax bill/statement is acceptable, but I'm not sure if other letters issued by the council are acceptable too (like the nursery one).

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks


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## Kakalokia (Dec 30, 2017)

Just bumping the thread up, hoping if someone can provide some advice please.

In addition to the above question, I read somewhere that where there is a correspondence item in a single name, I should have another single name item from the same month for the other person. Is this true? The following is our cohabitation letters, and I had to include single name items to cover some gaps. Unfortunately we don't have single line items addressed to both of us in the same month. Is this going to be an issue?


October-2015: Council tax (joint).
December-2015: National Insurance Number (applicant).
February-2016: Water bill (joint).
April-2016: Maternity exemption card from NHS Business Services Authority (applicant)
July-2016: Bank statement (sponsor).
September-2016: Council tax (joint).
December-2016: NHS letter for our child examination result (joint).
February-2017: Water bill (joint).
April-2017: NHS letter confirming screening test result (applicant).
June-2017: HMRC tax code letter (sponsor).
December-2017: Nursery invoice for payment (joint).
March-2018: Water bill (joint).

Submitting application tomorrow, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.


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## lgates3 (Apr 16, 2018)

Kakalokia said:


> Just bumping the thread up, hoping if someone can provide some advice please.
> 
> In addition to the above question, I read somewhere that where there is a correspondence item in a single name, I should have another single name item from the same month for the other person. Is this true? The following is our cohabitation letters, and I had to include single name items to cover some gaps. Unfortunately we don't have single line items addressed to both of us in the same month. Is this going to be an issue?
> 
> ...


Hello,

we are currently doing our application and are wandering how you got on with this? Did to documents need to be for same month for single address or was different months ok?

Thanks


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## clever-octopus (May 17, 2015)

Yes, you can use one each if you don't have any addressed to you jointly (so indeed this would result in 12 items total)

Nursery invoice isn't great evidence but everything else is fine. It doesn't matter that you don't have single-addressee items for the same month, it just all needs to be spread as evenly as possible. It appears you have a pretty even spread - May be a few more documents than you really need, but overall it looks good.


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## lgates3 (Apr 16, 2018)

Hello Clever- Octopus,

Thanks so much for the fast reply.

I hope you don't mind me sticking my list of documents on here. I worry I have too much but don't want to leave anything out.

We have our Premium Service booking next Tuesday and feeling very stressed and overwhelmed with it all.


I arrived in late December 2015 our first document is for me in Jan 16 i hope this is ok.
Jan 16 - Me- HMRC letter
Feb 16 - Joint- Council Tax
April 16 - Me - DBS
August 16 - Sponsor - Credit Card Statement
December 16 - joint bank account
March 17 Joint - Council Tax
May 17 - Me Gas and Electric
July 17 - Sponsor Credit Card Statement
September 17 - Joint Bank Account
Jan 18 - Me Credit card statement, Sponsor Phone bill
May 18 - Joint Gas and Electricity

I know its not all evenly spread out but best we can do really. Is this ok? Is phone bill ok to use if I get it verified?

Thanks


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## ladylove04 (Feb 8, 2013)

Hi everyone,

Sorry to bump on this thread but Im on the same time collecting cohabitation letters, can someone check mine please if the list are okay

I arrived Sept 2015 on fiancee and got my 1st flrm Dec 2015

Applicant

Nov 2015 - Letter from home office
May 2015 - Bank statement
Nov 2016 - Joint tenancy aggreement
May 2017 - Credit card statement
Nov 2017 - Letter from GP
May 2018 - credit card bank statement

Sponsor

Nov 2015 - DBS certificate
May 2016 - Bank letter
NOV 2016 - Joint tenancy aggreement
May 2017 - bank statement
Nov 2017 - bank statement
May 2018 - Bank statement

Will really appreciate if anyone can help please

Many thanks


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

lgates3 said:


> Hello Clever- Octopus,
> 
> Thanks so much for the fast reply.
> 
> ...


Credit card bills are not strong evidence.


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## amymac (Nov 18, 2014)

nyclon said:


> Credit card bills are not strong evidence.


nyclon, just wondering how much I should panic on using credit card statements as a source...I asked this question previously and was advised by someone else it wasn't a problem. 

I have 4 sources for us - joint bills for council tax (x2), joint bills for electricity (x2), then bank statements for me (x2) and credit card statements for my husband (x2). I don't have other correspondence for him that falls in the right time windows...


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## Azure13 (Jun 22, 2013)

I'm also curious why credit card bills are not considered good evidence. I'm including some in our application as part of joint finances. We have other items too, like mortgage statements and bank statements, but I'm not sure why credit card statements aren't strong? Thank you.


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## clever-octopus (May 17, 2015)

In honesty, I don't know why/if a credit card statement would be considered poor evidence. The only official guidance I know of which categorises the types of evidence used to prove residency is in the application for EEA PR, where a credit card statement is listed as high value:










I don't know why cohabitation evidence would be so different. But people use NHS letters confirming a single appointment all the time.


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## amymac (Nov 18, 2014)

Thanks, clever. It's a relief to see it written somewhere that it's acceptable for a different category, even thought it's clear the rules can vary. 

So I can take my chances on the credit card statement, but curious about your thoughts on swapping one of them with a welcome letter from my husband's pension provider (Aviva), but I don't know if that's any good (it's not a statement)?


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## amymac (Nov 18, 2014)

Folks, just a note to confirm that our credit card statements were accepted without question as correspondence/cohabitation evidence when my FLR(M) was successfully granted on Friday.

Figured someone might benefit from some reassurance that there is precedent for these type of statements being OK, at least in our case, since I hadn't seen anyone confirming this on the forum...


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## clever-octopus (May 17, 2015)

Just curious; did they specifically verify to you that the CC statements were fine? Or did they just issue the visa without question?


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## amymac (Nov 18, 2014)

Fair question, they issued the visa without question or comment on any of my documentation - I was so grateful when he handed back my documents I didn't ask him to specify the strength of the application. They were quick with their decision as we were in and out of the service centre within about 2 hours.

Also worth noting, on a different topic, that they didn't add on my remaining visa validity (3 months + 28 days), just an exact 28 days on top of the 2.5 years, as it says on the website is the maximum addition. Not a problem as my plan will be to apply for ILR as soon as I can, 28 days before my 5 year anniversary of entry, but technically speaking I have only 3 days of visa validity beyond my 5 year anniversary. Another note for the record, since there are mixed reports on how remaining validity is handled in practice.


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## clever-octopus (May 17, 2015)

Yeah, for those who entered with an initial 33 (rather than 30) month visa, it looks like they're ignoring the extra 3 months we were issued with the first visa. I got the same as you, 2 years 6 months and 28 days


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## Kakalokia (Dec 30, 2017)

Sorry just noticed the replies for this thread.

Good news is wife's visa was granted on 23/05/2018, and we supplied the following documents for reference:

*Personal documents:*
Applicant's original passport.
Applicant's previous expired passport.
Sponsor's original passport (+ photocopy of bio page).
2 x passport photos of applicant, with name written on the back.
1 X passport photo of the sponsor, with name written on the back.
IHS number (written in application form).

*Relationship documents:*
Original marriage certificate in Arabic (+ photocopy).
Marriage certificate translation (+ photocopy).
Full birth certificate of child (+ photocopy).
Child's original passport (+ photocopy of bio page).
Letter within last 3 months from GP addressed to our child, confirming his registration (+ photocopy).
Letter within last 3 months from nursery addressed to our child, confirming his registration (+ photocopy).

*Accommodation documents:*
Land registry. Downloaded online for £3 (+ photocopy).
Latest mortgage statement (+ photocopy).

*English Language requirements:*
Wife passed the A2 test and we included the test number in the application.
Actual test certificate (+ photocopy).

*Financial requirements:*
Bank statements showing last 6 months salary payments.
6 latest payslips, stamped by HR department (+ photocopies).
Letter from HR department giving details as requested by form (+ photocopy).

*Cohabitation documents:*
October-2015: Council tax (joint).
February-2016: Water bill (joint).
March-2016: Council tax (joint).
April-2016: Maternity exemption card letter (applicant).
July-2016: Bank statement (sponsor).
September-2016: Council tax (joint).
December-2016: NHS letter for our child examination result (joint).
February-2017: Water bill (joint).
March-2017: Council tax (joint).
April-2017: NHS letter confirming screening test result (applicant).
April-2017: DVLA/Toyota letter (sponsor).
June-2017: HMRC tax code letter (sponsor).
November-2017: Nursery invoice for payment (joint). This letter is issued by the Newcastle City Council on behalf of our child's nursery. The letter has the same format/logo/headed paper as the one we get for council tax (issued by Newcastle City Council as well).
February-2018: Water bill (joint).
March-2018: Council tax (joint).
+ Photocopies of all letters.


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## Kakalokia (Dec 30, 2017)

Just wanted to ask while I'm at it.

My wife arrived in the UK in September 2015. Does that means the earliest she can apply for her ILR is September 2020?

Thanks.


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