# Our recent experience of ILR under the new system



## EmmaRose549 (Jul 28, 2018)

My husband recently applied for ILR under the new system and was successful.

The first issue we had was that the new online form is different to the old paper form which we had been looking at in preparation. There is an option to go back and change your answers if you save the form but I found it annoying not knowing what questions were going to come up later on so I could have the information I needed to hand.

Most of the questions were pretty much what you would expect and the same as FLR. The questions that are new, unexpected or may need thinking about in advance are:

1) Have you been out of the UK since you started living here? Give date you left the UK, date you returned to the UK, reason for this period of absence. 
- My husband had travelled outside of the UK 3 times and we had to look back at passport stamps and emails confirming flights to work out the dates. 

2) Do you have any family in your country of birth, nationality or any other country where you have lived for more than 5 years? 
- Need to give name, relationship and say how you keep in touch.

3) Do you have any friends in your country of birth, nationality or any other country where you have lived for more than 5 years? 
- My husband responded No and was then asked to explain why he did not have friends in any of these countries.

4) Are you part of any social groups or do you have other cultural ties in your country of birth, nationality or any other country where you have lived for more than 5 years?
- My husband responded No and was then asked to explain why not.

5) Could you and your partner live together outside of the UK if necessary?
- My husband responded No and was then asked to explain why.

6) There are questions relating to when you and your partner began living together, and also you need to provide addresses and dates of where you lived during the past 2 years.

7) You are asked to provide dates and details if you have ever been
- refused a visa 
- deported
- removed
- required to leave
- refused entry at the border
Relating to the UK or any other country.

8) Home office reference number (if you have one).
- I think my husband put the number that was on his FLR letter.

9) Details about your national identity card.

10) Do you have any other reasons for wanting to stay in the UK? If yes you need to explain your other reasons and state what documents you will provide to support your claim.


At the end you are given a document checklist. Documents required were stated as:
- passport for applicant
- passport or travel document for spouse as British citizen
- declaration signed by partner (download the declaration)
- signed contract of employment
- personal bank statements corresponding to the same period(s) as the payslips
- 6 letters and/or other documents addressed to you and your partner at the same address to show that you have been living together during the past 2.5 years
- payslips covering any period of salaried employment (current and previous) in the period of 12 months prior to the date of application
- documents supporting my other reasons to stay in the UK
- evidence of council tax costs for the accommodation in the UK where you live
- evidence of spouse settled status in the UK
- Life in the UK pass notification letter
- letter from employer (s) who issued the payslips confirming
1) the employment
2) the gross annual salary
3) how long the employment has been/ was held
4) the period over which the person has been paid the level of salary stated in their application
5) the type of employment (permanent, fixed-term contract or agency)
- P60 for the relevant period(s) of employment replied upon 
- current biometric residence permit for applicant
- evidence of monthly housing costs for the accommodation in the UK where you live or will live

I think some of the items requested where because of the answers provided so may not apply to everyone. e.g we had stated that we could provide my P60 plus give evidence supporting other reasons to stay in the UK. 

For information:
- We applied using my (the spouse) income alone as I more than meet the income requirement without needing to add in my hubands (the applicant) income. I have been in my employment for over 12 months on a permanent basis.
- We provided 12 months worth of payslips and bank statements just to be safe as I found the wording confusing and was concerned that the previous requirement of 6 months evidence had changed to 12 months. That could just be me getting confused and misinterpreting the wording. 
- We own our home and provided a letter from the bank confirming our mortgage details plus a copy of the property deeds supplied by our solicitor when we bought the house.
- To support other reasons to stay in the UK we provided our daughters birth certificate, letters from the council (school application) and NHS to prove she lives at the same address, doctors letters showing referral to a paediatrician plus letters which state both parents have attended medical appointments, plus 5 photographs to show our family together or father and daughter including holidays and visit to Father Christmas as proof of ongoing relationship. 

I scanned and uploaded all the documents myself before the biometric appointment. We took the originals with us to the appointment as requested but only had to show my husband's passport. There was a few people on the day scanning their documents and I believe there were a few problems uploading to the site. Staff were trying to help them but not doing it for them. I would recommend scanning and uploading in advance to save stress on the day. 

When uploading they are separated into categories and you name your document. You must upload your files in PDF, JPG or PNG formats only and be no larger than 6mb per file.

I found booking an appointment for the following week simple enough but we did have to pay £60 for the date we wanted. Free appointments are available at some centres if you book a few weeks in advance. 

Good luck everyone!

Just to add: 
We applied using the Super Priority option and paid £3018.20. With this a decision is made within 24 hours. We had the appointment on a Thursday and received a letter on the following Monday to say the ILR was approved. The letter was sent by Royal Mail and needed to be signed for. Later that day the new biometric residence permit was delivered by courier.


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

EmmaRose, thank you so much! This is brilliant! I will copy and paste into my notes to guide me when our turn comes. 

A few questions! Do they ask for all previous passports of applicant if applicable, or just the current one or ones that cover the previous five years? I presume the sponsors entire passport has to be scanned and uploaded? 

I read somewhere that when submitting information on home ownership, they ask for mortgage details. As we don’t have a mortgage, I am not sure what to put there but hopefully, when the time comes, I will know how we deal with that. I understand there is no space to explain, just basically yes or no! 

Especially as we cannot see the form until we start the process, it is really helpful when applicants such as yourself, give us a detailed list and I really appreciate your coming back to give such detailed information when you could just be enjoying the freedom from future visas!


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## Phantasmo (Jan 15, 2013)

EmmaRose549 said:


> 5) Could you and your partner live together outside of the UK if necessary?
> - My husband responded No and was then asked to explain why.


Thanks for posting your experience EmmaRose.

I noticed you answered no to this question. I am second guessing myself now with our answer to this. 

I debated what to put for this answer and started to answer no but then the reasons we were putting down were related to our life now being here and effect on my son which we put under the other reasons category later on. I took it to mean more such as person being put at risk etc. so in the end said yes. 

Hopefully us putting yes to this won't jeopardise our application. Worried a bit now.


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## clever-octopus (May 17, 2015)

Putting no/yes to that question does not in itself jeopardise your application. If it is physically possible for you to move to another country without extreme economic or social hardship, then you should tick 'yes'. It's only really applicable if your application were to already be denied and you want leverage to be considered under human rights grounds


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## Phantasmo (Jan 15, 2013)

clever-octopus said:


> Putting no/yes to that question does not in itself jeopardise your application. If it is physically possible for you to move to another country without extreme economic or social hardship, then you should tick 'yes'. It's only really applicable if your application were to already be denied and you want leverage to be considered under human rights grounds


Great, thank you Clever-octopus. That is how I ended up interpreting it in the end so great to know that it won't be at risk for a yes tick in that box.


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## ppretty (Jun 13, 2013)

Brilliant Post EmmaRose - thanks very much for the info. I'm applying next week this info is definitely helpin with the prep.


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## Nasaw (Jul 19, 2016)

Does anyone know if you spouse/sponsor needs to attend the applicants appointment via the new system? Everyone sharing seems to have attended with both applicant and sponsor? Previously with the premium service centres, the sponsor didn't need to attend.

Thanks in advance.


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## humble (May 6, 2015)

Hey thanks for the detailed info on your experience, certainly helps me prepare!!

You mentioned


> - payslips covering any period of salaried employment (current and previous) in the period of 12 months prior to the date of application


Is the requirement for ILR that we have to provide 12 months bank statement and payslips? this was 6 months in a normal that you continuously held for 6 months with salaries above £18k job?

I guess I want to know what was found confusing that you had to do that?


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## wmaid (Nov 26, 2012)

Thank you so much for posting your experience on this forum. 
I completed Draft application just to get an idea of what the questions are and really don't know how to answer one of the questions (really confusing)

Can i please ask how did you answer the question:
10) Do you have any other reasons for wanting to stay in the UK? If yes you need to explain your other reasons and *state what documents you will provide to support your claim.*

OTHER reasons? what do they mean by other reasons? Other than being married to British citizen? 
The only answer i can think of is that we have a 22 months old child, and my husband has an orderly parents to look after. But what documents they would want to see as an evidence? 
- Child's birth certificate/passport? 
- Nursery invoices/bills?
- Parents passports showing their age? 

Appreciate any help in answering this question, and most importantly the supporting documents i need to present

Thanks again


I


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## DED (Feb 24, 2013)

A quick question on monthly housing costs and council tax letters..... as my council tax office only work online and my gas and electricity accounts are online (discounts if online ..... will the Visa office except a print off from online accounts for all three?


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## Phantasmo (Jan 15, 2013)

Hi all, 

My wife has just been successful in her application for ILR too so thought I would post update of our experience too. We also paid for Super Priority Decision. We also answered some of the new questions differently to EmmaRose which I had initially been concerned about as seen in this thread so thought I would note our response to those too. 

*Application Form*
Questions we answered differently:
1) Do you have any friends in your country of birth, nationality or any other country where you have lived for more than 5 years? 
-Responded "yes". Gave names of just closest friends in country of birth and that she kept in touch when visiting the country, or via email/social media etc.

2) Are you part of any social groups or do you have other cultural ties in your country of birth, nationality or any other country where you have lived for more than 5 years?
-Responded "yes" and just gave a line stating that she grew up in that country so her social and cultural background was of that country. 

3) Could you and your partner live together outside of the UK if necessary?
-Responded "yes" as theoretically we could do - does not ask to clarify answer if yes.

4) Home office reference number (if you have one).
- Wife used the number that was on her FLR letter - it prompts you to put one of two numbers.

5) Do you have any other reasons for wanting to stay in the UK? If yes you need to explain your other reasons and state what documents you will provide to support your claim.
Said "yes". Explained our son had grown up here since birth, started school, he visited his cousins and grandparents weekly etc. Explained that if she was unsuccessful this would require either him having to restart life in another country or that he would have time apart from either his mother or me as we either restarted the UK process or I had to move to her country and go through their process. Stated we would provide son's British passport photo page and birth certificate as evidence.

We got same document list as EmmaRose apart from:
- payslips from latest 6 month period prior to the date of application

Imagine this is because we applied under Salaried employment, same employer for last 6 months. Applied just using my salary as we meet the threshold that way. 

*Documents Supplied:*
-6 months payslips
-Latest eP60
-6 full months of bank statements (mix of online statements stamped and signed by bank and a bank transaction list printed and stamped by bank).
-Letter from employer confirming employment 
-As my payslips were online printouts and P60 was an eP60, a letter from employer confirming they were genuine. There was a table in the letter confirming my salaried pay each month, date of pay, and final net pay plus any expenses
-Signed contract of employment
-Latest council tax letter
-Land registry for house
-Original mortgage statement and also updated mortgage letter from bank confirming monthly payments
-Mine and wife's passport - every page scanned
-My birth certificate
-My son's passport photo page and birth certificate
-Marriage certificate (does not request this but sent it)
-Life in the UK pass letter
-English Speaking exam certificate (doesn't ask for it as you give the test pass reference number in application but chose to send it).
-Jointly addressed letters spread over the 2.5 years (these were between 5-7 months apart). We provided letter and/or statement from bank, water bills, old council tax bill, home insurance letter. We actually sent 7 in the end as the last statement from bank had not been printed correctly from bank (page numbers were incorrect) so I sent home insurance letter too just in case.
-Biometric card scan
-Signed partner declaration

*Document Scanning*
I scanned and uploaded all the documents myself before the biometric appointment. We took the originals with us to the appointment as requested but only had to show my wife's passport and biometric card. 

We had also paid for the document checking service at about £35. I am not sure we would again as from reading the email they sent I am not sure of the value of it - they just confirmed mandatory documents were present and scanned properly and that other documents did not appear to miss any pages. They then advise if you need to do any rectifying actions (e.g. rescan at higher quality). It probably saved some time on the day however as the person scanning the document could see they had already been checked so did not need to recheck them. We received an email from the document checkers mid afternoon the day before the appointment leaving little time to rectify if there had been an issue.

Note on scanning - clearly label each scan so you can easily identify them at upload. Once uploaded I could only partly see the name of the document uploaded (does let you give a description of document). It does not let you re-download/view them to check it has uploaded correctly etc. This seems a flaw really as I could see someone accidentally uploading a document twice or the wrong document (perhaps this would have been picked up by the document checking service but I am not sure).

*Experience of Sopra Steria Centre Appointment*
We went to the Birmingham centre. There was parking on site. 

This is where I feel the new service really fell down as compared to the old system it just felt like the service has been downgraded and cost cut. Firstly, we had to pay an extra £100 for a Saturday appointment as could not attend any of the weekday appointments as seemed to only be available in the mornings - this was on top of the extra money for super priority and already being more expensive than old same day decision service (old priority service was £2,999, this was £3,018 plus the extra for Saturday appointment and document checking option we paid for totalling near enough £3,150).

We had booked a mid-morning appointment but got there quite early. We saw a lot of families going into the centre so headed in over an hour and a quarter earlier then booked slot. We were given a ticket and had to show passport and our appointment confirmation with QR code. We were then within 5 mins called up to register, and about half an hour after this called up for biometric scanning that you have to do yourself on an automated computer scanner. Finally, after about another 45 minutes, we were called up for checking the biometrics had scanned properly and some special scans of the passport and biometric card. They did not check any of the other documents. 

In total, we left approximately 30 mins after our scheduled appointment had been booked but I highly doubt we would have left then if we had actually attended on time rather than early for our appointment as everyone seemed to be scanned and registered the moment they walked in the door (like us) regardless of appointment time. It seemed very disjointed. 

The centre itself was poorly staffed, there was a security guard and receptionist and then 3 document scanners/checkers. This was all open plan in the same office so visible by other customers etc. The waiting room itself was just rows of chairs with nothing to look at/do. 

Given that there were families there with young children, the waiting room doesn't have anything for them (no children books etc.) which meant some very young children were bored. Unfortunately however, this then led to a number of children running/being left to roam around the waiting room with little intervention from their parents or staff. The one receptionist was left to try to control this situation but couldn't, so you had children running into the biometric area, up to counters etc. with applicants having to carry or usher the children out of the area. My wife got interrupted during her biometric process which then required a restart as she had to usher small children out of this area. This then led to me having to stand in front of the biometric station to stop children running in.

It felt that a combination of lack of concern from these parents in trying to stop their children interrupting other applicants (or sometimes probably struggling to be able to - one mother was by herself with three children including a baby), not having enough staff to monitor this and the waiting room not having anything for children led to this situation. If you attend with children, I suggest taking a number of things to keep them entertained. 

Finally, the staff member who took the documents was incredibly gruff and the customer service was very poor. The process took about 5 minutes and he did not smile once and gave little interaction with my wife or myself at all. He scanned the passport and biometric card, grunted a couple of instructions and was quite clearly not wanting to be there. Once he had scanned the documents he advised as we had paid for super priority we would find out in 24 hours and told us we could leave.

Compared to our experience 2.5 years ago where staff were professional and friendly and we got a same day decision, I cannot help but feel this is a lesser service in most ways and has probably only been implemented save cost at the detriment of customer experience. My wife and I certainly felt that way and given the actual cost versus profit margin the government make on spouse visa's we felt this was very poor. Some of this may be teething issues with the new service as they have only recently gone live however it needs to be improved a lot. 

*Decision*
Saying that, the system seemed to work after this well as we had a decision email from the Home Office confirming application success by 2.30pm Monday (so well within the 24 working hours). 

All in all, we are really happy to be at the end of this 5 year process finally. Hopefully the new system will iron out some of the kinks and through customer feedback hopefully the centre (certainly the Birmingham one at least) improve.


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## anders10 (Jun 15, 2013)

hi there, I am super confused. I need to apply for the ILR in April and just seeing it's a new system online. Is there an option to still apply thru the post or do you have to pay the premium fee for an appointment now?

thank you
Heather


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## ppretty (Jun 13, 2013)

Yes Heather. Postal option is still available. I think there isnt much info on the forum about yet it cos the online system only launched recently and those who applied by post haven't got the applications Decisions. I will be sending my applying by post next week. And honestly only because I can't afford an additional £500 for premium service.


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## hasiqbal76 (Nov 27, 2015)

ppretty said:


> Yes Heather. Postal option is still available. I think there isnt much info on the forum about yet it cos the online system only launched recently and those who applied by post haven't got the applications Decisions. I will be sending my applying by post next week. And honestly only because I can't afford an additional £500 for premium service.


i think you are slightly confused 

the only way to apply for application like ILR , FLR etc is now online . they have removed the paper option. 

however this does not mean you have to pay the additional £500 for a premium service, this a optional addition


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

Phantasmo, that is an excellent report! Thank you! Some very good points made for those of us yet to apply to keep in mind. 

Congratulations!


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## ppretty (Jun 13, 2013)

I meant doing the application online and sending the paperwork in the post.


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## anders10 (Jun 15, 2013)

Does everyone have an appointment now for ILR? whether you pay the premium service or not? the last times I never had an appointment for FLR


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

Yes, it has all changed but there are many more centres now


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## DED (Feb 24, 2013)

Thank you....Phantasmo for your time and effort which is appreciated by many members

one quick question.....I do not see passport pictures mentioned recently.... do you or do you not have to bring extra pictures with name and signature on back for both parties?


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## pixelpenguin (Jan 3, 2014)

Thank you so much EmmaRose549, I am looking to apply in April 2019. May I please confirm the steps would be as follows: 
- Apply for life in the UK test before anything else and complete this as soon as possible (am I right in that this can happen anytime prior to the application online?)
- 28 days before 5 year anniversary, apply online for ILR. Where is the option for premium? Is it after you submit the online application and get the option to book your appointment?


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## DED (Feb 24, 2013)

pixelpenguin said:


> Thank you so much EmmaRose549, I am looking to apply in April 2019. May I please confirm the steps would be as follows:
> - Apply for life in the UK test before anything else and complete this as soon as possible (am I right in that this can happen anytime prior to the application online?)
> - 28 days before 5 year anniversary, apply online for ILR. Where is the option for premium? Is it after you submit the online application and get the option to book your appointment?


Yes apply for Life in UK test and get that out of the way
& Yes, when you make & pay for your application it will ask what services you wish added


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

Can I ask something please? This question regarding monthly housing costs. Does it include just rent (if applicable) and council tax or does it refer to all monthly costs, like utility bills, food, entertainment etc? They did not used to ask about outgoings but it seems now they are looking at your expenses every month?


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## clever-octopus (May 17, 2015)

"Housing costs" refer specifically to rent or mortgage payments and any service charges if you rent through a housing association or local authority


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## Billybaldeh (Mar 13, 2014)

EmmaRose a very informative thread and will no doubt help ewveryone.

A couple of questions, we need to apply for ILR Aug 2019, i realise it is still a long way off but it will come quick. How long before you apply are you able to log on so you can start to complete the form? Also when you went to show your documents you say you had biometrics taken, we had that done last time, is it still needed?

Regards.

Bill


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

clever-octopus said:


> "Housing costs" refer specifically to rent or mortgage payments and any service charges if you rent through a housing association or local authority


Thanks Clever-octopus, so if we have no rent or mortgage do we just upload our land registry document which shows there are no lenders of just tick no for that one?


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## ppretty (Jun 13, 2013)

Just finalising my application on online and wanted to ask those who have uploaded documents online before. Did u upload the as single files ie Oct file, then Nov etc? And also each page of the pasport as one document or had a couple of files just for the passport? Does it matter how the documents are uploaded as long as they are named properly?


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## ppretty (Jun 13, 2013)

Just received an email confirming my ILR has been approved. I applied yesterday at 11:30 and received an email within 24hrs timescale for super priority service.


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## Kylemacca01 (Nov 21, 2013)

ppretty said:


> Just received an email confirming my ILR has been approved. I applied yesterday at 11:30 and received an email within 24hrs timescale for super priority service.


That's great news. Would you be able to confirm which docs you uploaded for your successful application?


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## LMH71 (Jan 2, 2019)

ppretty said:


> Just received an email confirming my ILR has been approved. I applied yesterday at 11:30 and received an email within 24hrs timescale for super priority service.


#

This is good to know as I am going on the 15th for my FLR(M) and payed for the super priority so I could get it out of the way.


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## ithinkin (Jan 30, 2015)

Thank you both for taking the time in writing about your experience. 

Can someone please clarify: Is there no longer a one day premium service for £500? I am not sure why Super fast or super priorty is over £2-3k? This is mental. Especially when I received a decsion within a couple of hrs for £500. 

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk


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## LMH71 (Jan 2, 2019)

ithinkin said:


> Thank you both for taking the time in writing about your experience.
> 
> Can someone please clarify: Is there no longer a one day premium service for £500? I am not sure why Super fast or super priorty is over £2-3k? This is mental. Especially when I received a decsion within a couple of hrs for £500.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk


Depends on the visa your applying for I believe. 

For my (FLR){M} basic fee was 1033 - with super priority it was 1660 ish I believe. The Super Priority is now 610 pounds .. ( i wasn't thrilled either cause i had intended on paying the 500 for priority service at the center and getting my decision same day again).


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

ithinkin said:


> Thank you both for taking the time in writing about your experience.
> 
> Can someone please clarify: Is there no longer a one day premium service for £500? I am not sure why Super fast or super priorty is over £2-3k? This is mental. Especially when I received a decsion within a couple of hrs for £500.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk


No. There is no longer a 1 day premium appointment.


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## Trixxx (Jan 10, 2019)

Did your husband write an applicant letter please?


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## LondonLady34 (Apr 1, 2015)

nyclon said:


> No. There is no longer a 1 day premium appointment.


But it seems there is a premium option for ILR where you get a decision in 24 hours, yes? According to recent posts on this thread. I'm also trying to figure out the cost of that option.


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## Kylemacca01 (Nov 21, 2013)

£600 additional to the app fee


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## Raneem (Nov 2, 2013)

Congratulations for everyone who got his visa application successfully 

I’m filling my ILR application as I’m due to apply in February and I have a question so please can anyone who applies recently answer me
the application asked about a nationality identity card, and I’m from Jordan, shall I fill the information that is listed in my card? 
It’s written in Arabic, is that ok or I have to provide a translated copy?? 
And it’s expiry date on 24-1-19, two weeks before submitting my application, is that a problem??

Thanks for your answers


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## havefaith1 (May 12, 2016)

1.	This time for ILR, do we need to upload Passport size photos? Like the ones we sent signed at the back with our previous FLR 

2.	In the application form, you are asked to provide the Home Office reference number (if you have one)
I see that EmmaRose and Phantasmo used the number on their FLR letter – is that the number to use?

3.	Recommendations on how/what to name the scanned files??

4.	I see that the application asks about a nationality identity card. Is this the national ID card issued by your country of origin or is it the UK Biometric Residence Card? 

Thank you once again for all your help.

Cheers


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## LondonLady34 (Apr 1, 2015)

Billybaldeh said:


> EmmaRose a very informative thread and will no doubt help ewveryone.
> 
> A couple of questions, we need to apply for ILR Aug 2019, i realise it is still a long way off but it will come quick. How long before you apply are you able to log on so you can start to complete the form? Also when you went to show your documents you say you had biometrics taken, we had that done last time, is it still needed?
> 
> ...


It says your information will be deleted in 10 weeks.


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## vish1 (Oct 22, 2013)

EmmaRose549 said:


> My husband recently applied for ILR under the new system and was successful.
> 
> The first issue we had was that the new online form is different to the old paper form which we had been looking at in preparation. There is an option to go back and change your answers if you save the form but I found it annoying not knowing what questions were going to come up later on so I could have the information I needed to hand.
> 
> ...


Hi is the 12 month payslips required for using salaried employment category?????? I thought it was only 6 months payslips??


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## Touchline Dad (Mar 28, 2014)

*Not quite*



LondonLady34 said:


> It says your information will be deleted in 10 weeks.


I believe the guidelines say your information will be deleted after 10 weeks if there is no activity on the account. If you update the information from time to time I believe you are ok. Just don't let in go inactive for 10 weeks.


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## Raneem (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi all
I submitted my application and now trying to log in to book an appointment. The website says to use 6 digits sent in an email. I got an email but there is no digits in it
What shall I do??


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## juhi (Jul 7, 2013)

Thank you Emma and Phantasmo for sharing your experiences. This has definitely helped to prepare ourselves for the day. 
I along with my two children is applying for ILR. Our FLR(m) visa expires on 24th Apr 2019. We have submitted the application and paid however not able to find any dates at our nearest centre (Hemel Hampstead) for the next two weeks. I'm a bit worried now!!! Will the appointments open up or do we have a option to choose any other centre? 
Thanks in Advance


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

I have seen a post somewhere that some centres only offer appointments on certain days of the week, not every day! I would suggest you keep logging in and hopefully one will become available.


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## juhi (Jul 7, 2013)

Whatshouldwedo said:


> I have seen a post somewhere that some centres only offer appointments on certain days of the week, not every day! I would suggest you keep logging in and hopefully one will become available.


Thanks for your reply. I'm on it. :spy:
By the way thinking of booking through one of the core centres i.e Croydon, if we do not get any date at our nearest centres as we do not want to surpass the 28 days period.


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

juhi said:


> Thanks for your reply. I'm on it. :spy:
> By the way thinking of booking through one of the core centres i.e Croydon, if we do not get any date at our nearest centres as we do not want to surpass the 28 days period.


Definitely keep that as an option.


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## havefaith1 (May 12, 2016)

Touchline Dad said:


> I believe the guidelines say your information will be deleted after 10 weeks if there is no activity on the account. If you update the information from time to time I believe you are ok. Just don't let in go inactive for 10 weeks.


Hello Touchline Dad and everyone,

So, does that mean that i can start filling in the ILR application form even if I do not have all my supporting documents ready yet? For example, i have not even sit the Life in the UK test yet, but i can still register and start the form?

Thank you for all your help.


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## Richjohn (Oct 17, 2017)

havefaith1 said:


> 1.	This time for ILR, do we need to upload Passport size photos? Like the ones we sent signed at the back with our previous FLR
> 
> 2.	In the application form, you are asked to provide the Home Office reference number (if you have one)
> I see that EmmaRose and Phantasmo used the number on their FLR letter – is that the number to use?
> ...


I haven't seen an answer to these questions. Can anyone help please?


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## anders10 (Jun 15, 2013)

Yes you can start the online application if you don’t have all the documents yet. You can upload them later. But one of the first questions is have you passed your LITUK test so I don’t know what will happen if you say no. Like if it would let you go further. Your app stays active for 10 weeks from when you have last logged into it.


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## juhi (Jul 7, 2013)

Hi, 
1. No, I haven't read anything about it under guidelines so we haven't uploaded the photos nor have been asked for at the time of Biometrics. 

2. Yes, reference number is on the FLR letter. 

3. When you submit and pay for the application you will be directed to Sopra Steria site where it has instructions of how to upload the documents, its size, its format and how to name the documents. 
(I have named as - Bank letter Jan 2019, Payslip Dec 2019....)

4. I suppose this is the national identity card by the country of origin. However, I answered it as NO as I don't have any. 
Hope this helps. 
Regards


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## anders10 (Jun 15, 2013)

Richjohn said:


> I haven't seen an answer to these questions. Can anyone help please?


I’m no expert but just applied last week....

No photos to upload anymore

Yes Home office reference number was on your FLR approval letter but not needed if you don’t know it

You can upload files as PDFs or JPGs. PDFs will be smaller and the files need to be 6MB or less each. When you go to upload the docs it will tell you the suggested naming but keep it simple like BankStatement-Apr-2019.pdf with no spaces or strange characters.

National identity card would be from your home country. Not the BRP. I just used my passport for this.


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## filjap88 (Sep 26, 2016)

EmmaRose549 said:


> My husband recently applied for ILR under the new system and was successful.
> 
> The first issue we had was that the new online form is different to the old paper form which we had been looking at in preparation. There is an option to go back and change your answers if you save the form but I found it annoying not knowing what questions were going to come up later on so I could have the information I needed to hand.
> 
> ...





Hi thank you for this detailed guide and might be long overdue but congratulation for the successful visa application! I will be due to book mine in 2 weeks, I just needed to ask if you needed to go with your husband on the day of his biometrics? My wife's colleague had to be off work so therefore she needed to cover for her and she might not be able to come with me to my appointment. Im just wondering if this would be a problem? please enlighten me.


Thank you and god bless


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## Billybaldeh (Mar 13, 2014)

Hi Emma

Can i ask if you had to photocopy all pages of both of your passports?

Bill


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

No, your spouse does not have to go with you to the Sopra Steria appointment. I think it is safer to scan all pages of any passport you are submitting.


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## filjap88 (Sep 26, 2016)

Whatshouldwedo said:


> No, your spouse does not have to go with you to the Sopra Steria appointment. I think it is safer to scan all pages of any passport you are submitting.


Great thank you mate!


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## r0cks (Sep 8, 2013)

Hi,

Sorry to ask this question here. My wife entered UK on spouse visa on 02/08/2014 and will by applying for her ILR on July (-28 days). We are bit confused what answer to put for the question, How long you lived in UK? Do we have answer 5 years or 4 year and 11 months as we are applying 28 days before?

I tried to search the answer on the forum but couldnt find any.

much appreciated if someone can answer this. Many Thanks


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

We answered 4 years and 11 months. It was fine.


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## r0cks (Sep 8, 2013)

Whatshouldwedo said:


> We answered 4 years and 11 months. It was fine.


Thank you Whatshouldwedo, much appreciated


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## Touchline Dad (Mar 28, 2014)

OK, bit the bullet and have paid for premium service and downloaded everything (hopefully) that I need for ILR in this new system. Have made an appointment at the Chelmsford Sopra Steria site: the closest to where we live.

I have to say the process online is fairly smooth: if you have a Mac it is advisable to not use Safari as a browser so I switched to Google Chrome as my default browser just to be sure. Even so the process is a bit daunting: my computer froze a few times when uploading documents but the site is easy to navigate and there are always options to sign out and sign back in with your work saved.

I actually started my account in April and began accumulating and scanning everything I needed: as long as you go back into your account weekly it will not get suspended or erased due to inactivity. If you are going to do all of your own document scanning I would highly recommend starting early: it took me a week to figure out the parameters to acceptably scan the uploads (i.e. keeping each file under 6MB).
You will be glad you did all of this when the time comes because of the added stress when you are finally able to apply.

The categories are confusing at first: but when you think about it things start to make sense: and the Sopra Steria site does give you clues into what uploads go where but there is still an element of wiggle room.

One word of caution: when you first create your account online and fill in the questions before you pay: make sure you take time and fill in every question. Take your time and make sure you answer every question truthfully and to the best of your ability. Remember you can save and edit your answers, return to the application and download your most recent to your computer. The reason I mention this is once you are able to pay and start uploading your financials, proof of address/cohabitation, etc. passports, you CANNOT go back and change your answers to the first part of your applications: essentially it is a TWO part process: You answer questions about your situation, how you will meet the financial requirement, reasons why you should be able to stay in the UK, etc. When you move beyond that point and pay, you can NOT go back. That portion is saved and then you begin the uploading process.
Thanks to everyone for all of your help. 

TD


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

That is very helpful information for applicants, Touchline Dad!


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## Touchline Dad (Mar 28, 2014)

*Thanks.*



Whatshouldwedo said:


> That is very helpful information for applicants, Touchline Dad!


Just trying to help. Will let you know what the outcome is when I know. Looks like we have everything in order but who really knows? Thanks again for all of your help.

TD


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## DED (Feb 24, 2013)

Touchline Dad said:


> Just trying to help. Will let you know what the outcome is when I know. Looks like we have everything in order but who really knows? Thanks again for all of your help.
> 
> TD


Good Luck


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## Touchline Dad (Mar 28, 2014)

Thanks DED and congratulations!


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## Sp1115 (Mar 19, 2017)

*Dates on Documents*

Hi,

I have 2 queries regarding the set(m) application:

1) I was just wondering if the dates of the documents for evidence such as the payslips and bank statements should be no more than one calendar month from the date of the online application OR the date of the biometric appointment?

2) Do you have to scan all evidence beforehand or can you scan at the appointment if I do not have access to a scanner?

3) for the monthly housing costs, is a mortgage letter outlining our monthly mortgage sufficient or do we need to include everything such as service charge, electricity, water bill etc?

Many thanks in advance for your help! 

SP


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

Your financial and employment documents should be dated with 28 days of the date of application, 

It is better if you scan and upload your documents before the appointment but you do have the option to have them scanned at the Sopra Steria centre. I believe you have to pay for that. 

We certainly did not submit bills to show monthly housing costs, just our land registry document as we don’t have a mortgage. Hopefully others can advise on this.


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## Sp1115 (Mar 19, 2017)

thank you for your response. What if the appointment is more than a month away?


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## Richjohn (Oct 17, 2017)

Regarding the scanning/uploading of documents, can one scan (from one's printer) onto your own computer first and assemble them there over a period of time, ready to upload once the application is finalised?


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## ithinkin (Jan 30, 2015)

Yes 

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


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## Richjohn (Oct 17, 2017)

ithinkin said:


> Yes
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


Thanks ithinkin, I've made a start on doing the passports, but find the scanned pdf's are coming through in colour and each page comes in at around 450Kb's, so the total is above 6Mb for one passport. How did you keep the size of your scanned pdf's under 6Mb? 

I can't see a way to change the resolution on my printer (scanner), nor indeed to change the colour to black & white! The scanner currently just deposits them in my documents folder on my computer in colour at too larger size. Printer/scanner is an hp Envoy 4500.


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## ithinkin (Jan 30, 2015)

I've not started on scanning yet, and not very good with computers myself! But I've read on here that you can download some sort of software which will resize pdfs. I'd suggest a search on here, which may come up. 

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

You should be able to combine all the passport pages into one pdf. I think I did ours by scanning into the photos app on Windows 10 and it then allowed me to group the pages and create one pdf document. Sadly, I cannot remember exactly how! If the document is larger than 6 mb, googling will give you several programs to reduce the size. I used PDFOptim and it worked well.


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## Richjohn (Oct 17, 2017)

Whatshouldwedo said:


> You should be able to combine all the passport pages into one pdf. I think I did ours by scanning into the photos app on Windows 10 and it then allowed me to group the pages and create one pdf document. Sadly, I cannot remember exactly how! If the document is larger than 6 mb, googling will give you several programs to reduce the size. I used PDFOptim and it worked well.


Thank you for hanging in there with me on these questions.

What I am not clear about is whether I will be able to upload to the HO the named files containing however many individual pdf's, as they are? E.g. Will I be able to upload a folder named "payslips", containing 12 months individual pay slips, or will I have to upload each individual pdf from within my folders? And if the latter, does that mean I would have to name each individual pdf?

Another example of the point arises with passports. Will I be able to upload one folder containing all 15 - 20 individual pdf's of each double page, without having to upload each pdf individually, and without having to name each individual pdf?

One more question, if I may, - the "Documents" section of the online application doesn't ask for the applicant's birth certificate, or our marriage certificate, though it does ask for dependent child's birth certificate. Noting that they have seen all of those previously (at FLR(M) stage), would I be right to assume therefore that they don't require the first two, just the dependent's Birth Cert? I was proposing (like you) to submit the marriage certificate, if not applicants' birth certificate.

Finally, am I OK to submit the Land Registry certificate of ownership, (dated 2015) that I used previously, without having to get an up to date one? I haven't moved.


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

No, it is better to combine all the pages of one passport into one pdf and then upload that as one file. Similarly with payslips, combine them all and then upload as one file named Payslips. Our correspondence was combined too into one pdf file. 

Do they need the applicant's birth certificate? I cannot recall submitting that for any of the visas. But I would definitely upload the marriage certificate and child's birth certificate. As I think I said before (somewhere!) if in doubt, upload any document that, in spite of not been listed in their document list, you feel might be needed. 

I’m pretty sure your Land registry document from 2015 is fine but, being paranoid (!) we downloaded a new one for each visa application.


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## Richjohn (Oct 17, 2017)

Whatshouldwedo said:


> No, it is better to combine all the pages of one passport into one pdf and then upload that as one file. Similarly with payslips, combine them all and then upload as one file named Payslips. Our correspondence was combined too into one pdf file.
> 
> Do they need the applicant's birth certificate? I cannot recall submitting that for any of the visas. But I would definitely upload the marriage certificate and child's birth certificate. As I think I said before (somewhere!) if in doubt, upload any document that, in spite of not been listed in their document list, you feel might be needed.
> 
> I’m pretty sure your Land registry document from 2015 is fine but, being paranoid (!) we downloaded a new one for each visa application.


Thank you for that information. 

I note you refer to combining all the scanned passport pages into one pdf. Similarly with pay slips etc. Am I missing something significant here involving pdf's? When I scan a document, for example a double page from a passport, (after having told my printer/scanner that I want a pdf and not a JPEG), it comes into my computer's documents section, as scan.0001.pdf. I.e. a pdf file. Then when I scan the next page it comes in as another separate pdf - scan0002.pdf, i.e another pdf file. 

I note you refer to combining those scanned documents (pdf's) into one pdf (of not more than 6Mb's), prior to uploading to the HO. How does one do that then?? At the moment I have been putting all the (20 or so) scanned pdf's into a folder on my computer which I have named "Applicant's passport" or Applicant's payslips".

Am I missing some way of creating one larger pdf with all the individual scanned pdf's within it? 

Thanks for any advice you can give.


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

It is a year ago that I did this so I can’t exactly remember how I did it! But I was using Windows 10 and my scans of each page were saved in the Photos app on the laptop as jpegs. I was then able to select all the jpegs I needed (for instance all the scans for a passport) and then create one pdf. I guess it depends on the software one is using. Even on my phone using scanner pro, I can scan documents, save each page as pdf a and then combine them to make one document.


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## Richjohn (Oct 17, 2017)

Whatshouldwedo said:


> It is a year ago that I did this so I can’t exactly remember how I did it! But I was using Windows 10 and my scans of each page were saved in the Photos app on the laptop as jpegs. I was then able to select all the jpegs I needed (for instance all the scans for a passport) and then create one pdf. I guess it depends on the software one is using. Even on my phone using scanner pro, I can scan documents, save each page as pdf a and then combine them to make one document.


Thanks for your help. 

I have now discovered that I can do multiple scans within one pdf. I had to drive the process from the Scanner software on the computer, as opposed to from the scanner itself, which I had been doing. There was then a small + button on the left-side of the screen displayed on the computer, which tells the scanner to scan again (still within the original pdf).

I also installed a free programme called PDFsam basic, which has enabled me to merge the existing pdf's into one larger pdf, though it did try to mess up the sequence of the documents.


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