# Are These Documents Sufficient for the Evidence of Cohabitation?



## smpai (Jun 9, 2013)

Hi there,

My partner and I have been together for over two years since May 2011. We met because in February 2011 I entered the UK as a Tier-1 post study work visa holder and I moved in his house as a tenant in March 2011. Two months later, we started to go out together and I was involved in his life more and more, including visiting his families. In Feb 2012 I had left the UK for one month, going back to my county home to see my family . And the next year between July 2012 and Nov 2012 I was staying in my country because I got a freelancer's job from a company based in my home town and had to go back there for a few months' job training. As mentioned previously, I went back to UK in Nov 2012 but in February this year (2013) my tier- 1 visa expired so I had to go back to my country again. I have been staying in my country until now. During the time I was away, my partner and I kept in touch through email and Skype phone. And this year although I left UK due to my visa expired, we still have kept in touch. In July this year I plan to go back to UK to see my boyfriend under the visitor category. But without a UK visa I will only be able to stay with him for a maximum period of 6 months so recently my partner and I are thinking about applying for an unmarried partner visa which would allow me to stay for longer.

So the first problem I would seek for advice is: would I meet the requirement of two-year cohabitation period if I apply for an unmarried partner visa in February 2014 which means we will have been together for 2 years and 6 months? 
Can the time I spent in my home country but still keeping in touch with him be taken into consideration?

I have listed the history of our relationship as follows:

*May 2011*: start the relationship and live together.
*February 2012*: one month stay in my home country
*]July 2012 - November 2012*: 5 months stay in my home country for job training
*February - now (June 2013)*: nearly 5 months stay in my home country
*July 2013 - January 2014*: return to the UK as a visitor

Visa to be applied in *February 2014*


The second question is that the evidence of cohabitation I can provide so far is limited to the following items:

(1) a letter from Job Center in May 2012 with the address of my partner's house on it
(2) a formal statement from HSBC in March 2012 also with the address on
(3) a few pictures of us took in 2011 and 2012
(4) Christmas cards from my partner's sister and his close friend respectively in 2012
(5) a letter written by my partner stating the date I moved into his house and the length of time I lived in there.
(6) an online shopping order confirmation in July 2011 which shows the delivery address is my partner's house.
(7)Plenty of emails and phone records during the time we separated



I knew the evidence looks a bit scarce and especially for the year of 2011 the only document I am able to present to prove we living together is a letter by my partner. Actually in 2011 I did have a bank account in Barclay but the address was in Lancaster where I used to live as a student not my partner's address. For the whole year of 2011 I didn't change the address so all my bank statements in 2011 were sent to the dormitory in Lancaster.

There is still another concern which may be worrying. In Nov 2012 when I entered the UK again, my post study work visa was valid but was going to expire in three months later. So at that time I was asked a lot of questions about the reason of my coming back by the custom officer. She had asked me if the man I was going to stay with was my boyfriend, but I had said "not really", and said that I was a friend of his family. I also remember the custom officer kept writing down words during the conversation. I am worried that my words would be recorded in the database and this record would be made against my claim about the two-year relationship when I apply for the unmarried partner visa. 

All in all, I have to admit that when initially my partner and I were together, we didn't think very much about the visa things. But over time we rely on each other more and more so right now I have realised there are so many things we should have prepared before but have not. We have no problem with the financial requirements but I don't know how strict evidence of cohabitation they would 
require. If our relationship could not be counted so much as two years, is there any way we still can do in order to going towards living with my partner in UK in the future? 

If any body here could give me some advice, it would be most appreciated.


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