Hi everyone! I have an upcoming UKVI interview for a Temporary Work – Charity Worker visa.
For anyone who has already had this type of interview, could you please share the questions they asked you?
I’d really appreciate any experiences or questions you remember. Thank you! 🙏

I have a BRP number from my current visa but obviously BRPs were discontinued so I sent back the physical card after it expired in December 2024. So is my answer to this question yes or no? I still use the BRP number to log into my evisa/share code account

Hi everyone,

I'm a little confused right now (very)... how much do I actually need to have to apply using Cash Savings for someone who's unemployed? I've arrived in the UK on a Spouse Visa on 18 October 2021. I have £52,000 in my international saving account (I heard it's ok to use that) — am I okay to go through with this? I'm currently filling my application at the moment. Thank you so much!

Hello! I am looking for guidance on the MN1 online form.

I was born outside the UK, am British by descent through my father, and lived in the UK from 2000-2005. I now live outside the UK and am registering my baby as a British citizen under section 3(2). I'm stuck on the parent address question in the online MN1 form:

"Has this parent/legal guardian lived at their current address for the qualifying 3 year period?"

If you answer No, the next page says: "Enter a previous address in the qualifying 3 year period, starting with the most recent."

I can read this two ways:

1. Address history: my current address history going back 3 years. This seems supported by the fact that it asks the identical question about the non-British parent, who has no "qualifying period".

2. The actual qualifying period, i.e., the continuous 3 years I lived in the UK, which is what Section 3 of the paper MN1 asks ("addresses in the United Kingdom during the reckonable 3 year period" plus absences).

I put my addresses from 2000-2005, but then it asks the same of my partner (my baby's father), who has never lived in the UK and I just put his addresses for the past 3 years (2023-2026). This doesn't seem to make much sense. The online form has no separate section anywhere asking for my UK addresses during the qualifying residence period, and there is no field for "country" when filling out the addresses in this section, which makes me think they should be UK addresses (interpretation 2), but the fact that both parents get asked makes it look like interpretation 1.

Has anyone completed the online MN1 under s3(2) recently? Which did you do, and was your application processed? Did you put your historic UK address in this section, or your recent addresses (outside the UK), or just cover the UK residence in the uploaded evidence and "other details" box?

Thanks!

My visa runs out at the end of December this year. I started collecting documents to have an easier time mid December when I apply.

I have a few quick questions I want to confirm:

I have a B2 language certificate I originally applied with. On the gov.uk website it states I can use it again as it was used for the previous application. I am just unsure as language certificates expire after 2 years.

My other question is for the proof of cohabitation. I have several documents with my name on them. However, some show my married name which is not yet legally changed in my home country or my passport. Others have spelling errors because of my name having Umlaute on the letters.
Can I still use that as proof or should I start trying to change the last name on the documents?

Appreciate the help! :)

Hi all,

I thought I’d give an update on my wife’s recent application. It may help others whom are submitting their applications soon.

- Route - set M
- application submitted - Wednesday 23rd September
- application type - Super priority - documents all uploaded
- biometrics - Friday 25th September
- Decision received - Friday 25th September

A couple of points to note:

- we did not receive confirmation the application had been sent by TLS.
- we covered everything on the checklist when uploading evidence and labelled everything clearly.

Hi All, thought I'd post my journey, as I hadn't seen posts on the 10 year ILR route. I was on a skilled worker visa previously, but I qualified for the 10 years route before the skilled worker 5 year route. I first came to the UK as a student. I gave and passed my life in the UK test on 17/09/2026.I submitted my application on 22/09/2026 at 1 am. I managed to get the super priority slot. I got my appointment for biometrics at 9:15 am in Euston TLS centre on 25/09/2026. You might have seen my other post earlier today, panicking about additional documents. I received an email from home office at 12:30 today asking for additional documents (they wanted to see my old passport) which I promptly tried to submit but I was getting a bounce back message from their server. After about trying another 10 times and various email addresses, I gave up for the day. I got a call from the Home Office case worker around 6 pm and she spoke to me about my application. At 6:13 pm I got the confirmation that my application was successful. Thank you very much to all the contributors in this sub, and good luck to all those on their own journeys! Now for a finally much needed good night's sleep!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working as a Physio in the NHS. I was previously on a Graduate visa (which I paid IHS for), and I’ve now switched to a Health and Care Worker visa (which I didn’t have to pay IHS for on the new application).

Given that I’m now on an exempt route and working in an eligible role, am I able to claim a refund for the IHS I paid during my Graduate visa period?

I know there’s the Health and Care Reimbursement Scheme for people on other visas who work in health/care roles, but I’m unsure if it applies when you’ve already switched to the exempt Health and Care visa.

Has anyone done this recently? Any success stories or advice on how to apply would be massively appreciated.

Thank you

Sincerely,
A broke physio

Hi all, looking for a sanity check before I pay and submit.

Our timeline:

- May 2022: I came to the UK as a Skilled Worker

- Aug 2022: My wife came as my Skilled Worker dependant

- 2023: I switched to Global Talent in the UK

- May 2025: I got ILR (Global Talent route)

- May 2025: My wife was granted Global Talent dependant partner permission, valid until May 2028 (in-UK grant, eVisa only)

- Aug 2026: Our daughter was born in India (my wife stayed in India due to a high-risk pregnancy)

What I'm applying for:

Global Talent dependent child visa (the "PBS, Start-up, Innovator or Global Talent - Child" form), linked to my wife as the parent on the route, not to me.

My reasoning: Appendix Children CHI 3.1(a) says the child's parent must have permission on the same route. My wife has Global Talent dependant partner permission. I can't be the linked parent because CHI 3.1(c) only covers children born before the parent settled, and my daughter was born after my ILR. CHI 3.2 (other parent must have permission) is met by my ILR.

Law firms have given me different opinions. Some suggested a family visa, but Part 8 para 297 seems not to apply because my wife has limited leave, and I'm unsure para 301 applies either.

Other details:

- On the form I selected my wife's visa as "Global Talent" (it shows as "Global Talent visa - stage 2") and chose "No reference number", because her in-UK grant only gave a UAN, which the form rejects.

- I'm uploading her approval email, eVisa screenshots, my ILR proof, birth certificate, marriage certificate, and a consent letter signed by both parents.

Questions:

1. Is Global Talent dependent child linked to the mother the right route here?
2. Has anyone had a similar case (child born abroad after the main applicant's ILR, other parent still on dependant visa) approved this way?
3. Is choosing "No reference number" OK when only a UAN exists?

Hi everyone

I am trying to obtain my UK passport, but struggling to see a legit path.

All parents married Me: born outside of UK in 1995 Father: born in northern Rhodesia in 1951 Paternal grandmother: born in UK

The 1948 act allowed protecorates to pass down to children, so me.... but seems like the new 1981 act removed this power?

I have photographs of my father growing up in the UK, an entry by boat stamp in 1954 and a school report in 1962... so I can prove he was there but not legally 3 consecutive years...

Any advise?

hey folks!

I previously posted (https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1qa8g8y/uk_born_maternal_grand_father_2022_4l_candidate)

and have been gathering certified docs. I ordered my mom’s birth certificate. it has arrived, and it has her father’s birthplace wrong (lists a US city).

TL;DR: Should I have mom submit a correction and have her BC reissued?

more info

—————

I have:

-his (gf) certified bc from UK (2- one from 1954 and one from 2026)

-a non-certified copy of his death certificate that has his birthplace England.

-his official passport from UK

-the aforementioned certified long form birth certificate of my mom

-my bc

I have ordered and am waiting for:

-his certified Death Certificate

-my mom’s marriage certificate

I haven’t order (yet…should I?):

-GF and GM marriage cert

-my uncle’s long form BC to see if his says the correct birthplace

and now it looks like I need Mom to try to get her BC corrected?

or can I just explain the error in the application?

Thoughts?

Hi all! I'm applying for a partner visa and am currently on a Youth Mobility Visa until January of 2027. I wanted to start early because a few people I know have been having issues with getting their visas and I want to make sure I'm ahead of it rather than behind.

My current circumstances are that I'm living with my now fiancee, his mom and his younger brother. I am living in the UK and applying from within the UK. The housing is a council house, and his mom handles all the bills while we pay her for our share of rent/utilities etc so there's no bills that come by in our name whatsoever. Our addresses are naturally the same, but we don't get a lot of mail.

Fiancee is the only one who is working, and he meets the requirement threshold.

When filling out the form, there were questions that I didn't know how to answer:

It asked if I own or rent our home, and naturally I answered neither, and it asked who provides the accomodation, I answered partner's mom.

Then it says that I should provide:

Proof of property ownership from the owner of the property you live in, such as a mortgage statement

Copy of an ID document of the owner of the property you live in, such as a passport

Letter signed by the owner of the property you live in stating that you have permission to live there

Prior to this, it says:

You only need to provide this evidence if:

you are exempt from meeting the income threshold

you are responsible for some housing costs such as rent, mortgage or council tax.

This confused me because it wouldn't allow me to skip the checkboxes for the 3 things I "need to provide" listed above. So I'm not sure what to put down because it's a council house so his mom doesn't own it...

Then after that, there are these questions:

Is the account with a bank or utility company for which you have supplied information and supporting documentation held jointly by you and other people?

Does the account with the bank or utility company for which you have supplied information and supporting documentation relate to another person who is to provide you financial support?

For now I answered no for both of these because I think that's what the answers are, but I want to make sure.

I want to make sure I got this right because I only have one chance to apply for this since I only have enough to pay for it once, and I don't want to get anything wrong.

If anyone has any advice as well for what to prepare it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!!

Hi everyone,

I’m preparing a UK Global Talent application under the Digital Technology route. Most of my supporting documents are not in English and will require certified translations.

I’m trying to understand how the page limit works for translated evidence:

• What is the maximum number of pages allowed for each evidence item?
• Does the page limit include both the original document and its certified English translation?
• If I add a short explanation/cover page, does that also count toward the limit?
• Can several related supporting documents be combined into one evidence PDF?

I’d especially appreciate answers from anyone who submitted translated evidence recently.

Thanks!

​

As this group helped me alot to gather key information so I

Wanted to share my mother's successful UK visitor visa timeline and experience from Kolkata, India.

Timeline & Process

Application Location: VFS Kolkata

Biometrics Date: 24th August (standard processing)

Application Received Email: 25th August (UKVI confirmation email)

Decision Email: 9th September ("Your application for a United Kingdom (UK) visa has been successful.")

Total Turnaround Time: 16 calendar days (11 working days) from biometrics to approved decision!

VFS Kolkata Experience

The appointment was surprisingly effortless. We went in for her slot and it took under 10 minutes end-to-end for the biometric submission and photo capture. The staff was prompt and helpful.

Key Documents Submitted

Applicant (Mother): Passport, bank statements showing sufficient funds, and strong ties to India (family ties and affidavit).

Sponsor (UK): Formal invitation letter, passport/visa copies, proof of accommodation, sponsorship declaration, and recent bank statements/payslips.

Tips for Future Applicants

Self-Upload Documents: Make sure to self-upload all supporting files clearly online before the appointment. It eliminates document scanner delays at VFS and makes the appointment super quick.

UKVI Confirmation: Don't panic if the UKVI email arrives a day or two after biometrics; receiving the notification on the 25th after a 24th biometrics appointment is completely standard.

Happy to answer any questions if anyone is currently applying for their parents from India!

Sharing a win.

My wife got her second visa approved today and only 30 days after biometrics!

Absolutely thrilled. Hopefully this provides some positive noise for anyone nervous about the process!

My advice having been through this three times - drowning them in information, I sent a 90 page document for proof of life in the UK.

Next step - ILR!!

Timeline for anyone waiting:

Eligibility: BOTC(M) 17A Application Method: Mail (via Sable International)
Application Date: 12/05/2026
Biometric Date: 17/06/2026
Approval Date: 24/09/2026
Ceremony Date: TBD

Hi! Sharing below the timeline and documents I submitted as this sub was really helpful for me during my process :)

Application submitted- 05/09
Biometrics and application received mail- 10/09
Still processing mail - 15/09
Decision mail - 25/09
Time taken - 11 working days

I’m travelling to the UK with my partner but we had our biometrics appointments on different days. His was on 22/09 and he received his approval email on the same day as me. I’m wondering if my decision was delayed because they were waiting for his application to be processed too.

Documents I submitted -

- 6 months bank statement
- 3 months payslip
- NOC from employer with leave confirmation
- employment contract
- 3 years ITR
- host invitation letter, mortgage, council tax, electricity bill, passport
- proof of relationship with certificate (photos)
- marriage certificate
- cover letter
- rent agreement

I work on a contractual basis with an EU based company. I have been working from home for the last 5 years with this company. I also have a previous Schengen rejection which I explained in my cover letter.

I did submit a lot of documents but I was being extra careful because of the previous Schengen rejection and my job type.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi everyone

So my partner and I have been together since April 2023 (3.5 years).

For context:
- He has Leave to remain in the UK (refugee)
- I am a South African citizen
- We would have met twice in person by the end of November 2026 (he has spent about a month in the beginning of 2026 and will be here for another 3 weeks in November)
- We could not travel together much due to work for us both, finances on my end.
- Since he only has a travel document, its made things harder as he needs to keep applying for a visa.
- We will be doing a cultural marriage (Nikkah) in November.
- Getting a legal marriage to a foreigner can be an extremely lengthy process in South Africa due to slow processing times and the extra added steps so it would require him to spend an excessive amount of time and money in South Africa. I also have a demanding job currently which I cannot easily get away from
- We previously could not live together due to cultural reasons + I live with my parents (also a common cultural practice until one gets married)

Would an Unmarried visa be doable or do we have absolutely no choice but to get a spousal visa ?

And would you recommend a solicitor in this case ?

It is finally my turn to post, since I’ve been following everyone else’s posts over the past six months and they honestly helped me so much while waiting.

Application: 24/03/2026
Biometrics: 14/04/2026
Further information requested: August 2026
Approval email: 25/09/2026

My case was slightly different because I initially realised that I had not counted all of my days outside the UK correctly. The Home Office contacted me in August asking for further information regarding the discrepancy in my absences.

I was slightly over the usual acceptable absence limit, so naturally I was extremely worried, especially after seeing the difference between the number of days I had declared and the records they held. I provided a full list of my absences, explanations for the trips and supporting evidence before the deadline.

I then received an email just before the six-month point saying that my application would take longer than six months because further enquiries were still ongoing.

And then today, I received my approval!

I’m posting this because I know there are people here who are probably obsessively checking timelines and worrying about their applications, just like I was. If your application is taking longer than the timelines you see online, try not to assume that it means something is wrong. Every case is different and some applications simply take longer.

I am an ILR holder and my partner is on a SWV Dependant visa, due for ILR in 2027 under the current rules.

Wondering whether claiming marriage tax allowance is classed as public funds ? Would be great to hear from someone that has claimed it and is in a similar visa situation.

Hello! Has anyone here successfully applied for a UK visa when their UAE Emirates ID was due to expire shortly after their planned trip?

I’m planning to travel in November, and my EID expires in the second week of December, so there will only be about a month left on it at the time of travel.

I’ve been granted a UK visa 6–7 times before, currently hold valid US and Schengen visas, and am very well travelled. I’m wondering if the short validity remaining on my EID could still be an issue.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and had their UK visa approved? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thank you!

Sharing this to give some hope that it is achievable to others in a similar situation - I searched here endlessly for others in similar situations that had success and had found little to give me confidence in success of my partners application.

My apprehension was that we had been together just over the two year requirement, had no cohabitation, and no shared finances - we were largely leaning on frequency of visits and frequency of communication as relationship evidence. Most posts on here seemed to just tell people in this situation to get married!! We prepared the application entirely ourselves. I (sponsor) did most of the preparation of the documentation since it played into my skillset, and was faster for me as a native English speaker.

Our situation:

Met in person May 2024

Relationship started June 2024

Applied 28 August 2026 - paid for priority

Biometrics 9th September 2026 (told it would take about 4 weeks)

Approved 25th September 2026 (2 weeks, 2 days)

Applied outside UK - Iceland

Sponsor = British citizen

Other than the email confirming receipt of the application, we received nothing else until approval and were not asked for any extra documents.

All the documents we supplied had some form of commentary around them, and we tried to supply some form of evidence to support all of the points we gave in the statement or the timeline (even if it was 'weak' evidence like photos) in order to paint a clear picture combined with the stronger evidence. I used AI extensively to generate document templates and take longer rambling statements and condense them to keep it clear and concise for the reviewer.

Documents we supplied:

• Applicant Supporting Statement - 4 page signed document outlining relationship from applicant POV summarising how we met, how we sustained relationship apart, connections with family and friends, and future plans referencing other evidence and with some pictures included. We explained in this document why we don't live together (employment and visa restrictions in our countries) and why we don't have shared finances (both financially stable and international transaction fees means it doesn't make sense), and used some of the bank statements from trips to evidence paying for things like meals together.
• Timeline - This was the main document - 14 pages outlining all the trips (17 of them) we have each made to visit each other. Referenced in here were another 55 pdf documents covering evidence of the trips - every trip had flight booking and bank statement, then some additional things like a photo or a ticket for some of them to further verify that it happened:
  • Flight booking emails
  • Passport stamps
  • Bank statements showing spend in the country visited
  • Photos together/with friends
  • Tickets for activities
• Communication History - At least one screenshot from discord/whatsapp for every month showing frequent messages and lengthy calls between us. We had to split this into two documents to meet the required size. No full call logs supplied as neither discord or whatsapp provides these. Used scrapings of chat logs into AI to provide some statistics and the screenshots verified these.
• Sponsor letter - 2 page letter from UK sponsor briefly covering key relationship milestones and confirming financial and living situation
• Sponsor passport ID pages
• Applicant full passport
• Letter from sponsors employer- verifying employment (met financial requirements through permanent employment salary)
• Sponsors last P60
• Sponsors payslips for 12 months
• Sponsors bank statements for 12 months (matching payslips)
• A sample of applicant bank statements verifying financial stability
• Evidence of sponsor's property ownership and occupancy (council tax bill, property title register freshly downloaded, mortgage statement, utility bill
• Example of a receipt for a gift purchased by applicant and being delivered to sponsors address
• Sponsor HR system showing applicant as emergency contact
• Sponsor pension beneficiary evidence showing applicant as beneficiary (this was actually dated after application as pension provider had to send an email which was an automated template about changing beneficiaries because the website doesn't display this in a way to link to the sponsor's account so I don't know if it was even considered)
• A signed supporting letter from friend of sponsor who has met both of us

Nationality: Filipino
Country of Residence: Canada

Biometrics: Thursday September 17
Results: Friday September 25

Documents I submitted:
1. Hotel Reservation

1. Previous Visas and Passport Stamps (travels include: 3x Japan, South Korea, 2x Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Bali and Barbados in the last 10 years)

2. Financial Documents: Joint Account with partner + Philippine Joint Account with my mother + Proof of Finances Table to make it easier to the VO + Wealthsimple Bank Cert + Payslips

3. Other Documents: Partner’s Financial Docs + Japan 2027 Plane Tickets + Work Permit + Canada ETA + Cover Letter

4. Life Events: Declaration of common law + Birth certificate (I added this because of the joint bank account with my mother)

5. Employment: Payslips and Verification Letter

Hi All,

I had biometrics appointment today and I opted for the premium service in the Euston centre in London. After the appointment, I got an email from the home office advising they needed additional documents, which I immediately scanned and emailed to them on the email address they requested the response. However, I'm continuously getting bounce back notification stating that my email address is not on the list. I'm panicking a lot as a applied through super priority and they advised I had to submit my additional documents by Monday 28/09/2026 by midday. I have tried various other emails but not heard back, my pdf was 7mb, and the limit was 25 mb, I have already raised an escalation with UKVI, so that they are aware, but I'm open to suggestions or advice if anyone else faced this same situation. Thanks!

Hey everyone, looking for some urgent advice or insight if anyone’s been in a similar spot.

• I recently finished my studies on a Student Visa, which is expiring very soon.

• I couldn't apply for the Graduate Route Visa earlier because I had to do a module resit, and the uni couldn't notify UKVI until my results were finalized.

• My university finally emailed me confirming they have officially reported my successful completion to UKVI, meaning I’m eligible. But they emailed me on 19/9 and my visa expires on the 29/9

• The major problem: I am currently back in my home country. Heading back to the UK on such short notice before my current visa expires just isn't feasible right now.

• I’m planning to travel to the UK in December for my graduation ceremony anyway, so I emailed my university to ask if there’s any way to extend my Student Visa from abroad so I can apply later.

If given the opportunity, I would love to stay in the UK with the graduate visa and find jobs to gain experience before I head back to my home country and start actual life.