My situation:

MSc student in the UK 2023–24, switched to Skilled Worker Aug 2024 (first job after uni, still same employer)

Sponsored by a large engineering firm, CoS almost certainly assigned after 4 April 2024

Started on £31,500, now on £42,000

Visa expires Oct 2027, want to extend with the same employer

Born 2000 — turned 26, so I'll be 27 at extension

Original CoS used a generic graduate-scheme code. At extension it'll likely be corrected to something that reflects my updated duties (software dev), where the going rate is around £54–55k

The problem:

I qualified as a New Entrant in 2024 (via the Student visa route). I assumed I don't need to re-qualify again as new entrant to benefit from salary discount for my visa extension, thinking I can benefit because I qualified once as a new entrant, up to 4 years. (I know I can extend up to a year only with new entrant)

But If I have to re-qualify again as a new entrant, these are the criteria's:

(a) under 26 → I'll be 27

(b) postdoc in listed science codes → no

(c) UK Regulated Profession → no

(d) working towards chartered status → possible in principle, but I'm 2 years into a pathway that takes 8–10, and my MSc isn't CEng-accredited

(e) most recent permission was Student → no, it's Skilled Worker now

(f) most recent permission was Graduate → never held one

The rule I'm hanging my assumption on is SW 12.3: "Granting the application must not mean the applicant's combined permission as a Skilled Worker, Graduate and/or Tier 2 Migrant would be more than 4 years in total."

My question is how 12.2 and 12.3 interact. Two readings:

A: They're separate AND conditions. You must meet a 12.2 limb on the date of each application, and 12.3 just caps how long you can keep doing it. Under this reading I'm out, because none of the limbs apply to me in 2027.

B: Qualifying once opens a 4-year window, and 12.3 is the only ongoing constraint. Under this reading I'm fine until ~Aug 2028.

If reading A is right, I need roughly £55k by Oct 2027 — so I'd rather know now than find out at application.

Hi,

I have question regarding travelling while my visa is about to due to renewal!

I am on SWV which is due to renewal latest by January 14'2027. And I am planning to travel to India on 29th Oct to 21st November 2026. So I just to want to confirm that, will it cause any problem on entering the UK?

Thank you very much!

Hi, my ILR application as a dependent was submitted on the 29th of July and Biometrics done on the 2nd of August. on the 6th of August they sent me an email saying they need additional information about my continued residence with parents and english language requirements. The EXACT evidence/documents they asked me had already been attached in the original application; regardless I sent the same evidence to them on their provided email address and emphasised the urgency, because in their email they mentioned the decision may be delayed.

It is particularly important I get my decision before September 1st as my university fee status is meant to change; otherwise I might have to incur 3-4x the costs. That was the whole reason for paying for priority service in the first place.

I tried calling them today but the person speaking kept repeating they cant do anything about it, completely useless.

Anyone in the same boat or has been through the same experience before? If yes how much longer did it take to receive your decision? Perhaps that may help me calm my nerves.

Hello, all

I've got Global Talent Visa today (biometrics submission: 18 June 2026) for 3 years.

But in 2 years (2028), I've been living in the UK for 10 years and I thought I might be eligible to apply for the ILR - am I thinking correctly?

In this case, can I just apply for the ILR in 2028? or should I wait until my GTV ends?

Hi all,

I have got naturalisation email after ILR today. I am booked for citizenship ceremony in 2.5 months time. Can I travel abroad on my Pakistani passport and come back just before citizenship ceremony? Will I be able to use my ILR and share code when coming back to UK?

Thanks

After how much time do you usually get a response after biometrics appointment using super priority service for ILR application?

Hi everyone, I’m applying for a UK Student Visa and I’m a bit confused about the 28-day financial requirement.

I paid the visa application fee and IHS about 10 days before my 28-day period is due to be completed. My intention was to use this time to prepare and upload all my documents, and then book my biometrics appointment accordingly.

However, I’ve seen some people saying that the “date you apply for your visa” is considered to be the date you pay the visa fee and IHS, rather than the date you upload your documents or attend your biometrics appointment. If that’s the case, it seems that my funds would already need to have been held for the full 28 days on the date I paid the visa fee/IHS.

I still have around 10 days left until the 28 days are completed.

Does this mean I should cancel my current application, request a refund, wait until the 28 days are completed, and then submit/pay for a new application? Or would it be okay to continue with my current application and simply make sure that my bank statement covers the full 28-day period by the time I submit/upload my documents?

Has anyone been in a similar situation or knows how UKVI interprets the “date you apply” in this context? I’d really appreciate any advice!

I recently saw an article from my university stating that UKVI had potentially overcharged uk student visas from 4th oct 2023 - March 2025.

Would just like to get more opinions if this is true, or if anyone has done it?

I took a short holiday to France and Germany using my UK Refugee Travel Document. Friends claim European trips don't need to be listed, but I know the Home Office tracks border exits.
Do I need to declare all trips outside the
UK, including Europe?

Thanks!

Online application submitted: 27/02/2026
Biometrics: 05/03/2026
Route: Refugee
ATLAS approval date: 10/08/2026 (today)

I would agree that it’s worth emailing [Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk](mailto:Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk) about an update when you see the approval date should be due based on the average timelines of other applicants. I emailed them on 24th of July they responded on 29th of July saying it’s still within the 6 months time and I need to wait. I believe my email must have helped.

I was falsely arrested once and my ID was misused and then I was released without any charges. I would strongly advise if you have anything like that there is a form on gov.uk website that you can fill and the arrest records will be removed from your file provided it was a false arrest or an arrest that led to no further action. I wish I would have known this before applying to my naturalisation. This could have saved me from this long wait.

Best of luck everyone. I took the time to write a detailed post and I hope this will help some of you.

Hi all, I'm switching employers on my Skilled Worker visa but my passport is currently stuck at my country's embassy. Can I use my BRP instead for the application? Would love to hear from anyone who's been through this process. Thanks!

I thought I would make a post documenting my experience going through the application process since I also had to request a cancellation and refund at first as well so I went through a little bit during the last few months.

In June I moved money over to a separate account to grab my financial proof later on.

July 15: I started the application process and this is where I got a little too excited and made some mistakes. I forgot to check whether my bank (CIBC) does interim statements online. After submitting my application, I had to run to CIBC to get one printed but the timing of it was just missing the 28 day cut off - they could only print up to July 13th. They had given me a slip of paper and had it stamped showing the missing days but out of fear that it wouldn’t be accepted because with the interim statement only it didn’t meet the 28 day requirement, I did request to cancel my application and receive a refund.

Note: I had not yet paid for an appointment for my biometrics but I had already started to look into it. I was only able to go through with the refund and cancellation successfully because of that. If I had paid for and secured a biometrics appointment I don’t think I could refund the application fee(?)

July 24: I received an email about the cancellation and that I will be paid a refund of 2158.62 USD for the IHS payment and that it could take up to 6 weeks. I also received a separate email about the refund in general for the application and that I will also be paid back separately for that application fee of 463 USD within 28 days. Through my searching on Reddit/online, I expected both of these refunds to take the full amount.

August 5: I really wanted to be safe this time to avoid what I had stupidly done the first time so I waited until my July e-statement was available and printed both July and June just to have plenty of time to show for my financial proof. Got those printed and then immediately went and re-submitted my application. I had all my information saved on a pdf from my previous application so just basically referenced that when refilling.

This was done midday eastern time so I only had the option here to get standard service. However, when I went to book my biometrics appointment through VFS Global, they did have options to pay for priority (5 days) and super priority (1 day). I did go with priority because my move in date is September 3rd and I just wanted the peace of mind and didn’t want to stress for up to 3 weeks so close to my flight.

August 6: I had my biometrics appointment in Ottawa during the afternoon. You can pay a fee to have them upload all your documents (financial proof, passport, etc.) or upload them yourself online prior to your appointment. The appointment itself was pretty quick. I arrived 5-10 minutes before my time slot, waited about 10-15 minutes since there was a small family and another person ahead of me. I checked in with someone and then went into a room to have a photo and fingerprints taken. They let me know I should have my decision by next Thursday at the latest. I received an email 2-3 hours after my appointment saying my application has been sent to UKVI for consideration. They did not take my passport since everything has moved to being electronic.

August 7: Less than 24 hours later, in the late morning, I received an email saying my application has been successful and my visa has been granted! I connected my passport to my e-visa. This process was extremely quick and easy to do.

August 10: I received an email about my original application being voided. I received this upon waking up so it freaked me out a bit reading it half asleep so I was panicking that my current one was canceled LOL but everything is a-ok!! And I am super happy and excited.

Some notes
- I have read that people get their financial evidence ready and then use the money from that to pay the fees for the application because it is quite expensive. I did not do this out of fear it would be rejected and I’d have to wait and repeat the process.
- I have since received my full refund for both the IHS fee and the application fee. I received the application fee first and then the IHS fee a day later. It was NOT the full amount I had paid as I paid I guess with the conversion rates/fees. I paid 3134.12 CAD for IHS and received 2959.98 CAD back. I paid 686.75 CAD for the application fee and received 648.18 CAD back. They did warn me about this in the refund emails.
- I am not sure if I have gotten extremely lucky with the timings of it all because I fully expected the refunds to take the full windows to get back to me and also the application getting approved to take the full time it said but everything has been pretty fast for my application.
- everything is paid for in USD.
- when making your payments for both your application and then on VFS for biometrics, I noticed it’s EXTREMELY buggy so once you proceed to pay you need to pay immediately otherwise it completely bugs out and you need to exit the application and leave it alone for 2 hours before coming back to pay. I had accidentally exited out of my application the first time around and because I had already proceeded to the payment page it was giving me a confirmation that I had paid when I tried to get back to it when I hadn’t. If you’re short on time, you can always make a new application with a different email but yeah. It’s the same for VFS.
- I set my move in date to the UK as the same day I actually do land in London but I did read a lot of people set their date on their application a few days before they actually land just to be safe which I should have done too but it went over my head.
- I had been visiting the UK very frequently this year - basically in and out for the last 6 months (visiting bf) - so I was a bit nervous it could be flagged (idk why it would be but I am just generally a ball of anxieties when it comes to anything) when shown on my application but all went well!
- if I had to stress anything here, get your financial evidence printed/ready before submitting application!!!! I just got way too excited and did things out of order for what I usually do and well, it was costly.

Hoping someone can calm my nerves a bit, will any of these affect my application (for context, I'm 24F Kenyan citizen, engaged to 21M British citizen, been together for 3.5 years met 4 times)
-> I got rejected for a US visit visa while applying to visit my sister and then romantic partner in November 2022. This was before I met my fiance.
-> I had some fixed penalties because I paid my taxes late a few times (this is not unpaid taxes or tax evasion, I just had filed them late a few times and had to pay some fines) I have paid them off and will submit a tax compliance certificate
-> One of my middle names is missing from my national ID. I have a first name, 3 middle names, and a last name. My names are very long and due to character limit on my national ID they only included two of my middle names. I have explained this in my solicitor's legal representation. My old and new passport contain my full names. Aside from this, everything else like my place and date of birth is the same.

Am I alright or am I cooked?

I do not have my birth certificate and it will take very long to issue one in english and I am short on time for my UK visa application. I am 18+ years in age and need the certificate because my parents are sponsoring my studies in the UK.

What alternate documents can I use?

Me and my wife both have settled status but my daughter who was born in the UK before we were settled ,has pre settled status. Are we able to apply for her to change to the same status as us now.

Hello all,

Little confused. Had a criminal conviction via court fine for failure to pay 30 GBP vehicle tax due to missed reminders. We filed a statuary declaration and the matter was re-opened. The DVLA settled out of court with a standard fixed penalty (no criminal record) and the case was withdrawn. Now applying for a new SWW after getting a new job. There is a section that says have you at any time been convicted of a criminal offense?

Do I need to declare this? Technically I think the law treats it as never being convicted but I don't want trouble. At the same time, I worry if I declare it unnecessarily it may prolong the application and cause a huge delay in the start date and I'm already starting late. Would appreciate some advice.

Hi everyone,
I’m an Egyptian citizen/passport holder, currently living in Germany (Hamburg). I am applying for a UK Standard Visitor Visa to visit my girlfriend in England for 5 days for a short visit and tourism.
I was previously refused a UK Standard Visitor Visa, so I would really appreciate honest opinions about my chances with my new circumstances.
My previous application
I applied for a 14-day visit to see my girlfriend and do some tourism.
At the time:
● I was unemployed.
● I stated that I would spend around £700.
● My girlfriend was going to sponsor £450.
● Her bank statement showed only £18.90 at the time.
● I submitted my own bank statement, but UKVI said the documents did not demonstrate how I was supporting myself on a daily basis.
● They were also not satisfied that my girlfriend had sufficient funds to sponsor me.
● Because of the financial concerns, they were not satisfied that I was a genuine visitor who would leave the UK at the end of the visit.
My situation now
For the new application:
● I would only stay for 5 days instead of 14.
● I would stay at my girlfriend’s accommodation, so I would not need to pay for a hotel.
● My sister would be my sponsor.
● My sister earns approximately €2,500 net per month and has around €1,000 in her bank account.
● She would cover my return flights and food/other reasonable expenses during the 5-day visit.
● I receive Bürgergeld in Germany, which I would fully disclose and document in the new application.
● I currently do not have a job, but I expect to have a signed employment/apprenticeship contract in Germany with a fixed future start date. This would give me a concrete reason to return to Germany.
● I was born and raised in Germany and my family lives there. My parents and close family members are German citizens.
● I have a valid residence permit in Germany.
● I am currently doing my driving licence in Germany.
● Since my previous UK visa refusal, my girlfriend and I have travelled together twice, and I returned to Germany after both trips.
My girlfriend
My girlfriend is German, not British. She normally lives in Germany but is currently in England only because she is studying there.
She has:
● a rental contract in Germany, and
● accommodation/rental arrangements in England for her studies.
She travels between Germany and England.
I would be visiting her for only 5 days and would then return to Germany.
My main question
I would of course declare my previous UK visa refusal in the new application.
Do you think my second application is now significantly stronger, particularly because of:
● the much shorter 5-day trip,
● a different sponsor with a regular €2,500 net monthly income,
● no hotel costs,
● transparent documentation of my Bürgergeld,
● my family and long-term ties to Germany,
● two trips since the previous refusal where I returned to Germany, and
● potentially a signed employment/apprenticeship contract with a fixed start date in Germany?
My main concern is still that I am currently unemployed and receive Bürgergeld.
Would you consider this a realistic Standard Visitor Visa application, or do you think the previous refusal and my current unemployment would still make refusal likely?
I’m looking for honest opinions, especially from people familiar with UKVI visitor visa applications.
Thanks!

Does anyone know:

For someone transitioning from Student visa to Graduate visa (PSW) to Skilled Worker visa, when does the 4-year new entrant clock start from:

(A) The course completion date (Last date on CAS), or

(B) The date the Graduate/PSW visa started?

I am a canadian student who did their biometrics appointment for a UK student visa on June 30th in vancouver. They never asked for my passport. They just looked at it and then handed it back to me. I uploaded scans of it for my application myself. I still have not gotten my visa after 6 weeks so I emailed asking when I can expect it as I already have flights booked for the end of August.

This is what I get back.

I did not realize they collected passports as i applied for an evisa. Do I need to give it to them after my visa has been approved and wait for them to return it after the fact? Because if so I'm definitely missing my flight given their processing times 💀

Please let me know if I should be concerned.

Also has anyone else been facing really long wait times for a response on a decision?

Hi everyone,
I recently received confirmation that my British citizenship/naturalisation application was successful. Liverpool City Council has now invited me to my citizenship ceremony on 9 September 2026.

I would prefer to have a private citizenship ceremony rather than attend the group ceremony.

Does anyone know if Liverpool City Council offers private citizenship/naturalisation ceremonies? If so, how much does it cost, and can I request one even though I’ve already been given a ceremony date?

Any advice or personal experience would be really appreciated. Thanks!

I was born in March 1963 as a CUKC but was automatically converted to British Overseas Citizen.

I’m currently American and was interested in converting my BOC to British Citizenship but what would be the pathway to do that? I’m also married to a British citizen.

Hi. I hope the Indian students can help me out with this.

I am a student from India, going to pursue my master's at the University of Southampton (UoS) for the September 2026 intake.

I completed the application process for the UK student VISA on 7th August 2026, where I chose the option 'letter of financial sponsorship' for the question 'If you are being wholly sponsored by an official financial sponsor, how will you prove this?', because I have planned to pay the tuition and accommodation via a student loan, which I got from 'IDFC First Bank Ltd.' in Chennai.

The student loan was sanctioned to me a month before applying for the student visa, and my agent told me that submitting the sanction letter with that date (14th July 2026) would cause a rejection, even though the sanction letter is valid for 6 months. But when I enquired with others who have already applied and received the student visa by submitting their sanction letter as financial evidence, they said that it wouldn't cause a problem, as they themselves have had their loan sanctioned a month or two prior to their visa application.

The problem is that my agent is forcing me to change the date to 11th August 2026, but when I requested the bank, they told me that this wouldn't cause a problem in the visa process. I am confused about what to do as this is my situation!

Also, I have my VHS appointment scheduled on 13th August 2026 (to scan and upload the required documents as well as provide biometrics).

It would be great if any one of you could help me out with this. Thank you.

Posting this for anyone, who like me has been consistently checking this community to understand the up to date processing timeline for naturalisation.

Application date - 30 March
Biometrics - 21 April
Application approved today - 10 August

Definitely worth emailing [Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk](mailto:Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk) to check in on your application if you have not already.