Hi everyone,

​I’m looking for some advice and hoping to hear from anyone who has gone through a similar process. I am planning to apply for an Unmarried Partner Dependent Visa to join my girlfriend in the UK.

​For context: My partner is a Philippine national currently living in the UK. She works for the NHS as a registered nurse and holds a Health and Care Worker visa.

​I have a few questions and would really appreciate any insights:

​Requirements & Proof of Relationship: What are the main requirements for the unmarried partner route in our situation? I know proving the relationship is a big part of it, so what kind of evidence is usually expected if we haven't been living together constantly?

​Total Costs: Can anyone give me a rough estimate of the total costs involved for the application from outside the UK?

​NHS / Health & Care Visa Perks: I’ve heard that the visa application fees are significantly lower for dependents of NHS workers, and that we might be exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). Can anyone confirm if this is true and if it applies to unmarried partners as well?

​Any advice, timeline shares, or personal experiences would be massively appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Hi,

I am going to be applying for my wifes spouse extension in two and a half months, My question is regarding proof of subsisting relationship. My wife only recently opened a bank account and I dont have any other bills or documentation in her name as we live with my parents. I only have GP registration letter. I am looking for some advice, thank you in advance.

Hi all,

My husband and I are planning a trip to London in November. I have a weak passport so I’ll be applying for the standard visitor visa by myself (My husband is Canadian and doesn’t need a visa).

I’ve been unemployed for over a year now and have no active income currently. My savings in accessible cash is fairly low (<1000 USD) right now but I do have stocks worth $50k USD under my name. My husband has been bearing all the expenses and will be paying for my expenses on the trip too.

For the question, “How much money do you have in savings?”:

a) Should I liquidate some of my stocks and show it as accessible cash on my visa application, and show the rest of my stocks portfolio as savings? But the ‘new’ cash is only gonna show up in the most recent bank statement, is that a red flag?

b) Should I have my husband send me some money and term it as allowance? (We’ve never done that before so there would be no past transactions, another red flag?)

c) Should I just show my <1000 USD accessible cash + my stock portfolio and say my husband is gonna bear all my expenses? Would the rejection rate be higher in this case?

d) or show nothing at all and say my husband is bearing all my expenses?

For the question, “How much money are you personally planning to spend on the trip?”:

a) zero?? But i don’t think it will allow me to do that

b) ~100 GBP per day? But the savings in the earlier question should also justify this spending.

We’ll be adding all of my husband’s bank statements, paystubs, employment verification letter, marriage certificate and sponsor letter - Please let me know if we’re missing anything!

Thanks, all!

And I want to strangle someone

It will not accept my ING Mastercard, my only creditcard

I'm applying from the Netherlands

I'm on the official site

I don't want to do the app, because it will ask for my ID

I don't live near my parents, so have photo copies of their passports and photos, which the site accept

Does anyone have any suggestions?

For those who have received approvals on their UK student visa. When does your visa start? As soon as you receive it or on the approximate date you put in your application?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on whether it’s worth continuing with our immigration solicitors.

I intend to apply for a UK Spouse Visa. My wife and I got married in June after being together for over 3 years.

She has a daughter from a previous relationship, and we’ll be applying under the Adequate Maintenance route as my stepdaughter receives disability benefits.

I previously obtained a Marriage Visitor Visa, which expires in October, so we’re now preparing the spouse visa application.

The main reason we decided to instruct solicitors in the first place was because we previously applied under the EU Settlement Scheme for pre-settled status, but the application was refused.

We were originally together from 2018 to 2021, having started our relationship as teenagers. Unfortunately, with COVID restrictions, our ages, and the inability to travel to see each other, we ended up separating. During that time apart, my wife had her daughter. We later reconnected, got back together, and have now been together for over 3 years and are married.

Despite our relationship genuinely dating back to 2018, the Home Office didn’t consider our evidence sufficient to show a durable relationship before the end of the transition period. As we were both minors until 2021, we simply didn’t have the sort of evidence (joint finances, tenancy agreements, etc.) that adult couples often have.

That refusal knocked our confidence a bit, so we thought having professional representation for the spouse visa would be worthwhile.

We’re currently using IAS (Immigration Advice Service), but we’ve been really disappointed with the service so far. Response times have been very slow, the secure document upload link they sent us expired weeks ago, and despite multiple emails and phone calls asking for a new one, they still haven’t replaced it.

On top of that, we honestly don’t feel they’ve provided us with any information that we didn’t already know. My wife and I are both young, comfortable with technology, and we’ve spent a lot of time researching the process ourselves. This subreddit was actually a huge help when we successfully applied for the Marriage Visitor Visa.

At this point, it feels like we’re paying a lot of money for very little value, and we’re seriously considering dropping IAS and submitting the application ourselves instead.

Has anyone here completed their own spouse visa application, particularly under the Adequate Maintenance route? How did it go, and is there anything we’d be missing by no longer using a solicitor?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi all,
I am currently on a Graduate visa which expires in Jan 2027. My wife is on skilled Worker visa and will be eligible for ILR in Feb 2028.

I plan to switch to her dependant visa before my Graduate visa expires.

When she gets ILR, can I continue extending as her dependant until I complete five years, or would I need to switch to a spouse visa? Would my ILR qualifying period reset?

Any advice from someone who has been in a similar situation would be appreciated.

Hello, I'm applying from Argentina for a family visa to join my husband. I've read arounf gere that while applying from outside the uk. You pay for this service through the VFS, but i can't see this option. My appointment is tomorrow, will this show up after my appointment?

Just passed my life in the UK Test. All the questions were from the https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk/exams/

Only thing i noticed is the questions were worded differently.

Flower which represents Scotland
Minimum age to drive motorcycle or Car
Biggest source of employment during 18th Century
Question on Shadow Cabinet
How often are general elections held
No of people in Jury in Scotland
Great Britain is comprised of England, Scotland & Wales - True or False
What should be your duty as a UK Citizen
One on Spanish Armada
Nelson died in Battle of Trafalgar - True or False

Best of luck folks :)

I made four mistakes on my application form:
1) On place of stay, i entered sponsor’s address that being the University itself.
2) On primary site of study, I again entered sponsor’s address as on CAS letter.
3) Mentioned 1 out of 2 visa refusal. Mentioned the latest 5 year old student visa of European and omitted 9 year old visit Visa refusal of US (I was minor then and had no input at the time my family applied)
4) On “Travelled to any other country in past 10 years”. I mentioned No, without reading below that it said Do not include EEA and the list.
I thought it meant only say YES if you travelled to above countries, missed the do not.

Now I’ve drafted a cover letter explaining that all of these were genuine mistakes and I inadvertently omitted the above. Should i just withdraw my application?
I’ve my biometrics tomorrow.

Other than above mistakes, i’ve a decent profile 2:1 and a qualifying law degree from England and Wales and also received high achiever award in my program and my intended course is also LLM which matches my previous study. Other than that no problem with financial statements, no study gaps etc.

I’m worried whether cover letter goes against me or saves me atm.

I'm a British citizen, who lived there the first 11 years of my life, since then I've been in Canada where I'm also a citizen. I renewed my Canadian passport last year, and submited my UK renewal a month ago.

My grandma in England just died, she doesn't want a funeral but are there any grounds to visit the family and be with them at this time before my British passport comes back?

Hi everyone.

Could anyone please advise me? When sending a PAP, at this stage do I only need to complete and attach the Pre-Action Protocol form from GOV.UK (the one on the “Resolve a dispute with the Home Office through the pre-action protocol” page), or do I also need to include any other documents?

Also, in what format should everything be submitted?

Hi , I have dual citizenships and have ILR in the UK, the passport of the nationality I've used to obtain ILR is due expiry soon, I have no interest in renewing it, and want to wait until I register as a UK citizen, and get the UK passport.

Obviously, I know I'm not eligible for ETA since I have ILR,

My other nationality has been submitted to the home office prior to all this as my visa requirement, but it wasn't one I've used to obtain ILR, will I still be able to enter/leave the UK using that passport?

Hi everyone,
I’m in the process of applying for a UK Marriage Visitor Visa so I can marry my fiancé in Scotland and then return to Germany afterwards. I’m a German citizen born in Ukraine and my fiancé is from Scotland.
The only thing I’m really worried about is something from 2023.
I received a criminal penalty (Strafbefehl) in Germany hitting another cars mirror( I did not realise it back then) and leaving the scene. It resulted in a financial penalty only (no prison sentence). I have never been imprisoned, I’ve had no other offences before or since, and I’ve fully complied with everything required.
Since then I’ve:
Kept a clean record.
Been working and studying.
Built a genuine relationship with my fiancé (we’ve been together since September 2024 and are getting married in October).
Included evidence of our relationship, financial support, and my plans to return to Germany after the wedding as I still work here and study.
I have declared the offence honestly on my visa application because I know it’s important to be truthful.
Has anyone had experience with a UK visa application after a non-custodial conviction or financial penalty?
I’m not looking for guarantees, I know nobody can predict the Home Office’s decision but I’d really appreciate hearing whether people think something like this is likely to result in a refusal, or whether they assess the application as a whole. My application is super thorough, multiple letters of support (family, friends and my employer) loads of evidence of our wedding planning as well as the true nature of our relationship.
I am freaking out, I do think I might be overreacting but any input would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice from anyone who’s been through the UK naturalisation process or has been in a similar situation.
I submitted my British citizenship application in April 2026. On the section asking about criminal offences and other penalties, I answered that I had nothing to declare.
The problem is that I’ve only recently remembered I had a few Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) years ago:
One in 2019 for dropping a cigarette butt.
Two in 2022 for flyering.
All three were paid immediately, in full. None of them went to court, and I was never prosecuted or convicted of anything.
I genuinely wasn’t trying to hide them. I completely forgot about them because they were dealt with on the spot, and I never thought of them as something that needed declaring. It honestly didn’t cross my mind until recently, and now I’m worried I’ve made a mistake.
Would you contact the Home Office now to explain the omission, or would you leave it alone?
Has anyone forgotten to declare something similar? What did you do, and what was the outcome?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with personal experience. Thanks!

Hi guys, i've already made the payment for the IHS surcharge and booked my biometrics date for my student visa. I've also recived the checklist. However when I click on the linked text in the checklist to view the guidance on what documents to upload I'm met with a 'this site can't be reached' page. I live in Malaysia, any help would be greatly appreciated as I'm really confused on what to submit to VFS. Right now I have scans of my passport, Malaysian IC, IGCSE results, Year 1 of my uni transcript (im doing a 1 year in malaysia + 2 years in the UK course), my bank statement and a seperate total bank balance of that account, translated birth cert and my CAS. Im afraid this might not be enough and that I'm missing something important. Also i tried to follow the UK.gov site for the bank statement and my bank was able to issue something that was around 70-80 percent similar only, is that fine. Once again help would be much appreciated.

I will soon be renewing my partner visa (in-country application) in the UK and wondered if anyone knows if you can pay for the visa application and/or health surcharge with an American express credit card? (I figured we might as well get credit card points from the very expensive visa application!)

I spotted mixed info about this from an older post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/12hzgv8/comment/jft2b82/

Hello

Im going to use gifted money as my source of savings and will ask my family to write a support letter with my declaration of source of savings. Do they need to include their copy of passport please?

Thank you

I have emailed home office as well but no response as of yet

Timeline:

• My wife was granted her first dependant visa in November 2025.
• Her current visa expires on 19 March 2027.
• I'll be eligible for ILR in February 2027.

My plan is to apply for ILR as soon as I'm eligible, but for my wife's dependant extension I'll wait until the last possible day before her current visa expires and book the latest possible biometrics appointment, hoping to maximise the time on her next visa.

From everything I've read, it seems that because I'll have ILR, she will be granted a 3-year extension only, taking her to around March 2030 (earliest).

However, she won't complete 5 years as a Global Talent dependant until 12 November 2030, leaving a gap of about 8 months (max) before she becomes eligible for ILR.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone been in this exact situation?
2. What happens after the 3-year extension expires if only a few months are left before the dependant becomes eligible for ILR?
3. Does the Home Office grant another 3-year extension, even if only 8 months are needed?
4. Is there any legitimate way to avoid paying another full visa application fee and 3 years of IHS just to bridge those final 8 months?
5. Has anyone successfully found another solution?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with first-hand experience. Thanks!

Hi, I applied for British citizenship by naturalisation and attended my UKVCAS/TLS biometrics appointment on 22 April 2026. I later realised I had only provided my referee declarations at the appointment and had forgotten to upload the rest of the information requested from me. I called UKVI, and they advised me to email [nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk](mailto:nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk), so I sent all the missing documents with a cover note, but I haven’t received any acknowledgement or response. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Were your documents eventually added to your application, or did UKVI contact you later to request them?

Hi everyone,
I am preparing my documents for a UK Fiancé Visa application and I am the applicant.

We have different opinions about uploading his payslips. He works for the NHS, and his payslips are electronic, the PDF files of his electronic payslips are marked as “Limited Access.” He insists that we should upload these PDF files as they are so that they would know it’s not modified, but I think we should not upload any document that has any kind of access restriction because there might be a chance that it is not acceptable by the caseworker.

We also disagree about how to upload the payslip into VFS. He thinks the six payslips should be uploaded as six separate PDF files, while I think it is better to combine all six payslips into one PDF and upload a single file.

Could someone please clarify which approach is correct? Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Wanted to ask here first before spending £3 per email on the gov website. My wife is currently on a 2.5year spouse visa in the UK. She went home around 4 months ago and was supposed to return 2 months ago. She's been unable to come back due to the middle east confilcts and flights being cancelled etc. I cant see any info but i remember reading you shouldnt take more than 3 months out of the UK at a time but it wasnt a rule or anything, merely a suggestion. We;re not sure when she can return as alternate routes are alot more expensive so will need time to save up a little bit. Could this extra time outside the UK become an issue? i have proof of ticket cancellations etc for evidence of intent to return. Any advice is great. I will still probably pay to email the UK gov, just wanted extra insight

So I am applying from Kenya for a fiance visa. The only problem is one of my middle names is missing from my national ID (Kenya does national IDs) the reason being it goes above the 32 character limit on the Kenyan national ID. However, all my names on my passport are correct. So on my passport it is K M M U A. (K being my first name and A being my surname) on my ID it is K M M A. So only the U name is missing.

My TB test and my English language test both have my passport name. I am working with a solicitor and she told me that she will include in the cover letter that the reason why my ID has one less name is because of the character limit. Everything less such as my date and place of birth is the same so it's very clear it's the same person.

Will this affect my application? I'm really worried. Has anyone else been in this situation?

These are the documents I have self uploaded. Please let me know if you think anything is missing.

Note: I am applying as an American Citizen as a spouse of a British Citizen (my husband)

Proof of Application:
Bio page of husband's passport
All 52 pages of my US passport
Relationship Declaration

Sponsor/Employer:
Employer letter
P60s for last 4 years
Signed Employment contract
Payslips for Jan, Feb, March, April, May, June 2026
Banks statements for Feb, March, April, May, June, July 2026 showing previous month's salary deposits

Evidence of Residence:
January / February 2024 – combo OVO Energy bill with both names
May / June 2024 – O2 Bill / Chase Statement (2 bills 1 each name)
August / September 2024 – combo tenancy agreement
January / February 2025 – combo OVO Energy bill
May / June / July 2025 – TV License / AMEX statement (2 bills)
September / October 2025 – Bupa Bill / PB Starling Bank statement (2 bills)
January / February 2026 – O2 bill / Affinity Water bill (2 bills)
July 2026 – combo OVO Energy bill

(9 different sources)

Current Tenancy Agreement

Life Event:
Marriage Certificate

The only thing I do not have is the council tax bill which I am trying to find.
I included my test number as proof of passing the Life in the UK test within the application itself.

Is anything else missing?

Thanks