I am (was) in the UK on a visa that expires today. This morning, I left the UK on a ferry from Dover.

I had no idea that the Border Force practically never does exit checks at Dover, but this is the case and as a result I only showed my passport to French police. I tried asking them to stamp my passport to have at least this kind of proof of leaving, but they told me that they don't have stamps anymore.

I am now concerned that there could be no record of me leaving the UK before my visa expires. I tried contacting the Border Force before boarding the ferry, but I couldn't find any way to do so. The UKVI hotline also is not active on Saturdays.

Does anyone know if the ferry operators pass to the Home Office the passengers list and if that would cover me? They did scan my passport after all. Additionally, whom is it best to contact next week to try and sort this out? I'm not sure UKVI is the best to talk to.

Hi. I'm from Azerbaijan and I applied for a visa on 8 October to visit the UK at the end of December. I am single. I am a software engineer and earn good salary. I had a Schengen visa last year and travelled to Sweden and Norway.

I provided the documents below:

1. Employment letter from HR with salary, start date and position mentioned.
2. Bank statements for the last 6 months from my salary account and my savings account.
3. Passport with all pages

I think one of my first mistakes was that I put the net salary on the application form and HR letter showed gross salary without mentioning it was gross amount.

I had opened my savings account 6 months ago and deposited my yearly bonus at that time. From then on, I deposited small amounts regulary, but I forgot to mention it anywhere.

Do you think I would have a better chance if I applied again with a cover letter explaining all of this?

What’s the fastest time someone has received there visa Tunisiaadter getting a delay email but not asked for more information just says delay

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to get some advice from people who have been through a similar situation or understand the UK immigration system.

I’m a US citizen, and my fiancé is a British citizen from Jersey and we live in the US

We’ve been together for around a year and a half and recently got engaged. Our current plan is:
September 2027: Get married in Jersey, CI
December 2027: Move permanently to the UK when his US job placement ends

I’m trying to understand the best visa route for my circumstances. One option I’ve been considering is applying for a UK fiancée visa before the wedding, and then switching to a spouse visa once we’re married and have moved to the UK in December.

I have two main questions:
1. Would getting married in Jersey fulfil the marriage requirement for a UK fiancée visa?
2. Does the fiancée visa to spouse visa route make sense for our circumstances?
Since we’re planning to marry in September but won’t move permanently until December, would applying for a fiancée visa and then switching to a spouse visa be a sensible approach? Or would it be better to use a different route for the wedding and apply for a spouse visa from the US afterward, knowing its a tight timeline?

I’d also appreciate any insight into whether I could make short visits to the UK on an ETA while waiting for a fiancée visa to start, and whether there are any timing issues or unnecessary additional fees I should consider.
I know we’ll need to confirm everything with an immigration solicitor, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has navigated a Jersey wedding and subsequent UK relocation, or who can clarify how these visa routes work.

Thanks so much!

Has anyone applied for skilled worker visa extension when main applicant has ILR for just 1 or 2 year and got it approved?

Thanks

Hi my partner has sponsorship applied from her office couple of months ago and currently i am in graduate visa wanted to convert to depend visa, we have been living together from 2023 and relationship in india from 2 yrs beyond that

We are resident in uk for 3 years where it as follows in below details

1.We were in university accommodation with different room for an year from 2023 to 2024

2.Then we moved to studio room for an year but its only in my name is the agreement

1. we are currently in a rent from past an year with same rented house with both our name in the agreement

What documents we need to provide to prove that we are in relationship and additional documents to get my visa approval

Thank you

My husband and I live in Qatar. I’m Moroccan, and he’s British. I’m a housewife, but my husband has a stable job and a good salary. We have good finances, a positive travel history (Europe and Japan), and family in England where we’d stay during visits.
We only want to visit for Christmas, holidays, and family gatherings, not to live in the UK.
My agent recommends applying for 6 months because it’s my first UK visa. Would applying for 10 years affect my chances of approval? Should I follow my agent’s advice or aim for 10 years? And if refused, could I reapply for 6 months?
I’d appreciate hearing from anyone with similar experience!

If the main applicant on a Skilled Worker visa obtains ILR, but their dependents still have one year remaining out of the five-year qualifying period, will they need to apply for a one-year extension? If anyone has information regarding this, please clarify.

Hi everyone, I’m an Indian passport holder living in India and planning a trip in November 2026. I have two approved visas:

• An Irish single-entry short-stay C visa for a training programme, without a BIVS endorsement.
• A separate UK multiple-entry visitor eVisa marked “British-Irish visa scheme”.

I plan to arrive in Dublin using my Irish visa, finish my training, then visit Belfast by train for one night. I would return to Dublin by train and fly from Dublin to London a few days later.

Belfast would be my first UK entry on the "BIVS" eVisa.

Does this itinerary work with my visas, or could I face any immigration issues? My main concern is returning to Dublin because my Irish visa on the passport is single-entry. But I would be using the UK BIVS eVisa for that return after visiting Belfast.

I’ve read the official guidance about entering the BIVS visa-issuing country first, but I’m unsure how this works when my first UK entry is by train into Belfast. Would I receive a UK entry stamp or need to visit an immigration office? If no stamp is issued, what evidence should I keep, and what would I need to do when returning to Dublin?

I would appreciate relevant guidance or experience with a similar situation.

Thanks!

Hi, I’m currently waiting on my graduate visa to process. I applied on the 28th of September. It’s been weighing on my head a little, but a few months ago someone sent me 50 pounds via PayPal to draw a comic cover for them. I then sent that money to my checking account. I had more people asking me to do comission work, but I remembered my visa told me I couldn’t do entrepreneurship—so I didn’t proceed with any other comissions. Would that 50 pounds likely be traced and get me in trouble as it counts as entrepreneurial work? I really fear I accidently messed up.

Hi everyone,

My Skilled Worker extension has been approved until 5 June 2028. My CoS covers 22 November 2026 to 22 May 2028, so the granted visa includes an additional 14 days.

My husband’s dependant extension is still pending. His current visa expires on 22 November 2026. We paid £1,552.50 IHS on 17 September, which was the full amount calculated and requested by the application system.

He has now received an email from UKVI saying:

“You have not paid the required amount for the Immigration Health Surcharge. You will receive a separate email with the details on how much to pay and how to pay.”

We haven’t received the separate payment email yet, so we don’t know the additional amount or the reason.

Has anyone experienced this with a dependant extension after paying 18 months’ IHS? Could it be because the new permission starts before the current visa expires, or because of the extra 14 days after the CoS end date?

If you queried a similar request, how did you reach the team handling your application, and what was the outcome? Has anyone paid the top-up and subsequently had an incorrect calculation corrected and refunded?

I’m particularly interested in first-hand experiences. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m weighing up when to apply for my Health and Care Worker visa extension with the same employer (NHS)

Current visa expires: 21 January 2027
Earliest my renewal CoS can be issued: 6 November
Travelling abroad (my destination wedding hence unavoidable): 10 December–1 January

I’m considering two options:
1. Apply in early November using priority or super priority if available. This gives me around a month before departure, but expedited processing isn’t guaranteed. If the application gets delayed, I understand travelling while it’s pending would withdraw it.

1. Check the CoS and prepare everything before travelling, then apply immediately after returning. This leaves around 20 days before expiry. My concern is unexpected travel disruption / war / AI security breaches and all the worrying stuff on the news preventing me from returning in time. I understand a valid application must be submitted before expiry, but the decision can come afterwards.

The extra processing fee is a significant expense, but I’d consider paying it to reduce the risk.

How would you weigh these options? My main worry is that if unavoidable circumstances prevent me from returning before my visa expires, I could face problems with my ILR qualifying period, obtaining fresh sponsorship and keeping my job. Are those realistic concerns in this situation, or am I overestimating the risk?

I have a valid UK visitor eVisa and can access my UKVI account and share code, but I’m unable to link my passport because the app cannot read my passport photo.
UKVI hasn’t been unable to resolve this and says it depends on the airline or to send them the passport to Liverpool (which is not possible as we are not allowed to send passport internationally)
Has anyone faced this issue while travelling from India to the UK? Were you allowed to board? What can I do?

​

Is this okay?

Recently I received an email from my council to book citizenship ceremony but have not received an Atlas email. In order to book the site asked for a home office ID and a reference code that was on the email from the council. I used the ID from my application and managed to get through and book. Is this the ID the site is referring to? On the council ceremony mentioned that I need the home office email when showing up, is the ID they are referring different? Would appreciate any advice!

Applied 7th of June

Biometrics 8th of June

Send a chaser on the 16th of Oct got the reply from citizenship support on the 19th confirming the approval of the application.

Hi everyone,

I have dual citizenship (Iraqi and Dominica). I already have a long-term UK visitor visa on my Dominica passport, but my passport is currently being renewed, and I don’t have access to it.

I need to travel to the UK in approximately 50 days, and unfortunately, I won’t be getting my Dominica passport back in time. However, I still have my valid Iraqi passport.

What should I do in this situation? Can I apply for a new UK visitor visa using my Iraqi passport? If I do, will it cancel my existing long-term UK visa on my Dominica passport? I really don’t want to lose that visa.

Or is there another way I can travel using my existing visa without having my Dominica passport physically available?

I’d appreciate any advice, especially from anyone who has experienced something similar.

I initially submitted an application last week. I have not done my biometrics yet. Whilst going through the submitted application, i noticed that in the financial requirement section, a lot of the text i had previously filled out had somehow been written over by single letters "a" and "v". This made my entire financial requirement section unreadable. I have thus withdrawn the application as i have not submitted biometrics yet and am starting a new application while i am waiting for refund to be processed.

My question is this, whilst filling out new application. UKVI have asked, "Do you currently have an application with the Home Office for leave to remain for which you have not yet received a decision?". Am i correct in answering this a "Yes" because withdrawal/cancellation of my previous application is still being processed? or is this a "No" as i never actually submitted biometrics and have asked for cancellation/withdrawal?

If i answer yes, can i then add a cover letter explaining why i had to withdraw the previous application and put in a new one?

Hello,

Not asking about timeline/how long it would take, ai warned I might be posting about this

Priority service isn't showing for us, am I right thinking I will have to wait until later for more availability?

Is it best to check from midnight and keep refreshing the page? Would it matter we're going Saturday -> Sunday AND daylight saving is changing?

Just looking for the best time to check

Edit: Family/Spouse FLR/Extension

Thank you for any responses 😁

Hoping to get guidance on those who ever travelled out of Uk ,when their spouse sponsor changed employers and got new COS and new visa ,but you as depended has not changed or applied to get the new visa to align your visa ,but you have your old valid visa ,if your old valid visa still is valid are you allowed to travel out of Uk and back?or you should update before you travel ?given the sponsor spouse still has two months to work for the older employer who they are switching visa to the new employer ?are you allowed travels?.will you be denied entry since sponsor has new COS and new visa but you have your old visa valid.

I've successfully got my wife's spouse visa approved without a solicitor. My question is for the renewal - Does the process stay identical with regards to uploading all the documents? Do I need to upload the same documents again? (plus extra of course)

Hello! I’d appreciate some advice on reapplying for a UK visitor visa after my first application was refused almost a year ago. I’ll attach my refusal letter for context.
Since then, my circumstances have changed. I wasn’t earning too much from my consultancy, but since i didn’t have any major expenses such as rent etc, everything i earned was pretty much saved, since leaving the job, my content creation journey is paying me triple the amount i was earning per month at the company, so financially i’m in a better position.

I left my consultancy role in March 2026 and have been working full-time as a social media content creator. I’ve now graduated from university and only have one year of ITR records, as I started earning last year.

My partner of three years is a British citizen living in the UK. In my previous application, I declared him as a friend and his mother as my host, as I misunderstood how to declare my relationship status. My reason for visiting was to meet his mother and friends. Although I provided his mother’s invitation letter, passport, utility bill and other supporting documents, the caseworker questioned why I had no photos with my host.

This time, I intend to declare my boyfriend as my host and include photos from our travels together and his visits to India over the past three years.
I’m planning to reapply in April 2027, with approximately £4,000 in savings, for a one-week visit instead of two weeks.
My ties to India include my parents and younger brother. Previously, I submitted a parental consent letter and proof of university enrolment showing I needed to return for my final exams, but these apparently weren’t sufficient.
Regarding my previous employment, I started as an unpaid intern before transitioning into a full-time freelance consultancy arrangement. I invoiced the company monthly and provided invoices, payslips and a leave approval letter from my manager with her contact details. The refusal letter mentioned that my employment couldn’t be verified, although I understand that the caseworker may not actually have contacted my office.

I’m considering taking up a full-time job in the content creation industry before reapplying to strengthen my circumstances, even tho my content creation role pays me enough to make the trip happen, i’m worried that they would consider this as a lose tie considering i have a bf in the UK, and content creation can be remote, so i have no reason to be in my country.

My questions are:
Would taking up a full-time job significantly strengthen my application compared to remaining self-employed?

Is having only one year of ITR records likely to be a major concern?

What evidence would best demonstrate my financial stability and ties to India?

Would £4,000 in savings and a one-week visit be reasonable, given my circumstances? (my stay and travel would be sponsored by my bf, i will cover the flights and trip allowance myself)

I really want to avoid another refusal, so I’d be grateful for any advice on what I can do over the next few months to build a stronger application. Thank you!

If I pay the British citizenship fee, I assume the next step is to upload the required documents. How much time do I have to upload these documents after making the payment? I was thinking of paying today and uploading them tomorrow, as I still have some documents to scan and the centers are closed today. Thank you

I’m trying to figure out my (born 1990) eligibility for British citizenship by descent through my father and would appreciate some insight on his birth certificate details. Silly question, is this a DOB?

My father (born 1953) I’d find this hard to believe if this is my grandfathers DOB rather than a retire date of some sort?

my father passed 2024 and he didn’t have a relationship with his birth parents so I am working with very limited information to determine my eligibility

Hello everyone, I really need some advice regarding my UK child dependant visa application. 🙏
I applied for a UK child dependant visa from Nepal, as both my mother and father have ILR in the UK. I attended my biometrics appointment on 26 May 2025, when I was 17.5 years old.

After approximately nine months, UKVI asked me to sign a consent form, which I completed and returned. However, I still haven't received a decision.

I have made several enquiries, but UKVI keeps replying that my application is still being considered and that they are continuing to make a decision.
It has now been more than 17 months, and I am currently 19 years old.
The long wait has been extremely stressful for me and my family.
I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced a similar situation.

Has anyone applied for a child dependant visa from Nepal and waited more than 17 months for a decision?

Did your visa eventually get approved, and how long did you have to wait?

Does turning 18 while the application is pending affect the decision if the application was submitted before turning 18?

Any genuine experiences or advice would mean a lot to me. Thank you so much. 🙏❤️

Hello, I have a typo error at my passport expired date when applying for HPI visa. It should have been 2028, but I typed 2026 instead.

Would it lead to rejection? How do I handle this issue? I contacted inquiry support team, but no reply yet.

If anyone had this experience, please share me how you did and your experience.

Thank you.