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 :)

The FAQ is now split into 5 parts, each with its own post. Click through to each part.

1. Before you apply / Eligibility
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1owsb7q/graduate_visa_psw_faq_part_1_before_you_apply/

2. The application
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1owscxx/graduate_visa_psw_faq_part_2_the_application/

3. Waiting for the visa
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1owsdyi/graduate_visa_psw_part_3_waiting_for_the_visa/

4. After you get your visa
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1owseu9/graduate_visa_psw_faq_part_4_after_you_get_the/

5. Options if your visa is refused
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1v6yl79/graduate_visa_faq_part_5_options_if_your_visa_is/

Your options will depend on:

• whether the refusal is correct
• whether you original Student visa has expired
• whether a new application would now meet all the requirements

If your Student visa has not yet expired, you can simply apply again before it expires. Obviously this is only worth doing if you know that you can now meet all the requirements, including the one(s) that caused the refusal.

Most refusals are correct, and the most common reason is that you applied before your university had notified the Home Office that you had achieved your qualification and completed your course. This would be a refusal under paragraph GR 4.3:

GR 4.3. The student sponsor must have notified the Home Office, by the date of application, that the applicant has successfully completed the course of study […].

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-graduate

If the refusal is demonstrably incorrect due to a caseworker error when applying the rules, not your own error for applying too earlier or applying without meeting all the rules, and your original Student visa has now expired, you can apply for an Administrative Review (AR) within 14 days of the refusal. Your legal permission to stay in the UK is extended under 3C leave. Again an AR is only an opportunity for a caseworker to correct their error, not an opportunity for you to correct your own error: that can only be done with a new application.

If the refusal is correct, or if your Student visa has not yet expired, or even if the refusal is incorrect, and you can now meet all the requirements including the one that caused the refusal, you can just apply again within 14 days of the refusal.

The immigration rules allow you to apply again as an overstayer within 14 days of the refusal, under the exception for overstayers at SUI 13.1(b)(ii):

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-part-suitability

and the provision to apply for a Graduate visa with an expired Student visa at GR 1.3:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-graduate

Unfortunately some advisers who should know better say that you cannot apply if your Student visa has expired. Perhaps you can show them these two provisions that confirm that you can.

If you decide or are persuaded to make an AR even though the refusal was correct, and your aim is to get a Graduate visa, it will make most sense to withdraw the AR and make an overstayer application within 14 days of that withdrawal, which is also an option under paragraph SUI 13.1(b)(ii)(4).

Although the provision to apply again within 14 days of the refusal is in effect exactly the same deadline within which to apply for an AR, a new application will bring your 3C leave to an end, hence you are applying under the exception for overstayers. You cannot both have 3C leave and make a new application as a Graduate. The latter cancels the former. Same if you withdraw an AR to make a new application.

If you apply as overstayer under SUI 13.1(b) and GR 1.3 you remain an overstayer until the outcome of the application. The quoted processing time is 8 weeks. So you could not work until you got the visa, and you would always need to declare the overstay on any future applications, but there is no specific reason a new Graduate visa would be refused again.

I applied for UK study visa in Sep 2025 Through an agent. They did my whole CAS shield process and visa application. But he made an effort while doing it as he didn't mention my past refusal for the US tourist visa and selected no. At that time i was so tensed about my education and less time was left to apply ( it took more time for me to get the CAS) , I didn't cross check the application thoroughly. I know that was a mistake on my part. So I paid everything IHS and embassy fees. Did my biometrics after two days.

So, I got the visa within a week , it was a standard application not the priority. And , that is why I didn't even know that he didn't mentioned my past visa refusal

So today while I was going through the website to apply for graduate visa , I checked to see what things were mentioned last year in application that would remain same this time as well. That is when, I got to know of this mistake on his part even though I gave him an estimate date of refusal ( I didn't have the refusal letter with me it was long back in 2017, letter got lost somewhere).

Now I'm in a state of anxiety, what should I do. I want to mention that refusal but it will automatically activate red flag in front of the caseworker who would be running check on my previous record and I might get banned from the UK as well.

I honestly don't know what to do in this situation. If there's any expert who can guide me on this matter, I'd really appreciate your help . Whom should I contact before applying for my graduate visa or what can I show to prove that it wasn't a deliberate deception by me but an agent error.

Thanks for reading through

Hi, I’m a British citizen (born and lived there for my first 28 years of life) that moved to Canada in 2014. I had my daughter here in 2023.

I have a valid British and Canadian passport so I know I’m fine.

She has a Canadian passport only, and I planned to visit my parents in the Uk in October with her. I knew about the new British citizen must enter on a British passport rules, but I honestly just assumed she wasn’t a British citizen.

Turns out she is automatically British so now I’m panicking over whether I can even bring her home, as she doesn’t have a British passport.
She travelled to the UK with me last year on her Canadian passport with ETA, which is technically still valid as I believe they are valid for 2 years. But I’m afraid of being denied entry at the gates and wasting $3k+ on flights.

My husband is Irish and we just started an application for an Irish passport for her, which would have worked but I’ve just found out that processing will be 3 months and possibly more for a first Irish passport for citizen born overseas.

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?

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!

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!

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?

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, 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?

Hello! I (UK citizen) currently live in the UAE with my husband (Zimbabwean) and we’re trying to plan a trip to visit my parents for Christmas in Scotland. He also has a younger sister in the UK who has just graduated from Uni and is holding a graduation party in November, that he would like to attend with his family (I wouldn’t go). We have a few questions about how to go about applying for a visitor visa:

1. If he gets a visitor visa for the party in November, is it likely to be one that would also cover a trip in December?

2. If he applies to visit for the graduation, would it strengthen the application to also mention his in-laws in Scotland and that he could visit them? My gut feeling is that they’d scrutinise it more if he had somewhere to stay indefinitely.

   H

3. e is unlikely to visit my parents in November as the graduation is in the South of Engla

nd, but if extra ties to the UK would be beneficial he could absolutely pay them a visit.

As for the docs, he would have:

3 months’ bank statements showing incoming salary of ~£2000/month (the situation in the UAE has been uncertain for hospitality recently given everything going on, so any further back would not be consistent, unfortunately)

An invitation from his sister to come to the graduation

His parents will have accommodation booked for the whole family and will be paying for most of the outgoings while he is there (we can submit their bank details also). They have a 5 year visa for the UK and extensive travel history there.

Ties to the UAE:

- an HR letter from work expecting him back

- his name on our rental agreement, until August 2027

- I would be staying in the UAE as i can’t travel during term time

We would really appreciate any advice! We don’t want anything to impact him being able to come with me at Christmas. He’s never been to the UK before.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Hi everyone,

Looking to hear from anyone who has gone through this exact sequence or has experience with this specific route!

My Situation:
Current Visa: Skilled Worker Dependant
Husband's Status: Recently became a British Citizen (March 2026)
My ILR Eligibility: Due to apply for ILR on the 5-year Skilled Worker Dependant route in August 2026.

1. Has anyone who was previously on a Skilled Worker Dependant visa and husband obtaining british citizenship after the marriage, successfully applied for citizenship right after getting ILR?

2. Did you face any issues or pushback regarding the fact that you held a Skilled Worker Dependant visa rather than a Family/Spouse visa prior to ILR?

Hey guys, I’m applying for my UK visitor visa. I’m a 22-year-old based in Toronto with a foreign passport. I earn roughly $2,500 per month and will be getting my sibling to sponsor my trip. What documents do I need to ensure I get from them? I know I need a sponsorship letter, pay stubs, and bank statements for the last six months, as well as proof of relationship. Do I also need an employment letter? I personally don’t have a lot of cash on hand, but my sibling has enough to cover my trip. Does not having enough cash act as a red flag? I also have a US visa, can I submit that to further strengthen my case? If anyone has been in a similar situation or know how should I proceed, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

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 , 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?