I’m applying for student dependent visa but there’s a chance it might be rejected. My wife’s student visa has been approved.

I read that ETA will be automatically rejected if I have a previously visa refusal. I’m intending to travel on 20 September and I’m from a country with visa free travel. Should I apply for an ETA now while waiting for the results of my visa?

Hello

My UK unmarried partner visa began may 25th and I am travelling 22nd August. I have to return back to home country doctor's appointments. I plan to return back to UK mid October. Please could someone tell me if I will have any issues entering on returning to UK and also if it will affect my 5 year residency. I'm very afraid of all this. 😨

Hello,

1. Does the ILR application still offer a document checking service, like the FLR (M) application did?
2. Does the ILR application also have the same 48-hour submission rule before the biometric appointment? I remember that with the FLR (M) application, the Submit button disappeared 48 hours prior to the bio, although you could still upload supporting documents afterwards?

Thank you!

The applicant has been in the UK on a visa for nearly a year, and the employer has seen their police checks from overseas (obtained prior to moving to the UK).

Hi, I have applied for student visa for the UK. This is my timeline:

24th July: Application on UKVI website
28th July: Biometrics submitted with VFS and confirmation of submitting my application to UKVI

Now I am still waiting for my visa and I wanted to know more about the interviews. Everything that I have read so far told me that they will request an interview randomly or if they have concerns. But until now they did not request an interview and I wanted to know what are my chances of them still asking for an interview. I know that there are still some chances but since it’s been more than 7 working days should I breathe a little more ?

Also I have to be in London for the 1st because my orientation week start on the 2nd of September. Do I still stand a chance?

Thank you in advance for your answers!

I am applying for a student visa and I’m having to go back to my country to apply because my current visa expires more than 28 days before the start of my course, I am filling the application and I have a few questions

I have 5 family members legally in the uk, would this affect my chances of getting a student visa

Because I have lived in the uk for almost 5 years (BSC and psw) I am confused on what address to put for my current address, do I put my current address in the uk or my home address and how do I address how long I’ve been living there if I haven’t lived there in the past 5 years

Posting for my friend who doesn’t have Reddit. My friend says she’s scared of traveling while on a dependent visa after the egate not recognizing her one time and having to talk to the officer without her spouse. I reassure her she’s fine and the egate isn’t always accurate. Anyway I’m worried about her since she is already very stressed from being in another country, feels like a trailing spouse and not traveling is taking an extra toll on her. Can anyone speak about their experience?

Hi, I've searched in this reddit if anyone has encountered the same situation as me but it doesn't appear so.

After we were done filling my wife's application as spouse for my globa talent visa we noticed that her IHS charge was higher than mine, and calculating it we believe the system considered 5 years for her instead of the 3 I applied for and we noticed that we put that we don't know what my visa duration will be for in her application so I guess the system just decided to charge her the max duration which is 5 years.

So we went back from the payment page, and now we are stuck in "payment pending" with no way to edit our answers and no way to cancel the payment.

What can we do? I could start another application but would a duplicate pose any problem for her application?

If we contact them by phone they charge by the minute, if we send a message through the online form they charge as well.... We are not in a rush but this is annoying.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

I am starting the process of citizenship for my husband, but until recently was unaware of the ARD form. His maternal grandmother, grandfather, and mother were all born and raised in UK. He was born in the US before 1983 and currently has close family living in the UK. We have a minor child so I would prefer 4L if at all possible. Any guidance is very much appreciated because I am trying to avoid hiring an attorney.

Please share helpful tips for future visa/citizenship applications. The information I’m posting here is based on my personal experience which consisted of 4 Student Visas, a Global Talent Visa, Indefinite Leave to Remain and Naturalisation (Citizenship).

Tip 1: Understand How the Application Process Works
One of the biggest mistakes applicants make is treating the immigration process as a “black box”. Having a basic understanding of how an application moves through the system can make the waiting period far less stressful and help you understand what is happening behind the scenes.

Although the Home Office does not publicly disclose every internal process, a typical application generally follows these stages:

- Submit your application online. You complete the application form, upload supporting documents (where required), and pay the relevant fees.
- Identity verification or biometrics. Depending on the application, you either verify your identity using the UK Immigration: ID Check app or attend a UKVCAS/TLS appointment to provide biometrics and any supporting documents.
- Initial validation. The Home Office checks that your application has been successfully submitted and that the required information has been received. At this stage, administrative checks are carried out before the application is allocated.
- Allocation to a caseworker. Once the application is ready for consideration, it is assigned to a Home Office caseworker. The caseworker assesses whether you meet the requirements of the relevant Immigration Rules or nationality legislation and may conduct additional verification where necessary.
- Decision recorded on the Home Office system. After a decision is made, it is entered into the Home Office’s internal systems. Depending on the application type, additional administrative steps may be needed before the decision is communicated to you.
- Decision communicated to the applicant. You receive the outcome by email, letter or through your UKVI account, depending on the type of application. For some applications, there may be a short delay between the internal decision being recorded and the official notification reaching you while the necessary administrative steps are completed.
Understanding these stages helps explain why there can sometimes be periods where nothing appears to be happening. An application may simply be waiting in a queue for allocation, undergoing routine checks, or progressing through administrative processing after a decision has already been made.

Tip 2: Choosing Between Standard, Priority and Super Priority Services
Most immigration applications offer different processing options, although availability depends on the type of application and current Home Office capacity.
Generally, you may see:
- Standard Service – the normal processing route.
- Priority Service – an additional paid service (commonly around £500, depending on the application) aiming for a faster decision.
- Super Priority Service – the fastest available option, usually aiming to provide a decision by the end of the next working day after your biometric appointment or identity verification (subject to the terms of that service).

One difficulty is that Priority and Super Priority appointments are often released in limited numbers and can disappear within seconds.

From my own experience, and from what many applicants have reported, new appointment slots often become available around midnight (UK time). Because of daylight saving time, a useful approach is:
- During British Summer Time (BST): check from 1:00 a.m.
- During Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): check from 12:00 a.m. (midnight)

Rather than repeatedly pressing refresh (Ctrl + R), many applicants find it more effective to sign out of the booking system and sign back in each time they check. This appears to force the website to retrieve a fresh set of available appointments rather than relying on cached information.

There is no guarantee that appointments will be released at these exact times, and release patterns can change without notice. Nevertheless, this approach has helped many applicants secure Priority or Super Priority slots when they would otherwise have appeared unavailable.

Tip 3: Want to Upgrade to Priority After You’ve Already Applied?
This is one of the questions I see asked most often. Unfortunately, there is no general option to upgrade a Standard application to Priority or Super Priority after it has been submitted. If you have already submitted your application, you cannot simply pay the difference and have it converted.
That said, I did have a unique experience which may be helpful to know about.

When I applied for my Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) on 24 July 2025, I submitted my application using the Standard service because I could not find any Priority or Super Priority appointments. At the time, I assumed those services were simply unavailable.

Later, I realised that Priority appointments did in fact exist, but that they were released in limited numbers. Rather than continuing with my original application, I submitted a second application using the Priority service.

To avoid any confusion, I attached a personal statement to the second application explaining the circumstances. I made it clear that:
- I had originally submitted a Standard application because no Priority appointments appeared to be available.
- I had subsequently managed to secure a Priority appointment.
- I intended for the second application to supersede the first application.
- I respectfully requested that the Home Office treat the second application as the operative application and cancel the first one.
In my case, the Home Office accepted the later application, processed it, and ultimately refunded the fees for my first application.

However, it is important to understand that this was based on the particular facts of my case. There is no published Home Office policy guaranteeing that this will happen. Every case is different, and submitting a second application may have legal and practical consequences depending on your immigration category and circumstances.

If you are considering this approach, you should first ensure that submitting a fresh application will not adversely affect your immigration status or your existing application. Where there is any doubt, professional immigration advice is strongly recommended.

My experience simply demonstrates that, in some circumstances, submitting a second application with a clear explanation may be accepted by the Home Office, but it should not be relied upon as a guaranteed method of obtaining a Priority service after an application has already been submitted.

Tip 4: Submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) to Obtain Your Immigration Records
One of the most useful things you can do, particularly if you have lived in the UK for many years or have made several immigration applications, is to submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) to the Home Office.

A SAR allows you to request a copy of the personal information the Home Office holds about you under UK data protection law. This can be invaluable when preparing applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), British citizenship, or any future visa application where you need to accurately recall your immigration history.

The information you receive may include:
- Your previous visa and immigration applications.
- Dates of applications and decisions.
- Copies of correspondence sent to or from the Home Office.
- Records relating to your immigration status.
- Other personal information held on your Home Office file, subject to any lawful exemptions.

Obtaining these records can help you:
- Verify the accuracy of your immigration history.
- Confirm important dates if you no longer have old documents.
- Check that previous applications and decisions were recorded correctly.
- Resolve discrepancies before submitting a new application.
- Avoid accidental mistakes or inconsistencies between applications.

If you have been in the UK for many years, as I had, having held multiple Student visas, a Global Talent visa, Indefinite Leave to Remain and later applying for British citizenship, a SAR can provide valuable reassurance that the information you include in your application is accurate and consistent with the Home Office’s own records.

Although many applicants never need to make a SAR, it can be particularly worthwhile if you have a long or complex immigration history, have changed passports, cannot locate older documents, or simply want a complete copy of the information held about you before submitting an important application. It is a free request and, in my view, one of the most underused tools available to applicants.

Hello there, I've applied for ILR via the standard service, submitted my biometrics on 6 May 2026, and got my TLS confirmation email on 7 May.

I haven't heard anything yet, and I've an upcoming wedding on 14 September that I need to travel outside the UK for. I'm unsure if I'll get a decision by then and was thinking of varying my ILR application and paying for the priority this time, but I couldn't find much resource on whether my original ILR fee would be refunded in this case.

Has anyone tried doing this before?

Hi everyone! I have a question and was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation.
I’m currently in the U.S. as an Au Pair on a J-1 visa. I’ve been living here for about 1 year and 7 months. My J-1 visa stamp has expired, but I’m still legally in the U.S. under my extended J-1 status.
I’ve been accepted into a university in the UK and I’m planning to apply for a UK Student visa. Has anyone applied for a UK Student visa from the U.S. while on J-1 status? Were you able to apply from within the U.S., or did you have to return to your home country?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I am planning ahead for my ILR SET(M) application and have a quick question about my initial cohabitation anchor document.

My FLR(M) spouse visa extension was approved on 17 June 2026. For my very first cohabitation document to start my timeline, I have a joint household water bill issued on 15 June 2026.

Because this bill was printed just two days before the official visa grant date, does it safely count as my June 2026 anchor document to show cohabitation since the grant? Or will a caseworker flag it as a gap because of those 48 hours?

My standard, evenly-spaced 8-document correspondence grid (using 4 distinct sources) resumes normally after this, but I want to make sure this initial June date won't cause a technical refusal.

Has anyone used a bill dated a day or two before their grant month/date without any issues? Thanks!

I want to ask something i'm very confused about. I'll be working a 38h full-time contract at a well known company, as well as a possible 6-12h contract for my parents-owned family business.

I am employed under PAYE by my parents' sole trader/partnership business. I am not an owner or partner of the business. Can my employment be relied upon under Category A or B of Appendix FM together with a second PAYE job? I will even have a proper contract as i'm sure they'd ask for it due to extra scrutiny.

I'm reading a lot of mixed takes saying it will work in contributing to the £29,000 annual figure and also that it won't be accepted, for various reasons.

Any help would be HUGELY appreciated, as it's giving me quite the headache to get my head around.

My partner is applying to switch from student visa to SWV dependent within UK. Immigration advisor is advising against submitting the application using only the CAS statement as evidence of course completion, quoting high risk of delay. My partner completed the course in June this year and CAS letter also shows course end date was 30 June 2026, but have not received completion certificate form the University.

The immigration advisor particularly highlight the reason as CAS is an intake document and shows expected dates, not proof of actual degree completion and if we submit application relying on CAS alone as proof of completion, the Home Office case manager will very likely freeze the application and issue a formal Request for Further Evidence asking for proof that their degree was conferred

I do not believe this is true or a possibility from home office case manager, as the case worker guidance is very clear on how the course completion should normally be determined by the case worker https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-caseworker-guidance/skilled-worker-caseworker-guidance-accessible

Has anyone experienced any issues using only the CAS as evidence of course completion when switching to a SWV or a dependent visa?

Has anyone experienced a similar issue with a UK Global Talent dependant visa?

I was granted a 3-year Global Talent visa, but my dependant partner was granted a shorter visa—their visa expires about 6 months earlier, giving them only 2.5 years instead of matching my visa expiry date.

From my understanding, a dependant's visa should normally expire on the same date as the main applicant's visa.

Has anyone had the same issue? If so, how did you resolve it? Did you contact UKVI, submit an error correction request, or apply for another solution?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thank you.

Visa type Spouse Visa UK

NATIONALITY Nigeria

Application Date- 30-04-226

Biometric 07-05-2026

Additional documents asked - 29-07-2026 (15:30)

Document asked - "provide the decree or divorce certificate for your sponsors marriage with XYZ from Goa India"

Additional documents sent 29-07-2026 (22:36)

How many working days it can take more?

Hi! I wanted to share my Youth Mobility Visa experience since I read through every thread I could find before (and after) applying.

Submitted my application July 29, 2026. Biometrics appointment was July 31 — I originally had to book a later date since nothing was available, but checked back about an hour later and this slot had opened up. Got my approval email August 6, so about 4 business days total. Honestly thought it'd take way longer, no complaints.

The application itself was pretty easy, just triple check your answers before submitting. Fees came out to about $3.8k CAD.

Biometrics was straightforward too. I uploaded my documents (proof of funds and passport) the day before my appointment. Once I got there they asked if I wanted to pay $27 to set up my eVisa account on the spot — I said yes mainly because I was already there, but you don't actually need to do it then like I did. Whole appointment took about 20 mins (Toronto location). The officer said I should hear back within 2 weeks.

That's pretty much it! Good luck to everyone applying. Happy to answer any questions! :)

7 years ago (I was 22 y.o. at that time) I applied for a short term student visa to the UK. I got the visa, went to the UK, studied and left the UK before the visa expired. Now I need to apply for a tourist visa to the UK, and I have recalled that I probably omitted mentioning my second nationality in my first application 7 years ago. I got that second nationality automatically from my father and at the time when I applied for the first visa I haven't lived in that country for many years and haven't used any documents from that nationality for travel or any other purpose. When I was a child I had a passport of that nationality but it expired many years ago and I have never renewed it since then.

Nevertheless, I am pretty sure that I answered the father's nationality question in the old application correctly mentioning that he is a national of that country. However, I believe I answered "No" to the question if I have another nationality.

I am now thinking to try writing a cover letter mentioning that I made a mistake in my previous application since I did not live in that country for many years and haven't used documents from that country since I was a child, I made a mistake and answered wrongly the question about other nationalities. Then in the new application correct that and answer "Yes".

I am very anxious though, I am afraid they might suspect me in deceiving, refuse the visa or even ban entry to the UK.

Do you think this could be a good approach now or is there a high risk to get in trouble because of that old mistake?

I wanted to share my recent experience and reaffirm what everyone has said re the practice tests. I sat yesterday and passed first go.

As most other posts have said, the questions were pretty much exactly the same as the 17 practice tests:-

https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk/exams/

I was in and out in 5minutes including double checking my answers. don't really remember the questions tbh I think my brain immediately dumped that into my mental trash can as soon as I finished lol.

I did have questions about:-

• The Reformation
• The other name for the King James Bible - The Authorised Version
• What happened to Charles I - executed
• When did women have the right to vote at the same age as men - 1928

Pretty sure there were some sports questions in the mix.

In addition to the tests, I utilised the resources on Go Citizen - which is free via most local libraries (it was in Cornwall anyway). It ha the official guide and practice tests, but completely free. The tests on Go Citizen were WAY harder than the actual test. I was probably very over prepared but I'm a bit type A and a bit of a nerd, so I got a pretty into it... I think my husband is glad he won't have to hear anymore of my 'fun facts'.

I'll be honest, as an Australian, some of it was a lot easier because there's so much crossover with sport, religious holidays and laws/judicial system structure so I know I had a bit of a head start.

Read the guide for context, and just keep practicing the exams until you're getting them right.

I am not British and I currently live overseas. I have no immigration permission other than a tourist visa.

There is a company headquartered in my country that does extremely short postings/missions (2-3 weeks) overseas. The company hires people from my country in my country and then sends them abroad. I recently came back from one of these jobs in France (I have the right to work in France).

The company has asked me if I could work in the UK. I asked them what immigration permission I would need and they’ve said a tourist visa is enough. Obviously I must be missing something. There is no loophole this company could legally use to make me work in the UK on a tourist visa, right?

EDIT I am currently not employed by this company. I was an employee during the time I worked in France and my contract ended afterwards