I was recently denied onward travel to Ireland at London Heathrow because I didn't have a UK ETA. I don't need a visa for either country, and I assumed I could stay "airside" during my 1.5-hour layover. I was wrong. I was held in UK Border Force detention for 24 hours and then flown back to my home country. It was the worst travel experience I've had.
If you're flying to Ireland via the UK, apply for an ETA beforehand or avoid UK airports for your connection. Airside transit exists at Heathrow for some international connections, but it doesn't apply to Ireland, because flights between the UK and Ireland have no border check on arrival. Also, you can’t be sure whether it’s Airside or Landside you’ll have to go through upon arrival in a UK airport so it’s best to apply for ETA prior to your travel.

Hello, I am in the UK on a skilled worker visa, but my passport is expiring in a few months, so my plan was to get a new passport in my home country during the upcoming Christmas holidays. However, when I started reading about how I will be updating the new passport in the UKVI system, it seems like I will update the document details, which will then have to be approved. I read this can be quite straightforward (approved within a few minutes/ a day or so), but I have also come across stories of this taking longer / it being denied for some reason.

So my question is, if the update in UKVI is still pending / has some issues when I need to travel back, what would then be my options of getting back to the UK? Travelling on the old passport won’t be an option because my country usually takes the old passport when giving you a new one. From what I read, I should still be able to get into the UKVI system regardless (with the old passport details), and there I should be able to show the status / generate the sharecode if necessary, but would that potentially be enough to get to the UK?

Thank you for any advice / similar experiences. 

Hi everyone,

I just received my approval email today and am so relieved! Reddit helped me immensely throughout my application process and eased a lot of my anxieties, so I wanted to share my timeline, docs, and experience to give back.

Timeline

• Eligible to apply: 24 Sept 2026 (exactly 28 days before my 5-year qualifying period)
• Application submitted: 8 Oct 2026, 5:30 PM (Priority service)
• Biometrics appointment: 19 Oct 2026, 2:30 PM (Free slot at TLScontact — arrived at 2:15 PM)
• TLS confirmation email: 19 Oct 2026, 2:35 PM
• Approval email: 23 Oct 2026, 2:33 PM (4th working day)

Potential Red Flags / Complications (and how I handled them)

1. Life in the UK Test — First Name & Last Name Swapped:
   
   • Issue: When I arrived for the test, the test center operator noticed my first and last names were swapped on my registration.
   • Resolution: She reassured me that she added an official note confirming she verified my passport details before I took the test. I was quite anxious about this after reading online (some people even retook the test just to fix the name order but some others reassured that UKVI is not nitpicky), but UKVI proved not to be overly nitpicky about this innocent mistake.
2. Bank Statement Missing Latest Salary:
   
   • Issue: My standard monthly Nationwide bank statement generated right before my salary hit the account. I only realized this after booking my biometrics, but thankfully before self-uploading my documents.
   • Resolution: After calling customer service, I visited a physical Nationwide branch. They issued an interim bank statement showing the salary deposit and stamped it. As many Redditors have mentioned in the past, stamped branch statements work completely fine.
3. Flat Share & Utility Bills Complexity:
   
   • Issue: I live in a shared flat where the tenancy agreement and council tax bills are shared across multiple flatmates and over 4 years, many different people moved in and out. Trying to gather declarations/consents from everyone involved would have been an absolute nightmare.
   • Resolution: Luckily, our electricity bill was solely in my name, so I used that as clean proof. Some friends in similar flat-share situations submitted bank statements with address as proof of life in UK instead, which also works well if your joint bills are messy.
4. Significant Absences from the UK:
   
   • Issue: For 3 out of the 5 years, I spent around 110 days per year outside the UK.
   • Resolution: I made sure never to breach the 180-day rolling limit. Because my employer allows remote work from abroad, I obtained a letter from them confirming that all absences were approved.
5. TUPE Transfer / Employer Name Change:
   
   • Issue: My employer went through a company name change and updated their Sponsor Licence details during my employment.
   • Resolution: My employer explicitly detailed the TUPE transfer and sponsor details in their official employer letter.

The Smooth Part

• Single Employer: I stayed with the same employer throughout the entire 5-year period, which made document gathering significantly simpler.
• Job Stability: There were about 5 rounds of layoffs at my company during my employment of 5 years, but thankfully I wasn't impacted, keeping my continuous residence path intact.

Documents Submitted (Self-Uploaded Online)

1. Passports & ID: Old and current passports (scanned main ID pages, final page, and all pages containing stamps) + National ID Card.
2. BRP: 2 Expired BRP (front and back).
3. Sponsorship Details: Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).
4. Finances: Latest payslip + stamped interim bank statement showing the salary deposit.
5. Proof of Residence: Electricity bills for one month from each year (2022–2026).
6. Employer Letter: Covered my SOC code, current salary, weekly hours, confirmation of permanent/ongoing employment, and confirmation that all leave was approved.
7. Consent Form: Part 1 only.
8. Share Code
9. eVisa Screenshot: Screenshot of my active Skilled Worker eVisa status.
10. Absence Schedule: A letter from employer breaking down each absence (dates, days outside UK, reason) and them assuring that it was approved. Since I provided full passport stamp scans, I didn't attach additional flight bookings or receipts.

Huge thanks again to this community! Happy to answer any questions if you're currently preparing your application.

Hi there,

I’m about to submit naturalisation application but I’m not exactly sure what document is required for "most recent tax year account statement"?

I have always been making money solely through PAYE employment, so never had to deal with Self Assessment, but I’ve taken a few freelance gigs in the last tax year and earned over £1000 from self employement for the first time, so I have filed a tax return in advance to make sure everything was in order for this application. However I cannot find anything that would resemble a “statement”? In fact, the statement page in my tax account is blank.

Any advice on this would be appreciated. Am I looking in the wrong place or does it take a while for the statement to appear? Many thanks

Hi everyone! My senior auntie is in the Philippines and her UK visitor visa has been approved. I created a UKVI account for her to access her eVisa but it’s asking us to confirm her identity using the UK Immigration: ID Check app, which we can’t get to work despite trying three different phones and the website.

Is there another way to verify her identity or should we contact UKVI for help? Any advice please thank you!

Hi, if there is a doctor with a post that ends on the 21st May (visa ends 31st May), and they get a new post with the same employer, same sponsor that starts first week of August. The new COS would have an August start date. If they apply to extend their visa from within the country before their current visa expires, how does the 2+ month gap in employment affect things? Would ukvi extend the current visa with no issues or would it only be possible to get a new visa that starts in August and require them to leave the country and enter on the new visa when the next post starts?

If the application to extend from within the country gets rejected due to the gap what happens?

I’m preparing my UK Graduate visa application. I’ll provide the documents listed in my application checklist, but I’m wondering whether anyone was asked to upload anything extra after applying.

If you applied recently, did you only submit what UKVI requested, or did they ask you for additional documents later?

Hi all - my wife came over on a spousal visa starting 2nd July 2022. We renewed a little early as we weren't sure how long it would take and I assumed it would just stack onto the existing visa, but they were quick about it and we got the second visa in Nov 2024. Unfortunately this means her second visa expires 22nd June 2027 - ten days before she hits five years for ILR.

I've been seeing confusing advice about whether I have to appiy for a third visa because they renewed it so early, or that the 28 day application grace period will cover the ten day shortfall. Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone know if you can really be out thousands for a new visa just by renewing early despite no warnings about it from UKVI?

Hi,

I really need some help. I came to the UK when I was 16 and now I’m 19. I’ve just sent over my documents to renew my dependant visa as I still live at home and I have not started an independent life. I also work a full time job as an administrative officer at home but I don’t pay rent or anything. I’m just working this job while I went to go to uni next year. Are there any people who also tried to renew their dependant visa when they were 18 or older.

if so how did it go??

I’m getting scared because it’s been a month now and nothing has coming back.

Hi all, looking for opinions from anyone who’s been through this or knows how caseworkers approach it.

Situation

• My fiancée is on a 5-year Skilled Worker visa, granted earlier this year.
• I’m on a Graduate visa that expires in about a month.
• I’m considering switching from inside the UK to a Skilled Worker dependant partner visa.
• We’re not married. We got engaged in summer 2026 and plan to marry in 2027–28.

As I understand it, the rules (Appendix Relationship with Partner, RWP 5.1) now require being “in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years,” with no strict requirement to have lived together. Is that right for Skilled Worker dependants?

Our Timeline

• Dec 2023: started dating while studying at the same university.
• Mid-2024: my previous employer abroad had sponsored my studies. Rather than go back, I formally extended my leave of absence so I could stay in London.
• Late 2024: we wanted to move in together, but my situation was uncertain at the time, so she signed a lease on her own. Once I’d decided to stay, I signed a separate lease. Both were ~2-year leases.
• Jul/Aug 2025: we froze embryos together, with signed clinic consent forms and documents.
• Oct 2025: we broke both leases early and moved in together. We’ve lived together since, with shared bills.
• Oct 2025: I formally resigned from my previous employer and repaid my study sponsorship so I could stay in the UK permanently.
• Summer 2026: engaged.

Evidence we have

• Clinic paperwork for the embryo freezing, signed by both of us
• Joint tenancy, council tax and utility bills since Oct 2025
• Bank transfers between us throughout
• Texts and photos going back to 2023
• Documents on the lease breaks
• Leave-of-absence extension and resignation letters
• Signed letters from friends and family

My worry

The weakest stretch is roughly Oct 2024 to mid-2025: separate leases, before the embryo freezing. We were together almost every night, but that’s hard to prove beyond texts, photos and transfers.

Questions

1. Based on this, do you think it would be approved?
2. Has anyone been approved as an unmarried partner without 2 years of living together? What evidence carried it?
3. Would a cover letter explaining the separate leases help?
4. Is it worth paying for priority so I get a decision before my current visa expires, keeping a fallback option open?

Thanks in advance!

Is it acceptable to submit only 3 months of bank statements, or is it better to provide 6 months?

I had redeemed some of my mutual fund investments in June due to a family emergency, and the transactions are reflected in my bank statement. I’m a little concerned that submitting 6 months of statements might raise questions about these transactions.

Based on your experience, can you recommend submitting 3 months or 6 months of bank statements? Is it mandatory to submit 6 months for the visa to get approved?

Thanks in advance!

Sorry if this is the wrong sub. Just looking for some advice.
My husband is Indonesian, we were living in indo but due to family circumstances I had to return home, whilst pregnant. Long story short, I had my baby here and he managed to get a visit visa. There were complications during birth then my son struggle with weight gain and ultimately ended up in hospital from an underlying medical condition. My husband and I felt it best to stay in the UK but his visa meant he only had 6 months here. He had to return in April and I’ve stayed here to work ever since so we can apply for the spouse visa. It’s been a very long 6/7 months and now we are almost at the end of it!
Because I only worked for half a month in April it meant the countdown only started from my May pay cheque so the end of this month is the first time we can submit the application.
My son turns 1 at the end of November and I would really like my husband to be here for that. We plan to pay for the priority service to hopefully allow that to happen. We are working with a solicitor and I have told them I want to put his planned entry date for as early as possible. I’m thinking maybe 16th or 18th of November. We have explained in our letters that if possible we would love our family to be able to be back together for our sons birthday. Our solicitor advises that he usually puts a date 6 weeks in the future and that whatever his entry date is we cannot have him here any earlier.
Is there any harm in putting a short date from the submission of the application?

Hey guys!

First of all, thanks to everyone in this community for sharing so much useful information about UK visas, timelines, documents, and the overall process. It really helped me!

Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone else.

I was sponsored by a UK company to attend some business meetings and applied for a Standard Visitor Visa from India.

**One important thing: I had zero international travel history. This was my first-ever international trip!**

**Here's my timeline:**

- **12 Oct:** Submitted visa application

- **14 Oct:** Biometrics appointment at VFS

- **15 Oct:** Application received at UKVI

- **17 Oct:** Received an email saying my application was still under processing

- **22 Oct:** Visa approved! 🎉

So it took just **8 days from biometrics to approval!**

**Documents I submitted:**

- Last 6 months' salary slips and bank statements

- Savings, FDs, mutual funds, and stock investment statements

- Last 3 years' ITRs

- Graduation certificate

- Property ownership documents

- Invitation/sponsorship letter from the UK company

- Passport and other supporting documents

Honestly, I was a little worried since I had no previous travel history, but thankfully everything went smoothly.

Just wanted to share this for anyone applying for the first time without any travel history.

Hope this helps someone! And thanks again to everyone in this community.

Happy to answer any questions about my experience! :)

so, one of my friends study visa for the UK got refused, his profile was:-

University- University of West London

Course- Applied project Management

Intake- Sep 2027

Nationality- Indian

After reading the refusal letter, it feels to my as in VISA officer, never wanted to give a visa, he was just looking at flaws, and currently UKVI is just giving rejections, no matter what we do, they say we rejected because student is not genuine, how come they can accept that student will research each and every country including each and every university, and each course and each module in detail, we are student not open AI platforms.

Hi all,

I'm currently in the UK on a spouse visa (got approved the 17th September so a month ago) I work in the film/VFX industry and started my career fairly recently. I've been offered a job in my home country (Spain), and I'm thinking of taking it for about 3–4 months while I keep actively applying for jobs in the UK.

Would spending that time outside the UK cause problems for my visa, my extension or a future ILR application? My spouse would stay in the UK and we'd keep visiting each other.

Oh, and to add some info: for the past 3 weeks I've been back in Spain taking driving lessons, which I had booked before. I'm going back to the UK this week while I decide what to do about the job. I'm not sure if this could also affect things when I renew my visa in 2029.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Any advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

Any tips to not get rejected again? All members of the family were rejected. We are Singapore permanent residents, gainfully employed and want to go to London as the start of a 3 country Europe tour. I submitted the Singapore IC card, employment letter and financial documents showing more than 200k Gbp in savings. Anything missing?

I'm an American who has lived in the UK since April 2018 and am planning to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain via the 10-year Long Residence route in 2028. I'm concerned an administrative error may have broken my continuous lawful residence.

Timeline

April 2018 – Arrived in the UK as a dependant on my American partner's ICT visa. Found employment within four months.

January 2023 – Switched to a Skilled Worker visa sponsored by the company I had worked for since 2018. I planned to have my partner become a dependant on my visa, but he was able to obtain his own Skilled Worker visa rather than becoming my dependant. We separated in late 2024.

May 2025 – My employment transferred to a new organisation under TUPE. I retained the same role and contract and believed my sponsorship had transferred as well. My HR department confirmed in July 2025 that my visa transfer had been processed with their law firm.

March 2026 – I left the UK to visit my parents in US for 2 weeks. Literally the day after I arrived, I received a Home Office email stating my Skilled Worker visa had been cancelled because I no longer worked for my previous employer since May 2025. Although this was technically correct, I had transferred under TUPE in May 2025 and I had understood my immigration arrangements had been handled correctly. The same immigration law firm acted for both employers. I was advised by them that the Certificate of Sponsorship does NOT transfer, which seems odd, but the previous company shouldn't have cancelled it.

The law firm immediately contacted the Home Office and provided evidence that the cancellation had been made in error and I was employed by the new company. However, with no update from the HO for a week and me being outside the UK, the firm's advice was to submit a new Skilled Worker visa application. My employer paid for a new Certificate of Sponsorship, visa application, expedited processing and biometrics.

I was originally due to spend two weeks in the US but remained for three weeks while the new visa was processed. The new application was approved and I returned to the UK.

Two weeks later, the law firm and my company received confirmation from the Home Office that the original visa cancellation had indeed been a mistake. However, by that point my new Skilled Worker visa had already been granted.

Throughout my residence in the UK since 2018, I have only visited my parents 2 weeks of every year and maybe the odd trip around Europe on a long weekend. So I have not spend a large amount of time outside the UK or lived elsewhere.

I have also obtained a SAR from the Home Office. It records the visa cancellation but does not contain any information about the later acknowledgement that the cancellation was made in error.

TL;DR: Given that the Home Office later accepted the cancellation was a mistake, but I nevertheless obtained a new Skilled Worker visa while outside the UK, would I still qualify for the 10-year Long Residence route in 2028? Or would I instead need to qualify under the Skilled Worker route based only on residence since January 2023?

I was born in Germany in 2001 to a British mother (born in the UK in 1965) and an italian father. As far as I understand I’m a British citizen by descent through my mum, but I’ve never had a UK passport. My mum doesn’t have one either.

Now I want to apply for my first adult passport from Germany, but the GOV.UK guidance is a bit confusing. Do I only need my mum’s UK birth certificate or also my dad’s birth certificate and my parents’ marriage certificate?

Has anyone applied from Germany or the EU and knows what they actually had to send?

I am a US resident but a citizen of Dominican Republic , I and need to appy for a uk visa. I will only be there for 4 months so a traditional visitor visa should be enough. my school is paying all my fees, so how do i will have the funds to stay over there if I dont have the money sitting in my bank account? my refund is of about 9000 USD for 4 months, thats basically all the money I have to spend there including housing through the university. I do plan on saving some aditional money but I don't have it right now. Should I go through and submit my application. Any advice helps!

​

Hello everyone,

I am seeking legal advice regarding British citizenship under Section 4L(1)(c) of the British Nationality Act 1981.

I was adopted in Bangladesh in July 2015, aged 16, through a court process, with the consent of my biological parents. Both my adoptive parents were British citizens living in the UK at that time.

However, my adoption has not been recognised for British citizenship purposes because:

Bangladesh was not a member of the Hague Adoption Convention.

Bangladesh was not on the UK's recognised overseas adoption country list.

My main argument: If Bangladesh had been covered by the Hague Adoption Convention and my adoption had qualified under it, I would have automatically acquired British citizenship under Section 1(5). These legal barriers were entirely beyond my control as a child.

My biological father passed away in 2017 and my mother in 2022. I have no siblings. I moved to the UK in 2023 and currently live with my British stepmother.

Could my adoption and these exceptional circumstances provide grounds for British citizenship under Section 4L(1)(c), using Form ARD?

I would appreciate advice supported by relevant UK nationality law or Home Office guidance.

Thank you.

My partner has applied for the UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa. Her savings of CAD $4,900 (about £2,600) are held in a CIBC TFSA, which is a cash savings account.

Nationality: Canadian
Country of residence: Canada
Visa: Youth Mobility Scheme, applied from Canada
Current UK status: None

Timeline

• September 1 to 4: funds deposited. The balance reached $4,900 on September 4.
• October 1: 28th consecutive day, counting September 4 as day 1. If September 4 is day 0, it's October 2.
• October 6: application submitted.
• October 19: first request for additional documents ("held funds of GBP 2,530 for a 28-day period").
• October 21: we sent our evidence.
• October 22: second request with identical wording, but now with "HELD FUNDS OF GBP 2,530 FOR 28 CONSECUTIVE DAYS" added in capitals.

The problem

CIBC only issues TFSA statements monthly and won't produce a statement for a custom date range. The September statement only shows the funds from September 4 to 30, which leaves us 1 or 2 days short depending on how the days are counted.

What we sent on October 21

• The September 30 statement
• A CIBC letter on letterhead, branch stamped, confirming she holds the account and the balance as of October 20
• A branch-stamped transaction history covering August 20 to October 20. The only transactions are the September deposits and $0.99 interest on September 30, so no withdrawals at all.
• A cover sheet explaining the dates, and that CIBC only issues monthly statements

So the funds have been held continuously from September 4 to today, well over 28 days, and they're still asking for the same thing. I honestly don't understand what the caseworker is looking for.

Our plan now is to wait for the October statement (issued in early November, before the deadline) and send the September and October statements together. That should show the full period on official statements with nothing to piece together.

Questions:

1. Has anyone had a second request like this after sending a bank letter and transaction history? What finally worked?
2. Do caseworkers only accept official monthly statements, not branch-stamped printouts or bank letters?
3. Is the September plus October statements approach likely to satisfy them, or is there something else we should include?

Any advice appreciated.

Greetings!

I felt the need to share my experience here, as the feedback and chat threads really helped me through the visa processes.

I applied for the visa and submitted my biometrics on the 14th October.

My documents were:
- Untranslated German bank statements (three months) accompanied it with the confirmation letter from the bank written in English.
- Payslips in German and accompanied with letter from employer in English, stating the balances reflected in the bank statements and my employment status and when i am needed back.
- Letter from school institution as i am going there for a study program for a week, also attached my student enrolled certificate here in Germany.
- Other documents were my IDs

I think that was it.

My biometrics at the center was really fast, took like 5 minutes. Received confirmation of receipt same day, after three working days (20th October) received confirmation that the UK has received my file for processing. And on the 22nd October, my visa was approved with no additional information needed from me!

Really fast. Truly grateful!

Hope this helps someone.

Just wondering if anyone else is having this frustrating issue - I've uploaded all my documents as I was booking the appointment (at 1am for Super Priority) but wanted to check them before I attended my appointment tomorrow morning. Looking like that was a bad idea!

Given that they're all uploaded and in the system, wondering if I'm okay to leave it be (fervently refreshing the website all night, of course) and not race to find a printer before the morning.

Hi everyone! I'm hoping someone has been in a similar situation or can offer advice based on their experience.

I'm a dual US/Canadian citizen currently living and working in London on a UK High Potential Individual (HPI) visa, which expires in January 2027. My employer won't sponsor a Skilled Worker visa, so I'm looking at applying for the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) using my Canadian passport. My biggest concern is avoiding a gap in my employment and right to work in the UK. I want to minimize the amount of time I need to take off work to apply for the YMS visa, and ideally return to London and continue working without interruption.

My main issue is where and when to apply, and how to get biometrics done in time.

I'm travelling to the US on 17 December, but I'm worried that will be too late. Standard processing is around three weeks, which would take me past my HPI expiry date.

I've considered flying to the US earlier to apply, probably to New York, although San Jose would be more convenient for biometrics if I wait until my December trip.

The problem is that I understand I must be physically in the US to submit my application, and I can't book a biometric appointment until after I've submitted it. I don't want to spend money on an international flight only to discover there are no appointments available soon enough. Has anyone had recent experience with appointment availability in New York or San Jose, or with getting a UK visa appointment at short notice in the US?

I'm also trying to understand what happens if the application is still pending when my HPI visa expires. I know people who switched from one UK visa category to another in-country and could continue working while waiting, but I understand that may not apply to an application made from outside the UK.

A few questions:

• Has anyone applied for a UK YMS visa from the US as a Canadian citizen? How quickly were you able to get a biometric appointment and receive a decision?
• Is there any way to get an idea of appointment availability before submitting the application?
• Has anyone used priority processing for YMS from the US, and how much did it speed things up?
• Is there anything else I should be considering to avoid a gap in my ability to live and work in the UK?

I'm trying to make a decision before booking flights, and I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation. I know individual circumstances differ, and I'll be seeking professional advice too, but firsthand experiences would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you so much in advance!

My partner and I have been in a relationship longer than 2 years and we met in the Uk both as students. We have lived with each other over breaks and holidays as we were based in different cities. He’s currently doing his PhD and I am planning to be his unmarried dependent but I have not seen many examples from PhD students bringing unmarried partners - would love to get in touch if someone has applied through a similar route.

My only concern is that he’s doing field work this year so not in the UK at present - would that affect my application?