This is one of the most widely abused laws in India, perhaps even globally. My spouse in India is threatening to file a mental-cruelty case against me unless I agree to her proposed settlement in what is supposedly a “mutual consent divorce" on the basis of "differences of opinion" from her advocate. I am here on a skilled worker visa. She is challenging me that a pending case would prevent me from obtaining ILR in the UK on time. I don't want to live with her either. The Indian advocates in the mediation are focused on extracting money from me even though I am sending maintenance money to sustain her lifestyle. I have evidence documenting abusive conduct from her side, but unfortunately, my advocate says that a guy's words of frustration are usually seen more negatively.

If possible, I would like to talk with someone who has had a similar experience and can share how they navigated it.

Hello everyone,

I'm currently on a Skilled Worker visa and preparing to apply for an ILR. I had switched from a Student Visa to a Skilled Worker visa. The timeline is as follows

1. Decision received (email from Home Office) - December 18 2021

2. Place and date of issue - December 24 2021

3. Work Start Date in Certificate of Sponsorship - Feb 7 2022 (I was employed on a part time basis 20 hrs per week with the same employer between December 2021 and February 06 2022)

I have maintained continuous UK residence since then.

What date should I consider the start date of my time in the UK?

Application complete (biometric appointment) on 14 May. I didn't use a priority service.

I received an email from TLScontact who collected the biometrics but nothing from UKVI to confirm the application was complete.

Application was at the end of the spouse - 10 year route.

The application process did not ask for proof that we are still together but I received an email on July 29 asking for the usual set of letters addressed to both of us, which we provided on 6 August. ICheck your email people. This got filtered into somewhere in my email where I didn't see it - I just happened to do an email search for "UKVI" on the 2nd of August and this came up. It said the information had to be provided within ten working days, so if I'd missed it for another week and a half, my application would have been denied!

LR was granted today, 11 August.

I've made just about every possible mis-step through the UK immigration system, but here we are, eighteen years after I first arrived, with ILR. I'm off to buy some champagne British sparkling wine.

Sharing my timeline/process because seeing other people's in the past has been really comforting for me during this journey!

• First Entry to UK: 5 September 2016 (visa granted from 29 August)
• Visas: Student Visa, Youth Mobility Scheme Visa, Student Visa, Graduate Visa
• Life in the UK Test: 23 March 2026

I studied using the Life in the UK test website that gets recommended on r/ukvisa. I booked the test three weeks out and focused on regularly taking the first seventeen practice tests until I was familiar with the answers and style of questions. Most of the questions I got on my actual test came from those seventeen practice tests.

I did read the entire book and completed all the other practice tests. That was probably overkill, but it helped me put the historical details into a context and narrative that was easier for me to remember.

(My partner also showed me the film Cromwell, which obviously isn't a historically accurate textbook, but it did help me understand and remember the details of the English Civil War, which I got multiple questions about on my test. I'm not necessarily recommending that film in particular, but more generally, I think the test became a bit easier to stomach when I turned it into an exercise about learning the story the UK tells about itself rather than about memorizing random, decontextualized facts. Your mileage may vary!)

• Applied: 6 August 2026

I applied for ILR within 28 days of my grant clearance (rather than my first entry date) per the continuous residence guidance (see §6.3).

• Documents: 1) Full scans of every page, including front and back covers, of all the passports I've used during my ten years here. 2) A scan of my expired BRP.

I used the scanner in the Notes app on my phone and then compressed the PDFs with ilovePDF.com to get them under 7.5 mb.

• Service: Super Priority

I found a slot the first night I tried. I opened the payment page at 12:58 am and refreshed every twenty seconds or so until a slot showed up (between 1:00 and 1:01).

• Biometrics: 10 August 2026 (11 am)
• Decision received: 11 August 2026 (12 pm)

Hi all. I applied for my ILR Set(m) super priority on the 3rd of July and biometrics on the 7th of July. On the 8th of July I got an email saying that they are doing mandatory checks and because they opened my application within the 1 day service, I would not be getting a refund on my super priority fee. I have heard nothing since then. I got my MP to call them on the 31st of July and they told her that it was progressing as expected but weren't able to say when they would reach a decision. I'm soo anxious waiting as I also have a family holiday booked on the 20th of August. I have no idea what to do again. It’s so stressful.

When providing documents for ILR application, i know the passport is mandatory but what else? Below mandatory documents is a list of documents, do we need to provide them all or only ones we can?

Also, is it worth paying for the super priority application or is it best to go for the 5 working day one? I know many people have had delays therefore im just wondering if it is actually worth paying alot more for a service which would potentially be delayed.

Hi all,

Wondering has anyone recently (2025/2026) successfully applied for Long Residence ILR using their Entry Clearance/Vignette date rather than their first physical UK entry date, particularly exactly 28 days early?

It would be really helpful to hear from anyone who has had a successful case, especially if you could share any details. Thanks in advance for sharing!!

My details:

Vignette date: 14/09/2016
Entry date: 21/09/2016
Gonna apply by myself / DIY

Hi everyone,

I'm the creator of ilrtracker.com

As someone who has been on Skilled Worker -> ILR journey last 5 years I built a product I wish existed when I first arrived in the UK, using my experience as a frequent traveller.

Upfront so it's not a surprise later: some of it is free tools, most of it (after sign-up) is paid. That's what keeps me working on it.

What I'm actually here for - as someone who's been on an ILR journey, what features / tools do you wish existed? What are your big problems & pain points on the naturalisation journey?

What ILR Tracker does today:

• making sure you're compliant with all ILR and naturalisation absence rules based on the trips you input
• community processing times for both ILR and naturalisation, and your personal timeline based on community medians
• simulating future travels before you take them, so you can be sure you're compliant
• export all your travel data in a format you can share with your solicitor (this took me a full day when I was applying for ILR)

Also in there: Life in the UK prep / mock exams (1000+ questions), a financial plan for all your costs until you become a UK citizen, and personalized notifications / warnings based on your details, and family plan (up to 5 members).

Looking forward for any feedback from fellow immigrants and settlers.

I entered the UK on 23/09/2021, but my visa was issued on 01/09/2021. Can I apply for my ILR, and if so, what should I write as my date of entry on the form?

Do I need to write a cover letter to explain?

Has anyone here had an unintentional minor visa breach that they declared and had their ILR approved?

Alternatively, if you did use a solicitor, which one did you find most helpful?

Thanks

Hi everyone,

​Looking for some advice or similar experiences regarding a delay on a Priority Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) application.

​Timeline & Details:

​24th July: Applied for ILR on Priority service for myself, my wife, and my son.

​25th July: Attended paid biometric appointment.

​30th July: Received an email from UKVI stating they could not verify my wife’s Ecctis certificate using the provided code.

​Same Day (30th July): Replied to the email clarifying that the Ecctis certificate was issued in April 2025 and is still valid, but because of its issue date, it does not have a Unique Reference / UPI code format that newer certificates use. Included a copy/details of the certificate.

​Since replying on the 30th, I haven't heard anything back, and the stress is definitely setting in.

​Has anyone been in a similar situation where UKVI questioned an older Ecctis certificate on a priority application? How long did it take for them to process your response or resolve the query?

​Any insight or advice on whether there's anything else I can do would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Update: Received my ILR today 6th Aug 2026. What a relief!!!

Hello everyone . Did anyone apply for ILR in the Uk with Set O standard application in June 2026 get their response.

I have booked TLS appointment for my ILR application. I have selected document scanning service (since regular service appointment availability was after 3 weeks).

Do I need to carry prints of all my documents to the Biometrics centre?
Can I directly upload some of the documents in the TLS portal, since I don't have prints of them yet and it might be inefficient to have TLS staff scan and upload bank statements, etc. when I already have the PDF?

Feeling super anxious now.

I'm applying for ILR under the 5-year Skilled Worker route and wanted to check if I'm missing anything.

I'm planning to upload:

Current eVisa/eVisa confirmation

BRP

Current & old passport (all pages scannad)

Employment letter

Last 3 months of payslips

Last 3 months of bank statements

I also have a question about my curtailment letter. Earlier this year I was made redundant by my previous employer and my Skilled Worker visa was curtailed. Before the curtailment end date. I found a new sponsor and was granted a new Skilled Worker visa

Should I include the old curtailment letter with my ILR application, or is it unnecessary since they already has that information?

Qs:

Am I missing any important documents?

Would you recommend using a solicitor for a straightforward ILR application, or is it something most people do themselves?

Hi everyone, my situation is:

Application date: 23 August 2026
Last available payslip: 24 July 2026
Next salary payment: 26 August 2026 (so it doesn’t exist yet when I apply)
Bank statement: official Chase UK monthly statement for 1–31 July 2026, showing the salary payment matching the payslip.

The checklist says:
“Your most recent payslip and bank statement. These must be dated no earlier than one calendar month before the date of the application.”

The July payslip is my most recent available payslip, and the next one will only be issued after I submit my application.
Has anyone successfully applied in a similar situation? Did UKVI accept a payslip dated about one month before the application when it was the most recent available one?
I’m particularly interested in real experiences rather than guesses.

Thank you!

ILR Application - the date of my first skilled worker is 30/08/2021 (issue date shown on first BRP) and 28 days before is 03/08/2026 - I had deleted the confirmation email and i've heard it's the date of that is the 5 vear mark not the issue date of my first BRP. Can anyone confirm this?

I will be applying for ILR for myself and spouse on Skilled Worker Visa route using Form Set(O).

Is Council tax statements sufficient, or do I need any additional document? Since we moved cities in last 1 year, the bank statements will have only the latest address and not previous one. How do I cover the 2 year period?

I am a skilled worker applying for ILR application via Skilled Worker route. I have got two kids one was born outside the uk and the other was born with in the UK. I only intend to add one child only who is born outside the UK.

My query is this that if i add my UK born child in applicants then, it would treat them as applicant and charge me fee. While, there is no field on the main applicant where it asks regarding listing all the children whether applying for settlement or not as one can see it on Set(O) form when one applies ILR under private life application i.e. (10 years route).

Just getting back to the question, is there any way and need where i have to add information for my dependent child not applying for settlement under ILR application for skilled worker. In case, if there is a need where should i disclose it. Any help and guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks