Thanks for this.

Also, we didn't have bills in our name but have correspondence and bank letters for about 3 years. Do I need to explain in a cover letter? Thanks.

abubarakat:
Yes, the most recent payslip and bank statement MUST be less than 28 days old. This is IMPORTANTER!!!

As for online documents, try to export it as a PDF file and upload. You are uploading online anyways, so it doesn't make any difference.

If you bank statements are not the original copy sent through post by your bank, PLEASE make sure you to take them to your nearest and have them stamp every single page.

All the best.

Hello everyone,

Can anyone recommend a good driving instructor around North / North West London. Thanks.

Congratulations! If you don't mind me asking, what was the total cost for the super priority application? Also, how soon before expiry did you apply? Thanks.

tosine:
Compliments of the season everyone.

I went for my biometrics today and got an email of Visa granted today. Below is my timeline and documents submitted.

Application Type : FLR(M) - 1st Extension (Super priority)

Online application- 2nd December 2019
Biometrics- 30 December 2019
Decision Email- 30 December 2019

Documents for visa

[ ] My passport & BRP
[ ] Passport photograph
[ ] Wife & son passport 
[ ] My, wife, son birth certificate 
[ ] Letter from me and wife
[ ] Bsc certificate 
[ ] Masters certificate 
[ ] Marriage Certificate 
[ ] My letter of employment and salary confirmation
[ ] My 6 months payslip
[ ] Statement of Earnings
[ ] Wife letter from employer 
[ ] My 6 months bank statement 
[ ] P60
[ ] Tenancy agreement
[ ] Council tax bill
[ ] Random selection of bills and letters received for the past 2 years
[ ] Tickets to spain and picture
[ ] Pictures of naming and others

Thanks a lot for your advice. Does the 28 day mean that the most recent payslip and bank statement must be less than 28 days old? Another issue I have is that some of the correspondence documents are online such as phone bills and so on. Also, can I have my bank stamp on my online copies before scanning? I don't think I can get my previous employers to stamp on my previous payslips. Also what is the total cost of the application including the NHS fee and super priority? Thanks a million.

abubarakat:
You need at least 12 items of correspondence in your name and that of your partner spread over the last 2 years before you submit your application.

Yes, you need to submit payslips and bank statements for the last 12 months before you submit your application. Please remember the 28 day rule.

Please request for original bank statements from your bank. They usually don't accept online statements printed from home/elsewhere unless it is stamped by the bank.

As for payslips, the online copies should be fine but if you can get your HR to stamp them, that would be great. I recently applied for my FLR in September with payslips issued through Sage and I got the visa. Please remember to get a letter from your HR to confirm your employment details.

All the best

Seasons greeting my people. Please does any know any reliable shipping service from London to Nigeria? I need to send a small parcel.

Seasons greetings my people �

I will be applying for the FLR and intend to pay for the priority service soon but have some concerns.
For one, I and my partner do not have joint bills but have separate bills at the same address. I also rented a room for Monday to Thursday to save on commuting costs as I have to travel for work.
Also, I have recently changed jobs twice in 2 months after staying at one role for almost 2 years. I intend to use my payslips and bank statements for the application, so do I need to provide 12 months payslip and bank statements? Also, my payslips and bank statements were sent electronically, do I need to request paper copies or can I just print? Also curious about all the fees including priority costs? I really need some clarity on how to proceed. Thanks my people.

5H4D3:
Thanks for your prompt response. Really appreciate.. should I be thinking of working as a freelance developer or working with a team in an office environment? Which do you think is more feasible for me? I like to resume somewhere , relate with team in a work environment. That's what i ve done for 6 years. Yes, I have a portfolio of my past projects, will get them into github as advised.

I work well with mysql, mssql, JavaScript, jQuery, Ajax, spring mvc, Native PHP, WordPress, Joomla, j2ee.

Just getting into node.js.

I guess I should just focus on the skills I have already into perfection and add 1 or 2 things.

Thanks a lot.

Freelance is very tough and highly competitive so probably look into full time or contract roles. You have an impressive skills range so you can keep developing on those. Nothing wrong in adding new skills it always helps. You shouldn't have a problem finding roles both contract and full time but usually UK work experience is important but if you do well in interviews/coding tests then you will be fine. If you live in a big city like London then much better. Also important is if the company feels you will fit in well, so presentation is important. You may have all the skills in this world but they would want to know if you can work well in a team.

Embellish:
Hi everyone,
I got to the UK yesterday and the immigration officer asked quite a number of questions. He asked me when and where I got married,how I met my husband,if I had resigned from work in Nigeria and if I planned to work in the UK,if I already had a job offer here,where my husband works and what he does there,then he asked me where his office was located. Well,I knew where he worked but didn't know the location and I told him so. He didn't seem too pleased that I didn't have that info. He then told me to try and get to Southampton by Monday to pick up my BRP. Na so I run leave am o,before he'd look for something out of the blues to ask.

He was probably in a bad mood. This rarely happens. Except he is a Tory.

Johnwisdom1032:

I run an online store and a physical shop, my company is not registered yet... But I have my shop tenancy agreement documents and screenshot of transactions between me and my customers... Please will this be enough as proof of entrepreneurship?

Bro don't worry about company documents or what not. Just worry about your sponsors documents, your English result, TB certificate and relationship evidence. You can include your 6 or 12 months bank statement if you want but not relevant. I had a registered business in Nigeria with accounts and everything but I only submitted my personal account statement which was also outdated by a few months before my application and was successful last year August 2017. The Home Office is only concerned about your sponsor and if they can still take care of you even if you don't get a job in the UK. The Home Office doesn't care if you don't have a degree. That is only relevant when you are looking for work in the UK.

Aphrodite007:


Seeing as you don’t have a degree, there’s no document to show this. You just have to explain your handiwork or business you own. I believe you are working in Nigeria, yeah? If you work in an office, your work experience will suffice but if you own your business just get your papers (everything about your business together and submit to them). If you are an artisan, that will be excellent cos they actually like artisans here, you will only need to boast about your years of experience.

It’s kind of like a tough area seeing as there’s no degree, but these people don’t care too much about degrees, they just want to know you can work and are willing to work when you get here. So package a letter/portfolio to show your skills to them.

It doesn't matter what qualification or no qualification the applicant has. HO only cares about the sponsor. They don't care if the applicant doesn't work as long as the sponsor meets the financial requirements. All this talk of portfolio or business papers are irrelevant and I am talking from experience. You only need a portfolio when you get to the UK and are applying for jobs or looking for clients.

Except you are applying for a Tier 1 visa.

carphy:
Hello everyone,
In the financial requirement, is the 18,600 pounds requirement the earnings for the last 12 months or earning for next 12 months?

Past 12 months earnings even if you are providing just 6 months bank statements and pay slips. You must include a letter from the employer confirming you or partners annual income. If you have been employed by the same employer for more than 12 months then 6 months bank statements and/or pay slips will suffice. If employed for less than 12 months then you have to provide 12 months bank statements.

5H4D3:
So glad to see this thread. I ve been reading for about 3 days now. Yet to finish sha but i need to ask a question . I need guide please. My hubby is a doctor and I m a computer scientist , I have worked as a web developer since 2012 in a software development company. We are close to migrating o the UK with our 2 kids before this time next year if all go as planned. Mt area of strength (PHP / J2EE). My hubby has a career path already in the UK via PLAB. What do you think I can do please? How do I get a job? What d I have to do please? my 2 kids currently under 3 years but the first should be more than 3 by the time we move. Any tip for me especially? Wont mind to have a job so as to help the family.

If I m to do my Masters, which area should I consider?

The IT gurus here should help me.

What other skills should I add please?

@wonlasewonimi

From my experience, the most in-demand php web development roles are in Drupal/WordPress CMS, MVCs such as Laravel, Symfony, Zend 2/3 and maybe Codeigniter. Front-end experience is also important especially in JavaScript (Vue.js, React.js, Node.js, JQuery, Vanilla) and maybe some responsive design with Bootstrap.

You are also expected to have a portfolio of your past projects (create a GitHub account if you don't already have one) and some experience in other areas such as Linux, MySQL, Apache/Nginx and so on.

With your experience in J2EE you can also get into Android development. On your CV, try highlighting all your relevant skills and what technologies you used in your various roles. Create profiles on cv-library.co.uk, indeed.co.uk, LinkedIn.com, monster.co.uk, reed.co.uk and so on.

For Masters, you should look through the modules on the computer science programs at universities close to where you will be living to ensure you will be gaining some more relevant skills and not outdated skills. Software/web development roles are more dependent on experience and what you can prove such as past projects and on coding test/projects to complete within a very short time. Also expect to be grilled on your technical competencies. I hope this helps.

newbie715:


You are welcome. I hope you haven't lost the role though as a result of the delay. Fingers crossed, you'd get the BRP soon.

I honestly don't even like the BRP only idea, as in no visa, just BRP, this is my first one. My previous visa was stamped in my passport and I prefer that. I have now inserted this BRP in my passport as I am paranoid that I'd lose it or forget it when I travel and I will be held at immigration on my return. I wish they could still stamp your passport and you could have BRP as additional proof.

Fingers crossed oh. I haven't lost it yet but they have been waiting almost 2 months now worried they might just move on. I know a few people who had got their ILR as stamps in their passport and were required to apply for a BRP. Some even lost their jobs during the wait as it takes up to 6 months. The HO is trying to phase out visa stamps I reckon. I think Australia doesn't even issue a stamp or card just a letter unless by special request.

newbie715:


Documents and BRP arrived same day. Documents arrived first, then I received an email from DX delivery stating my BRP will be delivered that day, a delivery guy came a few hours later to drop it off. DX (Delivered Exactly) courier services handle passport and BRP delivery for HO

Thanks a lot. I did my biometrics almost a month ago and still waiting. My BRP was stolen/lost and haven't been able to start in my new role because of it. My employer did contact HO but were informed to wait till I had the new BRP. It supposed to take no longer than 8 weeks but to think that with ILR it takes up to 6 months to get a new BRP. I think HO just wants everyone to pay for premium service.

newbie715:



I didn't get any correspondence at all after biometric enrolment. The Biometric Letter stated that the application will be concluded within 8 weeks from submission and that I will be contacted if they can't make the deadline. So after biometrics, I just received my documents sent with my SAE and the BRP came via DX delivery but both arrived same day.

Thanks for the info. If I may trouble you again, did your documents arrive before the BRP? What courier service is DX?

newbie715:
An update on my FLR (M). It was granted. I am really thankful to God. Thanks phardey for answering all my queries. See my timeline below:

Application Type : FLR(M) - 2nd extension 
Application Posted on: 14 April 18
Documents received by HO: 17 April 18
Documents signed for: 17 April 18
Payment taken: 18 April 18 
Acknowledgement Received on: 20 April 18 dated 18 April 18 ‎
Employer sent request to Home Office to confirm application: 20 April 18
Home Office confirmed to Employer: 27 April 18‎
Biometric Request Letter Received: 04 May 18 dated 02 May 18 
Biometrics Enrolled on: 05 May 18
Decision of Application: Granted
Date of Decision: 05 June 18
Documents Received on: 07 June 18
BRP Card Received: 07 June 18

Congratulations!! We thank God. If I may ask, did you get any email or letter after your biometric enrolment? Or did you just receive your documents and BRP at the same time? Thanks.

fatima04:
Morale of my epistle

1. Never give up because when you do that's when all hope will be lost.

2. Put God in all you do.

3. Follow up as much as you can, your job is in that plenty lot of impossibilities

4. Also make sure ur CV and cover letters are up to standard and constantly edit and review

5. Always focus your past experience on the expected job role and responsibilities

If anyone needs interview etiquette and questions, I have got some good ones I did not see on google

Congratulations. I had a similar kind experience and refused to give up till I eventually got what I wanted.

DaveChapelle:


Well, all this visa thing wey man dey invent, shey when oyinbo people invaded Africa in colonial era, did they come with visa...Now that things are reversed, they are restricting. When Christopher Columbus discovered America, did he go with Visit visa...all na brain washing things

I always wonder why even today we Africans and probably some South Americans and Asians are the only ones with visa restrictions. Most other nationalities can travel anywhere with little or no restriction.

Killingmesoftly:


Bros, it is well with me. In God I trust

Personally I think the system favours women with children as the Home Office will never separate a child from its mother. A lot of people of different nationalities have had to remain in the UK illegally for various reasons. It is not advisable to do so but in your condition I do understand as you have young children. However, you will not be able work, open a bank account or rent a house and so many other things.

I do know of someone who came to the UK with a visiting visa, had children here and was able to legalise his stay when his kids turned 6 and 4. The application was initially refused by the Home Office but he won the appeal as the Home Office lawyer didn't turn up. Usually kids born in the UK qualify for citizenship after 10 years regardless of their parents status.

EngrSaks:
Our seniors in the house can you please throw more light on sectors/jobs that pay good money. It Would be an advantage to know the sectors outside the medical field that are balling.

Looking through Job websites I see jobs with salaries of £30-40k per year but people here have talked about jobs that pay £500, £650, £700 per day and someone even said £20k per month.

Those with such info should please help us in demystifying the uk job market Abeg o

Thanks

Contract web and software developers can charge upwards of £400 per day depending on experience and skill level. Investment bankers and stock brokers earn upwards of £10k to £30k per month excluding end of year bonuses of sometimes over £100k.

If you are interested in IT, you will need to research the market on what skills are in demand. A lot of companies in the UK tend to favour particular programming languages such as C#, PHP (WordPress, Drupal, Symfony, Laravel), Android (Java) and Python. Designers are also highly in demand especially UX and front-end designers with skills in modern JavaScript (Vue, React, Node.js). You have to be willing to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible. Information security is another in demand sector.

Lexusgs430:


They like you within the system....... Tax and NI MUST be collected......

Even with ILR you can't be out for too long.

deebaby05:

I received my BRP same day my document came back. I got the document with a letter that my BRP will be sent i think in a week ( cant remeber exactly except i look for the letter) and not long after a delivery guy came with my BRP.

Thanks a lot. It's been almost a month since I did the biometrics but haven't received any letter yet.

Aphrodite007:


As far as you’ve gotten your BRP and don’t stay in Nigeria for more than 6 months, you’re cool. Enjoy.

You can't stay outside the UK for more than 90 days in a calendar year.

deebaby05:

It took about 4 weeks before I got a replacement. After I reported it lost online and posted the replacement form, I got a letter telling me to go for biometrics on the 3rd February. did biometrics on the 6th February and got my brp on the 7th of March 2018

Please if you don't mind me asking did you receive any letter after biometrics? Also did you receive your documents before you received your BRP or did it come afterwards? Thanks

mzapplication:
Hello good people,

You may recall my "saga" of making the wrong application category - Settlement instead of Tier 2 Dependent.

I am here to share the good news that I have finally gotten the correct visa (within 2 weeks of applying). In everything I thank God.

I now need some advice..

As we all know the vignette visa required us to travel within the 30 day period which I have done, with my 2 children. I have collected all of our BRPs. We stayed for a week.

The issue now is that I had to come back to Nigeria to tidy up a few affairs, close out on projects at work, clear the Nigeria house, sort out some family matters.

I reckon I will be out for about 2 months - after which I will move to the UK finally. My husband is still working and living in the UK

I hope I am not flouting any rules? I am seriously considering getting a lawyer considering the costly mistake of earlier...

Many thanks house.

Be advised that you cannot stay outside the UK for more than 90 days in a year. If you do, you will have problems on return or possibly at renewal.

Just joined this thread recently and have literally read every page and really found a lot of useful information.

I would like to know if anyone has had to apply for a replacement BRP having the original lost/stolen. Any idea on the time frame for a postal application after submitting biometrics? Is it possible to track the application online and should I be expecting an email or mail? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

Launna29:
Hi all, my name is Mrs Vanessa i am new here.
My husband and I are about to apply for our settlement visa for my son and I. My husband has his permanent residence in the UK. I have my degree from the uk university do I need to do the IELTs? And is scanned copies allowed or my husband is to post it to me? Please i need more advice

If you studied in the UK you don't need IELTS as long as you provide your original certificates and transcripts from the university. All documents are to be sent to your spouse in the UK, who in turn will post to the Home Office.

Be advised that this thread is for those who have already received spouse visas and planning for FLR or ILR.

[quote author=Launna29 post=67988576][/quote]

If you studied in the UK you don't need IELTS as long as you provide your original certificates and transcripts from the university. All documents are to be sent to your spouse in the UK, who in turn will post to the Home Office.

Be advised that this thread is for those who have already received spouse visas and planning for FLR or ILR.

Lexusgs430:


Can a spousal visa be applied for, on a non British passport?
How did he get his settlement visa? What route?

My partner had and still has ILR without a British passport and I was granted a spouse visa last year.

Lexusgs430:
On the flip side, holders of isreali citizenship are allowed into the UK for short stays.......

If you got money, you can manipulate immigration laws....

As a Russian-Jew returning to Israel, he qualifies for citizenship

Mystique11:
Hello house. Good morning.

Please, is inclusion of tenancy agreement a must to meet the accommodation requirement?

Hubby lives in a rented apartment and we presented landlord's letter, property inspection report and utility/council tax bills.

I've been really bothered since I noticed we omitted the tenancy agreement... Do people get refused on this basis

As long as you have a letter from your landlord and property inspection report it's okay. Tenancy agreement is not a "must".

Aphrodite007:


Good move. Just best to not give them any leverage at all. I know I don’t know the law so I prefer to just be careful until after the 5 years. There’s nothing like being too careful.

Exactly. Better to be careful than sorry.