Hi everyone,
I applied for a UK Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK. My application was refused because UKVI said they had not received my medical certificate, even though it was submitted with my original application. I have proof of submission.
I submitted my Administrative Review on 26 July 2025, and my solicitor believes the review should succeed because of this caseworking error.
However, my original sponsor’s licence was revoked on 26 October 2026, while my Administrative Review was still pending.
My solicitor has another licensed sponsor ready to issue me a new CoS if the review succeeds, but I’m trying to understand how the licence revocation might affect the outcome.
Has anyone experienced a similar situation where:
UKVI overlooked evidence submitted with the original application?
The Administrative Review identified a caseworking error?
The original sponsor’s licence was revoked while the review was pending?
A new CoS from another sponsor helped them obtain a visa?
I’d particularly appreciate responses from people who applied from outside the UK and have first-hand experience.

Hi everyone, looking for some advice or real-life experiences on a tight timeline mismatch for my daughter’s citizenship.

Our Situation:

• Father (Me): British Citizen (naturalised after child was born).
• Mother (Wife): Currently on a Skilled Worker Visa. Her ILR application was submitted via Priority Service, but we just received the dreaded "exceptionally complex" delay notification. It is now pending indefinitely.
• Child (Daughter): 2.5 years old, born outside the UK, has lived here for 2 years. She is currently a Skilled Worker Dependant.
• The Hard Deadline: Her Dependant visa expires on 22 November 2026 (less than 4 weeks away).

The Hurdle:
We want to apply for her British citizenship registration via Form MN1 (Section 3(1) discretion). However, because she was born abroad and has only been here 2 years, casework guidance normally expects both parents to be settled. On top of that, I know an MN1 application does not trigger Section 3C leave.

Our Proposed Strategy:

1. If my wife’s ILR drops by 8 November, we will immediately submit the child's MN1 via the £500 Priority Service (30 working days) and pay for a next-day biometric slot, hoping for that 1-week turnaround.
2. If my wife’s ILR is still stuck by 8 November, we plan to pause the MN1 and submit a 3-year Skilled Worker Dependant visa extension for the child before 22 November just to secure Section 3C leave so she doesn't overstay. We’ll delay her visa biometrics by 2–3 weeks to see if my wife's ILR lands in the meantime (allowing us to cancel the extension for a refund and flip to MN1).

Questions for the sub:

1. Has anyone successfully applied for an MN1 under Section 3(1) while the non-British parent's ILR was still strictly "in progress"? Did you use a cover letter to successfully argue discretion, or did they refuse / hold it in abeyance?
2. Is our 8 November "pivot date" to file the child's Dependant extension safe enough, or should we file the extension sooner given the current processing climate?
3. Can we safely trigger Section 3C leave for the child via a Dependant extension if the main applicant's (the mother's) underlying ILR is still caught in the "complex" backlog queue?

Any timelines, similar experiences, or sanity checks would be massively appreciated. Thank you!

I have a valid UK visitor eVisa and can access my UKVI account and share code, but I’m unable to link my passport because the app cannot read my passport photo.
UKVI hasn’t been unable to resolve this and says it depends on the airline or to send them the passport to Liverpool (which is not possible as we are not allowed to send passport internationally)
Has anyone faced this issue while travelling from India to the UK? Were you allowed to board? What can I do?

I am a Canadian citizen and mother to 2 british born and british passport holding children. We live full time in Ontario canada since 2024.

In 2015 and 2017 I was refused entry to uk as a visitor because I was young, ignorant of rules and my circumstances were so fluid the border officers thought I wouldn't leave after my intended stay, therefore not genuine visitor.

I was subsequently granted a spouse visa in 2019 to my then husband. Initially the visa was refused due to past refusals etc but we appealed it (took time), and a high court immigration judged overruled and granted approval against the home office decision.

I lived lawfully in the UK for 5 years on my spouse visa, including 1 renewal at the 2.5 year mark

I had 2 children there and maintained a family life

In 2024 my marriage ended and I voluntarily left with my 2 children BEFORE my spouse visa expired, to settle in canada and raise them here with my family

Now it is 2026, and I am traveling as a visitor back with mt british kids to send them to spend the holidays with their father. I have a return ticket. The kids do not. I was granted my ETA automatically. Their Father will be returning the kids after decemeber holidays, and we haveba formal custody/consent travel letter.

I am flying toronto - dublin - manchester.

What are the chances I will be Heavily interrogated due to my 2015 and 2017 refusals? My spouse visa is expired, and I kept my old vignette.

Please help as im worried due to traveling with kids this time around. I have no interest in staying as I've made my life here in canada. I could have stayed in 2024 if I wanted to.

Hi. I'm from Azerbaijan and I applied for a visa on 8 October to visit the UK at the end of December. I am single. I am a software engineer and earn good salary. I had a Schengen visa last year and travelled to Sweden and Norway.

I provided the documents below:

1. Employment letter from HR with salary, start date and position mentioned.
2. Bank statements for the last 6 months from my salary account and my savings account.
3. Passport with all pages

I think one of my first mistakes was that I put the net salary on the application form and HR letter showed gross salary without mentioning it was gross amount.

I had opened my savings account 6 months ago and deposited my yearly bonus at that time. From then on, I deposited small amounts regulary, but I forgot to mention it anywhere.

Do you think I would have a better chance if I applied again with a cover letter explaining all of this?

Hello,

I know this topic has been discussed plenty of times but not in this context. I have been in the UK for 3 years and have applied for an extension of my skilled worker visa.

On the form it asks do you have any of the following: driving offence example disqualification or motor insurance fraud. I honestly thought this question is for serious offences and not for my single 3 point penalty charge for speeding, which I have paid, and with no court involvement.

Nevertheless, I still clicked yes to the driving offence. The subsequent question stated: please tell us if you have three or more fixed penalty notices, or an unpaid fine or conviction. By now I was convinced this section is not for me as the question specifically asks for three or more notices. I only had one.

So I went back to the original question and clicked No to driving offence. I know in hindsight this sounds silly, and I could have found a way to declare the single fine in some section, but I am freaking out that my visa will be refused.

I have auploaded a transparency statement on the evidence section of the application to let UKVI know of my mistake and that I did not intend to hide anything, I genuinely got confused with the severity of the question.

I am on 3C rule, my family, home, job, everything is in UK and I cant go back to my home country.

Please advice, and let me know if someone has been in similar situation.

Hi, I’m currently waiting on my graduate visa to process. I applied on the 28th of September. It’s been weighing on my head a little, but a few months ago someone sent me 50 pounds via PayPal to draw a comic cover for them. I then sent that money to my checking account. I had more people asking me to do comission work, but I remembered my visa told me I couldn’t do entrepreneurship—so I didn’t proceed with any other comissions. Would that 50 pounds likely be traced and get me in trouble as it counts as entrepreneurial work? I really fear I accidently messed up.

Hi my partner has sponsorship applied from her office couple of months ago and currently i am in graduate visa wanted to convert to depend visa, we have been living together from 2023 and relationship in india from 2 yrs beyond that

We are resident in uk for 3 years where it as follows in below details

1.We were in university accommodation with different room for an year from 2023 to 2024

2.Then we moved to studio room for an year but its only in my name is the agreement

1. we are currently in a rent from past an year with same rented house with both our name in the agreement

What documents we need to provide to prove that we are in relationship and additional documents to get my visa approval

Thank you

I applied for a UK Standard Visitor visa to attend an official university trip to the UK. My visa was refused because UKVI claimed I hadn't provided evidence that I was a student.

The frustrating part is that I clearly submitted an official, stamped university enrollment letter confirming my student status. It was included in my application, so the reason for refusal makes absolutely no sense. It genuinely seems like they either overlooked the document or failed to properly review it.

I submitted a formal complaint explaining this obvious error, and I'm currently waiting for their response. Unfortunately, the trip has already taken place, and I've missed it because of this refusal.

My question is: If UKVI acknowledges that they made a mistake, has anyone successfully received compensation for financial losses, particularly flight tickets, whether through a UKVI complaint or other legal proceedings?

I fully understand that UKVI advises applicants not to book flights before receiving a visa decision. However, this was an organized university trip, and my flights were booked as part of a group arrangement.

I've read somewhere that compensation may be possible in certain circumstances when financial losses result from a UKVI error, but I'm not sure how realistic that is.

Has anyone had a similar experience or actually managed to recover such costs?

Or am I just dreaming at this point?

Hi everyone,

Please, i need advise/views on applying for my husband's ILR.

My husband (55 years old) and 3 kids are dependents on my skilled worker visa. They joined me in the UK in 2021, one year after I came.

I am now a british citizen but my husband and kids are still on the skilled worker visa. This is their 5th year in the UK

We have managed to save up for my husband's ILR but he cannot write the required tests due to 3 strokes and a recent diagnosis of dementia. I have got doctird letters to prove he is ill and completed the home office form (done by GP) but i would like to know the success rate of this application from any who has previous experience.

Also, he had one speed ticket in and a few bus lane tickets all in 2022, all fines paid no court cases. Although, he doesn't drive anymore. I would like to know if this affects application.

I am very worried about this application and need advise/suggestions.

Thank you all.

Hi everyone, I’m weighing up when to apply for my Health and Care Worker visa extension with the same employer (NHS)

Current visa expires: 21 January 2027
Earliest my renewal CoS can be issued: 6 November
Travelling abroad (my destination wedding hence unavoidable): 10 December–1 January

I’m considering two options:
1. Apply in early November using priority or super priority if available. This gives me around a month before departure, but expedited processing isn’t guaranteed. If the application gets delayed, I understand travelling while it’s pending would withdraw it.

1. Check the CoS and prepare everything before travelling, then apply immediately after returning. This leaves around 20 days before expiry. My concern is unexpected travel disruption / war / AI security breaches and all the worrying stuff on the news preventing me from returning in time. I understand a valid application must be submitted before expiry, but the decision can come afterwards.

The extra processing fee is a significant expense, but I’d consider paying it to reduce the risk.

How would you weigh these options? My main worry is that if unavoidable circumstances prevent me from returning before my visa expires, I could face problems with my ILR qualifying period, obtaining fresh sponsorship and keeping my job. Are those realistic concerns in this situation, or am I overestimating the risk?

My husband and I live in Qatar. I’m Moroccan, and he’s British. I’m a housewife, but my husband has a stable job and a good salary. We have good finances, a positive travel history (Europe and Japan), and family in England where we’d stay during visits.
We only want to visit for Christmas, holidays, and family gatherings, not to live in the UK.
My agent recommends applying for 6 months because it’s my first UK visa. Would applying for 10 years affect my chances of approval? Should I follow my agent’s advice or aim for 10 years? And if refused, could I reapply for 6 months?
I’d appreciate hearing from anyone with similar experience!

Hi! I am wondering if anyone here has had any experience in getting a visitor visa for their family members who maybe have difficult chances of getting approved due to having no savings/no property/no employment/or just their life situation.

I might be getting married next year (we’ve not finalised a date yet but ideally next year), and I’ve never really dreamt of a big wedding—my ‘big dream’ however is bringing all my family here to celebrate with us in an intimate gathering. Since moving here four years ago, I’ve gone home four times, so that fulfils my desire of spending quality time with them, however, I’ve always had this wild dream in the back of my mind of spending time with them here, even just for two weeks, where I can take them to my favourite places, and they get to witness the life I’m building here.

So the family I’m thinking of bringing here/sponsoring would be:

• Sister - she’s already gotten a uk visa 2x in the past, has had a visa to japan and south korea, and she has a longstanding job at a bank with her husband in home country, so hers would be quite easy

• Mum - she was working abroad for 30 years and even lived in the uk before, retired but her community is at home as she’s a pastor at a local church, and she has a decent savings so i’m not worried about her application too

• Cousin 1 - works abroad in japan and has a job with strict employers (so going back would be a must) and has some savings too, has been to ireland for work in the past and gone home

• Cousin 2 - is a middle school teacher for 14 years, so again her job is her strong ties to coming back home, and she’s married (but separated from husband, though not legally as there’s no divorce in the ph), the thing is she has no savings as she earns peanuts and still supports her parents, and she hasn’t had any travel abroad yet

• Uncle - my cousins’ dad and my mom’s brother, but he helped raise me so he’s like a dad to me, he’s unemployed and basically retired, but he gets a small pension from the gov every month, he has no savings, no travel history (only gotten their passport last year), his strong ties to home country would be he is the main carer of his grandkids together with my aunt, and his community (he has a garden etc. but its complicated because he doesnt legally own the land/property)

• Aunt - similar with my uncle, the only difference is she has no pension from the gov, she is the main carer of the household and grandkids, as the parents have full time work (one is abroad), her and my uncle have no property, but basically look after the household duties as if its their own, and have main caring responsibilities for two little kids, and her community is always gonna be home (she is active in church and dance in her local community), she also has health concerns so regularly gets check ups appointments in their local clinic

• Cousin 1’s wife - she has a long term stable job as well, has her 2 kids at home, and her own property, not sure about savings but she’s had previous travel history (a trip to singapore)

• Niece & Nephew - a 7 year old and a 5 year old, they’re my cousins kids and my niece is in school so that’s her strong ties to coming home, the only thing is they don’t have a passport yet but that should be quite straightforward to get

Everyone would be applying from the Philippines by the way, with only my cousin in Japan (but has a PH passport).

I know these cases are quite complex, and I haven’t reached out to any immigration lawyer yet just because I’m still doing an initial scoping/research. I worked at a visa agency in the past, and have DIY-ed all my visas (to UK, Australia, and EU) including my sister’s visa, so I am happy to apply on their behalf. Here are some questions and thoughts I’m still grappling with though:

* i know that strong ties to home country is the most evidence a case worker is looking for, together with economic evidence/proof of funds.

* if i am sponsoring my family members’ trip (everything including flights, accommodation, daily allowance) - for those that don’t have a savings/are more complicated, is it enough if i prove their strong ties to home country, with proof of my economic sponsorship

* is it better to apply for the ‘hard’ ones first, like my aunt & uncle for example, before applying for everyone elses? or should i apply all together so their applications can be linked?

* i know they will all be coming back to their home country and they just genuinely want to visit me for a couple days (or i want them to visit me), but is their caring responsibilities at home enough to convince the home office? esp if they have no job/property/travel history/savings at home.

* for those who have had similar experiences before, is it worth going through an immigration lawyer/agency even for a visit visa? or just be really really thorough with your application even if you DIY it?

I know it’s gonna be incredibly difficult (some would even say impossible), but I’ve always been a tryer so I wonder if it’s worth a try anyway? Or should I just let this dream be a dream? There’s also an option to just take them overseas in Asia first, to build their travel history but also to avoid the visa hassles. I don’t know.. am I dreaming too big (sigh), I just want to be able to spend time with them, and for them to see my life here in UK. 🥺

Sorry for the long rambling, and thank you for reading, stranger!

I am (was) in the UK on a visa that expires today. This morning, I left the UK on a ferry from Dover.

I had no idea that the Border Force practically never does exit checks at Dover, but this is the case and as a result I only showed my passport to French police. I tried asking them to stamp my passport to have at least this kind of proof of leaving, but they told me that they don't have stamps anymore.

I am now concerned that there could be no record of me leaving the UK before my visa expires. I tried contacting the Border Force before boarding the ferry, but I couldn't find any way to do so. The UKVI hotline also is not active on Saturdays.

Does anyone know if the ferry operators pass to the Home Office the passengers list and if that would cover me? They did scan my passport after all. Additionally, whom is it best to contact next week to try and sort this out? I'm not sure UKVI is the best to talk to.

Hi everyone,

My Skilled Worker extension has been approved until 5 June 2028. My CoS covers 22 November 2026 to 22 May 2028, so the granted visa includes an additional 14 days.

My husband’s dependant extension is still pending. His current visa expires on 22 November 2026. We paid £1,552.50 IHS on 17 September, which was the full amount calculated and requested by the application system.

He has now received an email from UKVI saying:

“You have not paid the required amount for the Immigration Health Surcharge. You will receive a separate email with the details on how much to pay and how to pay.”

We haven’t received the separate payment email yet, so we don’t know the additional amount or the reason.

Has anyone experienced this with a dependant extension after paying 18 months’ IHS? Could it be because the new permission starts before the current visa expires, or because of the extra 14 days after the CoS end date?

If you queried a similar request, how did you reach the team handling your application, and what was the outcome? Has anyone paid the top-up and subsequently had an incorrect calculation corrected and refunded?

I’m particularly interested in first-hand experiences. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some reassurance or hear from anyone who has been through a similar situation.

I am currently applying for an IHS refund under the Health and Care Reimbursement Scheme. Here’s my situation:
I paid IHS on my Graduate Visa.
I recently switched to a Health and Care Skilled Worker Visa (which I haven’t paid IHS for) around 7 months ago.
I work as an MSK Outpatient Physiotherapist for an NHS Foundation Trust.

I’ve seen mixed results online-some people get approved, some get denied. I’ve reached the final "Declaration" page of the application, and I’m getting severe anxiety about the warning that says: “if you provide false or misleading information, you may not receive your payment and you could be liable to criminal prosecution..."

I’ve checked the GOV.UK guidance, which says that "community healthcare facilities" and "NHS Foundation Trusts" are eligible, and "Physiotherapist" is an eligible role. However, because I’ve heard of people being denied, I’m terrified that if the caseworker disagrees with my job setting choice, they might flag it as "misleading information" rather than just a simple rejection.

I have uploaded my contract and 6 months of payslips (April - Oct).

My questions are:
1. Has anyone else selected "Community healthcare setting" for an outpatient/NHS role and been successful?
2. If they do reject it, do they just refuse the refund, or do they actually treat it as fraud/prosecution? I am absolutely not trying to mislead anyone-I’m just answering the drop-down menus based on the official guidance.
3. Will this affect my current Skilled Worker visa or my job? (My employer is my sponsor, but I haven't done anything wrong).

I’m probably overthinking this, but the legal wording on that final declaration page is terrifying. Any advice or success stories would be massively appreciated!

If the main applicant on a Skilled Worker visa obtains ILR, but their dependents still have one year remaining out of the five-year qualifying period, will they need to apply for a one-year extension? If anyone has information regarding this, please clarify.

Hi everyone, I’m an Indian passport holder living in India and planning a trip in November 2026. I have two approved visas:

• An Irish single-entry short-stay C visa for a training programme, without a BIVS endorsement.
• A separate UK multiple-entry visitor eVisa marked “British-Irish visa scheme”.

I plan to arrive in Dublin using my Irish visa, finish my training, then visit Belfast by train for one night. I would return to Dublin by train and fly from Dublin to London a few days later.

Belfast would be my first UK entry on the "BIVS" eVisa.

Does this itinerary work with my visas, or could I face any immigration issues? My main concern is returning to Dublin because my Irish visa on the passport is single-entry. But I would be using the UK BIVS eVisa for that return after visiting Belfast.

I’ve read the official guidance about entering the BIVS visa-issuing country first, but I’m unsure how this works when my first UK entry is by train into Belfast. Would I receive a UK entry stamp or need to visit an immigration office? If no stamp is issued, what evidence should I keep, and what would I need to do when returning to Dublin?

I would appreciate relevant guidance or experience with a similar situation.

Thanks!

Hi, I made this post because I'm worried that I don't have a path to British citizenship anymore. I was born in England, and I've spent nine years of my life there but I don't fulfil the 10 year criteria for automatic citizenship. My mother is an EU citizen, but didn't have indefinite leave to remain at the time I was born. I'm currently an adult, for added context (was born in 2008).

I don't really know if there are any other channels for citizenship. I never really wanted to leave the UK, but since I was a minor at the time I obviously had to. All I want is to return someday, and I know citizenship would make that easier. I don't feel culturally connected to the place I currently live at all.

Hello! I’d appreciate some advice on reapplying for a UK visitor visa after my first application was refused almost a year ago. I’ll attach my refusal letter for context.
Since then, my circumstances have changed. I wasn’t earning too much from my consultancy, but since i didn’t have any major expenses such as rent etc, everything i earned was pretty much saved, since leaving the job, my content creation journey is paying me triple the amount i was earning per month at the company, so financially i’m in a better position.

I left my consultancy role in March 2026 and have been working full-time as a social media content creator. I’ve now graduated from university and only have one year of ITR records, as I started earning last year.

My partner of three years is a British citizen living in the UK. In my previous application, I declared him as a friend and his mother as my host, as I misunderstood how to declare my relationship status. My reason for visiting was to meet his mother and friends. Although I provided his mother’s invitation letter, passport, utility bill and other supporting documents, the caseworker questioned why I had no photos with my host.

This time, I intend to declare my boyfriend as my host and include photos from our travels together and his visits to India over the past three years.
I’m planning to reapply in April 2027, with approximately £4,000 in savings, for a one-week visit instead of two weeks.
My ties to India include my parents and younger brother. Previously, I submitted a parental consent letter and proof of university enrolment showing I needed to return for my final exams, but these apparently weren’t sufficient.
Regarding my previous employment, I started as an unpaid intern before transitioning into a full-time freelance consultancy arrangement. I invoiced the company monthly and provided invoices, payslips and a leave approval letter from my manager with her contact details. The refusal letter mentioned that my employment couldn’t be verified, although I understand that the caseworker may not actually have contacted my office.

I’m considering taking up a full-time job in the content creation industry before reapplying to strengthen my circumstances, even tho my content creation role pays me enough to make the trip happen, i’m worried that they would consider this as a lose tie considering i have a bf in the UK, and content creation can be remote, so i have no reason to be in my country.

My questions are:
Would taking up a full-time job significantly strengthen my application compared to remaining self-employed?

Is having only one year of ITR records likely to be a major concern?

What evidence would best demonstrate my financial stability and ties to India?

Would £4,000 in savings and a one-week visit be reasonable, given my circumstances? (my stay and travel would be sponsored by my bf, i will cover the flights and trip allowance myself)

I really want to avoid another refusal, so I’d be grateful for any advice on what I can do over the next few months to build a stronger application. Thank you!

Hoping to get guidance on those who ever travelled out of Uk ,when their spouse sponsor changed employers and got new COS and new visa ,but you as depended has not changed or applied to get the new visa to align your visa ,but you have your old valid visa ,if your old valid visa still is valid are you allowed to travel out of Uk and back?or you should update before you travel ?given the sponsor spouse still has two months to work for the older employer who they are switching visa to the new employer ?are you allowed travels?.will you be denied entry since sponsor has new COS and new visa but you have your old visa valid.

I've successfully got my wife's spouse visa approved without a solicitor. My question is for the renewal - Does the process stay identical with regards to uploading all the documents? Do I need to upload the same documents again? (plus extra of course)

If I pay the British citizenship fee, I assume the next step is to upload the required documents. How much time do I have to upload these documents after making the payment? I was thinking of paying today and uploading them tomorrow, as I still have some documents to scan and the centers are closed today. Thank you

Has anyone applied for skilled worker visa extension when main applicant has ILR for just 1 or 2 year and got it approved?

Thanks

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Is this okay?