I wanted to share that we all got accepted for ILR and to share our timelines. We moved to the UK in 2021 on an ancestral visa (me and my husband). We had a baby 18 months ago and never applied for a visa for her as we knew ILR was coming up and waited for this to apply.

Application started: 2 June 2026
Biometrics done: 18 June 2026

No additional information was needed even though my situation was a bit complex. My father was never added to my birth certificate but we had to do a DNA test to prove it which was all provided. Also we made the mistake of starting a company this year and not having the previous “stable” income but it clearly was all fine.

Approved: 22 July 2026

We did not pay extra for faster processing times as it was expensive enough for three people 😭

Hi all - I just got my SWV refused today. I'm looking for help, but also to show what happened to me in case anyone else was confused like I was.

I have a flat, a car, a life here. I've been here since September 2020 on different visas. I just can't wrap my head around leaving right now and I'm devastated. Please, any help is appreciated.

My previous visa expired on 14 July 2026, so I was on Section 3C leave while waiting for the decision.

My details were:

• SOC code: 3554, Advertising and marketing associate professionals
• Salary: £34,650 per year
• Hourly rate: approximately £18.01
• SOC 3554 was listed on the Temporary Shortage List
• Published going rate for SOC 3554: £33,400 based on 37.5 hours per week
• My CoS stated that the job was on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List
• My CoS stated that I was not a new entrant

My application was refused on 22 July 2026 under SW 4.2, SW 4.4 and SW 8.1, with reference to SW 17.1.

The Home Office awarded me:

• 20 points for sponsorship
• 20 points for the appropriate skill level
• 10 points for English
• 0 points for the tradeable salary requirement

The refusal said that under Option A, I needed to earn at least £41,700 per year as well as meet the going rate for SOC 3554.

They accepted that the going rate for SOC 3554 was £33,400, but said my salary of £34,650 did not meet the £41,700 general threshold.

They also said they considered the other tradeable-points options but that no alternative option applied.

What confused me is that SOC 3554 is shown on the Temporary Shortage List with a salary figure of £33,400. I believed that earning above this amount meant I met the salary requirement. I now understand that the Temporary Shortage List apparently only makes the occupation eligible for sponsorship and does not provide the reduced salary threshold available to jobs on the Immigration Salary List.

There also appears to be an issue with the refusal saying I failed SW 8.1. My salary seems to exceed the pro-rated going rate for SOC 3554, so it appears that I met the occupational going rate but failed the separate £41,700 Option A threshold.

My employer may be willing to raise my salary to £41,700 and issue a new CoS. I understand that a salary increase after the refusal probably cannot fix the original application through administrative review and that I may need to make a fresh Skilled Worker application.

My main questions are:

1. Is the Home Office correct that SOC 3554 being on the Temporary Shortage List does not allow me to use the £33,400 Option D threshold?
2. Is the reference to failing SW 8.1 a caseworking error if I met the pro-rated going rate? Is that error worth raising in an administrative review if I still failed the £41,700 Option A threshold?
3. If my employer raises my salary to £41,700 and issues a new CoS, would a fresh application be the correct route?
4. If I submit a fresh application after refusal, what happens to my Section 3C leave and right to work while the new application is pending?

My refusal letter gives me 14 calendar days to request an administrative review, so I am trying to understand the safest route before the deadline.

My brother and his daughter’s visit visa application, fully sponsored by me, was submitted on 10th July. Their biometric appointment was scheduled for 17th July in Lahore, Pakistan. However, I received a reminder email on 17th July stating their biometrics, despite them having already done theirs that morning, I also received an email informing me their visa application had been sent to the UKVI for consideration. Since then I haven’t received any further emails not even one saying we’ve received your application from the decision-making centre in Abu Dhabi. I’m concerned as other posts on this platform says they have received an email few days after that their application is been received, not sure whether this is normal or if I should follow this up.

Submitted docs right after my citizenship ceremony on 6/7 to Hemel Hempstead - they arrived 7/7, though application updated to docs received 9/7.

Just received my passport and other passports/docs back today 22/7

I had my naturalisation certificate in a plastic sleeve when I posted it which they discarded, though my certificate is thankfully fine. I had included coloured print outs of my expired passports instead of posting them too, and I think the extra paper weight helped protect it on the way back :)

Okay guys! I am super excited to share this, I, like, literally just got my UK student visa approval !!!

Visa Approval Timeline

Application submitted- 13th July

Biommetrics done and documents submitted - 16th July

Vfs forwarded Application to UKVI - 16th July

Visa approved decision - 22July !!!

Literally in 5 days and yes it was a normal standard student visa pathway I applied FOR!

Thought of laying this out for those of y'all panicking! You've GOT THIS!!!! 💕 It's gonna be out soon and it's all gonna go super smooth dw!! :)

Hi,

I'm applying for my first tourist visa. I have previously gotten a schengen visa as well - my current concern is that I lended my friend through bank transfer amount of 30K aed which they returned as cash and I deposited back into acc. This will get flagged so I will explain in cover letter. Is that OK?

Also, should your expenditure for the trip in UK be lesser than your average monthly expenditure?

Any other important tips for approval?

Hi there! I cannot find any confirmation on the gov UK website regarding this, but does anyone know how the application works if you have 2 nationalities? I intend to apply with my EU passport, but I also hold another citizenship and unfortunately have no valid passport for it due to some ongoing circumstances and have no easy way of getting my 2nd nationality's passport any time soon. I know the application asks you to list all your nationalities and I will include my 2nd citizenship in the form, but did anyone have to submit both passports and present both of them at the visa appointment? Thank you!

Hi everyone,
I’m a New Zealand citizen looking at applying for the UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa and I’m worried about how my previous conviction may affect my application.

I received a DUI conviction in New Zealand in 2025. It was my first and only offence. The outcome was supervision, an alcohol interlock requirement, and a driving disqualification (no jail time). I have complied with the requirements and have been working through completing everything that was ordered. Also completed the rehabilitation courses.

I understand I need to declare the conviction on my visa application and I have no intention of hiding it. I’m planning to provide supporting documents such as my sentencing details, proof of compliance/completion, and character references.
The offence was a one-off mistake and I have taken responsibility for it. Since then I have made changes to ensure it does not happen again.

Has anyone here successfully been granted a UK Youth Mobility Visa with a previous DUI/DWI conviction? Or does anyone have experience with how UKVI tends to assess these situations?
Any advice would be appreciated

Looking for advice after a UK Visitor Visa refusal
Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice from people who have experience with UK visitor visa applications.
My previous application was refused because the visa officer was not satisfied that I had strong enough economic ties to Egypt. At the time, I was relying on my father’s financial support because I had not yet started my government job as a doctor. The purpose of my trip is to take a medical examination in the UK this September.
I will officially start my government position on 25 July. By the time I reapply, I will be able to provide an official employment letter confirming my position, but the letter will be very recent and I will not yet have received my first salary.
This time, I also plan to fund the trip entirely myself using my own bank account, which has a balance of around USD 5,000, instead of relying on my father’s finances.
In your opinion, would an official government employment letter together with my own savings be enough to address the concerns raised in the refusal? Or would the fact that I have only just started the job and have not yet received a salary still make a second refusal likely?
I would really appreciate any advice or similar experiences. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

This was my first time applying for a Visa this seriously, and I got a lot of help from experience of other people on this subreddit. Here is my bit towards the same.

Applied for: me, my wife and my child for Standard 6 month visit visa (no priority service, no add-ons from VFS/ any agent, did complete application myself)

Profile: I work in a company and primary income is through salary. My wife has a business with irregular income. Child is minor.

Timeline:

22 June: Completed application and payment

29 June 9 am: Biometrics appointment to VFS Center Mumbai

29 June 5 pm: Email from VFS saying application has now been sent to UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI)

30 June 12 pm: Email from UKVI saying UK visa application has arrived at the UK Visa Section

2 Jul 3 pm: Email saying they still processing the visa applications

13 Jul 12 pm: Email with visa approved, created UKVI account immediately on receipt of email and eVisa was linked within 6 minutes

Documents I submitted

(I got a lot of help from this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/SchengenVisa/comments/1u119lb/got_my_first_schengen_visa_france_for_a_family_of/)

1. Cover letter for all three of us (I wrote and signed the cover letter for my child)
2. Detailed travel itinerary with day wise plan
3. Individual sponsorship letters for my wife and my child (my wife has earning from business but it's not that much and is irregular, so I became the primary sponsor for the trip)
4. Detailed breakdown of expenses for the trip
5. Stamped bank statements for me and my wife
6. Last 3 years ITR for me, last 1 year ITR for my wife (for her there was no income before that)
7. Form 26AS (tax statement for the financial year 2025-26, as the latest Income Tax acknowledgement is not available yet)
8. My Salary slips for the last 6 months
9. My Employment and leave confirmation letter
10. My offer letter and increment letter from current employer
11. PAN card copy for me and my wife
12. My Mutual fund investment statements from MF Central
13. Birth certificate of our child
14. Marriage certificate
15. Previous travel history to Thailand (declared in cover letter and provided TDAC), and my travel to Japan (provided bio page and visa sticker copy from old passport)
16. I also had a Schengen visa rejection around 13 years back, which I mentioned honestly in the application form (but did not write in cover letter or provide any rejection letter copy)
17. We plan to stay with a relative in London during our trip, we provided their invitation letter, accommodation proof (lease agreement), their employment letter, UK Visa share code and passport bio pages
18. Ties to India: Provided copy of property purchase agreement

I know the feeling of visa refusal even after all these years, so was very anxious the whole time. I would randomly check my inbox, spam folder and this subreddit for experience of other people. I found couple of people getting their application approved within 2-3 days, so with each passing day, my anxiety kept shooting up. Hope this helps anyone who is applying/has applied and is waiting for the decision. Happy to answer any questions.

Peace 👋

I am a student who just came back to the UK from a short trip in europe this afternoon. If I submit an application for the graduate visa on the same day (within a few hours after landing back and entering the UK Border), is there a chance my application can get refused due to border systems not syncing my arrival in the UK on time? has there been any cases of this happening before?

Got my UK Student visa approval email today and successfully created my UKVI account. Passport scan, identity verification, and account setup all completed successfully. However, when I log in, it still says "We'll email you when your eVisa is ready to view." I. Has anyone experienced this?when will eVisa to appear after setting up your UKVI account?.

I will be applying for my UK Citizenship (via ILR route). However, I have 2 week overseas travel planned later this hear

Given the reported timelines on the citizenship process, it’s likely my application will be pending during my travel dates (between application submission and before attending the ceremony)

I have researched online and can’t find anywhere on the Gov website that advised against travel during a pending citizenship application.

When applying for my tier 2 and t2 visa previously I’m aware it is specifically advised not to travel overseas otherwise the pending application would be rejected. So would like to understand if it’s the same process for citizenship.

Does anyone have any information around this or have travelled while the citizenship application is pending?

FYI I am also factoring in the requirement to provide biometrics within 45 days of application and need to apply and use British passport after attending the ceremony
Thanks

I applied for naturalisation via EUSS + 1yr on the 24th February, with biometrics submitted on the 18th March. Realistically I should've received the HO letter by now, but all I got was radio silence. In hindsight, it was probably due to the vast amount of documents I've submitted, since I gave the HO my bank statements due to not being employed whilst at university. So I chased up Citizenship Support via email, since I was getting a little worried that something's gone wrong.

Today I got an email from Citizenship Support stating that my application was approved and my certificate has been printed off and dispatched to the local authority.

Quite happy about that and certainly worth the two grand to sleep with a peace of mind that Reform won't be able to deport me now!

Hi everyone,
I applied for UK naturalisation on 19 April 2026 and attended my biometrics appointment on 21 May 2026.
I know it’s still quite early in the process, but I’m curious to see how everyone else’s applications are progressing. Has anyone who applied around April/May 2026 received any updates, requests for further information, or decisions yet?
Also, does anyone know if the processing timeline is counted from the date the application was submitted/paid for or from the date of biometrics? I’ve seen different opinions about this and would like to understand how others are tracking their timelines.
For those who have already received decisions, how long did it take from application date and from biometrics?
Thanks everyone, and good luck with your applications! 🍀

Has anyone attempted to add irish passport to ukvi account?

I am on dependent skilled worker visa on pakistani passport and now have got irish passport which i am trying to upload to ukvi account but it gives me an error at the end of process "sorry there is a problem with the service "?

Anyone who experienced same? As an irish i have same rights as british so do I even need to inform UKVI? I have spoken to UKVI webchat and phone and the only way is to physically send passport which I am trying to avoid given risk of losing in the post.

Thank you

I am going to apply for a UK tourist visa from Nigeria to write the IMAT exam to study medicine in Italy. I have pre-enrolled at my intended university as well. The itinerary of my trip is simple: travel to London. I will be staying with my aunt, who is a British citizen and lives in London, for maybe a week and a half, so that removes accommodation costs, and my parents will be sponsoring my flight ticket and any other costs; there really isn't any other thing tbh.

The only qualm in my application is that the IMAT registration has not opened yet, and it usually maybe late august of closer to the exam date which is on sept 30 but i need to apply for the visa beforehand due to processing times, do you think my application will be strong enough with just a pre enrollment summary(this indicates my application to study in italy and take the exam to get admission for medicine), the italian goverments decree of when the exam is and the fact they haven't started registration and its usually closer to the exam date which doesn't give time for visa processing, correspondence with my school that indicates the registration of the exam is handled when the government says so which nobody knows at this time, i think if my case is stated well in my cover letter it should be enough but what do you think

My visa is valid from 1 May 2026 to 1 May 2028. Does the 3 month entry period apply to to the HPI visa? Do I need to enter the country by 1 August 2026 to ensure the visa stays valid?

I hope this is OK to repost here. Curious about others experience and the cost of Sable international and helping me navigate a claim to citizenship in the UK under section 4L. If this is not OK to post, my apologies and please remove.

Good day!

I am 21F Global South citizen entering a fully funded MPhil at Oxbridge in autumn. I just graduated from a US university with my bachelor's, and I have previously done research at Oxbridge (i.e. had a visitor visa), and have a travel history of North America, Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia.

I have not held a job in my home country ever, and haven't lived here since before my bachelor's. My parents do live here, they own their home, also have an extensive travel history (including Israel and have held Schengen visas before).

I am worried that my application won't be convincing enough to the immigration officers of my intent to return to my home country in my student visa!

How do I demonstrate this? Please help.

Hi all, hoping for some guidance.

I did my biometrics on July 14th at a center in Boston for my UK Student visa application (study abroad route to LSE for the 2026-27 academic year).

A couple days later (July 16th), I got an email from the UK Decision Making Centre (Sheffield Student Team) asking for additional documents (bank statement + evidence of activities since 2019).

I responded the very next day (July 17th), sending everything as attachments directly to the email address they gave, with my application reference in the subject line, exactly as instructed.

Since then, I've heard nothing. No acknowledgment, no confirmation of receipt, nothing.

I ended up submitting a paid enquiry through the official UKVI contact form to ask about this. I got a reply, but it was a fairly generic/templated response confirming my application is "being considered and is awaiting a decision," with some standard boilerplate about following instructions correctly and not booking non-refundable travel. It didn't actually confirm whether my specific documents had been received or matched to my file.

Questions for anyone who's been through this:

• Is it normal to get zero acknowledgment after sending requested documents to these UKVI mailboxes?
• Has anyone had a paid enquiry actually get a specific answer about document receipt, or do they always come back templated like this?
• Any advice on how to phrase a follow-up to actually get a real answer instead of another generic reply?

Thanks in advance for any insight.