ILR for same sex partner

Kayalami & John & others,

I am soon going to Croydon with my partner for his ILR after the 2 yr initial visa.

I am just a bit worried as we don't have the 10 documents in our joint names.

This is the documentation we're putting together

1. Letter from myself (British) requesting the visa, explaining that our r/ship is still ongoing plus the relevant form filled in.

2. Joint documents
a. Bank statements (24 months)
b. car insurance document (24 months)
c. Credit Card statements (24 months, on my name, but he is the 2nd
credit card holder)

3. documents in my name (24 of each, one for each month)
a. payslips
b. gas, water, mortgage statements
c. NHS card with address
d. Driving license and counterpart
e. official poll card

4. documents in his name (24 of each, one for each month)
a. payslips
b. mobile phone bill
c. NHS card with address
d. Driving license & counterpart

Do you think this should be enough? Any recommendations / tips highly welcomed.

Thanks very much,

Roger

If you guys can think of something, or have some tips it would be great. If not, please wish me luck. Thanks.

R

what is the two year initial period that you mentioned?

Under the same sex partner provision, they grant you a 2 yr visa if you have been living together in a de facto relationship for over 2 yrs.

Hi Rogerio,

You have more than enough documentation, so don't worry, they don't all have to be in your joint names as long as you have others addressed to you separately at the same address (which you do).

Have a search on the Immigration for Family Members section of this site if you need further clarification or have a read of the SET(M) guidelines, printed on the application form, available here:
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en ... _form.html

Paragraph seven is the important one, note two, which reads:

Note 2:
You must provide documents of the kind described below as evidence that you and your spouse or partner have been living together. Please provide ten items of correspondence of the kind, or from the sources listed below, addressed to you and your spouse jointly during each of the past 2 years if they clearly show that you live together at the same address. At least 5 of these documents should be from different sources. If you have not received any such correspondence that is addressed to you and your partner jointly, it is acceptable to provide 5 or 6 items addressed to one of you and 5 or 6 items addressed to the other partner during each of the past 2 years so long as they show the same address.

•telephone bills or statements
•gas bills or statements
•electricity bills or statements
•water rates bills or statements
•council tax bills or statements
•local social services department
•local health authority
•government department or agency (eg Department of Health, Inland Revenue, Benefits Agency, Employment Service)
•bank or building society statements or passbooks
•credit card statements
•insurance certificates complete with address
•mortgage statements or agreement
•tenancy agreement

WE DO NOT ACCEPT CASHPOINT PRINTOUTS AND INTERNET BANK STATEMENTS AS EVIDENCE OF FUNDS.

John has explained this in more detail here:
http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... ght=#23522

I have also found it quite confusing, my husband and I just married in April and are already collecting up our documents for his ILR. The whole 'ten from each year addressed to you jointly or five or six each from each year from five different sources for each of the two years' wording is all quite difficult to understand!!

Good Luck (but you'll be fine with all those documents!), x

Marie,

many many thanks for this. Very kind of you to reply. You have put my mind at rest.

Will update when the appointment is over.

Rogerio x

Marie & All,

Just for the benefit of others who may go through the experience.

We had our appointment today for my partner's ILR at Croydon under the same sex criteria. We had applied for his 2 yr temporary visa 2 years ago, and now was the time for his permanent settlement visa.

According to the current legislation, we have to provide "no less than 4 documents" for one of us, and "no more than 6 documents" for the other one.

We chose to provide no less than 4 for me, and no more than 6 for him, since I had more stuff in my name than him.

We had all documents in a neat folder, organised in chronological order, with a clear index and separation pages between the documents, showing a "summary" of what the next document set would be. We also put a covering letter (that no one read, bummer!).

We arrived in Croydon 1hr prior to the appointment time and got seen half an hour later after the scheduled time.

We presented the application form, and handed in the *massive* folder. The Officer never asked any question, except to confirm that the British passport was mine, and the other passports were my partner's. Once that was done, he literally *flicked" through the big folder, tapped away in his keyboard for ages, then took the folder away with the passports, came back, returned my British passport, and my partner's expired one, and kept the photocopies (of the passports as far as I could see) and his current passport.

The guy that saw us was big black gentleman with a foreign accent. He was very professional throughout, not a smile, not even a look at us. I remember thinking "this must be just to ensure people don't try to sweet talk them". I decided to stay quiet and not try and make any inappropriate conversation.

At the end of the "session", he came back and said to my partner "your visa will be approved based on your existing and continuing relationship with your partner". Please collected it before 4pm. With that, he gave us a big warm fatherly type of grin, which was really nice of him, and waved us goodbye.

I guess being organised, espectful, well prepared and backed up with the right documents totally pays off.

1 hour later we were called again and the ILR was ready.

What did surprise me: very friendly people (from the person who waved us in through the x-ray, through the initial session where they confirm your appoitment number, to the ladies/gents manning the stairs, and of course including the officer that saw us). The relaxed atmosphere made what could be a horrible experience even pleasant.

Seems that the race relations people are doing a good job. I saw loads of smiley faces around (both the workers and the public). Well done Britain!

I really wanted to write a note to say "thank you for the kind way we were treated" but they did not have any feedback forms around. I will write to them though. I guess this is pretty important feedback for them.

I will shush now.

Rog

Rogerio, congratulations it all worked out. (I personally was away on holiday when you posted your message on 11th August, so could not respond.)

Do you intend to register a Civil Partnership? If so one side-effect of that will be that your partner will be able to apply for naturalisation as British once he has been in the UK for three years. Otherwise he will need to wait until five years are up (and also ensure that he has had ILR for at least one year).

John,

thank you for your words. Hope your holiday was relaxing... where did you go?

Not sure about the Civil Partnership thingy yet, but thanks for reminding me. We've been together for a few years now (over 5), and still intend to do so, but personally I would like to see a few people try it first before taking the plunge.

He has been in the UK for about 5 years now if my brain does not fail me(2 yrs studying English, 1 years on a HND course, plus the 2 years on the temporary resident partner permit). So with one more year he will be able to apply for naturalisation, now that he's got the ILR.

He's not desperate to do it though, as with a Brazilian passport we never had any difficulty travelling anywhere, and most countries in the world do not require a visa for Brazilians (none in the European Union), which makes travelling very convenient.

I guess he will do it because of the 2 year limit on staying out of the UK, plus the voting rights, as he is very much into politics, and likes participating in the democratic process.

I applied for naturalisation last year, and it does make a difference when coming back to the UK though. No more questions other than the friendly "hello" or "flying from the US?" type of question. It's like going back home to Brazil. You feel you belong.

Priceless.

Rogerio