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Dear all

I am getting my ducks in a row to apply for my ILR (Set M) or spouse ILR application using the five-year route.

We ran into an issue with my husband's employment letter (an issue we have not faced in the past with other employers). He currently works full-time with a civilian unit of the UK Ministry of Defence in Northern Ireland and when he went to ask his seniors for an employment letter on letterheaded paper, people (including administrators) gave him the runaround and told him to raise the issue at a higher level which would take about 10 working days, all being well. The same folks stamped his payslips and his contract, but claim there is no letterhead on which to print out a letter in his immediate duty station.

We are beyond frustrated. I worry that by the time we get this sorted out, it will be weeks and my residence permit expires on Oct 9, 2023. I have been working on this application for three months and have got all the paperwork sorted except for this employer letter over which I have no control.

Here is my question: Would an employment letter on non-letterheaded paper which is stamped and signed by the superior who stamped the payslips be okay to provide?

Thanks very much

Balrog

This is by no means a deal breaker at all. If you read the guide, you notice that there is no explicit requirement for a letterhead employer letter. However, it is often expected for an official letter to have a letterhead. Also, note that the visa expiry is irrelevant if the application is in-time (i.e. submitted online before the current visa expiry). The Section 3C protection will kick in after the visa expiry date so the in-time application automatically extends the visa until a decision is made. You also get 45 days to book and submit biometrics after applying online, so will have plenty of time to get a proper letter. In the worst-case scenario, a simple cover letter is enough to satisfy the UKVI

Official guide: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... rement.pdf

Dear Zimba

Thank you for that note. We will secure a stamped and signed employment letter on non-letterheaded paper and will keep that ready to go. In the meantime, we will write to whoever runs admin in this organisation with a request to send us that employment letter on a letterhead. If the letterheaded one comes back in time, that would be great. If not, we can provide the one without the letterhead and hope it works.

Many thanks for your consideration.