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Hello,

Thank you for all the extremely useful information and advice on this forum.
Please can I ask a question regarding my ILR application under Skilled Worker Route.

In the application there is this 'Are you known by other names' question.

All my ID & legal documents (passport, driving license, National Insurance...and so on) have my passport/ legal name, but at work they allowed me to add a nick name/ unofficial English name - Tommy, to my work profile.

I use this name Tommy socially and at work.

Tommy + my full legal name altogether appear on my payslips and P60.

Because my previous Skilled Worker visa applications never involved me submitting payslip, P60 or other documents which would show my nick name, I stuck with my passport/ legal name for these applications and never declared it as all the documents only had my legal name.

In the ILR application, shall I say 'yes' to the question, declare the unofficial name and explain it in a cover letter?

What's the clearest way to do this?
Thank you so much!
Appreciate your help and advice!

No. You should not declare any unofficial name, nickname or anything like that

Thanks Zimba!
Would you recommend to add a separate covering letter to explain?

tplink666 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 07, 2025 6:50 pm

Thanks Zimba!
Would you recommend to add a separate covering letter to explain?

No!!!

Thanks CR001

I was originally thinking to just briefly mention this name used at work in the employer letter.
I've drafted as:

'This letter is to confirm that XXX (known informally at work by his English name, Tommy) has been employed by XXXXX in the United Kingdom since 29/01/2021.'

Is this unnecessary too?
I intended to only use my full legal name in this letter, but thought I would mention, as the payslips I am submitting will have 'Tommy' on them.

Am I overthinking?
Thank you!

You're overthinking.

Your legal name is the one on the passport and all the legal documents, your nickname is not your legal name and should not be declared.

I would advise against mentioning this on the application at all.

Thank you lolo2

So realistically, I should only use my legal name through out the application, which I've always done, so that's fine!

And with the payslips I submit, even though there is Tommy + legal name on them, this shouldn't be a problem because my full legal name is on them?

And I shall not address/ mention even in the employer letter?

I understand and agree with only legal name in the application.
But I just don't wanna make the case worker feel 'where did this Tommy come from'...
Or I should assume that they would know Tommy is an additional nick name used at work by default?

Thank you!!

I don't see any issues on that, UKVI will check your personal details on the passport. The payslips will be used to check you fulfil the requirements on the route: job, salary, etc. It's not needed to explain this to UKVI as advised above.

If the nickname on work documents is a concern, I would ask the employer to remove it.

I'm not an expert on data protection but the person's name is a GDPR protected characteristic. I know some people use nicknames to be called but I wouldn't be comfortable with this added to my professional or work documents.