Proving unmarried partner status

[FirangInIndia]

Hi there,

This post is a follow up to the one I originally left at http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... highlight=.

My partner (an Indian divorcee) and I - who have been living together since June 2008 (and together as a couple for almost two years) - are trying to line things up to enter the UK under the terms and conditions for the Unmarried Partner Visa. Proving our cohabitation in a country that does not approve of unmarried partners cohabiting has been pretty difficult. However, through constant persistence we now have various pieces of paper of varying strength:

1. Notarised joint rental agreement from 15 November 2008.
2. Furniture rental receipts in our joint names dating back to the same time.
3. A landline in my girlfriend's name, although the company somehow got her name very wrong when we started it in June and the name will only read correctly from the next statement.
4. An Internet connection in my name (the first bill just came and they got my name wrong - the correction will only show from this time next month). They are giving paper bills, whereas the last company would give only online ones.
5. We are both registered at the same doctor / hospital (done in June). We both have dot matrix computer printouts from the reception desk from the time we registered, and I have a whole load of receipts that mention my address, as I had to have some tests done. However, they do not actually send anything to our address or give anything like an NHS medical card.
6. I have just managed to complete the incredibly bureaucratic process of shifting my Indian Police foreigners registration from Pune (where I used to live) to Bangalore. Unfortunately, they have not actually stated my new address, but instead have rubber stamped the back of my Pune certificate (stating Pune address) that I have reported to Bangalore Police and that I may stay under their jurisdiction for another year. However, part of the process included getting 'verified' by the local police and I was given a verification certificate to take to the Foreigners Registration Office and I've craftily taken a photocopy of this (I could not retain the original).
7. I am trying to open a bank account in my name. However, Reserve Bank of India rules are making this difficult, as I am required to show a police-issued registration certificate with my Bangalore address (not possible - see 6) above). Note that Reserve Bank of India rules also do not allow for an Indian and a non-Indian to share a joint bank account.
8. In the meantime, my partner is in the process of opening a new bank account registered at our residential address.
9. My partner is trying to shift her office mobile phone bill from the office address to the home address. This might not prove possible, as work pays for it.
10. We will be able to ask our banks to state each other's names as beneficiaries in case of our deaths. However, the only proof we get of this is a tiny tear-off slip at the bottom of the form, signed by the teller at the bank. Is this enough?
11. We will ask two friends whom we stayed with while house-hunting in Pune and then Bangalore (no landlord would give us a place to rent while unmarried!) to give us signed letters stating that we lived with them from June to November 2008.
12). We have been collecting items of post from companies (Stupid, journals subscribed to, etc.) and also postcards we've sent each other while apart.

How does this look, do you think? My main concerns are a). that a lot of the above looks rather flimsy; and b). that we don't satisfy the 'beginning, middle and end of each of two years' criteria for supplying these proofs.

One idea we had is that we've started asking companies who send us letters to state c/o my name on her mail and c/o her name on mine. We hope that this will count for something - do you think it will? It is such a pain that in India, nobody (with the exception of the company we rent furniture from) will give anything in a joint name unless (if one is lucky) one is married!

Any thoughts on the 'beginning, middle and end of both years' criteria about when the proofs should date from, and also the potential weight of the documents we are getting together, would be sincerely appreciated.

When I posted previously, working visas were suggested as an alternative. Am I correct in understanding that if one has enough points for Tier 1, one can come to the UK even if one does not have a job in hand? I am currently able to boost my girlfriend's monthly income by around £200 per month, as she is doing some consulting work for my sole trading operation. It seems that this gives her more than enough points once the India uplift is applied. Is this actually acceptable for Tier 1 application purposes, though?

I don't think Tier 2 will be an option, as one has to secure a job before leaving for the UK.

All input will be warmly received!

Thanks so much,

FII