OK, thank you for the advice. 30th October is not so bad, it's a shame she was away 5 years ago but I'm just glad that time as a tourist counts. Could I take advantage of your knowledge for just one last question if you don't mind; if she takes the 'life in the uk' test in 2 weeks time will it still...

Firstly, I'm going to assume that you meant to write the following: Sorry, the visa dates overlap so I'd got myself in a bit of a pickle with some of the dates. I have double checked and the following should now be correct: From Nov 2002 until Mar 2003 : In UK on tourist visa 13/03/2003 - 29/10/200...

-phew- my head hurts after all that counting but I now have the precise dates and absences indicated in her passport, they are as follows: From Nov 2002 until Mar 2003 : In UK on tourist visa 13/03/2003 - 29/10/2003 : Away from UK 30/10/2003 - 29/10/2004 : In UK on tourist visa 29/04/2004 - 09/12/20...

So she was given an unmarried partner's visa - when? This was granted in late 2004 And when you state "permanent leave to remain", do you mean Indefinite Leave to remain? Is this written in her passport? Yes, 'indefinite leave to remain' is the visa she currently holds and has done since ...

I will need to check the exact dates but if i remember correctly she had stayed for an entire holiday visa in 2002 before i met her, she left the country for a month or-so when we met and she returned on a second holiday visa around Sept 2002. In March 2003 we both left the country for 8 months and ...

thank you for your very prompt reply.
This does cause quite a big issue that we were not expecting... I will have to have a very long discussion with my partner...

I am a British born man and have been with my Brazilian born girlfriend for over 5 years now. We managed to get her a 'leave to remain' visa on the basis of being in 'a relationship akin to marriage' (after a probationary 2 years this was made perminent a year ago). We have been living in the uk for...