absence

[Booker2012]

guys,
i need your help, i am about to apply for citizenship and was trying to fill the form, then i got stuck at the days counted outside the UK .
the stamps in passport not clear . i thought the UKBA already has our files in their system and all ins and outs are there . please advise what shall i do, few stamps are clear but the rest is not visible, i cant get the figures right .

[Gyfrinachgar]

Do you still have the airplane-/ferry tickets?

[Booker2012]

i do have some but not all because
i am gona apply on marriage basis .
i had spouse visa for 2 years
then another spouse visa for another 2 years and 2 years ILR

its been a long period , and i really need ot know if somone been in the same case , what actions i can do

[Gyfrinachgar]

Make a complete list on a piece of paper just from memory. Then make a separate list with legible dates from the passport, then one with all dates from the airplane tickets which you have. Compare and consolidate the three lists. If there are gaps, contact the airlines you have flown with in recent years and ask them for details. They may or may not help you (maybe a freedom-of-information request could help - anyone ever tried this?).

If you still have gaps, make clear statement in your covering letter that you have filled these section to the very best of your abilities, but that some gaps may remain. State what you have done to fill them, and (if true) that to the best of your knowledge your total absences from the UK do not exceed the required thresholds.

[Booker2012]

thank you so much, i think i will try these steps you mentioned they seem right and logic,
one more question if i may .
i came to the UK first on a student visa 1 year then visitor visa 6 months, then 2 year spouse visa, then 2 year spouse visa, then ILR would i include the student visa period as well ? or i just count three years back and write down the dates ?

[Gyfrinachgar]

If there are gaps, contact the airlines you have flown with in recent years and ask them for details. They may or may not help you

I just tried that out - they don't. In order to send you the data you need, they ask you to first provide them with information which you can normally only have if you still have the orignal ticket to begin with. Hence, its a catch 22 unfortunately. Maybe larger calibre methods like FOI-requests could do the trick, but I am not going to try that without good cause, sorry. They usually incur processing fees anyway.

would i include the student visa period as well ?

You have to declare the time you have been staying in the UK (excluding prior short term visits like holidays), so your immigration seems to be the begin of your student visa.