Evidence required for a 10 year (student) ILR application.

[meslasiv]

Hi.

So, basically, say I've lived in the UK for a period of 10 years. During that 10 year period of studies I have had a lot of academic holidays, during some of which I went home, therefore leaving temporary absences in my residence, in total, amounting up to 520 days.

4 years of my immigration history were on my old passport which was not returned to me by the government office. 6 years is on the new passport, which I still have.

I can prove that for those 4 years I was on an educational course as a student but when it comes to academic holidays, how do I prove that I was in the country for them without having my old passport? Do I need to even need to prove that if I can prove that I was on a course?

[Amber]

Yes prove you were registered on a course and for example, bank statement, wage slips, hmrc letters etc....

[meslasiv]

bank statement, wage slips, hmrc letters etc....

That might be problematic since I was about 13 at the time.

[Amber]

bank statement, wage slips, hmrc letters etc....

That might be problematic since I was about 13 at the time.

Simple, ask the school to write a letter confirming you were in attendance during the period in question, they should still have your records, the caseworker will look at whether its reasonable to assume you were in the UK.

[meslasiv]

That's where it gets complicated as hell.

On my holidays in the UK, I stayed with a family that my parents paid for looking after me. I don't think I'll be able to get hold of them now or that they've kept the records or remember me. I can dig up some old bits of paper, but I'm not sure how the home office treats evidence they can't really verify (well, if they do try to verify it and the people are not reachable).

Do the caseworkers even attempt to verify those claims? And if they fail to verify them, are they likely to reject my ILR application? I mean, I was in the UK at that time and had a valid visa ... it's just proving that I was in the UK and not in India.

[Amber]

It has to be on the balance of probabilities, they shouldn't expect a moutain of information for when you were 13.

[John]

So you had a student visa, enabling you to study in the UK?

Why can't you contact the family you stayed with during the holidays? Are you saying that they have moved, and you don't know where they are now?

[meslasiv]

Thank you for your reply. Yes, because this was quite some time ago it is reasonable to expect that the information provided may not be verifiable due to a lack of records on the other end. I was just concerned that if I wasn't able to prove that I was in the UK on those holidays, I'd rack up around 750 days in absences (even though I was in the country) as opposed to 520, which would result in a definite refusal.

[meslasiv]

John, it was arranged through an agency which no longer exists. I have the names of the people from the family and I have the bills from the agency, but I don't have the family's address or phone number.

[John]

I don't have the family's address or phone number.

You do not know the address where you stayed? Or even the town? Have you done even a basic search for the family?

[vinny]

Also, perhaps your school may know.

Moreover, being a parent myself, I would be very surprised if your parents didn't know the family's details or where you were during your holidays.