Am I UK resident on Tier1 (Car insurance purpose)?

[anasjamil2]

Hi,

I am living in UK from last 2yrs on T1 Gen and have UK driving license since 1.2yrs.

I usually tell car insurance companies that I am UK resident and that is what my current car insurance is. Today when I called and insurance company to get a fresh insurance for my new car, they denied me insurance saying you are not a UK resident, i tried to explain him that i am residing here since 2 years and my visa is valid for one more year approx. But he said you are not a UK resident and your visa will expire in an year.

After that I searched alot on internet and found mixed answers where people giving their own views. Even when people say that you are resident on student or T1 visa they cant quote a UKBA or any other law website which say that YOU ARE UK RESIDENT IF YOU ARE ON T1.

I sat down and give a thought on reverse way. If I ask some one who has T1 visa, what is his current status in UK? he will certainly reply I am on T1 visa and after completing 5yrs I will be UK RESIDENT... so he means that he is not a UK resident until he completes 5yrs.

My problem is, if I say to car insurance company that I am resident falsely they will not give me any claim in case of accident. And if i say that i am not resident they will double my premium.

Please help.. i want to know whether I am resident or not and please can you give any reference of a standard website like UKBA which says you are a UK resident if you are on T1? or are you not UK resident if you are on T1?

thank you
Anas

[cs95tdg]

I usually tell car insurance companies that I am UK resident and that is what my current car insurance is. Today when I called and insurance company to get a fresh insurance for my new car, they denied me insurance saying you are not a UK resident, i tried to explain him that i am residing here since 2 years and my visa is valid for one more year approx. But he said you are not a UK resident and your visa will expire in an year.

This is a strange series of events. Can I ask how the insurance company became aware of the fact that you are on a Tier 1 visa? From what I know the only question related to residency that is asked is where you live (& therefore where the vehicle will be), when you fill in forms for insurance quotes. Under the T&C's it may also state that you need to be a UK resident for particular types of insurance.

Note that if you live in the UK for employment or study purposes where you hold a visa which has a long validity you will be categoried as a resident in the UK (as that will then be your usual country of residence). If you are on a temporary visa such as a 6 month visit visa you will not be a UK resident. Note also that there is a difference between being a resident in the UK and being a permanent resident. All economic migrants who live & work in the UK are UK residents, but not permanent residents. You will only become a permanent resident when you obtain ILR or become a naturalised citizen.

[anasjamil2]

Thanks Buddy, even i had the same thinking but today's call left me in shock, if he was right on phone then it means my current car insurance is illegal.

He was asking me series of questions, one question was if i am living in uk permanently, i said i am living here on T1 visa since 2yrs, then he asked when will it expire, i said 1 year..... he then consulted someone and said sorry we can serve you.

The reason I am asking here is not to get insurance... if i call him again and say yes i am uk resident he will happily give me insurance but if anything goes wrong I will be in trouble some day later.

In every insurance companies they have same question.... when i searched on internet i found below from url http://www.admiral.com/car-insurance/yo ... of-use.php

"Residency requirement:
The products and services described in this site are only available to UK residents insuring private cars within Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. By asking for a quote, you confirm that you and any additional drivers on the policy are UK residents and that you will immediately notify us if you or your additional drivers stop being a permanent UK resident."

Can you give me any URL please which says that If i have lived in UK for 2 continuous years i am Resident for car insurance or legal purposes ?

[cs95tdg]

Can you give me any URL please which says that If i have lived in UK for 2 continuous years i am Resident for car insurance or legal purposes ?

I don't know of a reference, which states what you are asking for. But after reading your post I was curious and checked my own policy document, and I did notice the following question was asked. I don't know whether every insurer asks this question, but would be worth checking whether you had been asked this when you got your first insurance policy. It may be that different insurers have different terms & conditions on residency requirements as well (I.e. one insurer may only provide insurance to those who are permanent residents whereas another may insure anyone who is a resident & not just permanent residents).

"Date from which the driver has been resident in the UK:"

[anasjamil2]

If I go for quote online my insurer asks me only " when did u become uk resident". He does not say when I start living in UK.

I m not after getting ensurance, I can say whatever I want and get it done. But at the time of claim they won't leave any stone unturned to cancel the claim.

[cs95tdg]

If I go for quote online my insurer asks me only " when did u become uk resident". He does not say when I start living in UK.

As you became a UK resident when you started living in the UK, the above two questions are in-effect the same.

I m not after getting ensurance, I can say whatever I want and get it done. But at the time of claim they won't leave any stone unturned to cancel the claim.

It all depends on the questions asked when you get the insurance (obviously you will need to answer them truthfully, & not simply provide the answers you know are required to get the insurance issued) and the terms and conditions the insurers imposes. The terms & conditions, usually in small print will state residency requirements. If the particular insurer you are with has stated that they will only insure permanent residents then that is something only you can verify - by looking at your Policy documentation. But if theres no such clause or statement then I don't see that there can be anything to worry about. I.e. there is no reason for a valid claim to be refused unless your insurance policy has become void as a result of the Policy rules being breached.