Unmarried partner - should I provide additional evidence?

[anniecc]

I submitted my unmarried partner application on 31/01/12 - currently waiting for the biometric letter.

My partner and I have been living together at the same address for almost three years. Although we submitted more than the required six items of correspondence (16 in total of which 7 in joint names), I had neglected to think about the spacing of the items, and subsequently realised that there is a six month gap in the middle of the two year period where we did not provide any correspondence.

In hindsight, we could have provided a letter from our landlord confirming that we have been living together continuously over the period. Our accomodation is a one bedroom self-contained flat within the landlord's own residence, so he is in a good position to verify this.

My question is whether there's any point sending such a letter to UKBA now? I know there's an address you can write to with any additional information related to your application. Or, is it better to wait and see if UKBA come back to us and ask for additional information? I know they sometimes do this, but I'm unclear in what circumstances. I'm worried they might just reject our application outright if they're not happy with the evidence.

My partner and I are both in full-time employment, and have access to plenty of maintenance funds, so I can't see any other reason why UKBA would reject the application.

[vinny]

You may provide extra evidence.

[anniecc]

Thanks very much vinny, that's really useful information.

Based on the links you sent, am I right in concluding that if the only problem with our application was a gap in the evidence, UKBA would be likely to come back to us and request the missing evidence, rather than refusing the application?

If this is the case I am inclined to wait and see what happens. I don't want to send additional info in if there is a risk it would complicate an otherwise straight-forward application.

Does anyone know if UKBA does the main scrutiny on these applications before or after receiving the biometric data? If I get the biometrics letter, would it be reasonable to think we're in the clear, or are there examples where people have been refused post-biometrics?

[Greenie]

Thanks very much vinny, that's really useful information.

Based on the links you sent, am I right in concluding that if the only problem with our application was a gap in the evidence, UKBA would be likely to come back to us and request the missing evidence, rather than refusing the application?

If this is the case I am inclined to wait and see what happens. I don't want to send additional info in if there is a risk it would complicate an otherwise straight-forward application.

Does anyone know if UKBA does the main scrutiny on these applications before or after receiving the biometric data? If I get the biometrics letter, would it be reasonable to think we're in the clear, or are there examples where people have been refused post-biometrics?

applications are not substantively checked before biometrics, they are only checked for validity (fee paid, correct photos, correct form, mandatory sections completed). the biometrics letter is in no way an indication that your application will suceed.

[anniecc]

Thanks - that's very interesting to know. Although, it's also sort of depressing to think that UKBA have had my application for 6 weeks and haven't done anything other than check a few basic details.

[anniecc]

I thought I would update this in case anyone in a similar situation is reading it in the future. When I was applying I couldn't find much specific info on the unmarried partner category so hopefully this info will help others.

In the end I decided not to send in any additional info, and my application was approved. So in my case, it did not matter to UKBA that there was a 6 month gap in the documents we provided.

The following may or may not have been relevant to the success of my application:
- we provided a lot more than the 6 items of joint correspondence - 16 items in total, of which 9 joint. We decided to provide the extra items as some of the joint items were from sources that were not on UKBA's list, such as letters from charities we support. We did provide copies of our joint tenancy agreement, with two annual letters of renewal. We were only able to provide one type of joint utility bill as most of our bills are included in our rent.
- we also provided some personal items, such as postcards and letters from friends, to show we were in a committed relationship
- we organised the evidence into categories (organised into plastic sleeves, with post-it notes explaining each category)
- we included a cover letter listing all the supporting documents we were providing.

We are both in full time employment and showed evidence of maintenance savings of around £30,000 so that may also have been a factor in the success of our application. I was a bit worried because we don't have joint bank accounts but this was ok in the end.

[brandles]

I am unclear as to how to provide photographic evidence proving my relationship. I know that the photos need to have labels and explanations but am unsure as to what medium to provide the photos on? I am a bit picture crazy and there are around 300 photos of me and my partner or at least a photo of us on holiday or with mutual friends and family. I don't feel that printing out all of these photos is necessary to prove our relationship and I also think it is a huge waste of paper! Is it possible the UKBA would accept a CD of photos? I have chosen to do the premium service so I have an appointment very soon with them!

Thank you.

[anniecc]

I didn't provide any photos, just some postcards and letters. I felt the postcards would be useful as they were addressed to both of us and postmarked with a date stamp. I think photos are more important in the spouse category, particularly where people may not have lived together prior to getting married. In the unmarried partner category the most important thing seems to be the evidence of continued cohabitation over a 2 year period. If you've provided plenty of evidence in that area then I wouldn't worry too much about the photos. I certainly wouldn't feel compelled to provide 300 of them, in any form!

[brandles]

Thank you so much! I'll include a couple of photos then just as a back up. Good to know I don't need 300!
My biggest concern is that I don't have a job, as I am in the last few weeks of my degree. My partner makes more than the minimum requirement so I think that should be good enough. I might provide my parent's bank statements as a back up.

Thank you again!