I’m trying to understand the GOV UK guidance and would really appreciate some reassurance before I do anything.

My situation:

• I’m a British citizen by birth.
• I was born in the UK and have always been British.
• I did not obtain British citizenship through registration or naturalisation. I simply got a British passport.
• My parents both british and born in the UK.
• The child will be born outside the UK. Indonesia
• The child’s mother is not British. Indonesian
• We are married but the marriage is not registered as a UK civil marriage.
• The mother is not married to anyone else.
• I am not a Crown servant.

I found this GOV.UK page about people born outside the UK after 1 July 2006. It says a child is automatically British if:

It then says the British parent could pass citizenship on if they were, among other things, “born or adopted in the UK.”

Questions:

1. So, because I was born in the UK and have been British from birth, am I right in understanding that my child should be automatically British at birth, meaning I can apply directly for their first British passport rather than applying for citizenship registration and paying the £1,000 MN1 fee?

1. The part I'm particularly confused about is that the GOV.UK page has a heading saying “You were born on or after 1 July 2006.” I was born before 2006, so I wasn't sure whether that condition applies to me or to the child.

I’m basically looking for confirmation that I'm reading the page correctly and that the £1,000 registration fee isn't applicable in this situation.

Appreciate all/any help. Ideally from British Citizens or those familiar with UK.

Hello,

I am seeking informed opinions regarding my situation and its potential impact on future UK visa applications.

Background:

I am an Indian citizen with an established history with the UK. I completed my undergraduate degree in the UK spanning three years, hold a clean immigration record throughout that period, and have subsequently visited as a tourist in 2023. My earliest UK visa dates back to 2009 when I visited as a child with my family.

The incident:

In April 2026 I was refused entry at San Francisco International Airport by US Customs and Border Protection. A marijuana grinder with residue was found in my luggage during inspection. I was not carrying any drugs, was not arrested, and no criminal charges were filed against me. I have no criminal record in any country. I have been informed of a 5 year bar on entering the United States. I have filed a FOIA request to obtain the exact documentation from CBP regarding this incident.

Current situation:

Since the incident I have successfully traveled to Europe on my existing Schengen visa without any entry issues whatsoever.

My UK immigration history:

• 2009 — Standard Visitor Visa, used compliantly
• Undergraduate student visa — 3 years, compliant throughout, departed correctly upon completion
• 2023 — Standard Visitor Visa, used compliantly
• No overstays, no violations, no issues of any kind

Questions I would appreciate informed opinions on:

1. When applying for a future Standard Visitor Visa, how significantly would UKVI weigh a US entry refusal of this nature against an otherwise clean 17 year UK immigration history?
2. Is a covering letter explaining the incident advisable and if so what should it address?
3. Would the timing of my application relative to the incident matter — i.e. is waiting longer likely to improve prospects?
4. Has anyone with a similar US incident successfully obtained a UK Standard Visitor Visa subsequently?

I am not seeking to conceal anything and will disclose the US incident fully and honestly in any future application. I am simply trying to understand how UKVI typically weighs such incidents against an otherwise strong immigration history.

Any informed opinions or relevant experience would be genuinely appreciated.

Thank you.

This forum has been very informative throughout the process, hence sharing a timeline and information for anyone who might find this useful. We applied from outside UK (India).

Application submitted: 17th July 2026 (Priority)
Biometrics: 23rd July 2026
Automated email from vfs: Documents submitted to UKVI: 23rd July 2026
Additional evidence requested: 24th July 2026
This was regarding RWP 6.1 and 6.2, we were asked to submit additional evidence to prove our relationship was genuine, we shared a cover letter with additional photos, boarding passes, chats, family pictures etc in a timeline manner in addition to our wedding photos.
Requested update from UKVI: Twice in the couple of weeks as we didn’t hear anything, the response was that the application is under process.
Application successful email from UKVI: 13th August 2026.
Evisa linked: 17th August.

Please note that once you receive additional documents email from UKVI, your priority guarantee is no longer valid, your application will be prioritised but it no longer is applicable to be approved in 5 days time.

It is very normal for UKVI to not send any communication between biometrics and final decision, no news is good news, hence stay positive and just wait for the decision email.

EDIT

“Yes, you can apply for or renew a Certificate of Entitlement to the right of abode in your foreign passport after naturalising as a British citizen. This option is designed for dual nationals who choose not to hold a British passport because their country of birth forbids dual nationality”

Google AI is suggesting I apply for a CoE to Right of Abode, naturalise, and not apply for a British passport. Will have to do a bit of deep diving to see if this is actually true.

//

I am a citizen of a country that doesn’t allow dual nationality. I hold ILR and I’m thinking of naturalising as a British citizen. Should I visit my country of birth, I would have to enter and leave that country on that country’s passport (and not reveal that I have acquired UK citizenship).

What should I do when I enter the UK?

Present my UK passport alongside the other passport I used to exit and enter the UK? Explain that my other country doesn’t allow dual nationality and ask if would Border Force be kind enough to stamp my non-UK passport?

Enter the UK using my UK passport on the e-Gates (would that work if I left the UK on a different passport)? What if I can’t use the e-Gates because I’m travelling with children?

Or should I enter and exit my country of birth on my UK passport, presenting myself as a tourist?

Likewise, if my US husband visited the US, he’d have to enter on his US passport. Would he reenter the UK on his UK passport?

Thank you in advance.

I’ve been with this company for 4 years. Renewed visa first time around. Now 7 months into the new visa, my role is being made redundant in a couple of weeks. What do I do?

Can the company delay reporting to Home Office till I switch to another job?

I work in IT as a senior product designer.

Hi,

I have a Global Talent Visa (3 years). My wife moved to my Visa as my dependent in January 2024 and she got a BRP card which states that she is on a dependent visa. After the BRP got decommissioned and the system went online - the e-visa said that her Visa status is also Global Talent. We called up UKVI in July/August 2024 and they said that as the system is still migrating the status will get corrected later.

By August 2025, it was still not fixed, so we wrote a mail to them and got the reply - "Our records show that the visa status is correct". Even today, her visa status says - "Global Talent Visa".

Now I am applying for ILR. My wife is not yet eligible for ILR so I need to extend her dependent visa. I am wondering if this will result in any issues. Should I consult an immigration lawyer to get this fixed? I am conscious about the costs associated with it.

Hi

We as a family are on skilled worker visa going to apply ILR soon. After getting ILR i would have to move to India for a year due to some parents health reasonbut my kids and wife will remain in UK for another one year. Can they(wife and kids) apply citizenship in this case after one year considering husband is not living in UK. I assume my ILR wont lapse by that time. And what would be my case if for some reason i come back to UK after one year.

Thanks in advance for your help ..

Hi I'm a 26 year old male from Nepal who recently got student visa for mres in management however my spouse got few additional documents to submit. The thing is we got married in court last june we could not get married in a traditional ceremony because i lost my father last december so according to our religion we cant get married for a year. We submitted our court documents and pictures but the ukvi isn't convinced that we are genuinely married so we have decided to upload additional pictures, and relationship certificate from my municipality. I wanna know what are the chances of my wife's visa getting approved after providing these documents. Did anyone faced similar situation?

So I got into a uni of Glasgow about a week ago, it’s all been very fast tracked but I finally got my UCAS number so I can apply for a visa. The issue is I NEED super priority because I leave in 8 days (I guess I could do priority but 5 business days is cutting it to literally the day I’m supposed to leave)

I see a lot on Reddit that people are saying priority becomes available at 12 am uk time but super priority is available 1 am uk time.

The last post I see is from 3 years ago. Can anyone confirm this for now?

Any advice is extremely appreciated, thank you!

It states this:

"You have not provided any personal bank statements or other financial documents

demonstrating your own financial position. As a result, I have not been provided with

sufficient evidence to demonstrate your personal circumstances as declared. "

But the person who applied, attached a years worth of their bank statements on the commercial provider VFS global part?

It says no grounds to appeal but they gave the bank accounts (and we gave ours)? What to do now? Do I reapply, won't we just get refused again?

I'm a us citizen who applied for uk student visa (one year master's at university of aberdeen) and was emailed to provide further documentation of finances in the amount of GBP 12,539. I have a federal loan confirmation letter which has already been provided from my school. Additionally, after I submitted my visa application, I applied and was approved for a private loan through a university approved lending agent Earnest (but it is not a federal loan and will not be available until the school disburses it ie after school starts). My first question is, if I provide proof of both of those loans, will that be enough to cover my financial documentation?

Additionally, I can show I have the amount in my bank account though it is across several bank accounts. Between my accounts and my parents' accounts, I believe I can show the GBP 12,539 they requested me to show. My question is, can the amounts fluctuate between those accounts (my accounts and my parents' accounts) over the 28 day period, as long as combined the amounts still show above GBP 12,539? I read that if you use your parents' accounts you also have to provide your birth certificate and written consent from them.

Will a Betterment high yield savings account in my name be accepted as an account?
Is a bank statement required or does a picture of the account suffice?

Lastly, I received a private scholarship that will cover some of the funding. Should I send that letter as well as evidence, or provide a receipt (if I can) of the scholarship body having paid?

Is less more or is more more?

Thank you in advance.

Actually, PS. Once the documents have been emailed back to the visa office, how long did it take people to get an answer? I paid for the priority service but it is not outside of that time frame while I gather my documents.

I'll keep it brief. I have recently obtained a certificate of naturalization after residing in England for 15 years. I hold dual citizenship, but my COO has extremely drawn out processes for paperwork and I am not interested in returning.

I wish to change my name for aesthetic reasons and also marriage, going from, let's say, Miss Wiktoria Redditowski to Miss Victoria Updoot McReddit (new middle name, did not previously have one). This will be done through an enrolled deed poll. Can I apply for my first British passport under my new name, if I'm not changing my name in my COO? (The reason for that is that I would have to do it in person and may be stuck there for several months, with no income and nowhere to live since my entire life is here) Do I have to give up citizenship of my COO first, if the names don't match?

The .gov website is not making this clear at all, and I'm concerned I'll be stuck in strange loophole where I'm not recognized by either country.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to book a biometric appointment through TLScontact. I’ve already submitted my visa application online and just need to attend the appointment to give my biometrics.

The system shows 2 September 2026 as an available date for a regular appointment, but when I click on it, the time slots are just grey squares and I can’t select anything.

Does anyone know what the grey squares mean? Does it mean that all the appointments are already taken, or could this be a TLScontact website issue?

Has anyone experienced this recently and managed to book an appointment afterwards?

Thanks!

During 2022 while I was on my skilled worker visa, I worked for IT/Software, I helped a friend set up his website and order management software for a restaurant for which he paid monthly like other employees and I got paid 300, 1200, 1800 and 200 across 4 months, and I left that job and also left the UK before my main sponsorship ended. I have not diverted from my primary work and this supplement work payment might trigger a flag saying I worked more than 20 plus hours because of the huge amounts I received.

Now my current company wants to send me to the UK on Global Mobility Visa and should I disclose this information and make a cover letter to prevent dishonesty?

Hiya, I’ve already submitted my application for a fiancé visa, I’m just wondering. Ive changed my name by court order in the past (transgender) and I’ve clearly explained this in my cover letter and given my previous name. All my documents are under my current name. I’m just not sure if i should upload something related to my old name? I might have the court order somewhere but itll take long to get translated. I do have my childhood passport with my old name on it. Is there any value in adding this to my documents or should i just leave it out? I’m not sure if the HO will want any proof or documents about my name change. And should i already get those documents translated in case they want them? I’ve also had multiple last name changes which I’ve disclosed in my application and that could be seen in my birth register so should i get it translated or is it unlikely they’ll want it given that my documents are all consistent besides the occasional wrong gender marker?

Hi all, hoping someone can confirm my understanding of the ILR rules for my son.

I had my ILR approved about 2 months ago. My husband is applying for ILR via the 10-year long residence route. He and I were both on our own work visas and were never dependent on each other.

My daughter has now completed 10 years and is also eligible for the 10-year route. My son, however, will only have completed 9 years by 2026 and needs another year to qualify for the 10-year route. My husband is on a Skilled Worker visa, and both kids are his dependents.

I can apply for my husband and daughter under the 10-year route now. My question is: can I also apply for my son under SET(O) as a Skilled Worker dependent at the same time?

The 5-year route looks tricky for him because my husband’s visa start date is earlier than my kids’ — I’d need to apply for an extension first, and there’s a gap of almost a month between them. The visas were issued during COVID, and I believe there was a delay in printing my kids’ visas, which caused this gap.

Did someone else have the same scenario? The GOV website says I must be able to apply under Set(O) for my son.

Any help appreciated.

Hi all!

I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find this in the search, so hopefully this is quicker and okay to ask here. :)

In my case, I can no longer find the "passport used to enter the UK". It expired in 2017 and was marked as such by my home country's consulate here in the UK (with the edges cut). I'm sure it's *somewhere* and I will try to find it, but it may be lost. Has anyone had this scenario and have there been any issues for you? I just want to make sure I know what to expect and whether to leave a note or letter or something.

I'm also bit confused by the guideline "either a colour photocopy of every page" - but then in the next bullet it doesn't say anything about photocopies. Does that mean I don't have to surrender a physical copy at all?

TL;DR passport used to enter the UK is no longer available to me, do I send the naturalisation certificate + my current passport (original) & is that sufficient?

Thank you!

I recently applied for the graduate visa sent in the application form and fee through UKVI website I was then sent another email that asked me to book in an appointment for my biometrics etc I went to the TLS website as directed, booked an appointment and it keeps on saying that I should have my documents ready but then I am not sure what documents am I required to bring is just my CAS and my passport because it doesn’t give me any checklist whatsoever and the upload portal just says passport.

I was also wondering if appointments are now thing for the graduate visa as previously all my friends I’ve asked have applied online and usually the process has been very straightforward

I've to attend my convocation ceremony in london.

My bank statement shows 2600 pounds as an initial deposit, which is my saving.

In addition, every month I'm receiving 260 pounds salary and also receiving 250 pounds rent into my account. (For salary, I've a letter from my law firm proving my employment and salary package. Whereas for rent, I've a rent agreement with my tenant).

My closing bank balance is 4300 pounds.

Is this bank statement okay for a 20 days visit.

I'm heading to a biometrics appointment in Canada tomorrow, and I'm still confused on what will happen with my passport now that eVisas are a thing. Will they still hold it and mail it back to me when its approved? or will i walk out the office with it? I've been trying to get a clear answer on this for a while.

Student Visa - Priority Upgrade.

**ILR / Skilled Worker Timeline**
Skilled Worker permission commenced in **August 2021**.
I **gave notice to my first employer in October 2022**, but remained employed until **31 December 2022**, including a period of **garden leave**.
I was originally intending to make a **change-of-employer Skilled Worker application from within the UK**. This would have been a new grant of permission under the same Skilled Worker route.
Due to a **family issue**, I instead travelled to the United States.
At the time I left the UK, I **still held valid Skilled Worker permission**. My existing permission had **not been curtailed**.
I subsequently applied from the United States in **February 2023** for Skilled Worker entry clearance based on my new sponsored employment.
That application was successful and I returned to the UK under the new Skilled Worker permission.
There was therefore a change of employer/sponsor and a new grant of Skilled Worker permission, rather than a change of immigration route

Hi, I’m applying for a UK visitor visa and i uploaded the following documents: passport, bank certificate, bank transactions for 3months, employment approval, payrolls for the past 4 months, evidence for no penalty records and a cover letter with itinerary.

What should I upload for Proof Of Application?

I have an Application Complete pdf from the payment and a generated check list.

Also my appointment for biometrics is scheduled for 7th sept but my bank transations and payslips are til july( including july) cause I couldn’t get the ones from september I got them in advance and I translated them so it needs a few days for that too, i‘m not able to do that again. Is it okay if i applied with those documents the last are from july and i applied online yesterday(31st of august) but the appointment is 7th of sept?

Hi everyone

HO guidance states that the LitUK test unique reference number (URN) follows the format:

HOM/010114/123456/123456789

However, mine has the following format (numbers and letters changed for anonimity):

PSI/311225/AB123CD45/EFGH6IJK

Is this correct/acceptable? It's different to the format given by HO. I booked the test following links from the gov.uk website.

Awaiting payment status doesn't go away and I haven't completed payment yet cause when I tried the first time it showed an error page. What do I do?

ILR / Skilled Worker Timeline
Skilled Worker permission commenced in August 2021.
I gave notice to my first employer in October 2022, but remained employed until 31 December 2022, including a period of garden leave.
I was originally intending to make a change-of-employer Skilled Worker application from within the UK. This would have been a new grant of permission under the same Skilled Worker route.
Due to a family issue, I instead travelled to the United States.
At the time I left the UK, I still held valid Skilled Worker permission. My existing permission had not been curtailed.
I subsequently applied from the United States in February 2023 for Skilled Worker entry clearance based on my new sponsored employment.
That application was successful and I returned to the UK under the new Skilled Worker permission.
There was therefore a change of employer/sponsor and a new grant of Skilled Worker permission, rather than a change of immigration route