u/Fit-Pass-2398

Hey team

I am due to apply for my ILR this Autumn. I’m confused as to when I start my 28 day countdown when I can proceed to ILR.

I arrived in the UK back in 29 September 2021. My work visa was approved 25 August 2021. I checked the government website as to when I can apply for ILR and it said ‘the earliest you can apply is 28 days before youve been in the UK for 5 years on a qualifying visa’ . When will my countdown start? Is it when I physically landed in the UK or when my visa was granted? Sorry, the website is quite vague!

Also - is it worth paying £500 for the expedited fee?

Hey team

We’re looking to sell our 30% London SO flat.

We’ve built equity plus deposit for a house which might give us more funds for a house obviously we’ve also saved up as well to boost our house deposit.

For us, pros in staying in our 2 bed flat:

1. Close to work and our lives

Cons:

1. High traffic area so it’s constantly loud
2. Some local alcholics and junkies loitering in the car park at some times
3. Not much good schools around if we do decide to have kids

For me personally, I’m quite happy with our decision with the SO flat as we were able to have a place we call ‘ours’ however it also lost our FTB benefits if we do get a house in further london zones. Within the same breath moving further out will also mean longer commute unless we find somewhere close to Southeastern Rail or Thameslink (ie crystal palace, bromley, etc) and gyms, shops, etc might not be the same as what we enjoy.

Just a stream of consciousness on a Monday morning…