u/Old-Tax-9229

We have recently sold our home and are living with friends while preparing a move from the US to the UK. Part of those preparations has been waiting for the FBR approval for our two year old so he can get his Irish passport (applied in February 2025, additional documents sent February 2026).

I see that as part of the passport process I will need to supply proof of address. My husband and I are having our mail forwarded to our temporary address but nothing that would show our son’s name… for example, we haven’t registered with a local doctor or enrolled him in a school here as it’s only temporary. We have signed a rental agreement for a flat in the UK, but we won’t be able to get our son established with a doctor or enrolled in a school in the UK until he has his Irish passport.

How should I proceed? What proof of address would be sufficient?

I’m moving to the UK next month and trying to figure out the best way to transfer my funds. I have an HSBC Expat account because it was available to set up from the US, but I’ve seen a few posts from people who have had their accounts frozen and struggled for months to gain access to them again, which makes me nervous. The exchange rate is pretty good at the moment, so I’d like to convert to GBP soon, but I’m unsure if I should convert it and leave it in Wise until I get to the UK or send it to the HSBC expat account. How have others managed this?

I can’t believe this incredibly stressful chapter is coming to a close and we can begin our new life together starting next month! The relief I feel right now is incredible and I wish it for all of you who are still waiting ❤️

Outside (USA), married 10 years with a child, used savings route to qualify because I am the sponsor and a stay at home mom. We sold our home, cashed out my retirement, and liquidated stocks in order to get the required funds. Happy to answer any questions!

Application: 17 May
Bio: 18 May
ECO: 20 May
Additional documents request: 11 June
Additional documents sent: 15 June
One more document sent because I was overthinking!: 18 June
Approval: 23 June 🥳

Edit: 25 WD!

Getting ready to submit additional documents regarding the financial requirement for the savings route and want to make I’ve got everything right

Here’s what I’m submitting:

Brokerage account statements from October 2025 - January 2026 (funds were then withdrawn and transferred to savings)
Bank statements from January 2026 - May 2026 (application submitted 17 May 2026)

Am I correct in my understanding that those documents cover the 6 month period prior to the date of application? All funds being used to meet the financial requirements were liquid cash in our savings at the time of the application.

ETA: the email from the Home Office requested “clear and concise documentation displaying you have held above GBP88,500 consistently from November 2025 - May 2026.” so it seems like I’m covering that period with the documentation I’m providing.

I posted yesterday about getting a request for additional documents. We have poured over everything and truly feel that the documents we provided meet the requirements, so our plan is to reupload all the financial documents with a new cover letter and be as detailed as possible. I’m pasting the cover letter below and would appreciate any advice and feedback. (Just a note - in the word document I have all the documents listed with letters and Roman numerals and pasting it here deleted those, but in the original document everything is very clearly labeled and organized!)

12 June 2026
UK Visas and Immigration
UK Decision Making Centre
Regarding Visa Application XXXXXXXXXXXX for Applicant

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in response to a message I received from the Home Office asking for additional documentation. Specifically:

“Evidence you have held above the cash savings threshold (GBP88,500). You have declared you have sold your home in April 2026, we require evidence you have held that level of funds from 6 months prior to your application date. We also require confirmation that you can access the cash in your investment account immediately, if required, and without any major financial penalties. Please provide clear and concise documentation displaying you have held above GBP88,500 consistently from November 2025 - May 2026."

The financial requirements are met with cash savings from the proceeds of sale of our primary dwelling and investments in the period of 6 months prior to the date of application in accordance with Appendix FM-SE Paragraph 11A(c) and (d).

The sources of the funds are as follows:

1. Proceeds from the sale of our home at street address, purchased by myself, Applicant, and my wife, Sponsor, on 20 December 2021 and sold on 27 April 2026, totalling $101,679.00 after the repayment of the mortgage and all associated costs
2. Proceeds from the sale of stocks held in the individual brokerage accounts of Applicant and Sponsor, totaling $6,018.93
3. Funds withdrawn from Sponsor’s retirement account, which was in her possession beginning in 8 June 2015 and withdrawn 27 February 2026, totalling $19,284.70

All funds were liquid at the time of application on 17 May 2026, remain immediately accessible to us in our joint savings account, and total $126,982.63, which exceeds the requirement of £88,500.

Attached you will find the following documents. All documents are titled to correspond with the numbering of the list below, except bank statements, which are combined in one document titled “Bank_Statements.pdf”, as noted on those items.  

1. Documentation of sale of primary dwelling (street address) pursuant to the requirements of Appendix FM-SE Paragraph 11A(d):

Proof of the purchase of our home on 20 December 2021, including:

The settlement statement from the purchase of the property

The warranty deed showing the property was owned by Applicant and Sponsor since 20 December 2021

Proof of the sale of our home on 27 April 2026, including:

American Land Title Association Settlement Statement, which shows net proceeds of $101,679.00 after the repayment of the mortgage and payment of all taxes and professional fees 

A letter from the estate agent who facilitated the sale of our home, detailing the sale price and other relevant information

A letter from the mortgage company confirming the complete repayment of the loan on 28 April 2026

Bank statements including the deposit of the sale proceeds via wire transfer from Title Agency on 28 April 2026 totalling $101,679.00 (See document titled “Bank_Statements.pdf” page 13)

2. Documentation of proceeds from the sale of stocks, pursuant to the requirements of Appendix FM-SE Paragraph 11A(c):
Robinhood portfolio reports showing the cash value of stocks belonging to Applicant covering the period from October 2025 until their sale on 21 January 2026

Robinhood portfolio reports showing the cash value of stocks belonging to Sponsor covering the period from October 2025 until their sale on 20 January 2026

Bank statements including the deposits from Robinhood in the amounts of $1,053.68 on 20 January 2026 and $4,965.25 on 21 January 2026 into the shared savings account belonging to Sponsor and Applicant (See document titled “Bank_Statements.pdf” page 2)

3. Documentation of funds withdrawn from Sponsor’s retirement fund account, pursuant to the requirements of Appendix FM-SE Paragraph 11A(c):
A letter from retirement fund system showing the dates contributed to the account (8 June 2015 - 14 September 2020) and the amounts refunded on 27 February 2026

Monthly balances showing the cash value of the account covering the period from 1 August 2025 until the refund date of 27 February 2026

A letter from retirement fund system confirming the closure of the account and the gross refund amount of $24,105.87

Bank statements including the deposit of the funds on 2 March 2026, after withheld taxes, totaling $19,284.70 (See document titled “Bank_Statements.pdf” page 6)

The Home Office's Family Migration: Appendix FM and Appendix HM Armed Forces Minimum income requirement guidance states that where cash savings have been generated from the sale of assets, the applicant must demonstrate that:
The asset was owned by the applicant, their partner, or jointly for at least six months prior to the date of application; and

The proceeds of sale have been held as cash savings at the date of application.

The guidance further explains that funds derived from the sale of assets do not need to have been held as cash savings for six months where the assets were owned at the beginning of the 6-month period prior to the date of application. In our case, the property (street address) and the funds in the investment and retirement accounts were owned for more than six months before the date of application. Further, on the date of application, all proceeds were liquid cash savings and remain immediately accessible to us in a qualifying joint savings account, as evidenced by the most recent bank statement prior to the date of application (Bank_Statements.pdf page 13). Accordingly, the requirements relating to proceeds from the sale of assets are met. 
If anything seems unclear or you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours faithfully,

Applicant

We received this email today:

The UK Decision Making Centre is currently assessing the application submitted by the above named. We are unable to conclude the application at this time as we require additional information.

Please provide the following documents:

Evidence you have held above the cash savings threshold (GBP88,500). You have declared you have sold your home in April 2026, we require evidence you have held that level of funds from 6 months prior to your application date. We also require confirmation that you can access the cash in you investment account immediately, if required, and without any major financial penalties. Please provide clear and concise documentation displaying you have held above GBP88,500 consistently from November 2025 - May 2026.

Our savings are combined from 3 sources

1. The sale of our home
2. My retirement account which I cashed out and deposited into our savings in Feb
3. Cash from our individual stocks which were also cashed out between Jan and Feb

Together they total about $126,000 USD (£94,500)

My understanding is that the proceeds from the sale of our home do not need to be held for longer than 6 months because we owned our home for 5 years. My retirement account was in my possession since 2015 and I provided letters showing the balance going back to August 2025. I also provided statements from our stock accounts showing that those were in our possession going back 6 months prior to when we withdrew them. All of the funds from the 3 sources are liquid in our savings account.

Could someone please advise what evidence we need to provide? Have we misunderstood the savings requirement? I’m in a panic that we’ve done something wrong. Happy to provide any additional details needed about our situation

My husband and I submitted his application last night and were able to get a biometrics appointment today. We had so many issues uploading the documents that I was in a rush to submit it and missed the part where you select priority. I quickly canceled the biometrics appointment and rebooked a priority appointment. The document showing the biometrics appointment information says priority but his application still says standard. Have I completely messed this up?

In February I cashed out my retirement fund and paid all penalties and tax. The account has been in my possession since 2015. I have letters showing the balance of the account prior to February and bank statements showing the deposit and that the account has not gone below that amount since then. I’m using those funds in combination with proceeds of a house sale. My question is, when does the 6 month holding period start? When it was deposited into my bank account? Or does the period I held the funds in the retirement fund count toward the 6 months since they were always in my name and able to be withdrawn? I’ve spoken to 2 solicitors who both said I could count from before the withdrawal, but I’m getting ready to submit the application and now am second guessing.

Moving to Cardiff this summer from the US with our nearly 3 year old who was recently diagnosed with autism. We don’t believe he will have particularly high support needs but we do think he will likely find school overstimulating and will likely need some amount of special accommodations - he finds large groups of children a bit overwhelming and is a bit delayed with adaptive skills.

There are many reasons why moving to Cardiff is a positive move for us (many people seem shocked that the UK is a desirable choice for some people but that’s a conversation for a different thread!) but I do worry about access to supportive services, and given my lack of experience with Welsh schools, it’s hard to know what to expect when it comes to how schools accommodate students with ASD.

I would love to hear from parents of children with ASD or ADHD (which we also suspect but too early to know for sure) and how well you feel your child is supported. Are there any particular catchments we should be looking at? Any to avoid? We are open to any area but have primarily been looking around Whitchurch/Llandaff North. We’ve also considered Penarth if anyone has experience there! We’re very open to Welsh medium but would also be curious to hear if anyone’s neurodivergent child has struggled in that environment.

Any advice greatly appreciated from a very anxious mother! 🩷

My 2.5 year old was just diagnosed level 2. My husband and I have long suspected neurodivergence, but expected ADHD and were surprised when a doctor suggested pursuing an autism diagnosis. I’m a huge proponent of early intervention and so was happy to go through with the assessment and if nothing else learn more about our son.

Reasons we never suspected autism:

No developmental delays
Makes eye contact
Early potty trained (20 months)
Impressive vocabulary and functional language
Answers to his name
Incredibly social

As far as his neurodivergent traits go, he does do some scripting but he almost always uses it functionally, and has a ton of language that isn’t scripted. He has restricted interests, but he’s flexible with his play and is happy to let others incorporate their ideas into play. He’s a very picky eater and is sensitive to sound and light, as well as being a “sensory seeker” in that he loves heavy work… stomping smashing, etc. Even though he’s potty trained, he has no interest in learning to pull up his pants and dressing/undressing is just not something he wants to do, although he does help me out to an extent and I’m trying to encourage him more.

I guess I was just assuming that if he was diagnosed, it would be at level 1, and the level 2 diagnosis has really shaken me. And I know… it’s just a way to describe behavior and support needs and those things change (It’s worth noting that the doctor said there are many areas where he is definitely level 1 and that she went back and forth on where to put him, but ultimately decided that level 2 better describes the supports we’re looking to get him at this time - Speech and OT but she said ABA is not necessary at this time)

Before today, it never occurred to me that my son’s support needs would make him unable to live an independent life. Now I’m lying awake worrying about him in a way I’ve never worried before. My son is a marvel to me, and when I’ve thought about his future prior to today, I’ve only ever thought about all the amazing things he’ll do and how his many talents will develop. Now I have this fear that I worry I won’t be able to shake. I’m afraid that it’s going to change the way I think about my son… that I’ll be fixated on “looking for signs” that he will have higher support needs.

I want this diagnosis to be a tool. I want it to serve him in getting him the support he needs and to help my husband and I understand him and meet him where he is. I don’t want to be fixated on all the ways he might struggle. I wish I could go back to yesterday when all I saw was his limitless potential.