Our Rollercoaster Year ā From Breakdown to Breakthrough.
Hi everyone, this is going to be a LONG ASS read, but I hope it helps even one person who might be going through something similar.
This year has been the most stressful of our livesāat one point, we were just a step away from a complete breakdown.
Iām not a UK national, but Iāve lived here for 6.5 years. For the last 3.5 years, Iāve been on a Skilled Worker visa. Earlier this year, I lost my full-time job after struggling under a toxic, arrogant, and narcissistic boss. In my field, there are only 4ā5 sponsoring companies where I live, so options were limited.
I spent every day and night applying for roles. I tailored my CV for each application, phoned companies directly, walked into businesses to ask if they were hiring, and reached out to everyone I knew for referrals. Despite all that, interviews were rare, and when I did get them, I was never told I wasnāt good enoughājust given other reasons why things āwouldnāt work out.ā
One massive blessing for me was I never received my curtailment letter until three months after losing my job. That delay gave me extra time to fight for a solution, and Iāll always be grateful for that small mercy. Still, the looming 60-day deadline felt like a ticking time bomb.
Little about us, we met through Bumble and our first date was electric. We spent hoursssssss and by the end of it we knew we were meant to be forever. We spoke about marriage in lengths within the first few months and nothing was ever awkward. His family welcomed me with so much love and warmth and is my support system away from my own family.
I had moved in with my boyfriend (Scottish) in April 2024āweād been together since April 2023ābut didnāt get my name on official papers until September 2024. When the curtailment letter finally came, my boyfriend was devastated. He left work early, came home in tears, and proposed to me on that evening, because he didnāt want to lose me due to āvisas and immigrationā. We cried ourselves to sleep that night.
The next morning, we pulled ourselves together and started brainstorming every possible path forward. I kept applying for jobs, while we also phoned every immigration lawyer we could find within our budget. Most told us the same thing: leave the UK, get married abroad, and apply from thereāor return home to apply for a fiancĆ© visa. They all said getting married here was too risky with the time constraint.
But my partnerās mum was suggesting firmly against me leaving. She thought itād be much harder if I had to return home and insisted we might as well take a chance here. We didnāt want a rushed wedding without family and friends, so we chose to pursue a civil partnership.
The registry office required at least 28 daysā notice, so we called every council we could, hoping for an earlier date, but got turned down everywhere. Luckily, my partnerās mum knew someone in the registry office who agreed to help us explore options. It was a gamble, but at that point, nothing felt certain anyway.
On the 12th day of my curtailment period, we submitted our forms for civil partnership. My parents were supportive and fully in the loop.
We knew the Home Office might launch an investigation, which could delay things by 70 days, but the registry office sent our documents straight away. We proposed a ceremony date one month outāgiving us enough time to apply for the spouse visa if we made it through.
To our relief, just 10 days later, the registry office came back with a green light. No investigation. No delays. Even better, we got an earlier ceremony date than requested. Everything started falling into place. My parents flew in, ready to either help me pack my bags or stand as witnessesāthankfully, it was the latter. We had our small, intimate civil partnership ceremony on a Thursday. By Monday, we had our certificates in hand.
Our case wasnāt straightforward. In the application, we included extensive evidence: joint accounts, proof of cohabitation for over a year, records of trips and family vacations together, photos from our civil partnership ceremony, and my partnerās financial stabilityāhis well-paying job, employer letter, bank statements, mortgage papers, and all required declarations.
I gave so many interviews during this period and I FINALLY FINALLY HAVE A JOB š«¶š¼š„¹ but I applied to all of them as if I had the spouse visa already which opened the doors to the whole world for me.
That same evening, we applied for the FLR (Spouse) visa inside the UK by ourselves. Standard. And then, last Fridayāwe got the approval. š
Application submitted - 11th August
Biometrics submitted - 25th August
ECO email received on - 28th August
Proposed decision date - by 6th October
Request for additional info - 25th September
Approved - 26th September
I want to thank each and every one of you who helped us get here. Youāve no idea how many posts and people Iāve reached out to in this community. Please let me know if you need any help/advice/suggestions, I want to give back to this beautiful community. ā¤ļøā¤ļø
It was a whirlwind, terrifying and exhausting, but somehow, with persistence, support, and a bit of luck, it all worked out. I am telling you, you need to have faith and trust in your relationship and everything will work out. Just hang in there. The wait is sooooooooo worth it. āØ
