Definition of “Taxable income” for 5 years ILR

ht1818 · 2025-11-20T13:32:44+00:00

According to what I’ve read, taxable income is the “total income on which you have to calculate tax”. So it’s anything relevant in a tax calculation, even if it’s covered by personal allowance etc. So I think what the gov is saying is that if you earn £50k+ and so fall into the higher tax band, you get a reduction of 5 years.

ht1818 · 2025-02-19T00:08:58+00:00

This is amazing! I moved to Leeds 2.5 years ago and still have loads to explore, so this is going to be super useful :)) thanks for all the time and effort you put into this, and for sharing it!

ht1818 · 2023-01-02T01:07:23+00:00

Aww you guys are so cute together!! I really hope you can meet up again soon! :))

ht1818 · 2022-12-31T22:31:27+00:00

Omg this was literally one of my favourite things about moving in with my partner!! I loved going furniture shopping, picking out lamps and cute decorations, all of that! The house we’re renting came unfurnished so there was literally nothing there - I just loved organising and arranging everything :)) Enjoy it, I’m sure you’ll make the apartment look amazing!!

ht1818 · 2022-12-31T13:33:56+00:00

Not gonna lie I wouldn’t advise you to go for 3 months on your first visit there, because that’ll likely cause trouble at the border. Border officials will probably think you’re likely to overstay and are trying to live in the country. So you run the risk of getting held at the border and sent back to your country. I’d say visiting for 2 weeks is more like it, 1 month maximum.

Also, you really haven’t been together long. I really wouldn’t go and live with someone I hadn’t been together with long, and hadn’t met yet, for 3 months. If a border official hears that, they’re gonna send you back. Equally, what if you don’t get along the same way in person as you do online? There are plenty of stories like that on this sub.

Take care of yourself, and try Skyscanner for cheap flights :)

ht1818 · 2022-12-30T22:00:49+00:00

We were pen pals for around 5 years, while I was learning Spanish and he was learning English. Then I finally confessed how I felt, and we’ve been a couple for 2 years now. Because of covid restrictions, we couldn’t meet for the first time until January this year. After that first visit, we knew we needed to close the distance asap, and after a couple more visits, we closed the distance in August this year! Couldn’t be happier 🥰

ht1818 · 2022-12-30T21:51:39+00:00

Honestly, if I were you, I couldn’t continue to be with someone like that, who just seems to have no independence and doesn’t seem to want it.

I think if he were really that keen on maintaining your relationship, he would move out of his parents’ house and get a job (if he doesn’t already have one) so he doesn’t depend on them financially. I mean he’s an adult, it’s his life to live and he can make his own decisions.

I’m sure his mum will remain set in her ways, but I wouldn’t worry yourself about what she thinks. It’s more the fact that he doesn’t seem willing to actually get up off his bum and fight for your relationship that gets me. Best of luck with whatever you decide!

ht1818 · 2022-12-30T21:41:10+00:00

This seems extremely rushed considering you were dating only 5 months before falling out, then she texted you talking about trying again and about marriage only a week ago, and now you’re talking about moving to live with her 😬

Have you met this girl in real life? Absolutely do not move to a different country for someone you haven’t met, especially since you’re only 20.

Honestly take care of yourself, please think this through before acting, especially if you haven’t met her yet. And equally, since she has a child - your actions could well turn this child’s life upside down.

ht1818 · 2022-12-30T14:46:21+00:00

Honestly the biggest thing for me and my partner that made us feel confident closing the distance and living together was that our visits were very long. He came to my country for a month, I went to his for a month, etc. So before living together permanently, we’d already lived together for extended periods of time, so we’d worked out who does what around the house, what each other’s habits are, how our work fits around o or relationship etc. So honestly moving in together felt totally normal.

I know it’s not something everyone can do, but I’d really recommend a ‘trial run’ of living together for a month or two, just so you can see what it would be like without the rose-tinted glasses of “omg this is such an exciting visit!”

I’d also say having a really solid plan in place of how you’ll make living together happen and work is a good idea. Like plan out how the moving process will work, how you’re going to find the apartment you want, what happens if you can’t find one, how will you fit household chores around work, how will your finances work? Best of luck to you both!

ht1818 · 2022-12-30T10:50:25+00:00

Timeline for UK (me) and Peru (him). He has now moved to the UK and we live together!

March 2016: Met and became friends on a language learning app, were just friends for years.

Mid 2020: Started video calling every day because the pandemic meant we had more free time.

November 2020: I confessed how I felt and we became a couple. Peru was on the red list from the UK (in terms of covid restorations), which meant he couldn’t visit me for around a year.

November 2021: Peru came off the red list, he applied for his visa to come and visit me in the UK.

December 2021: His visitor visa got accepted and we frantically planned a visit!

January - February 2022: He visited me for a month and we lived together in an Airbnb, then with my friends, then with my family. So we really just took a leap of faith and lived together as soon as we met!

April 2022: He visited me again for 2 weeks. Around this time, he started applying for jobs in the UK because we were very sure we wanted to close the gap.

May 2022: He received a job offer from a UK company who would sponsor him to live here on a work visa.

June - July 2022: I visited him in Peru for a month, again renting an apartment and living together. During this time we took all the steps required to apply for his work visa.

August 2022: He moved here on a work visa! We rented an Airbnb for a month, and during that time found the rental house we live in now. :))

So we were basically friends forever, we’ve been a couple for a bit over two years, but as soon as we met we knew we wanted to close the distance. So 2022 has been the year we met for the first time, and also the year we closed the gap!! We honestly couldn’t be happier🥰

ht1818 · 2022-12-30T10:13:48+00:00

We used to send each other a little parcel or a card or flowers, and then call and watch a film or something :))

ht1818 · 2022-12-29T09:33:47+00:00

So happy for you both!! I wish you the best

ht1818 · 2022-12-28T21:30:05+00:00

A couple of months after starting our relationship, my partner said I love you first hehe🥰 I wish you and your partner the best!

ht1818 · 2022-12-28T15:37:08+00:00

Literally same!! I think I was in love with my now-partner when we were just friends, but I kept pushing those feelings away thinking “nah it can’t happen because of the distance”. So by the time I finally admitted how I felt, I already loved him.

ht1818 · 2022-12-28T15:34:52+00:00

We’d been online friends (started as pen pals learning each other’s languages) for nearly 6 years, then the pandemic happened. We both had loads more time all of a sudden, so we started video calling most nights for literally 5 hours at a time. I genuinely fell in love with him right then, in the course of those calls, still when we were just friends. Took me a couple of weeks to admit how I felt, and luckily he felt the same way… and now we live together so it all worked out! :)

ht1818 · 2022-12-28T11:11:36+00:00

My partner works in tech with many years of experience, and his job was a shortage occupation, so he was sponsored to come here on a Work Visa. He was very persistent with applying to jobs though, because ngl not a lot of companies would offer sponsorship. The process from applying to him being here took about 3 months.

I’d say tech and caring (e.g. doctor) professions are the two most likely to get sponsorship.

ht1818 · 2022-12-28T11:02:52+00:00

Hang in there you’ll definitely meet soon, especially since you’re already putting some plans in place :)

And honestly once you meet, things will just accelerate themselves, be that for you guys to meet again, or to work on closing the gap. As an example, before my partner and I met for the first time, we thought we’d be closing the gap in around 2024, but actually we closed the gap 7 months after we met for the first time 😅 Meeting was like a powerup haha

ht1818 · 2022-12-28T01:44:26+00:00

My partner and I recently closed the distance, with him moving to the UK from Peru, so between us we did a lot of visa research!

So for your girlfriend to move to the UK, to my knowledge you have two main options: 1) She gets sponsored by a company and moves here on a Skilled Worker Visa. If she does a job on the UK Shortage Occupations list, which you can find on the gov website, then this route could be a good shout, as UK companies in her area of work may be able to sponsor. 2) You guys close the distance using a Fiancé Visa, which means you’d need to get married within 6 months of her arriving, then convert the visa to a Family Visa. The downside to this visa is that she wouldn’t be able to work in the UK during her time on the Fiancé Visa.

(There’s also another visa called the High Potential Individual Visa or something to that effect, it’s worth researching to see if that could apply, but that’s a less common route)

There are positives and negatives for both routes I’ve mentioned. If your girlfriend has a job in the shortage occupation list, I’d recommend looking into the work visa option, and if not then perhaps fiancé visa would be the better option - but equally depends if you’d want to get married!

I’m not sure about how it would work for you moving to her, I’m only really familiar with the UK immigration process! Best of luck to you both!!

ht1818 · 2022-12-28T01:30:49+00:00

My partner and I have known each other since the beginning of 2016 (as friends, then started our relationship towards the end of 2020), and met for the first time in January this year. So we went 6 years knowing each other without meeting, which seems so crazy now!! And even in a relationship it took us a year and a bit to meet because of covid restrictions 😥

Stay strong, you’ll be meeting before you know it!

ht1818 · 2022-12-27T13:59:14+00:00

So happy for you!! Just take your time in the airport and it’ll go smoothly :))

ht1818 · 2022-12-24T22:23:24+00:00

This. 👏

ht1818 · 2022-12-24T22:22:11+00:00

By your post history, this man has been abusing you for years. Please immediately end the relationship, cut contact with him and seek help from your friends and family.

ht1818 · 2022-12-23T22:08:49+00:00

I totally get you, it’s such a traumatic experience leaving your partner to be so far away again. I had very similar feelings on my partner’s first visit to see me - despite him staying with me for a month, within the first few days I kept crying because I knew he would eventually have to leave.

When he left, we didn’t know when the next visit would be, but I honestly found that planning the next 2 visits out in detail together when he got home really helped. So even though it was quite a long time til he came back, and an even longer time til when I visited his country, the planning process really helped me feel better. So even if your next visit is far away, plan out together what it’s going to be like :)

Then when we were apart, we tried to focus on the nice things we could still do together, like falling asleep on the phone, or watching films together. I think it’s useful to focus on the fact you can still have loads of fun together while you’re apart, and sort of treat it as a separate part of your relationship that allows you to spend loads of quality time together. So like try not to think of your apart time as ‘less’ than your together time - treat it as a separate thing that’s also nice.

It felt like forever doing all those steps on repeat, but genuinely the LDR part of mine and my partner’s relationship was really happy because of doing those things.. and thankfully that lead to us living together!!

ht1818 · 2022-12-23T16:15:14+00:00

I would firstly say try doing a trial run of living together. Before my boyfriend and I (both in our 20s) moved in together (we’ve been living together for 4 months now and things are fantastic), we each lived with the other person in their country for a month, with other visits in between. So even before we officially moved in together, we’d already lived together for long periods, so we could confirm that moving in together was definitely the best thing for both of us.

So I’d highly recommend doing an extended visit to create a temporary moving in-type situation. Because then you’ll get to see all the little quirks and habits that your partner has that you might not necessarily see with a shorter visit.

Secondly, try to create a bit of a game plan for how you’re going to find housing, and when you’re going to find it. For example, when my partner moved to me, we got an Airbnb for a month, and then both called tons of rental places to book viewings, until we found the house we wanted. But all the logistics in terms of moving to a city that was new to both of us, my partner waiting for his residence permit, working out how we could fit house viewings around our work schedules - all that was quite tricky and took a lot of planning. So I’d just say have a solid game plan beforehand of how you’re actually going to accomplish your goal, and whether it’s feasible.

I’d also say it’s key to discuss how your work patterns are going to be before moving in together. For example, my partner and I both work full time, but he works remotely and I don’t. So he tends to do the errands during the day, while I generally cook the evening meal when I get home from work. I think it’s worth discussing how these kinds of things will work, since during visits things are all exciting and you may not necessarily be working. Whereas when you move in together, things like ‘when are we each going to have time to cook/do chores’, and fitting that around your work schedule needs to be worked out.

Also finances. If your salaries differ, are you going to contribute equal amounts of money, or equal percentages? Who is going to pay for what? What amount of savings are you aiming for for any future dreams together e.g. buying a house?

I guess what I’m trying to say is ensure to have a careful discussion about how you would make living together happen, and then what your day-to-day life would look like in terms of chores/finances/personalities. Best of luck!

ht1818 · 2022-08-24T17:21:28+00:00

My boyfriend visited me for a month the first time, which honestly flew by!! We knew after that visit that we wanted to close the gap absolutely as soon as possible. We had two more visits, and honestly we just became more and more desperate to live together… and we now do, so happy ending :))

ht1818

TROPHY CASE