MeganR

Hi, my husband is a British citizen by descent, and we are hoping to move to the UK with our two young children at the end of the year.

So far, reading the application and these posts have been really helpful in clarifying what we need to do to apply, but I am stuck on the proof of accommodation section.

As we are both Australian, and have no relatives over in the UK, we are unsure of how we are supposed to provide proof of accommodation in advance over there? We had expected that we could arrive, stay in a hotel/airbnb/temporary accommodation for however long it took us to sort out a rental. But it seems like we will need much more solid plans to make our application viable?

We do have friends over there that we could possibly stay with, but they are renting as well, and are unlikely to be able to obtain actual permission from their landlord to have us there.

Any help on this one would be very appreciated! Thanks in advance.

SanDiegogirl

You are expected to have accommodation sorted out before you arrive - to avoid the situation of applying for emergency accommodation from the local council.

It can be staying with friends, relatives, vacation type rental, long term hotel rental etc.

You need to show proof of such accommodation

MeganR

Thank you so much for the response. Just to clarify - what kind of proof is required? It seems like some of the people that have asked a similar question here have gotten permission from the landlords to stay in the accommodation - does it have to be this formal, or can it be something like a letter from the friend saying they give permission for us to stay in their house for however long, for example?

SanDiegogirl

If staying with friends then, you need to show, in addition to the approval letter, that the accommodation is suitable for you to stay i.e big enough to accommodate you and family.

So an inspection to show that the house will not be overcrowded. Also proof that the people own/rent the property.

BritInParis

Confirmation of a hotel or Airbnb booking would be sufficient.

Perth

This is not how I understand it. You need to show long-term accommodation.

BritInParis

The only requirement in the Immigration Rules is that "there will be adequate accommodation for the parties and any dependants without recourse to public funds in accommodation which they own or occupy exclusively".

As such a hotel or Airbnb booking to provide short term accommodation ahead of securing a more permanent solution would suffice for this requirement. The OP may wish to state their intentions as such on the application form.

Perth

Well, according to a British immigration lawyer I spoke with, it would be difficult to convince immigration that you would not eventually expect social housing if you could not produce a home were you could live indefinitely.

BritInParis

That would be preferable but most people who move back don't own a property and plan to live in temporary accommodation or with friends and family until they are able to find a more permanent arrangement. Providing you have sufficient funds or income to support then this isn't difficult to demonstrate.

MeganR

Thank you all for your responses. They have helped a lot.