Once you apply for a settlement (indefinite leave to remain) or for naturalisation as a British Citizen, you are asked to provide proof of continuous residence in the UK as part of the visa application process and you will need to provide evidence that shows that you have been present in the UK for a specific period of time.
The continuous residence requirements state that you must not have been outside the UK for 180 days or more in any consecutive 12 months' period. Some documents are considered to be preferred evidence because a single document may cover a significant period. A single piece of evidence sometimes is likely to be sufficient for the period it covers, for example (i) annual business account of self-employed person; (ii) a dated and signed letter from employer confirming the duration of period UK based employment which has been undertaken and confirmation of the employer status; (iii) P60 for 12 months' period; (iv) a dated and signed letter from an accredited organisation in the UK confirming physical attendance at a course and its duration or confirming enrolment on a course accompanied by dated and signed evidence of completion; (v) a residential mortgage statement or Tenancy Agreement and accompany evidence of the mortgage or rent being paid; (vi) a dated addressed Council Tax bill will be treated as evidence of residence for the period covered by the bill; (vii) evidence of employer making pension contributions will be treated as evidence of residence for the period covered by the contribution by the employment requires physical presence in the UK.
Some other documents will cover a shorter period and therefore the Applicant will need to submit more of them to evidence that they meet the residence requirement for example:
1. A dated payslips from a UK based job will be treated as evidence of residence for a period covered by the payslip only
2. A dated bank statement showing payments received or spending in the UK will be treated as evidence of residence for the period covered by the bank statement
3. A dated invoice for work physically done in the UK or a domestic utility bill featuring the Applicant's name will be treated as evidence of residence for the period covered by the bill
4. A dated letter from UK GP or other health care professionals confirming that the Applicant attended appointments will be treated as evidence of residence for the period covered by the appointment.
5. A passport stamp confirming entry to the UK will be treated as evidence of residence for the month of entry
6. A used travel ticket confirming previous inbound travel to the UK will be treated as evidence of residence for the month of entry
Very rarely, character reference or testimonials from family and friends will be considered to be acceptable evidence as they are not impartial source. The same applies to photographs of special occasions.