Clarification on Date First Entered the UK for ILR Application

[sne001]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am completing an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) application for my husband and would appreciate clarification regarding a question in the form.

My husband first entered the UK on 30 May 2016 on an ICT visa. His assignment ended and he left the UK on 28 November 2016 and returned to India.

He later came back to the UK on another ICT visa on 15 July 2017 and has been living and working in the UK since then. During this time he has made only short trips to India for family visits and has not broken any immigration rules.

In April 2021, he was granted leave under the Skilled Worker visa route, and he is now applying for ILR.

In the ILR application form there is a question: “When did you first come to the UK?”
Could you please confirm which date should be entered:

1) 30 May 2016 (first ever entry to the UK on ICT visa)

2) 15 July 2017 (return to the UK after the first assignment ended)

3) 28 April 2021 (when Skilled Worker leave was granted)

Additionally, the form asks whether he has previously lived in a country outside the UK. As he lived in India before coming to the UK and also returned to India between 28 November 2016 and 15 July 2017, should this period be specifically mentioned in the application?

Thank you for your guidance.

[zimba]

This has been answered a million times before. The date you enter on the form does not change anything. The qualifying period for ILR is calculated as per the rules, NOT the answers on the form. This is not a trick question, you answer the date they first entered the UK.

Also, the questions regarding places they 'previously lived' is not critical. Provide minimal details