Credit rating for those with Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

gavynn

Hi. My GF has ILR, and while I got myseflt on electoral roll as a british citizen to help my credit score she cant do that I understand, or am i wrong?
My question is what are her alternatives to improve her credit rating and worthyness, and whats different compared to UK passport holders?

Thanks

sambaird

The requirements to register to vote (and therefore be present on the electoral roll) are listed here:
https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
If she has Indefinite Leave to Remain, then she should be able to register... she might not be able to vote in national elections depending on her nationality, but she will be able to vote in local elections.
Being on the electoral roll is not the be all and end all for credit applications... for most lenders it’s an easy way to identity check someone rather than contribute to Credit Worthiness.

jonesMUFCforever

OP how long has she been in the UK and is she working?
She needs to have been resident for at least 3 years and in employment before she can expect to be treated as 'one of us' with regard to credit facilities.

Ohfeelya

I have ILR, am not on the electoral register, and have a mortgage, credit cards etc. It did take a few years though!
I didn't do anything different from UK passport holders. 

PRAISETHESUN

If she is able to register on the ER it's worth doing, although as above it's not the end of the world if she is unable to do so. Otherwise the process of building her credit files is basically no different from a UK national. Assuming she hasn't had credit in the UK before, it will take a year or two to get the ball rolling before she will be eligible for anything mainstream as she will likely be starting from a very thin file - it took me a few years to be eligible for anything decent when I moved to the UK.