FairShot
Filing guides

The paperwork is the hard part. So we wrote about it.

Twelve guides covering what to gather, what to do when you have nothing, how to answer the questions that decide the outcome, and what to do when the answer is no. Every one of them works for both the United States and the United Kingdom unless it says otherwise.

Where
Topic
Never asks for payment · never checks your credit
All guides

Twelve ways to make a filing easier.

The two that matter most

Start with the document pack. Keep the no-documents guide.

One gives you a reusable set of papers you can file anything with. The other tells you exactly what substitutes for each missing paper, and what to say when you call.

Open the document pack Filing with no documents
Before you apply for anything
  • File on the day you decide to — your start date is usually the filing date, not the approval date
  • Check the eligibility rules yourself rather than trusting a phone call
  • Never pay a fee to submit an application; the official routes are free
  • Write down every deadline you are given, and meet it
  • If the answer is no, read the reasoning and challenge it — first decisions get revised all the time