ScottWalker

So, We are applying for settlement visa (wife) and we have the following together:

Applying financial requirement: (salary and job to go to)

payslips - last six months stamped and signed by senior manager at payroll
Accompanying letter from HR outlining current job (salary - how long have been receiving this salary and how long have worked in current job)
6 Months of bank statements - where the salary goes in stamped on every page by bank
Letter from bank stating the bank statements are authentic and that account is in my wife's name with me as additional signatory (she is NZ and I am UK)
children's British passports, and wives NZ passport.
colour photocopy certified by lawyer of my British passport
my birth certificate (i was born in UK)
my papers proving Im also citizen of New Zealand
children's birth certificates (proof of relationship)
kids New Zealand passports (do we need)
photos and letters from our 17 years together
marriage certificate
last tax from Inland Revenue (equivalent to p60)
my job offer and contract from HR in UK
Appendix 2 filled in
Accommodation
letter from employer - allowing us to stay at address given
Photos of the house we will be staying in


Have we missed anything??

zuluswede

I'm sure you have these also, but just in case...

2 x passport size photos
applicant's (wife's) birth certificate
printed copy of the on-line visa application
appendix 2 financial requirement form
biometrics appointment receipt (if attended)
priority Visa Processing Service receipt (if purchased, also don't forget to mark outside of envelope "Priority Service" in very large letters on the front and back)
pre-paid return service for supporting documents

Good luck!

ScottWalker

Thank you!! Are the passport photos done at the same time as the biometric appointment? Or do we need to do this separately. Also, do we need all the kids passports? My son's is still in Uk (being renewed) but we have a letter from embassy in Wellington declaring him a British citizen - he is not moving with us at the same time - he is 16 and is attending boarding school until December this year.

between two worlds

No, you have to provide your own passport photos and send in with the application.

About whether you need kids' passports, I don't know.

ScottWalker

One more thing - we are applying under the financial requirements with a salary over 18,600 both here and in the UK.

One small problem is that my salary has always gone into my wives account in her name with me as signatory - this has worked fine for us and has never caused any problems... but the regs state needs to be in my name or joint not my wives... we have all evidence showing my salary but given how strict they can be we thought we may need to do the savings route as well. we have bank statements showing savings held amounting to more than 62,000 pound, ironically this is also in my wife's name but that was due to tax being less if in her name. Applying under both category A and category D - should be okay - now getting paranoid it might not be.

zuluswede

Can I ask why you are doing category "A" and "D"? You seem to be indicating you can meet the financial requirements using just savings (category "D" alone). If you have the 62000GBP in cash and can show the money has been in an account held solely by you or your wife, or held jointly (by just the two of you), for at least 6 months and provide the supporting documents to evidence the source of the money was from your employments, then I don't believe you need to apply under category "A" as well.

between two worlds

This is what I would say to the OP, zuluswede.

We used category D--savings-- although DH also has a pension.
However, we did mention the pension because the form asks you about it--you can just say you have it, and give the amount, while still only checking Category D as the one you are using to meet the financial requirement.
So we used category D to meet the financial requirements, while showing the pension income as a back-up.


I do wonder if the authorities have a preference.
In the case of someone like the OP who has both, do the authorities prefer to see income or savings as the category you are relying on?

I would guess savings,as a job situation can change and income evaporate. But I don't know.

I wonder if BritinParis--or anyone else-- has any insight into this?

zuluswede

B2W, I do agree sometimes "more" is better, but the Annex FM 1.7: financial requirement is quite clear...

3.2.2. The applicant has to demonstrate and evidence the income/savings required to meet the level of the financial requirement relevant to their application. They do not need to provide information in the first instance about any income/savings which they and/or the partner may have beyond this.

To me that would mean you "show" how you meet the financial requirements and nothing more.

between two worlds

Yes, you are right--but we had to mention the pension as well, as there is a direct question "do you have a pension?" which obviously we answered truthfully and it could only help our case anyway.

But exactly because of the bit of guidance you quote, we only chose one category to enter under and "rely on" as they put it--category D.
And so I think your answer to the OP is right--choose one category to rely on.

Question is, which? Which makes for a better application for the OP, to rely on income or savings?

As I said above, I would imagine savings, as you can lose a job, but I don't know how authorities see it.

ScottWalker

Okay - will probably go under category D if it is better to just rely on one source however, do we still need to to show the job in Uk then? Which I have.

michali

If you can apply using the savings route, it is probably the easiest as you do not have to show any other income. I cannot recall the question about pension but we only disclosed savings, which were a bit above and beyond the requirement because they ask for any other savings. If you apply using the savings route, you do not have to have a job lined up in the UK. I guess you could mention your job in your covering letter if you wish but on the form itself, it is important to only enter information in the category in which you are applying as any additional information that is not required can cause some confusion. Good luck!

between two worlds

I would still show it, if it were up to me, but this is not expert advice.
Seems to me it can only enhance your application.

With the pension issue (our situation), as I recall the form asks if you have a pension, and you can say yes, but still not check the box saying you are relying on that to fulfil the requirement, so we said we had the pension, and how much, but chose to rely on category D.

I don't know if you can do the same thing with a job. But would seem counterproductive to me to say "no" to the question "do you have a job?" when you do have one!

between two worlds

I cross-posted with michali, who says something different and has some good points.

I too wondered whether mentioning both pension and savings (while relying on the savings route) cause confusion.
In the end we did mention both on the form, as it asked directly about the pension, but we chose to rely just on savings--category D.
Then we made the situation really clear in the cover letter:
relying entirely on savings, category D, as have enough for the requirement; but as it happens have the pension income as well.

Michali and spouse got the visa, and so did we--who knows which way the immigration examiner reading the form would prefer the info to be presented when you qualify two ways.

The principle of avoiding confusion is a good one!

If you have enough savings to rely on them alone, you want to avoid the impression that you are using savings + job together.

ScottWalker

okay - thanks everyone for the information - wife just heading up to Auckland for appointment - have paid priority - conflicting information about what she needs to take - on appointment letter states take everything (wife less keen about travelling that far with original documents) and on the UKBA site states take printed application only to be stamped? so does she need to take everything?

between two worlds

Yes, I mentioned similar conflicting info on my own thread about the experience (called "priority visa processing worth it?").

We took everything, to be on the safe side. Every office may be different.

But they did not look at everything--what was important was to bring the printed copy of the application because they stamped the front page of it and this is your proof of having gone to the biometric appointment.

But Auckland office might be different and they might want to see more of the documents, who knows?