webby1984

Hi guys, I have looked through the forums and tried to find an answer but so far haven't been able to find anything. I have an offer to study in UK to be a teacher starting in September. Until yesterday I thought the financial requirement was £18,600, which I have, but now realise it is £18,600 per year or £62,500 in total. I paid £145 for an appointment with Immigration Advice Service and to be honest their advice was not very helpful. So I thought you guys might be able to help.

1. Does the money I have been earning here in Colombia for the last three years count towards income threshold?
2. Am I right in thinking that bursaries do not count towards income?
3. If I can get hold of £62,500 do I need to have a job, or will being a PGCE student make me exempt?
4. What are my options if I can't get £62,500?
5. I feel for anyone who is in my position.


Thanks in advance for any comments.

MrMuffin

Hiya and welcome.

Most if not all the answers to your questions are here...
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Spouse_Immigration-UK

Here's a start...
1. The 18,600 UKP is the yearly salary a sponsor (you) would need to be making to sponsor a wife/partner. Unfortunately past salary doesn't count towards that.
2. Not sure on this.
3. If you can secure savings in the amount of 62,500 UKP and hold onto it for six months prior to making your application then you don't need to have a job in the UK before making your application.
4. Options are salaried income and job contract making 18,600 UKP, or the 62,500 UKP in savings (or liquid investments that you have instant control and access to).
5. Join the club. There's many of us in the same boat.

You may have to take the job you've been offered and sit tight for 6 months or so and then bring your partner over to the UK. But I don't know your situation obviously. Also I haven't looked into Marriage visas etc as we've been married for 9 years so you'll need to do that too.

There was an appeal of the new salary requirements which hopefully will change things for the better BUT obviously there's no guarantees. Keep your fingers crossed though and in the meantime read all the info you can, look at this forum and dig around for more info, and start saving your pennies. Good luck!!

BritInParis

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...5/IDI6.doc.pdf

SanDiegogirl

You need to read the following document to find out under which category you can apply:

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...5/IDI6.doc.pdf

If you have been working in your current country and have earned the equivalent of 18,600 GBP for the past year AND you have a job or situation where you are receiving 18,600 GBP per annum within 3 months of returning to the UK, then your income in your current country can count towards either Cat A or Cat B.

If you have 62,500 GBP in savings which you have held for 6 months then you don't need a job to go to.

Options are limited: for your girlfriend work visas are difficult to obtain; there is the student visa of course for which she would need to have been accepted onto a recognised course and she would pay international fees.

If and when you have the necessary financial requirements either you marry and she gets a spouse visa or you have to prove 2 years of co-habiting as per a marriage for a partner visa.

chaoclive

Any access to other European citizenships? e.g. Irish?
If so, renunciation of your British citizenship MIGHT be an option...obviously it's a 'big' step for most people.

BritInParis

I'd be asking whether the girlfriend has any recent ancestry first.

englishguygoinghome

You must have been earning 18600GBP equivalent for the past 6 months if you're in the same job now. If you have changed jobs in the past 12 months you must have earned 18600GBP equivalent in that period.

Nope - they do count in some circumstances - read through appendix FM-SE (linked from the wiki) 3 or 4 times very carefully and you'll spot the section that someone else has already quoted

If you have 62500 then you don't need to provie any income, but the money must eb yours, your wife's or jointly held by you and your wife. It must have been yours for the past 6 months and must be in cash on the day of application.

Get sufficient income (including historical income)
Go to the UK on your own, wait until you have 6 months of earnings history over 18600 and then apply

As do most people on this forum, even those of us who moved back before the rule change and those who are not planning on going back yet.

ncoomber

...and as explained in wiki above you can do a combination of savings and earnings.

webby1984

Guys I really appreciate all your comments and help, so this looks like it may just work. As a PGCE student I may be entitled to up to £15,000 (£12,000 bursary and £3,000 maintenance grant), although this would leave me £800 short (tax-free income is equivalent of £18,600 is £15,800), but as I have £18,600 in an account this is equivalent to £1040 ([18,600-16,000]x2.5=£1,040). Although I don't know when I will have confirmation of this and the appropriate paperwork so this could be a problem.

Does anyone have experience of other visas, her options would be to come to study English either on a Student or a Tier 4 Visa. I have found what looks like a very good English school where she can study and they are approved on the gov.uk website. My question is what are her options at the end of the visa? As far as I can see Student Visas cannot be changed and I am not sure about Tier 4 Visas, what is the possibility of her coming as a student to study English and then changing the visa when I have the paperwork and requirements sorted, without her having to leave the UK.

SanDiegogirl

If she gets a Tier 4 visa which is applicable for longer than 6 months of study then you can marry.

As you realize you will still need to have the necessary financial requirements to be able to apply for a spouse visa in order for her to remain after her Tier 4 visa has expired.

She will also need to prove that she has the money to pay for the course and for living expenses during the course. She will NOT have access to public funds. She will be able to work only 20 hours a week during the course term.

Englishman2014

Alright mate I understand your stress, I was in the same situation in December I'm from Chester, england I'm currently in cali colombia it's where my wife is from. We've just had her spouse visa approved but involved me having to go go back to england and spend 4 months apart while I earn the financial requirement. It's a pain in the arse mate have nothing but sympathy for you. I paid an agent in Liverpool£700 to do all my paperwork for me

webby1984

Thanks Englishman, how did you do it after just 4 months? Don't you need to be there for six months? It looks like she is going to come as a student, although this option is obviously very expensive, study for six month then apply, but if we can do it after four months that might be a big help.

SanDiegogirl

You said that you were returning to the UK as a student yourself.

Don't forget that even if your girlfriend gets a suitable study visa (it needs to be one for over 6 months or she won't be able to move to spouse visa), when you do apply for the spouse visa then you will still need to fulfill the financial requirements, either through income or savings.

At that stage both of your incomes (if you have any) will qualify.

englishguygoinghome

One way is to have earned over 18600 in total in the past 12 months and be in a job with that level of salary at the time of application. So of you earned enough abroad (or in you first month in the UK) you could get away with only weeks separation.
Be interested to hear how Englishman did it.

webby1984

Yes going for a tier 4 visa, problem is she will be studying English and won't be able to work more than 10 hours a week, maximum 20, but I guess every little helps.