Guegui

This forum has helped us immensely through some of the visa issues we've had this past year. Now we're in a bit of a pickle and changing plans once more due to the requirements of the service.

Long story short my career in the USAF is finally over and the uncertainty we've faced these past few years is coming to an end. I've been released early for good "behaviour". As the USC I was sponsoring my wife to the US… now that its been a year+ in the works and we're almost done with the US bureaucracy the military releases me due to budgetary constraints.

In the interest of one of us actually having a job… plus we'd rather have lived in the UK anyways I now need to stop her green card process and start a UK visa for myself. My wife has helped a lot in finding the requirements which don't seem terribly difficult to accomplish but there are some questions.

British Expats please help me become a good and proper house husband!

I would like to stay in the UK on a permanent residency basis with the right to live and work.

1. On the the Visa4UK application site we believe that the "Settlement… Settlement… Husband" options are the correct ones for me to "Join family" With her being the UKC sponsoring me. Can somebody please confirm this assumption as the descriptions on the website are inconsistent.

2. Next, has anybody used the epassportphoto.com website? The 45mm x 35mm requirement blew my local walgreens passport technician's mind and this seems a viable option to get a correct photo. They say they have 99.5% acceptance rate so I'd assume they know what they're doing for a UK passport over 6 photo. Again can anybody confirm that they can deliver the goods?

3. Finally (for now) Where and how can I get the biometrics done? I live in northern California, I know there's a consulate in San Fransisco but their website leads me to believe they don't have a visa processing capability.

Thanks everybody… sorry for the epic post.

BritInParis

I guess before we go any further the first thing to ask would be does your wife fulfil the necessary financial requirements to sponsor you for a spouse visa?

Guegui

Yes she does, she's gathering all the documents required on her end, and I'm sending documents etc that I need to provide. Photos, biometrics being the harder to get items.

englishguygoinghome

I used it about a month ago and it was fine. Just make sure you have a plain, light background and look at the camera, no smile etc when taking the photo. Then print it at 6x4

Guegui

Thanks I followed their directions on the website and took many pictures. I then scrubbed them against the requirements on the visa4UK site so I think they'll be ok. Figured its a calculated risk and wasn't terribly expensive. Fingers crossed.

ncoomber

guegui,
1. correct.
2. I took the pix of my USC wife myself with her standing againt a white background. Had them printed at walmart and cut them to the correct size.
3. biometrics are done in the US at the nearest US immigration center. When you file your application online and pay the site will set you up with a bio appointment. You go and they give you a receipt which you include when you send your docs.

Don't forget to fill out the appendix (not online) (include in doc package)

Good luck
Cheers
Nigel