Country_Girl_in_London

Hello

I am after some guidance.

I am UK national and live in the UK. My fiance is Venezuelan and about to leave the UK to return home. I am going to head over in about 8 weeks to get married there - we are just getting the paperwork/info together for this. I'll stay 2 weeks and then come back. We will then apply for the spouse visa for him.
Given the expense and hassle of this I want to make sure the application is water tight first time. We will be engaging a solicitor for this, in the meantime i'd like to gather the documents and evidence that we need asap.

• Q1. Is there a link where i can find a list of all the documents that we need?

Also, my fiance and I have known each other since Feb 16 but haven't been dating the whole time - and I know i need to prove the relationship is solid. I have whats app messages and Facebook messages from December (i have no idea how we arranged dates, but i wasn't looking to collate info back then). I have some photos from last year but not many, although plenty from last year. We haven't lived together as we are planning that for after we get married.

• Q2 How is it best to present the info I have?

I also have plenty of friends who know us both, who have watched our relationship develop and are happy to provide testimonials

• Q3. What makes a good testimonial? What should it include?

When we met, he was already in an appeal for his visa as a relative of an EEA person, so we always knew this was an issue but we thought he would win. He has just lost his appeal (complete process took over 2 years). We have spoken to a solicitor and been told that this wont affect the spouse visa application, but I am aware how it may seem to others. For us, the decision just speeded up the inevitable but i'd rather not be a long distance spouse for more than necessary. So any hints, and tips to get us through this process is very much welcome.
I earn more than the required amount and can get all the necessary info from work.

Thank you

BritInParis

Who was the EEA relative?

Country_Girl_in_London

A cousin. We will not be using any relatives here for this application. It will be a straight spouse visa application

BritInParis

1: Each application will differ somewhat but a generic list can be found here.

2: A covering letter from each of you, describing how you met, the development of your relationship and your future plans is the best way to start. No more than two sides of A4. You can then use what relationship evidence you have to support the narrative presented in your covering letter. Don't send hundreds of pages of WhatsApp messages or similar; your ECO simply won't have the time or inclination to go through them all. You need to present a curated collection that shows the development of your relationship over time. Photographs featuring friends and family members are good as are a selection of wedding photographs. You don't want to send more than a dozen or so pages.

3: The Home Office is not interested in testimonials as they hold very little water.

Take care in choosing a solicitor. Too many examples to count on this forum of solicitors providing incorrect advice or being incompetent leading to a refusal. In the end they still get paid whether you get your visa or not. I would choose a solicitor or a OISC registered immigration adviser who specialises solely in UK immigration law who has a proven track record with spouse visas.

Country_Girl_in_London

Thank you