Deanosaurus

As the title says: I'm planning to return to the UK to study for a Masters with my non-EEA wife. Here are my specifics circumstances:

* I will be a full-time post-graduate student, and so will not be earning a salary
* We have nowhere near enough savings to match the £64,000 required for the spouse visa (I wish I did!)

NB - from my research I found that foreign students on a Tier-4 visa are eligible to bring their spouses...but I can't find ANYTHING for British students who have foreign spouses...isn't that strange?

I'd really, really appreciate any advice on this. Thanks.

BritInParis

If you’re a British citizen then you’ll be expected to sponsor your wife for a spouse visa, regardless of what you are doing. Will you be receiving a bursary or similar?

Deanosaurus

No, I'll be self-funded for the most part. Although I plan on applying for some scholarships or perhaps a loan if I can't afford everything.

SanDiegogirl

You can use scholarship or bursary money to meet the financial requirements for a spouse visa..... but not a loan.

Deanosaurus

Thanks for the feedback. So despite being a full-time student with no money, I'd still have to somehow meet the £18k yearly income requirement? If that's true then we are in trouble because there is no way scholarships for an MA would equate anywhere near that much.

BritInParis

Is your wife still 30?

Deanosaurus

She turns 31 in March. I think I knwo where you are going - working holiday visa? We applied but she didn't get it unfortunately.

spouse of scouse

She applied for a Youth Mobility visa and was refused? What reason was given for the refusal?

Deanosaurus

They only give 1000 visas per year to Japanese citizens, so it turns out to be a lottery of sorts. She just got unlucky. No reason was given besides that she wasn't chosen :-(

BritInParis

How do you plan on supporting yourself financially?

Deanosaurus

I'll be relying on financial assistance from my Family + online freelance work which I can maintain while studying. Income will be bottle-necked by the amount of time I'll be studying though of course, so I still don't think I'll come anywhere close to the 18K.

I got in touch with the International Students Advice Line. Even they were surprised by my situation and admitted there was no appropriate visa for this circumstance (despite there being one for foreign students bringing their spouses). Really frustrating.

I may have to accept that the only possible way to bring my wife with me is on a temporary 6 month visitor visa. We will only be able to spend 6 months together though, and will have to live separately for the remaining time, as much as I hate the thought of that.

Bingbing25

I was in a similar situation, although in our case, I'm the non-EU spouse and my wife is British. We got married before I started my MA, and I went to Canada to do it. Not only was I fully funded for the programme, Canada allows foreign students to bring their spouse + give them work permit so my wife could work during our stay there. So I don't know your situation, but a third country could be an option. As ironic as this is, going to an EU country or Canada is just much less hassle for visa reasons, especially given that they offer courses in English. After I finished my MA, we waited until my wife has been working for 6 months, during which time I could stay in England with her. Now I'm waiting to receive my spouse visa. This way I think we minimised time spent apart from each other. The Netherlands or Germany would also be an option. The tuition fees are MUCH lower there, and they offer teaching in English + you're free to bring your wife with you. And if you want to stay in academia, good European master's degrees are as recognised in the UK as British degrees.

Deanosaurus

Thanks for the response. Definitely something I will look into, although the expense might make it a tricky one. Either way, thanks!

BritInParis

I think that’s probably the most realistic solution. I take it that your wife is not working?

Deanosaurus

She does freelance graphic design work so in theory she would be able to maintain clients even if she came back with me to the UK. But her income wouldn't be in GBP and is unstable.