Questions about visa for my spouse

Old Sep 29th 2020, 6:32 pm
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Exclamation Questions about visa for my spouse

Hi everyone,

Apologies if these questions are answered elsewhere, I searched and did not find anything.

I am a UK citizen living in the US since 1999. We are moving to the UK in November/December.
- My wife is American.
- We also have two dogs to move back (kids are fine, I got them UK passports).
- Due to cost of moving dogs to UK (as in $5,000), my wife plans on traveling via Paris where a company will pick them all up and bring them back to the UK. Saves us about $3,500).

Questions:
- Under what visa should my wife enter the UK? Time is too short for a spouse visa, plus we have no money in the UK.
- If coming on a 6-month tourist visa, will she be allowed in? Will she require some form of a return ticket as evidence she is planning to leave, as in a return Eurostar ticket to France?
- Should we get a 2-year visa instead to buy (literally) more time? And then pay the NHS surcharge?
- Can she start the spouse visa while on that visa or does that require something else?

Any advice super appreciated, the Visa and Immigration website is not that helpful!
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Old Sep 29th 2020, 7:44 pm
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Default Re: Questions about visa for my spouse

It lools like you already know most of what is required - your wife can only enter as a visitor and won't have access to the NHS other than in an emergency.

She will have to leave the UK and return to the US to receive a spouse visa

You will need to meet the income (£18,600 pa evicdenced by six months of pay slips, or 12 months of records if you're elf employed) or savings (£62,500, held for six months, or from the proceeds of a sale of real estate you own) requirements, or some combination thereof, to sponsor your wife's visa.

I don't know what you mean by "a two year visa". The initial spouse visa is valid for 2½ years (and requires paying the NHS surcharge) and approaching the 2½ year point she will need to apply for "further leave to remain" - that is the default route to "indefinite leave to remain" and onwards to citizenship if she want to take that step.

Last edited by Pulaski; Sep 29th 2020 at 9:06 pm.
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Old Sep 29th 2020, 7:51 pm
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Default Re: Questions about visa for my spouse

Thanks, will get on and apply for the tourist visa, transfer funds asap so the six months begin immediately. Thank you.
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Old Sep 29th 2020, 8:04 pm
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Default Re: Questions about visa for my spouse

Originally Posted by Eagleperson
Thanks, will get on and apply for the tourist visa, transfer funds asap so the six months begin immediately. Thank you.
As an American she does not need a visa - she can visit the UK without one (just like the Visa Waiver Program for UK citizens visiting the US).
As said, she cannot apply for visa while in the UK; she'll need to return to the US. so will require to show a return ticket.
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Old Sep 29th 2020, 8:13 pm
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Default Re: Questions about visa for my spouse

Originally Posted by Eagleperson
Thanks, will get on and apply for the tourist visa, transfer funds asap so the six months begin immediately. Thank you.
You don't need to transfer the funds - they don't have to be held in the UK. .... Is that what you mean by "transfer" ... to a bank in the UK? If you already have the funds in a bank account the 6 month clock is already running.
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Old Sep 29th 2020, 8:24 pm
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Default Re: Questions about visa for my spouse

I thought the funds have to be in a UK bank account? I have the money, it is just here in a US account, not in the UK.
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Old Sep 29th 2020, 8:37 pm
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Default Re: Questions about visa for my spouse

Originally Posted by Eagleperson
I thought the funds have to be in a UK bank account? I have the money, it is just here in a US account, not in the UK.
Nope. The funds don't have to be a UK bank, and don't have to be in pound sterling either. Just beware of currency volatility, if the non-GBP currency falls in value against the pound, so at the outset you should have a little more non-GBP currency than the minimum at current exchange rates.
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Old Sep 29th 2020, 8:46 pm
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Default Re: Questions about visa for my spouse

Originally Posted by Eagleperson
I thought the funds have to be in a UK bank account? I have the money, it is just here in a US account, not in the UK.
If you have had 62,500 GBP in your possession for 6 months or more (preferably as cash) you can apply for a visa now.

Read the following document re: cash savings

https://assets.publishing.service.go...t-v2.0-ext.pdf

Last edited by SanDiegogirl; Sep 29th 2020 at 8:49 pm.
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Old Sep 29th 2020, 8:57 pm
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Default Re: Questions about visa for my spouse

thanks SanDiegogirl, that is a relief!
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Old Sep 29th 2020, 10:52 pm
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Default Re: Questions about visa for my spouse

If you apply in the next few weeks then you can move together in November/December.
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