Allegrif

Me and my American wife are applying for a spouse visa using the £62,500 savings route. We're currently living in Ireland on an EU family permit. I just have a couple of questions?

We've applied online, paid and booked an appointment for Tuesday in Dublin for biometrics. I've now realised I need to get my bank statements stamped, which is a pain because it's a British account and we're in Ireland. I won't be able to take these to Dublin, the stamped versions will arrive after this appointment. Is this a problem?

What do we actually do with all of our documentation? Are we supposed to take it all up to Dublin, or will the biometrics thing up there actually just result in another piece of paperwork we then have to submit in the post?

Living in Ireland, some of the bits in the paperwork are a bit confusing. It says the sponsor would be 'someone settled in the UK'. I'm not at the minute, I'm in Ireland with my wife. Will being a British citizen suffice?

I'm really confused on the whole process to be honest, the government website is most unhelpful.

Many thanks for your help, and good luck to everyone else who's doing the same thing!

philemon_bodiba

You can have your appointment cancelled for a full refund and apply again later once you've got the bank statements authenticated. Plain copies of statements will lead to refusal.

And, yes, if you hold a British passport/Indefinite Leave To Remain you're a settled person.

Allegrif

Thanks for the advice, so the biometrics appointment is where all of our paperwork is received?

philemon_bodiba

That's correct. Biometrics and supporting documents.

Allegrif

I'm a bit concerned now I won't be able to cancel it and get a refund. By the time we ring up tomorrow there'll only be one day before our appointment. Can we cancel that way? Also, I'm assuming we do ring up? Can't find a cancel option on visa4uk.

Sorry to hit you with so many questions, thank you for helping us.

SanDiegogirl

I might be barking up the wrong tree here, but if you (British Citizen) and US wife are living in Ireland (presume this has been your home for some time) then why are you going through the UK spouse visa route rather then the Family permit route?

There is the route known as Surinder Singh whereby a British citizen, if living and working in another EU country, can enter the UK with non EU spouse, by applying for a Family permit for said spouse. The permit is practically free and once in the UK the non EU spouse can apply for residence card etc etc.

You might, of course, have only just 'popped into' Ireland for some reason and could not take advantage of the Surinder Singh method, but just thought I would ask.

Allegrif

I'm not working in Ireland, and I'm in the UK a lot, so I can't claim to have moved the 'centre of my life' here

SanDiegogirl

OK, understand - spouse route it is then.

BritInParis

Does your wife have any recent European ancestry, i.e. parents, grandparents or great-grandparents? If so she may be eligible for an EEA passport so you can avoid going down the spouse visa route altogether.

Allegrif

Unfortunately not. American family that we know of all the way back to the 18th century

BritInParis

To parrot SanDiegogirl:

OK, understand - spouse route it is then.

philemon_bodiba

If you visit your local Visa Centre in person with a letter of appointment you can have it cancelled or rescheduled. Otherwise, you'll need to phone the centre.

Allegrif

To help out others in the same situation, it turns out you can cancel on the Visa4UK website. Go to your appointment from the 'my applications' page and there's an option at the bottom to cancel or change.

I've just given myself another 2 or 3 weeks to get my stuff together.

Thanks everyone