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Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

Old Sep 9th 2016, 3:02 pm
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Default Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

Hi everyone, thank you all again for helping us to come almost to the submission stage of my wife's spouse visa application. Her appointment is on Sunday 18th of September. Just wanted to make sure that we have all the necessary supporting documents and the correct forms. Here they are:

Applicant's Documents

-completed application form
-IHS payment confirmation 
-cover letter
-passport 
-passport photo x2
-TB Test 
-English Test 
-Biometric appointment confirmation

Sponsor's Documents

-completed Appendix 2 form
-cover letter
-passport (colour copy of bio data page)

Financial Evidence (Sponsor’s)
-Letter from employer with work history and salary amount 
-pay slips (both for traceability of savings)
-Most recent bank statements x 6 months 


Evidence of accommodation

-Letter from landlord (Sponsor’s friend). My friend is letting us stay with them for free until we rent/buy our own place
-Landlord’s passport copy 
-Landlord children’s passport copy-
-Land registry document 
-Council tax statements 
-Utility bills x 1 
-Pictures of the house (all rooms, garden and outside) 

Relationship Evidence

-Marriage certificate & certified translation 
-Copy of passport stamps from countries we went on holiday together 
-Screen shots of Skype, FB, WhatsApp and email exchanges 12 A4 sheets 
-Annotated photos x 25
-Holidays together: Flights/ boarding passes, Hotels, AirBnB and other joint accommodation receipts

Sorry I know it is a long list but we really are worried not to miss anything.
So what do you all think? Did we miss something?

Thank you in advance!

Last edited by omario2016; Sep 9th 2016 at 3:07 pm.
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Old Sep 9th 2016, 5:23 pm
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

This looks pretty good and I am pleased to see you have kept the Skype, WhatsApp information to a manageable quantity.

My wife submitted her previous passport as well as her current one, I recall that this is a requirement.

Also, she submitted a copy of the details page of my current and previous passport.

Just a comment about the boarding passes, flight and hotel details etc. WE also did this, not least because I did a huge amount of travelling, but we prepared a nice summary showing all the trips on an Excel spreadsheet, with dates, flight numbers, hotel stays all set out clearly and cross referenced to the supporting papers....Just to make it really easy to read. If you haven't done this, I suggest it is worth doing so.

Best of luck !
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Old Sep 10th 2016, 2:23 am
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

Hi DernierVirage, very good points especially about my previous passport. I am working on the excel spreadsheet for our holidays together as we speak

on another note and another question for you and anyone else, we are off to Thailand today coming back two days before her biometrics. We obviously didn't mention this in her online application as we submitted the application few days back. Should we mention it separately when she submits documents during biometric appointment?

thank you!
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Old Sep 10th 2016, 11:17 am
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

I don't see any problem whatsoever since your Thailand trip is after the application, so it is a "subsequent event". Moreover, the staff at the appointment are there to collate the documents, there is no possibility anyway of discussing matters relating to the application.

By the way, be sure not to staple, bind, clip or file your documents, since they will organise them in front of you in their own way. Just take two separate bundles, the originals and the copies, and leave it at that.

One last thing, you mentioned your previous passport in the reply to me, but remember to submit your wife's previous passport(s) too.

Last edited by DernierVirage; Sep 10th 2016 at 11:20 am. Reason: Add last paragraph
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Old Sep 10th 2016, 5:25 pm
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

Originally Posted by omario2016
Hi DernierVirage, very good points especially about my previous passport. I am working on the excel spreadsheet for our holidays together as we speak

on another note and another question for you and anyone else, we are off to Thailand today coming back two days before her biometrics. We obviously didn't mention this in her online application as we submitted the application few days back. Should we mention it separately when she submits documents during biometric appointment?

thank you!
I'm sorry for being a nervous Nellie, but do you have a Plan B in place if your return from Thailand is delayed and your wife misses her biometrics appointment?

I've read of quite a few instances on immigration forums where people have missed the appointment for various reasons - the outcome varies from being permitted to reschedule the appointment, to being told to come as a 'walk-in' and be prepared to wait, to having to do the online application again with a refund of your application fee available on request.

I hasten to add that the above information is from applicants and their sponsors, not the Home Office, and it may not be something that troubles you and your wife. I'm a bit of a worrier so there's no way I'd be travelling abroad so close to my biometrics appointment!

Best of luck that everything goes smoothly.
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Old Sep 10th 2016, 8:05 pm
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

@omario2016: Just read your list again and I notice that you don't mention any supporting evidence to show that you live together.
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Old Sep 11th 2016, 2:05 am
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

@spous_of_scouse thank you for your kind wishes and for pointing that out.

I thought of that too but I am little bit assured mainly for the following reasons:

- Bangkok is two hours away flight from where we currently live (Dhaka, Bangladesh). I know flights can still be delayed etc but there are two flights a day and we still have one day as a back up if we miss our actual flight.
- We still have not paid for her biometric as apparently it seems that in Dhaka you pay during your appointment day (one thing I am not sure about though is whether we can pay by card or not or carry that amount of cash with us which is a lot in Dhaka)

Also I think the rescheduling/postpoing appointments seem flexible in Dhaka. Having said this, it will mean that most of our supporting documents by then will be out of the 28 days window to be accepted so you are right to be nervous and now I am too......

We are in Bangkok already. ***bites nails

Last edited by omario2016; Sep 11th 2016 at 2:30 am.
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Old Sep 11th 2016, 2:27 am
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

@Dernier_Virage thank you once again!

- binding, clipping etc: Really? I bought two biding folders with indexes/dividers to separate each section (application, relationship/marriage, IHS payment confirmation etc). I know that sounds a bit OCD and some would say too organised for a guy right? anyways I can always take it as that I guess and if they wish to dismantle it and sort it their way then fine.

- living together: I should explain. We got married in March 2015. I had to go back to Papua New Guinea (couple of weeks after) as my contract was until January 2016. In between we met two times: Once in Dubai and then in Afghanistan where she used to live. I had to go to London when i finished my job end of Jan 2016 for couple of courses I had. Then I went to Afghanistan for a month to have our wedding party. Then we traveled to India for honeymoon. Then to London for a month (with visitor visa for my wife as we were moving to Dhaka later in July hence didn't apply for spouse visa then) then Barcelona Spain for another month. We then flew to London for few days. I flew to Dhaka then and she joined me two weeks later where we now live together.

Here is what I am providing as proof of the above:
- excel table of our travel and holidays together cross referenced with hotel stays, photos provided as supporting docs (as you suggested)
- passport stamps of countries we visited together
- for our England visits, we stayed couple of times (not more than two days each) through AirBnB thereafter my sister-in-law offered us their living room so we were crashing with them but at the same time were staying with other families here and there. I am providing AirBnB reviews (screenshots) which mentions both of our names and how much they loved us as guests but for all other stays with families, I am not bothering with obtaining a letter from each to say we stayed with them (Do I have to do this?. Anyways she was there on a visitors visa
- receipt of rent from our flat in Barcelona which mentions her name too
- a certificate by my employment HQ in Geneva stating that my wife is together with me in Dhaka. In addition I was thinking to obtain another letter from my work here in Dhaka stating specifically the address in which we live together. Should/must I do this?

thank you again!

Last edited by omario2016; Sep 11th 2016 at 2:34 am.
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Old Sep 11th 2016, 7:56 am
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

@omario2016

Regarding the documents, I am like you - very very organised. But even so, we just put all the documents loose into two folders (plastic bags in fact!), one with the originals, one with the copies. We obviously made sure that the two piles were in the same order, but that was it...no dividers, nothing...and certainly no stapled or clipped documents. And just as well, because the officer who saw my wife immediately starting splitting the piles according to her own check-list. We had prepared an index page to show what we had, but even that didn't really interest her! Don't give them unnecessary work is the motto here !!

Right, your travel and living situation is now clear and in fact is very similar to my own circumstances - my wife and I had basically nothing in our joint names and I was a huge amount of time away from her for business reasons. What you have indicated a evidence looks perfect to me, I would just add that in our application my wife included a brief, clear explanation of why our arrangements were like that, stressing how our time together was the maximum possible in the circumstances.

Yes, a letter stating that you both live together in Dhaka would be helpful, if you have time to arrange it. Just to reassure you, my wife and I had absolutely no independent evidence that we had ever lived together, and we still got the visa !!

Our application went through with no problems, so best of luck for you!

Last edited by DernierVirage; Sep 11th 2016 at 9:05 am. Reason: Typos
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Old Sep 11th 2016, 11:04 pm
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

I would echo the advice you have already been given.

You want two matching sets of originals and copies but don't put them in binders with plastic dividers or plastic wallets as the person handling your application will only have to pull them all out again. Certainly no staples. Make their life easier and they are likely to make yours easier. Put your supporting documents in matching order with a contents page on front and use a large bulldog clip to hold them all together. That way they can easily be reorganised as necessary.

Also make sure that your originals are originals, not photocopies or home print-offs, especially when it comes to the specified evidence for the financial requirements. If you do not have original bank statements as sent to you in the post then you'll need to get your bank to stamp each home-printed page as genuine. The same principle would also apply to payslips.
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Old Sep 12th 2016, 1:39 am
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

@Dernier_Virage Thank you!

@BiP Thanks for that! We will submit them as you and others have suggested here.

The only document which I don't have the originals of is the Land Registry and council tax statement. Those were emailed to me by my friend and I printed them off.

His statement letter regarding offering a room for us in his house + gas & electricity bill had already been posted to me and we don't have time to get the land registry doc via post as we live n Dhaka! This is the only thing that currently worries me and it may sound a bit stupid but given our situation, I hope the officer will understand.

Otherwise all other docs are in original and copy and will sort them as it has been suggested here.

Another question: regarding wedding and holiday photos, do they have to be developed i.e. printed in a studio or can I just print them on A4 paper in colour?

Last edited by omario2016; Sep 12th 2016 at 1:44 am.
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Old Sep 12th 2016, 6:15 am
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@omario2016:

We just printed the photos at home in colour, that is good enough.

I am still worried about your land registry documents not being certified...I only know the Scottish system, but I recall someone here mentioned that for English deeds, official versions can be downloaded. I seriously recommend you to look into this as soon as possible.....
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Old Sep 12th 2016, 7:59 am
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

Originally Posted by omario2016
@Dernier_Virage Thank you!

@BiP Thanks for that! We will submit them as you and others have suggested here.

The only document which I don't have the originals of is the Land Registry and council tax statement. Those were emailed to me by my friend and I printed them off.

His statement letter regarding offering a room for us in his house + gas & electricity bill had already been posted to me and we don't have time to get the land registry doc via post as we live n Dhaka! This is the only thing that currently worries me and it may sound a bit stupid but given our situation, I hope the officer will understand.

Otherwise all other docs are in original and copy and will sort them as it has been suggested here.

Another question: regarding wedding and holiday photos, do they have to be developed i.e. printed in a studio or can I just print them on A4 paper in colour?
Did your friend download his Land Registry document directly from their official site? If not, you can download one yourself for a fee of 3 pounds https://www.gov.uk/search-property-i...-land-registry

If you have this document, it's my opinion that it is sufficient. For my spouse visa accommodation evidence, my husband and I had bought a house in the UK but the property hadn't yet been registered against our names - so of course we couldn't provide it.

I provided a copy of an email from our solicitor confirming that exchange had taken place, a copy of an emailed Home Buyers Survey, and a copy of the insurance document our insurers had emailed us. In short, I provided print outs of 3 emailed documents. No questions were asked and my spouse visa (priority processing from Australia) was approved in 10 working days.
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Old Sep 12th 2016, 9:33 am
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

@Dernier_Virage and @spouse_of_scouse thank you both very much and big big hugs! I just downloaded the land registry document which took like 3 minutes. Definitely worth it, given how easy and cheap it is (cost only £3). All set now I guess *just a flight to catch back from BKK to Dhaka

Last edited by omario2016; Sep 12th 2016 at 10:13 am.
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Old Sep 12th 2016, 11:02 am
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Default Re: Supporting Documents Checklist- Spouse visa - Savings route

Originally Posted by omario2016
@Dernier_Virage and @spouse_of_scouse thank you both very much and big big hugs! I just downloaded the land registry document which took like 3 minutes. Definitely worth it, given how easy and cheap it is (cost only £3). All set now I guess *just a flight to catch back from BKK to Dhaka
You're very welcome, and whatever you do don't miss that flight!
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