Isabella17

I am in the process of trying to get all the documents together so that I can submit the online application for my spousal visa. I had a few questions though.

1. I keep hearing mention of a Land Registry document to prove our family will let us stay in a house that is theirs. Will a mortgage statement and council tax bill work? Or do we really need the Land Registry document. And does it need to be an official one from the mail or can you use the one you print off online?

2. I noticed in another thread someone mentioned that your bank statements needed to come in the mail and not printed off the internet. I just got off the phone with my bank and they said the statements printed off online are the exact same ones that get mailed to you. They said mailing them would be exactly the same thing.

3. On the letter for accommodation, does my sister in law need to state how many people are in her family also? Or just that she is willing to let us stay with them and how many bedrooms and livable rooms there are in the house?

4. How long do we have, once we submit the online application, until we need to send in the supporting evidence? I am waiting on the few things from my sister in law and want to know if I could apply online before I get them or if I should wait until I have everything in hand.

Hopefully someone can help answer these questions! My sister in law is supposed to be sending off this information from the UK tomorrow so I would like to have some answers on whether she has all the right things.

Thanks!

Tr1boy

answers in red

Isabella17

Thanks for the answers!

The accommodation one is the tricky one. Between us, we will have 4 adults, 4 boys over 10, 2 boys under 10 and 4 girls under 10. There are 4 bedrooms and 2 sitting rooms. As you can see, that is a lot of people in one house! However, it is only temporary and we had no problem with it during out visit the Christmas before last. Plus, half the time our girls stayed next door at my MIL and FIL's house, who will also include a letter that we can stay and supporting documents as such. (tho I know we won't technically be using them as our accommodation, I figure it can't hurt right?)

I 'crunched' the numbers and think I came up with us technically having 11 people in a possible 12 person house according to the following website:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/po...g/maa/#header6

Should my SIL state on her letter that they have 5 children (3 boys over 10, one boy under 10 and one girl under 10) and that according to the UKBA MAA14 Overcrowding section, the house is not considered overcrowded. Or should we not mention that MAA14 overcrowding section at all in her letter?

As you can see, I am stressing and overthinking the accommodation and overcrowding issue. It is my biggest worry with this visa as I do not know what they will think if they say 10 children and 4 adults in 4 bedroom with 2 extra livable rooms house. The parents can stay in 2 bedrooms. The older 4 boys can stay in one bedroom. The younger boys can sleep in one of the sitting rooms and the 4 young girls can stay in the last bedroom (one is a toddler and would most likely sleep with us anyways). In the end they will all end up sleeping on the floor in one bedroom most likely! Children do that. LOL

Thanks. I will be so glad to get this visa application completed and *hopefully* approved.

mm04ze

I can relate to the stressing and over thinking as that's all I did when I was applying and waiting for the decision to be made.

On the online app, I believe one question asks where you will be living, how many people live there, the number of bedrooms, bathrooms etc. The best thing is to tell the truth then you won't have to worry about that bit. They may not see it as a big deal as they realise this accommodation is just temporary.
My husband and I will be staying with his parents for the first month we move over, and his dad wrote us the letter of accommodation. In it he wrote that he lives in his home with his wife, but he didn't state the number of rooms. He attached an original council tax bill and a BT bill that he printed online and this was absolutely fine, as my visa was approved within 4 days! (get the premium processing if you can, its $300 but well worth it as you don't have to spend a lot of time waiting and worrying).

Also, I applied online 3 weeks before I went to submit my documents in person and have my biometrics done. I think it has to be under 30 days from the time you apply to the time you submit your documents and biometrics, or else you would have to reapply online again.

I hope this helped. I've got my fingers crossed foryou and hope that you get your visa soon. I know how stressful and time consuming it is. You will get there!

pennylessinindia

Not sure the comment about the Land Registry is entirely correct, the document is cheap and easy to obtain and for many applicants around the world it is seen as necessary to show the ownership of the property with this document. Especially if you are reliant on third party support I would suggest it would not do any harm to submit it.

Tr1boy

How can it not be entirely correct? it's a fact, you do not need it, it is not required (unless asked for as a secondary). I'm not sure how much more plainly it can be put.

Of course it doesn't do any harm to submit it, but it is not mandatory.

pennylessinindia

Nothing is mandatory as you put except a passport and a marriage certificate, just saying what most folk submit. It is for the applicant to satisfy the Entry Clearance Officer.

Isabella17

I purchased the registry online for the 4 pounds. I was mainly wondering if they would have wanted the 'official' version of the registry. This would require a request via mail and a bit longer time frame (and more expense).

Not sure I will expedite the visa. I know that is less worry but it is still a bit more expense on top of already spending over $2000 on my visa and the British passports for the rugrats. I can handle the wait (maybe?). I may change my mind on that.

The online form is driving me crazy though! It was not written with a traditional 'one spouse works, one stays home with the kids' kind of long term marriage. Our finances are joint and yet the questions are not geared toward that even remotely. I was advised to not put '0' on how much money I have every month but to put our household income. I guess I will be doing a lot of explaining in the cover letters and at the end of the application!

I just need to keep telling myself that I have a long standing marriage with my British husband, who will have a well paying job in the UK already and that our accommodations when we first arrive are temporary and that they will understand all this and think we are fine financially and obviously do not have a 'sham marriage'.

Just keep breathing...just keep breathing...

nataliemclean

I totally agree with you on the form for a family where one partner is a stay at home mum. Especially with me being the UK citizen & I don't earn any money the form just sucks!!! We have enough savings & we too are staying with my parents - that land registry document isn't available for all properties so I couldn't submit it with my application & my parents don't have a mortgage so all I've submitted as proof of ownership is their council tax statement & insurance documents. They have no idea where the deeds are. (Im going to age about 20 yrs over this application)
My cover letter is such a 4 page long essay for them :-)
My husband did his biometrics today & tomorrow I will courier all the docs. The lady who took them said they are taking a long time to process at present due to the Jubilee & Olympics???? Why when I am applying?
Wish they had a premium service in Australia.
Good luck with your application I will keep you all posted as to the progress of ours.