bonsai99

Hello, Im looking for some advice about the ToR1 application to move household goods to the UK.
I am a UK citizen returning after 15+ years. My spouse is a US citizen and we are applying for a spouse visa.
I am applying for the ToR1. One of the questions is will anyone be accompanying me back to the UK. When I add my spouse I am then required to provide proof of their visa.
I understand that once the visa is approved we will have to enter the UK within 30 days. The shipping company will not take our possessions until the ToR1 is approved. We cannot apply for the ToR1 until the visa is issued.
The ToR1 may take over 30 days to be issued, the moving company cannot move with less than a months notice.
Has anyone any experience of moving back to the UK with a foreign spouse and how to navigate to ToR1 application,
thanks!

Pulaski

[1] Only the visa applicant has to abide by that window
[2] There is nothing to stop the visa applicant leaving the UK again, once they have entered, though the sponsor, in your case "you", must enter the UK with the visa holder, or before them.
[3] You can specify a future date of travel, so implicit in the visa application process is the opportunity to give yourself a substantially longer window than 30 days to pack and ship your household chattels, though obviously the covd-19 pandemic has messed this process up considerably.

All that said. I am a little surpised that the mover/ shipping company won't take your things and hold them in storage until the ToR is approved and supplied to them because "storage" is a service commonly provided by movers, either at the point of shipment, or inward, prior to delivery to a final address. Therefore I believe that the likely solution to your problem is to be have a conversation with the moving company you choose primarily about "storage services", not about international shipping, on the basis that "you need to move out because you have sold your home, or the lease has ended, but you don't yet have a home to move to", which is a very common situation.

MonsterP

Agree with Pulaski there. My things were in packed up, ready to ship, and put in storage eventually for three years before I gave the nod to ship them and the ToR1 was done, only in my name and that was 10 months after I moved to the UK. My Wife and Son followed on 12 months later after getting the visa sorted.

Alison20

I'm in the process too. My husband is awaiting biometrics, but application has been submitted.
i am uk citizen but never updated my NI card. I sent for our ToR, put it in his name as our utility bills are mostly in his name, but in the bos where you can add why you are moving i put my name, dob, and that we are staying with my Mum. I just got a refusal but because they need letter from mum saying we can stay and proof its her house. Same as for visa application. I also sent my husbands visa application receipt.
we are leaving sept 2nd, hoping for biometric appointment for premium settlement before we go otherwise he will fly back.
we are using upack we ship. Their website has everthing you need to know about shipping, customs etc.

bonsai99

This has been very helpful, thank you all for your assistance.
I have had a 'practice run' with the Tor-1. The form requires that I send either a tenancy agreement or utility bills from my US address. Im assuming this is to provide proof that I have lived here for over a year. I have lived in the same rental property for 15 years but have not had a tenancy agreement or any bills in my name. Has anyone dealt with this scenario and knows of alternative documentation which can be provided? I have bank & credit card statements, medical bills, renters & car insurance policies and personal mail all sent to my address.

Gloriajean

I’m in the process of tor application I am a widow moving back in September going to live with my sister until my house sells in Canada can you please advise I’m a uk citizenship born there been away for 35 years don’t know my NI number . Appreciate

Alison20

Hello, I'm not exactly qualified on this subject as this is the first time shipping, but I do believe the form asked for the NI number only if you had one. The folks at HMRC emailed right back when they needed proof of my Mum's address, they seemed very helpful and got back to me right away. Sure they'd ask you for it if they really needed it. Good luck.

christmasoompa

Have you been making voluntary NI contributions to get a full UK pension? If so, it should be on that paperwork.

If not, then follow the instructions on this link - https://www.gov.uk/lost-national-insurance-number

HTH.

Gloriajean

I was just refused I need to tell them what I’m sending it’s not much and pet info can I asked what you sent for this pet info was it just rabies microchip

Gloriajean

H

Gloriajean

Hi will someone help me we don’t have health passports for pets in Canada I sent rabies form from my vet with microchip number on but they refused I don’t have anything else where do I get a amended tor form from. I’m leaving soon.

Alison20

There is lots of information and a step by step guide to the TiR on the Upakweship website. This is who we are using to move our belongings.
You need to have a packing list to send with your TOr. We are putting our dog on the Something to declare form, and this will have our ToR number too.
You need to look at your countries rules for exporting an animal to the UK. (In the US this is the USDA) Most likely you need the EU health certificate.

Shezi59

Hi Alison - this is exactly our situation (except my US spouse had his biometrics appointment already and we sent our packet to New York on 6/4/2021). Am I reading your post right, did you complete the TOR form with your husband's visa application receipt? They don't require the issued visa? We talked to shippers yesterday and they sent all the paperwork to fill out, it's the first time I saw the TOR, I didn't know about it. We've just accepted that we'll need to store our belongings all summer while we wait for a visa to be issued but if they would accept a visa application receipt, that would mean we could go ahead and schedule shipping...

Alison20

Hi there,
It's been a while now, but yes, I sent my husband's visa application receipt. We came over in in September and because of the covid delays he didn't get his visa until October! He had to fly back to Miami to pick it up from VFS. Typically not the right thing but we had already booked an air BnB to quarantine in and then a short term lease so didn't want to lose out.
The HMRC people were really helpful, even after our refusal, I realized they are just making sure they have the correct paperwork. Everything just seemed monumental at that time!
We numbered all our boxes and I had a detailed list on a spreadsheet with the box sizes so it calculated the cubic feet so I knew about how much space it was taking in the container. You need to send a snippet of your list with the ToR. It sure who your shipping company is but Upak was an excellent company to work with both in the US and UK.
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Good luck with your move!

Shezi59

Just a quick update for anyone else in this process - we received our TOR approval yesterday (8 business days), no questions, no hassle. I don't know if the application form has changed recently but there was nowhere to put a second applicant and no questions popped up asking if anyone was travelling with me. There was space at the end for 'anything else you want to tell us' and an upload function for further supporting docs so we put my spouse's details there, along with his US passport and visa application receipt from UKVI. Our intended departure date is 9/15/2021, so plenty of time to arrange things.

Pulaski and someone else mentioned above that there should be no reason the shippers won't store until TOR is approved, that must depend on the shipper. Our shippers had no problem scheduling our move whilst we prepared the paperwork (including TOR and EIN), but they won't ship until they have the numbers.

All in all, a fairly straightforward process it seems.