garfro

Copied this from UKBA site

2 recent passport photographs and your passport - see the Photographs and passport page
evidence of your age and your partner's age
your marriage or civil partnership certificate
evidence that you were both free to marry or enter your civil partnership, if either of you was previously married or in a civil partnership
evidence that you have met
evidence of your English language ability - see the English language page
evidence that you can can maintain yourselves and any dependants adequately without needing public funds - see the Maintenance (funds) page
evidence of your accomodation

Seems pretty straightforward, but if you read through posts on here and uk~Yankee site seems people send a lot more, tax returns etc
I'm going to follow ukba instructions and send this

1'completed VAF4A requesting KOL
2'stamped biometrics performed document
3' 2 passport photos
4, evidence of age (wife's US passport and my UK passport)
5' original marriage certificate and state certified document
6' bank statements from US & UK accounts
7'letter from family member with job offer,and rental agreement on house he has graciously offered on a week to week basis

That's all they ask for I may put in a cover letter showing that I own my US home and it will rented out as a source of income,

What do you think?

G

pennylessinindia

Obviously you have been married for a very long time. You may just want to include a few things showing you and your wife are still together. Do bank statements have both your names if so OK . Sounds silly I know but you do need to show your relationship is ongoing, pictures of you and the family can be useful.
It does not matter where in the UK she enters once she has the visa. Not sure the pet passport requires that either, having just travelled with mine!

pennylessinindia

The UKBA site makes suggestions at the end of the day the ECO has to be satisfied you meet the rules. Be a bit careful you are not being too blasé better to submit a bit much than not enough. Remember they only look at the papers you submit and can not guess things!

garfro

Thanks for replies, yes I will add in some additional documentation, wedding photos , joint mortgage statement etc
Thanks
G

guyb

Hi all, Long time reader and lurker now in need of some UK spouse visa advice.

I am a British citizen, married to an American since 2006 who came to the UK on a FLR visa. We had a baby in the UK in 2007, who is now four and a half and is dual. We moved to the US in 2009, me with a 10 year green card but for various reasons we are seriously considering moving back. A brief glimpse at the new regulations is frankly terrifying, especially the monetary requirements that appear to be in place.

We would move back and live with my parents in the North East, who own their own property mortgage free. I would work freelance (I am a writer) straight away, as I do now, but would also look for a 'real job' too. My cousin runs a daycare in our hometown and would be prepared to offer my wife a job unconditionally as a HR/clerical assistant - but we don't have much savings to consider or fall back on although my parents have said they would be prepared to sponsor/underwrite any undertakings as part of our visa procedure.

I guess my first question is how likely we are to be granted a family visa for my wife, we didn't overstay the first one, she has a national insurance number and didn't take any public funds during our last period of living in the UK. Also, even though I would techinically be the sponsor as I'm her husband and would be coming back with her and my son, would we be able to include a letter/affidavit from my parents to the effect that "it's all cool and they won't cost HM Govt a penny" ?

Many thanks in advance - love this forum.

roaringmouse

As said by pennylessinindia, what you quoted from the UKBA website is a general guideline at best. The onus is on the applicant to provide enough evidence to indicate the existence, nature & length of the relationship, accommodation, and likelihood of income.

Although during processing the ECO may ask for details to be clarified on what has been provided, it's doubtful that they would ask for evidence in addition to what has been provided.

sunandmoon

Sorry for my delay in thanking you for the advice. the information was very much appreciated...once again thankyou.

Pollyana

Threads merged

guyb

New requirements just announced -

• Anyone wanting to sponsor a partner to settle in the UK will have to have a minimum income of £18,600. If they have a child, the threshold will be £22,400. For every extra child, the threshold will rise by £2,400.

• Anyone who wants to sponsor a dependent relative requiring care to come to the UK will have to show that they can look after their relative without recourse to public funds.

• People will only be allowed to sponsor close relatives - parents, grandparents, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters - to come to the UK this way. Aunts and uncles will no longer be able to use the family route. And applications will have to be made from abroad, not while relatives are in the UK as a visitor.

• Applicants wanting to settle in the UK will, from October 2013, have to pass the "life in the UK" test. And they will also have to pass an English language test at an intermediate level.

• The minimum probationary period for new spouses and partners will go up from two years to five years.

• New guidance will be issued to caseworkers to help them identify sham marriages.

• The full right of appeal for people denied a family visa will be removed.

• The new immigration rules will come into effect on 9 July

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/b...an-rights-live

just_jenn

Fortunately my DH was already issued his visa because I'd fall short of the income minimum by 1,200GBP...and getting a weekend job isn't exactly easy when you're trying to raise your toddler alone while waiting for your spouse to arrive!

garfro

So if they received my papers today (11th June) am I exempt from this as it comes into effect, not the funds part but the request for KOL req and the 2 year period.

Does anyone know if you get any notification of receipt and how quickly they send back original docs ( I understand spousal visa for US citizen is approx 2~3 weeks is that correct?
G

garfro

71 pages long!
I copied this section but still not sure




Arrangements applicable
Before 9 July 2012 you were granted entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain as a spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same sex partner of a British or settled person, or you have applied for this and are awaiting a decision.
The immigration rules in force before 9 July 2012 will still apply to you from 9 July 2012 until settlement, if you qualify for it. This includes the existing maintenance requirement and a two year probationary period to settlement. From October 2013 you will need to pass the Life in the UK test and a B1 level English speaking and listening qualification to qualify for settlement.
These arrangements also apply to post-flight spouses and partners of refugees and persons granted humanitarian protection in the UK.
Before 9 July 2012 you were granted immediate settlement as a spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same sex partner of a British or settled person in a relationship overseas for four years or more, or you have applied for this and are awaiting a decision.
The immigration rules in force before 9 July 2012 will still apply to you from 9 July 2012, including a grant of immediate settlement if you qualify for it.
If you were or are granted limited leave because you met or meet all the requirements for immediate settlement apart from knowledge of language and life in the UK, you will be able to apply for settlement as soon as you are able to meet the knowledge of language and life in the UK requirement in force at the time of your application.
On or after 9 July 2012 you apply for entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain as a spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same sex partner of a British or settled person.
The new family immigration rules apply to you, including the new financial requirement (minimum income threshold) and a five year probationary period to settlement. From October 2013 you will need to pass the Life in the UK test and a B1 level English speaking and listening qualification to qualify for settlement.
These arrangements also apply to post-flight spouses and partners of refugees and persons granted humanitarian protection in the UK.
Before 9 July 2012 you were granted entry clearance, leave to enter or further leave to remain as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner of a British or settled person, or you have applied for this and are awaiting a decision.
The immigration rules in force before 9 July 2012 will still apply to you from 9 July 2012. You can still apply to switch into the partner route on the basis of the existing maintenance requirement and a two year probationary period before settlement. From October 2013 you will need to pass the Life in the UK test and a B1 level English speaking and listening qualification to qualify for settlement.
On or after 9 July 2012 you apply for entry clearance, leave to enter or further leave to
The new family immigration rules apply to your application, including the new financial
Document title

intant

Two questions......
Does anybody know if money in a 401k will be allowable as evidence for maintenance? It can be cashed out at any time but we would have preferred not to convert it to cash until January (new tax year) though we would have been making our spouse settlement visa application in August for a move to the UK in October/November.
Should we just apply now and hope to beat the deadline with about $50k of liquid assets at the moment?

englishguygoinghome

Yeah looks like they made a bit of a logical error when writing the rules and you fall into the gap (welcome to the grey area!). If you get granted before the 9th then you're fine. Otherwise old rules for this application and new for the next. But I'd suggest you can always give it a go under the old rules for the whole lot - based on my expernce and the posts here the ECOs often don't know, read or undeerstand the rules anyway.

Bluegrass Lass

This is where this is very confusing. When USCIS makes rule changes, so in this instance lets say the new rules come into play 9July, then all applications received before this date will fall under the old rules, and all apps received after the cutoff fall under the new rules. It's pretty clearly defined which set of rules you will fall under.

The way UKBA has this worded, you could filed the visa app May 15, not paid for premium processing, and then it may not be approved until after the cutoff date. It's not right that you could have filed perhaps 2months before the cutoff date, and still fall under the new rules. That just isn't right. If you've already filed, you really don't have any way of knowing that you will be approved before the cutoff or not!