Help with wife visiting me in the UK.

Hello Everyone,

I was recommended to this website from the British Expat Forum. I was hoping someone could help. My Wife and 2 young kids are due to come to the UK on May 2nd. My wife is from Canada and I am British (been back in the UK for 1 year). It is only for a visit and will be returning back to Canada the middle of July. They were here in May 2014 and left on Halloween. So they have been out of the country for 6 full months. I have only this year been able to obtain a job making more than the required £18600 as of February to be precise. So no spousal visa has been applied for yet and we know she has to be out of the country while this is being submitted and processed. She is simply coming over because we have been apart for what will be in May 6 months.
My question is this, What should my Wife bring with her to prove she intends to leave the UK in July? And to make sure she is not turned away at Heathrow as I know it happens. We have a mortgage and a car as well as our belongings to sort out in Canada before she moves over here once the Visa is granted. She does not however have a job with having two very young children.
I was going to make sure she had a up to date bank statement showing recent mortgage and car payment. Plus mortgage statement and car loan statement. letter from my mother to say she can stay here free of charge.(This is where I currently live and its more than big enough.) Letter from my employer stating I am fully employed and how much I make per year. Plus proof she has enough money for the trip from our Canada bank account. Also if asked we know the rules about applying for a spousal visa. It would be stupid to overstay if we want to apply for Spousal visa. I fanyone could shed anymore light on what we can do to help her not get turned away at heathrow that would be great. Its all I think about.
Many thanks
If

Not able to answer your immediate question, but I was wondering if your wife was eligible for an Ancestry visa or has the possibility of citizenship of another EU / EEA country?

https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa/overview

https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/eu-eea-commonwealth

This may provide an idea of types of evidence which may be useful to bring:

https://www.gov.uk/family-visit-visa/documents-you-must-provide

I was thinking maybe some of the responses to my question may help out seeing as nobody has directly answered yet

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=84729.msg1117314#msg1117314

Maybe the Ancestry option could work - I'm sure you're looking into that.

You say 18,600 but I know it goes up if you have kids, I think it's around 24k. Somebody will confirm. Hopefully your job covers that.

Good luck

Yes, being that he has two children, plus his wife. He will need have earned a salary of 23,400, at minimum. 18,600 if you want to sponsor your wife and then, 2,400 per child.

I was thinking maybe some of the responses to my question may help out seeing as nobody has directly answered yet

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=84729.msg1117314#msg1117314

Maybe the Ancestry option could work - I'm sure you're looking into that.

You say 18,600 but I know it goes up if you have kids, I think it's around 24k. Somebody will confirm. Hopefully your job covers that.

Good luck

If his kids hold UK passports it won't increase the requirements.

Your evidence sounds as strong as you are able without your wife in employment.  Have you considered applying for a visa in advance so you know that she and the kids won't be turned away at the border?

Unfortunately no one is going to be able say they will definitely be let in.  It will be up to the IO on the day.

Thank you for the helpful replies. Kids have british passports so only need £18600. As a Canadian she does not require a visitor visa in advance. I guess the info that I mentioned she will have such as return ticket, Mortgage and car statement, proof of funds and my employment letter, letter from my mother about free place to stay. Will have to do, I can't see them refusing her entry with all of those things to show. Plus she has been in uk before and left without overstaying so she has a good history. I will get her health insurance as well for the visit. I realise that no one can guarantee she will not get turned away, but what I really wanted was to know if there was something really obvious she could also provide that I have not thought of. She knows the law about applying for the spousal visa to. She knows she needs to be back in Canada while it is being processed.

Thank you for the helpful replies. Kids have british passports so only need £18600. As a Canadian she does not require a visitor visa in advance. I guess the info that I mentioned she will have such as return ticket, Mortgage and car statement, proof of funds and my employment letter, letter from my mother about free place to stay. Will have to do, I can't see them refusing her entry with all of those things to show. Plus she has been in uk before and left without overstaying so she has a good history. I will get her health insurance as well for the visit. I realise that no one can guarantee she will not get turned away, but what I really wanted was to know if there was something really obvious she could also provide that I have not thought of. She knows the law about applying for the spousal visa to. She knows she needs to be back in Canada while it is being processed.

Honestly, I think they will be fine.

As a Canadian she does not require a visitor visa in advance.

She doesn't HAVE to apply for a visitor visa in advance, but she CAN and it would be issued for 6 months and then you wouldn't have to worry about the questions at the border and whether the IO is in a good mood or not.