**documents needed for 2016 spouse visa**

Hello,

I'm sure these questions has been answered already but i just need to find a post/link that lists all documents needed for when i apply for a spousal visa.. The UK visa website is a little confusing:
Here is what i understand that's needed:

UK spouse:
bank statements
pay stubs
letter from employer
letter from place of residence saying I can live there ( we will be living with his parents until we find a home)
copy of UK spouse passport ( does this just need to be photocopied /notarized)
passport photograph

US spouse:
completed visa form  (VAF4A DECEMBER 2013)
my passport
marriage certificate
evidence of relationship (flights, letters, pics, cards etc....)
passport photograph

Am i missing anything?
also what should the letter include that we get from his parents saying I can live there?
can we pay visa fee with his UK credit/debit card?...

Any help would be appreciated!! and if there are any(recent (2014-15) posts on this topics please link for me!!! ( the only ones the search box came up with were from 2004 and before)
thanks everyone!!!

Welcome to the forum . Below is my general list of documents that need to be included.

The financial documents will depend on which financial category you are applying under (A-G).

You can find the financial categories and their requirements here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/469692/Appendix_FM_1_7_Financial_Requirement_August_2015.pdf

The specifications for the financial documents are here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-se-family-members-specified-evidence

The online application is here (but don't apply online until you have filled out everything else, gathered all the documents and are completely ready to mail everything for processing):
https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/home/welcome (you apply under Settlement -> Settlement -> Wife (or Husband, whichever applies))

The VAF4a Appendix 2 form (the other half of the application form) is here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270484/VAF4A-Appendix2.pdf

A general list of suggested supporting documents is here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270197/sup-docs-settlement.pdf

In terms of paying for the visa, I believe you can use any credit or debit card that is listed as being accepted on the Visa4UK website. It's a good idea to inform the bank that there will be a large charge from the US on the card, as some people have had their payments blocked due to anti-fraud measures.

My general list of supporting documents:

Applicant (US citizen)
- Printed online application form
- Completed VAF4a Appendix 2 form
- Stamped Biometrics Confirmation Sheet (when you have attended the biometrics appointment)
- 2 passport photos (they can be US size (2 inches by 2 inches) or UK size (45 mm by 35 mm, which is 1.77 inches by 1.38 inches))
- Your passport
- All of your previous passports
- Optional cover letter
- Proposed flight itinerary
- Receipt for priority processing (if paying for priority)
- Return shipping packaging
- Return shipping details
 
Sponsor (UK citizen)
- Certified copy of his UK passport photo page
- Sponsor letter of support for the visa (stating how he is eligible to sponsor the visa (his UK citizenship), how he meets the financial requirement (which category), where you will live in the UK (accommodation details), a brief history of your relationship (no more than 1 paragraph) and a list of all the documents he is including in the application package)

Accommodation
- a letter from his parents giving you permission to live there and stating that the home will not be overcrowded
- his parents' Land Registry document showing they own the home (can be downloaded from here for a small fee: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry)
- his parents latest original mortgage statement (optional)

Finances
Category A (with his employer for more than 6 months, earning at least £18,600 for all that time):
- 6 months of original payslips showing a minimum pre-tax salary of £1,550 per month
- 6 months of original bank statements showing the deposit of every payslip
- letter from his current employer stating:
1) how long he has worked there,
2) his current salary,
3) how long he's been earning that current salary,
4) the type of employment
- his original job contract
- his latest P60

Category B (with employer/earning £18,600 for less than 6 months, or variable income):
- 12 months of original payslips showing earnings of at least £18,600 during that time
- 12 months of original bank statements showing the deposit of every payslip
- letter from his current employer stating:
1) how long he has worked there,
2) his current salary,
3) how long he's been earning that current salary,
4) the type of employment
- his original job contract
- his latest P60

Relationship evidence (in order of importance)
- marriage certificate
- 1 or 2 photos of you together (i.e. one at the wedding and one earlier in the relationship)
- boarding passes from trips to see each other
- any physical letters and cards sent to each other
- screenshots of your email inbox showing a selection of emails (subject line and date only) sent to each other through the course of your relationship
 - screenshots of your Skype call logs showing a selection of calls to each other through the course of your relationship

Thank You so much!!!
just a few more questions:

Bank statements: when they say "original" does that mean sent from the bank in the mail or can my husband print off bank statements? If he prints them, does he need to take them to the bank and have someone notarize them??

also, the certified copy of the passport: does that mean he makes a copy(like a photocopy from the printer at home) and then have someone notarize it?

are there any examples on here of cover letter/sponsor/accommodation letters??

No problem .

Bank statements: when they say "original" does that mean sent from the bank in the mail or can my husband print off bank statements? If he prints them, does he need to take them to the bank and have someone notarize them??

The statements can either be:

a) Sent in the mail from the bank/printed by the bank themselves

or

b) Printed from the internet AND either signed and stamped by the bank on EVERY page, or accompanied by a letter from the bank confirming their authenticity.

See 1a) iv) of Appendix FM-SE for these specifications.

also, the certified copy of the passport: does that mean he makes a copy(like a photocopy from the printer at home) and then have someone notarize it?

Essentially yes - it needs to be a copy that has been notarised by someone official. I think this can be done at the post office, but I'm not entirely sure.

Some people have had luck with just sending a regular photocopy of the passport photo page, but I'm not sure if this is definitely acceptable (it used to be that if you only had a regular photocopy, you also had to include his original, long-form birth certificate as well).

are there any examples on here of cover letter/sponsor/accommodation letters??

There used to be an example of a sponsor letter online, but the site where it was posted is no longer active and I can't find it anymore.

Basically, something like this:

To The Entry Clearance Officer,

Paragraph 1: that he is sponsoring your spousal visa and is a UK citizen who has lived in the UK since birth (or whatever his circumstances are)

Paragraph 2: Where he works, how much he earns, how long he has worked there, which financial category he meets

Paragraph 3: where you will live in the UK - you have permission to live with his parents in their X-bedroom house that they own. The property has Y rooms and Z people will be living there.

Paragraph 4: Brief paragraph about how you met, how often you see each other, when and where you got married and why you are choosing to settle in the UK, as opposed to him moving to the US

Paragraph 5: List of documents he is including

Sincerely,

His Name

In terms of letters to include:

- Sponsor letter is mandatory and should address how the visa requirements are being met

- A cover letter from the applicant is optional and is only an introduction to/contents of the package of documents - so it should just state the visa applied for, explain any discrepancies with the documents (i.e. unusual activity on bank statements), explain and complicated circumstances (i.e. criminal convictions or previous bad immigration history) and list the documents in the package.

- The accommodation letter just needs to state that his parents are giving you permission to live in the house with them, plus the number of rooms (bedrooms/living rooms) and the number of people who will be living in the property

Hello again!
we were able to get his bank statements from the bank but they have apparently always misspelled a word of his home address.....do you think that would be an issue?? i'm tempted to just have him go back to bank and have them correct this and resend them out...

thanks!!

Hello again!
we were able to get his bank statements from the bank but they have apparently always misspelled a word of his home address.....do you think that would be an issue?? i'm tempted to just have him go back to bank and have them correct this and resend them out...

thanks!!

I wouldn't have thought it would be an issue, but if you feel more comfortable getting them to correct it, and you have time to do that, then you can.

Hello again!!
now i haven't been able to find any info on this but back in late 2013/early 2014 we went through the whole US k-1 visa process and got married but he went back to the UK before the 90 days was up (long/complicated story).. there was no overstay or filing of any paperwork he simply went back before the 90 days was up (i was supposed to follow him back shortly after that but i had to have foot surgery)....should i mention this anywhere..there's a question on one of the forms about living together and we lived together during this time...any thoughts???..thanks!!!

I would mention it in the sponsors letter.  I don't think you need detail but would mention it.

How does this sound ??

"We lived together in Atlanta, GA from November 2013 to January 2014. I married  (my name) on January 14, 2014 in her hometown of Atlanta, GA. We decided then that we wanted to live permanently in the UK and are finally prepared to apply for a spousal visa........"

 

also the letter from his employer states hes been employed at his job since 2005. Should we get it rewritten to state he was gone for three months while he was in america?? ( he was hired back as soon as he came back to the UK)..... ..i kinda feel like they'll frown upon our K1 situation that's why i wasn't sure to bring it up..