Applying for a spouse visa

She just need to contact the county in the state where the divorce was finalised and get a certified copy.  Will cost a few dollars.

These are the kinds of things we have to keep unfortunately.  And she'll need it for each and every application she ever makes with UKVI.  It's fun dragging up the past each time!   

My wife does not have divorce documentation from previous marriages of decades ago - who wants to keep that.

Presumably if she contacts the relevant authorities and can get copies or proof, that will suffice?

Are there organisations in the USA that can track down copies of marriages, divorces etc?

My wife had to do exactly the same, she just phoned up the county court and they were very helpful. One of them required her to send a stamped, self addressed envelope to have the documents sent to her, the other allowed her mum(mom!) to just call in and pick it up for her. Every county is probably a bit different, but based on our experience they were helpful. They probably do it a lot because as you say, it's not a document you always want to hang on to so many people don't keep them, so they probably handle a lot of requests from people needing them for visas, marriage licences etc.

Thanks for all your invaluable help and advice so far.

I have a question on proof of visits to see each other. My wife and I have travelled between the USA and UK eight times over the last 2 years averaging 6 weeks per visit.

We did not keep boarding passes although of course passport stamps will show arrival dates.

I also have all copies of flight booking confirmations and itineraries for my visits to the USA but my wife experienced a complete computer crash and lost all of her booking confirmations and itineraries. We are not even exactly sure of departure dates, only the approximate length of stay.

I contacted British Airways and they are unable to provide any booking data for more than 12 months.

Of course UK border control will have full records of arrivals and departures for my wife.

What proof do they require of visits and sates, and is the lack of flight details for my wife likely to cause any issues?

Boarding passes are great as they carry the most weight (spending time together in person).  But they are not the only thing you can provide.  Call logs, message logs, facetime/Skype logs.  All of those will prove that you are have in a genuine relationship with normal contact.   

Boarding passes are great as they carry the most weight (spending time together in person).  But they are not the only thing you can provide.  Call logs, message logs, facetime/Skype logs.  All of those will prove that you are have in a genuine relationship with normal contact.   

Thanks.

We have countless messages to each other over 4 years, examples of which I will be providing, with the text erased so the dates and times are visible.

I was referring more to proof of being together. We have plenty of photos together in both countries and my wife has the entry stamps in her passport and we know approximately ho long she stayed here, so I am expecting that to be adequate.

You only need two photos.  You just need to prove that you've met.

Remember, arranged marriages are allowed.  No need to go crazy with proof.  They just need to know that you've met and are in regular contact with each other.  Just dates and times for a call log are needed and only 1-2 sheets of paper per communication type.  So if you have four years of communication, you may need to edit quite a bit!

We note that the application requires listing of all criminal convictions including traffic offences. My wife only basically has speeding tickets, which over many decades would be impossible to remember, let alone provide specific dates for.

In the USA I understand that speeding tickets do not usually involve the courts, so does the application not require these?

Thanks very much for all help received so far.

Another couple of questions:

When is the Visa application fee payable - at the time of the online application or when the main application with documents is sent from the USA?

Does all supporting documentation, financial proof, passport etc need to be in the new married name of my wife or can it still be in her previous name?

You pay when you complete the application online.

If she wants to change her name at some point, it's best to change it before she applies.  Her visa will be issued in the name on her passport.  If she wants to change it later, it is time consuming and costly. 

Thanks to all who have advised us so far.

I read that visa applications are rejected due to not including a "property inspection report" which does not appear on the lists of documentation I have seen so far.

Is this the case or  is it optional?

My property easily qualifies but of course it is yet another factor requiring time and expense.

Thanks.

Hundreds of people on this site have applied without a property inspection report with no issue.  It is not a required document.

Where did you read that?

In my 10 years on this forum, almost no one has included a property report and no one has ever been refused for not having one. I've seen hundreds, if not thousands of visas approved without a property inspection.

It is not a required document and never has been.

Thanks for your replies and assurance.

Can't remember exactly where I read this now but felt it was worth checking here anyway.

We have arrived at the point where we have gathered together everything necessary and ready to apply except for one major question.

My wife has a new passport in her previous married name as is her drivers licence, bank accounts, social security, pension funds  - income - and so on, all of which would take weeks or months to change.

Can she apply for the visa in her new married name but provide all documents in her previous name if the marriage certificate is included to show both names?

She must apply in the name on her passport.  If she wants to change her name it is much less time consuming and much less expensive to do that now.  It will only take a couple of weeks, at most.  She can worry about changing other documents at a later time (if she wants).

Otherwise, she must apply in the name in her passport.  She'll need to remember to use that name for any travel booked.