Spouse visa questions (name change, US marriage, etc.)

It is highly unlikely you'll EVER owe US tax no matter how much you make.  Once you earn over $100,000 a year, you use Foreign Tax Credits.  Since UK taxes are so much higher than US taxes, you won't owe anything extra.  The only exception will be is if you still hold assets that are taxable in the US.

We know the maximum approved visa fees through the year 2019/2020.  We don't know what they'll be after that or how much they'll increase in the meantime.  This is what we know:

Now - Entry clearance = £1,195 + £600 NHS fee = £1,795
2020 - FLR(M) = Minimum of £3,250 + £500 NHS fee (we don't know what the NHS fee may increase to) = £3,750
2022 = ILR = Minimum of £3,250 (likely MUCH higher at this point)
Naturalisation (optional) = Minimum of £1,500 (likely MUCH higher at this point)

All in based on what we know now = £10,295

Those are all for postal applications.  In person applications have a maximum approved fee of £1,000 each by the year 2019/2020.  We also don't know what the NHS fee may or may not change to.

I'd keep £10k in mind as a budget for the time being. 

Now - Entry clearance = £1,195 + £600 NHS fee = £1,795
2020 - FLR(M) = Minimum of £3,250 + £500 NHS fee (we don't know what the NHS fee may increase to) = £3,750
2022 = ILR = Minimum of £3,250 (likely MUCH higher at this point)
Naturalisation (optional) = Minimum of £1,500 (likely MUCH higher at this point)

All in based on what we know now = £10,295

Those are all for postal applications.  In person applications have a maximum approved fee of £1,000 each by the year 2019/2020.  We also don't know what the NHS fee may or may not change to.

I'd keep £10k in mind as a budget for the time being.

I knew the UKVI were anti-immigration but that is absolutely disgraceful pricing

I knew the UKVI were anti-immigration but that is absolutely disgraceful pricing

They're trying to reduce numbers.  Hitting us in the bank account is definitely a good way to discourage people from moving.

They're trying to reduce numbers.  Hitting us in the bank account is definitely a good way to discourage people from moving.

Oh, 100%. These guys know what they're doing 

Yes, and since we're supposed to prove minimum financial security, bleeding us dry of money is a great way to make it impossible. We're going to have some super-tight belts for the next five years.

By the way, this fee information thing doesn't make sense to me. Which priority option are we choosing? We want just the regular priority option for a spousal visa. What are the super priority and bronze, etc. options?

https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/usa/user_pay_services.html#5

I'll be shipping my documents to the lawyers, who will combine everything and then send it to Sheffield. So, if I understand correctly, I can purchase return courier service for $141? Where do I pay it? Is it on the online portion of the application?

And since I am paying for separate shipping to the lawyer's office, do you have recommendations what services to use? Fedex website is trying to claim it won't ship to London (what??), USPS is telling me that the fastest they can do is 3-5 business days (again, what???), and UPS offers so many options that my head spins.

Help?

And when Sheffield sends stuff to me with the courier service (hopefully!), do they send everything to me, including my wife's visa and all her financial paperwork? From what I understand, it's not technically allowed to carry someone else's passport across borders. So...what do I do?

Thank you!

Also, sorry to ask this question again, as I'm not clear.

My wife (UKC) needs to submit a certified copy of her UK passport with our application, correct?

And the local post office should be able to certify it?

Is this correct, or am I misunderstanding/mis-remembering?

Thank you!

Sorry, I keep hitting "post" and then remembering I have another question!

Is there any recommended or required waiting time between date of visa application and date we put as my anticipated travel date?

Basically, we want me to fly over ASAP. Seriously, whenever.

So we are hoping to submit the application by the first week of April. If we are extraordinarily lucky and get an acceptance within a few weeks, I can get myself ready to move within a few weeks after that. (I'm working on all of the preliminary stuff already, and although it would be hectic/flights would be ridiculously expensive we would prefer me to go sooner instead of later).

So...how soon can we put my anticipated travel date?

If we're submitting, say, April 5, is putting May 1st as the travel date too soon? From what I've read here, UKVI doesn't take any notice of our preferred travel date, anyway, so we're at the mercy. And, on the off chance we get a really quick acceptance, getting a quick visa would be wonderful.

Any thoughts? Is it going to hurt us if we put an anticipated travel date too soon? What is the earliest date you would recommend?

Thank you!

By the way, this fee information thing doesn't make sense to me. Which priority option are we choosing? We want just the regular priority option for a spousal visa. What are the super priority and bronze, etc. options?

You want the Settlement Priority Processing option for about $592 (it's £450).

The other priority services to not apply to you as they are for other visa types, which are processed in the UK... applications for settlement visas cannot use these services.

I'll be shipping my documents to the lawyers, who will combine everything and then send it to Sheffield. So, if I understand correctly, I can purchase return courier service for $141? Where do I pay it? Is it on the online portion of the application?

Yes, you can purchase the return shipping service and you print and include the shipping label in with your documents.

You pay for it on the VFS Global website at the same time as you purchase the Settlement Priority Processing.

And since I am paying for separate shipping to the lawyer's office, do you have recommendations what services to use? Fedex website is trying to claim it won't ship to London (what??), USPS is telling me that the fastest they can do is 3-5 business days (again, what???), and UPS offers so many options that my head spins.

DO NOT use USPS - it is unreliable and your documents may never arrive in the UK... they may well get stuck in customs for several weeks.

I would go with either UPS or DHL, though you can also use FedEx as well... don't know what they are talking about, not shipping to the UK - they ship worldwide!

And when Sheffield sends stuff to me with the courier service (hopefully!), do they send everything to me, including my wife's visa and all her financial paperwork? From what I understand, it's not technically allowed to carry someone else's passport across borders. So...what do I do?

They will only return the passport and documents to a US address, so everything will be sent to your US address... the one you give on the application form.

You will need to make sure it is an address you will be at to receive the visa and documents, since you may need to sign for it.

My wife (UKC) needs to submit a certified copy of her UK passport with our application, correct?

And the local post office should be able to certify it?

Is this correct, or am I misunderstanding/mis-remembering?

Yes, that's correct - she includes a certified copy of just the photo page, which I believe can be done at a Post Office for about £8.

Some people have been fine sending just a regular photocopy, but if she can get it certified, that would be safer.

Is there any recommended or required waiting time between date of visa application and date we put as my anticipated travel date?

Basically, we want me to fly over ASAP. Seriously, whenever.

Nope, just put the earliest date you wish to travel. If that date passes before the visa has been issued, then they will just make it valid for 30 days from the date the decision is made.

Recently, they seem to have been starting the 30 days validity from about a week before the Intended Travel Date given on the application.

So we are hoping to submit the application by the first week of April. If we are extraordinarily lucky and get an acceptance within a few weeks, I can get myself ready to move within a few weeks after that. (I'm working on all of the preliminary stuff already, and although it would be hectic/flights would be ridiculously expensive we would prefer me to go sooner instead of later).

So...how soon can we put my anticipated travel date?

If we're submitting, say, April 5, is putting May 1st as the travel date too soon? From what I've read here, UKVI doesn't take any notice of our preferred travel date, anyway, so we're at the mercy. And, on the off chance we get a really quick acceptance, getting a quick visa would be wonderful.

As mentioned, whenever you like as long as it's within 3 months of the online application date. ... whenever the earliest you think you can travel is.

This is your chance to decide when you want your visa to start... you could put mid-April, end-April, mid-May... whenever.

Okay, thank you!

The closer we get to having everything ready to apply, the more new and unexpected questions pop up. Sigh! My wife has not lived in a foreign country before, so we're mostly going on my immigration experience and an overabundance of caution.

I'm just so confused about shipping as I thought VFS was the only shipping option for visa stuff, but I thought they only went to and from Sheffield (not to lawyer's office).

(By the way, the price of a certified post office passport copy is now around 10.40--still can't make the pound sign. The process seems to be that you make your own high-quality photocopy of the passport, bring it to the PO, and they certify the photocopy.)

Do traffic tickets (speeding) have to be declared in the visa application? What if I had a medical debt (incurred in the US) that was sent to collections because the insurance office screwed up and didn't pay, and I was in school and didn't have the funds to pay it? (Eventually, the doctor's office wrote off the expense.)

Also, has anyone else tried to set up an HSBC account from the US? I've been trying to do that, as I hear opening a bank account in the UK is such a nightmare, but it's been absolutely awful. The closest HSBC branch is 3 hours away, the telephone reps for the international banking are completely hopeless, and I just wasted 4 hours of my life trying to get one of the reps to agree that I may apply for an account before I have the settlement visa (it will take 6+ weeks to activate my account after the application is complete, and that is too late since I'll only have a maximum of 30 days to enter the UK after receiving the visa). Now I'm going to make an 8 hour trip next week to the local branch (as the meeting will take up to 2 hours, and given the phone call yesterday I'm assuming it will be longer), but I'm 80% convinced they will find a way to screw this up, too. Especially since I live 2 city blocks away from the next city, so half of my proof of address (driver's license, etc.) incorrectly states the other city--and doesn't match my stated address.

(I believe, since my wife has an established residence in the UK, that I will qualify for opening a bank account there once my name is added to utility bills--which we can't do until I receive my settlement visa, correct? However, I'm skittish about not having a bank account until after I arrive, i.e. once I get my BRP and can then be added to utility bills for proof of residence. And some utility bills are only sent out quarterly, so...)

I'm just so confused about shipping as I thought VFS was the only shipping option for visa stuff, but I thought they only went to and from Sheffield (not to lawyer's office).

VFS Global is just a website. The shipping option they offer is simply pre-paid, fixed price UPS 2-day shipping, which has been agreed upon by UKVI Sheffield.

You don't have to use them if you don't want to... you can just send it all yourself using UPS or DHL if you want (just don't use FedEx, because Sheffield won't return by FedEx).

So, your options are:

1) Mail everything directly to Sheffield, using VFS Global round-trip shipping (there and back). You print the labels, take your package to UPS to get an envelope, place the return label in the package and mail it from UPS.

2) Mail everything directly to Sheffield yourself using UPS or DHL, then purchase the return shipping only from VFS Global. You print the return label from VFS, place it with your documents and then ship it to Sheffield yourself using UPS or DHL.

3) Mail it to your lawyer yourself using UPS or DHL, then purchase a return label from VFS. You can mail it to the lawyer yourself (I'm assuming they are in the UK?), the lawyer forwards it on to Sheffield for you using UK mail, then it is returned to you in the US using the VFS label

4) Mail it to either Sheffield or your lawyer yourself (as above), but instead of purchasing a return label from VFS, you open an online account with UPS or DHL and include your online account number with the documents. When the visa has been processed, Sheffield will charge your online account for the return shipping.

(By the way, the price of a certified post office passport copy is now around 10.40--still can't make the pound sign. The process seems to be that you make your own high-quality photocopy of the passport, bring it to the PO, and they certify the photocopy.)

Okay, great - thanks for the info.

Btw, if you have a Mac, the pound sign can be made by pressing Option + 3 (I bought my Macbook in the US). I'm not sure of the combination on a PC keyboard though.

Do traffic tickets (speeding) have to be declared in the visa application? What if I had a medical debt (incurred in the US) that was sent to collections because the insurance office screwed up and didn't pay, and I was in school and didn't have the funds to pay it? (Eventually, the doctor's office wrote off the expense.)

You should declare all traffic violations - they won't affect the application, but it's best to be honest.

I don't think the debt would be relevant unless you have some kind of criminal proceedings against you because of it.

Also, has anyone else tried to set up an HSBC account from the US? I've been trying to do that, as I hear opening a bank account in the UK is such a nightmare, but it's been absolutely awful. The closest HSBC branch is 3 hours away, the telephone reps for the international banking are completely hopeless, and I just wasted 4 hours of my life trying to get one of the reps to agree that I may apply for an account before I have the settlement visa (it will take 6+ weeks to activate my account after the application is complete, and that is too late since I'll only have a maximum of 30 days to enter the UK after receiving the visa). Now I'm going to make an 8 hour trip next week to the local branch (as the meeting will take up to 2 hours, and given the phone call yesterday I'm assuming it will be longer), but I'm 80% convinced they will find a way to screw this up, too. Especially since I live 2 city blocks away from the next city, so half of my proof of address (driver's license, etc.) incorrectly states the other city--and doesn't match my stated address.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother. It's not THAT hard to set up a UK account, it just takes a bit of time. You need to wait until you have proof of address in the UK, then you go into the bank and show your passport, visa and proof of address.

Surely, that has to be a bit easier than paying $200 and travelling 8 hours to open an account that takes 6 weeks? You might even be able to open a UK account faster than that!

(I believe, since my wife has an established residence in the UK, that I will qualify for opening a bank account there once my name is added to utility bills--which we can't do until I receive my settlement visa, correct? However, I'm skittish about not having a bank account until after I arrive, i.e. once I get my BRP and can then be added to utility bills for proof of residence. And some utility bills are only sent out quarterly, so...)

Almost everyone arrives in the UK without a having bank account in advance - it's not a big deal.

Just wait until you get to the UK and add your name to the council tax and utility bills as soon as you arrive. You could ask the council/utility company to send you a letter through with your name on it, and you should hopefully have something within a couple of weeks.

As soon as you get something through, you can try to open a bank account.

Setting up a bank account is a pain here but we ALL manage.  Personally I wouldn't pay a fee or jump through hoops on the US side for it.  ESPECIALLY as you are moving here with a partner.  I managed all by myself and I wouldn't do anything different.

Only recommendation would be to ensure you have a daily cash withdrawal limit that works for you.  I think I had mine increased from $200/day to $2,000/day just so I could get a large sum of cash if needed.

REALLY??

Okay.

I love you! Yes, I will happily cancel the 8 hour trip to HSBC. I was sooooo worried about banking, based on what I was reading here with people's miserable experiences getting an account.

Will declare all traffic tickets, just in case. Thanks!

REALLY??

Okay.

I love you! Yes, I will happily cancel the 8 hour trip to HSBC. I was sooooo worried about banking, based on what I was reading here with people's miserable experiences getting an account.

Will declare all traffic tickets, just in case. Thanks!

I'm not going to pretend that it might be quick.  You may go several weeks without an account, but you'll manage.  And it's not like you are trying to set up a lease or anything with big time pressure.

Honestly, it's more that it's a first introduction into how unnecessarily difficult things in the UK can be that is miserable.   

Sigh, I hear you. We're going to try adding me to my wife's account first, and then try to set up my own account (as we want both for me.) I had hoped that having my own individual account already would help with setting up the joint account, but...ah well. Yet one more item I toss into the great unknown of uncertainty.

Has anyone here renounced US citizenship to become a UK citizen? I just read this: http://www.bbc.com/news/35383435

And my wife is wondering whether I will have to pay national insurance as a non-citizen. She read something saying that I don't, and now we're wondering whether I can elect to pay it in order to qualify for pensions later on. Does anyone know?