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Topic: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance  (Read 580 times)

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Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« on: March 22, 2017, 11:48:55 AM »
Hello,

Me and my fiancee are going through a really stressful time preparing to submit her visa application for her to join me here in the UK. We keep finding things we need to include in the application and requirements we have to meet. The documentation we propose to submit is as follows:

GENERAL
- Application form.
- Applicant's passport (actual passport, not copy).
- Passport photograph (conforming to UKVI requirements).
- Evidence in the form of a letter from her University of her past studies (she finishes her studies in May this year which is when we intend to apply for the visa).
- Applicant's letter of intent containing back story to our relationship, how many times we have met and where, that we intend to marry and live together and are in love etc.
- Sponsor's letter of support containing similar information to the above.

FINANCIAL/EMPLOYMENT
- Official bank statements printed by the bank for previous 6/12 months.
- Payslips from my employer for 6 months showing a gross annual salary of over £18,600.
- A letter from my employer stating I work there full time permanent, my position and salary.
- Original signed contract of employment containing salary.
- A letter from my employer stating why some payments of salary were slightly out over the past 6 months (due to the accountants making an error with the payments).

ACCOMMODATION
- Tenancy agreement at new place of residence (I had to move as my current place isn't big enough). This will have my name, my sister's and her boyfriend's names on as I live with them currently.
- First month council tax statements (a I will be moving soon I was going to wait a month to get a council tax statement)?
- Property inspection report carried out by council showing that 4 people can legally live in the house (I propose to maybe get this done ahead of signing the tenancy agreement in case the new place isn't big enough).
- Utility bill, such as electric, gas, internet (whichever comes through after the first month of living there).
- Supporting letter from landlord stating they have no objections to my fiancee living with me when the visa is granted. If we have this, does it matter if the tenancy agreement states things about lodgers etc.? I suspect not if the landlord has given permission in a letter)?
- Photographs of the house showing bedrooms, annotated showing which is for our sole use etc.
- Letter from my sister and boyfriend stating I have lived with them for a while now and they have no objection to my fiancee coming to live with us (they get on very well).

PROOF OF RELATIONSHIP
- Full colour photocopy of my passport (all pages).
- Screenshots of Skype logs going back to 2015 (we don't have any further back than that as we both got new laptops and the logs don't go back further).
- Screenshots of e-mails showing they were sent between us and the timestamp from Microsoft Outlook and Gmail.
- Facebook Messenger logs - again, screenshotted.
- Any greetings cards/engagement cards we can locate from when we got engaged.
- The receipt for the engagement ring.
- Various photos of us together on trips both in the UK and USA.
- Letters from both our parents acknowledging our relationship.
- Confirmation of venue booked for wedding reception. We are unable to book the registrar until she has been here 7 days so we cannot show this yet.
- Copies of e-tickets from our e-mails of times we have visited each other.
- Copies of hotel confirmations when we have been on trips together.
- Copy of confirmation of wedding photographer.
- Pictures of my fiancee's wedding dress.
- Paypal logs showing we sent each other money to pay for trips etc.
- Pictures of us with various family members.

I'm not sure if we have included everything? I know a lot of people on here are experts in this area and so any feedback on the list above will be greatly appreciated.

We are both really stressed about it so any re-assurances we receive that we are on the right track will be so gratefully received. Thank you so much in advance.


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Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2017, 11:58:09 AM »
Okay, a few questions.

Are you marrying before she finishes her studies and switching IN COUNTRY?

Or is she returning to the US, applying for a fiancé visa, then returning, then marrying?

You have paperwork provided for both scenarios, so one needs to come out.   :D

Answer that first, then we'll tackle the rest.  :)


Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2017, 11:59:52 AM »
Hi KFdancer,

Sorry for not being clear. She is currently studying in the USA and will join me in the UK on completion of her studies in around May time this year. We plan for her to come around May/June and marry in September. From there, we can further apply for her to remain here etc.


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Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2017, 01:20:51 PM »
Okay, you have way, way, way too many documents.

Take out ALL of the following:

- Evidence in the form of a letter from her University of her past studies (irrelevant)
- Applicant's letter of intent containing back story to our relationship, how many times we have met and where, that we intend to marry and live together and are in love etc. (only the sponsor needs to write a letter)
- First month council tax statements (a I will be moving soon I was going to wait a month to get a council tax statement)? (not required)
- Property inspection report carried out by council showing that 4 people can legally live in the house (I propose to maybe get this done ahead of signing the tenancy agreement in case the new place isn't big enough). (not required)
- Utility bill, such as electric, gas, internet (whichever comes through after the first month of living there). (not required)
- Photographs of the house showing bedrooms, annotated showing which is for our sole use etc. (not required)
- Letter from my sister and boyfriend stating I have lived with them for a while now and they have no objection to my fiancee coming to live with us (they get on very well). (not required)
- Full colour photocopy of my passport (you only need the first page with your photo on it)
- Various photos of us together on trips both in the UK and USA. (only need 2 photos, max - just to show you have met at least once)
- Letters from both our parents acknowledging our relationship. (cannot be considered)
- Copies of hotel confirmations when we have been on trips together. (you only need the flight boarding passes/e-tickets)
- Paypal logs showing we sent each other money to pay for trips etc. (irrelevant)
- Pictures of us with various family members. (irrelevant - won't be looked at)

Quote
I'm not sure if we have included everything? I know a lot of people on here are experts in this area and so any feedback on the list above will be greatly appreciated.

As mentioned above, you have way too much. Less is more when it comes to the application.
However, you are missing a couple of things... which I've listed below

_________________________________________________ ___________________________________________

So, taking out what I've mentioned above and adding extra things, your documents list should look like this:

APPLICANT
- Printed Online Application form.
- Printed and completed VAF4a Appendix 2 form
- Applicant's passport
- Passport photograph
- stamped biometrics confirmation sheet (after she has attended the appointment)
- return shipping label

SPONSOR
- certified copy of only the photo page of your passport
- letter of confirmation for the visa:
Paragraph 1: how you qualify to be her sponsor (your IK citizenship)
Paragraph 2: how you meet the financial requirement and which category you are applying under
Paragraph 3: where you will live in the UK
Paragraph 4: brief relationship history... no lovey-dovey stuff, just facts: date you met, date you got engaged, date and location of the wedding, how you keep in contact (visits, emails etc.)

FINANCIAL/EMPLOYMENT
- Payslips from my employer for 6 months showing a gross annual salary of over £18,600 (every payslip must be at least £1,550 before tax - if not, you will need 12 months of payslips for category B)
- Official bank statements printed by the bank for previous 6 months(you only need 12 months if you're applying under category B)
- A letter from your employer, dated no more than 28 days before the online application date, stating ALL of the following:
1) current employment and salary
2) length of employment
3) length of time earning current salary
4) type of employment
The letter can also explain the salary discrepancies on the payslips... no need for a separate letter

Optional but recommended:
- Original signed contract of employment containing salary.
- Latest P60

ACCOMMODATION
- Tenancy agreement at new place of residence
- Supporting letter from landlord stating they have no objections to my fiancee living with me when the visa is granted.

EVIDENCE OF INTENT TO MARRY
- Confirmation of venue booked for wedding reception. We are unable to book the registrar until she has been here 7 days so we cannot show this yet.
- Copy of confirmation of wedding photographer.
- Pictures of my fiancee's wedding dress.
- The receipt for the engagement ring.

PROOF OF RELATIONSHIP
-  2 photos of just you and your fiance together
- boarding passes/e-tickets from trips to see each other
- any physical cards/letters you've sent each other
- 1-2 pages of screenshots of Skype call logs... just select maybe 1 or 2 per month for the last 2 years and paste into a list
- 1-2 pages of screenshots of e-mail inbox (no message content) covering the length of your relationship... as above, maybe 1 or 2 per month


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Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2017, 01:34:10 PM »
Everything ksand said.  You have WAY too much right now and a huge portion of it won't be looked at.

Also remember that on a fiancé visa, she will NOT have access to the NHS.  Make sure she has good insurance that will cover her until she switches to FLR(M).   :)


Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2017, 01:38:37 PM »
I just want to say a huge thanks to you both for your replies on this. I think we may be over-complicating it in our heads, we're just paranoid about leaving documents out and the application being denied. I read all these horror stories online and just don't want to be denied because we forgot to submit a certain document.

You guys have really helped me feel better about it so thank you so much. It is nice to find a place where I can chat about this with people who are aware of the process and have been through it themselves.

She does have good insurance in the USA which has covered her when she has visited internationally before, so I think that is ok.

Once again, thank you so much. You really helped ease really bad worries!


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Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2017, 01:53:05 PM »
Just make sure the insurance will cover once she takes up RESIDENCE in the UK.  That's a whole different ballgame.  She should be able to get a decent enough emergency cover for a couple of hundred $/£.  Then pay out of pocket for minor GP visits and such if needed.  The next application will ask about NHS use, so you want to be sure you'll be able to tick the box that any treatments were fully paid.  :)

Try to stay away from the horror stories.  UK visas are rather simple creatures.  They are "tick box visas".  You tick the boxes, you get the visa.  The literally want to be able to go down their list and say, "6 months bank statements - tick, 6 months payslips that match the deposits on the statements - tick, photo that shows they've met in person - tick".  You don't get bigger ticks or better ticks because you included more.   ;)


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Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2017, 01:53:22 PM »
I just want to say a huge thanks to you both for your replies on this. I think we may be over-complicating it in our heads, we're just paranoid about leaving documents out and the application being denied. I read all these horror stories online and just don't want to be denied because we forgot to submit a certain document.

Understandable, but if you send too much, you risk the important documents getting lost or misplaced amongst the tons of things you didn't need to send.

As long as you have all of the REQUIRED documents, the visa will be granted... it's a tick-box visa - they just have to tick that you included everything that is required... you don't get extra points for sending more than that.

The important things to send are:
- tenancy agreement and landlord letter to show permission to live there
- payslips, bank statements, employer letter, job contract, P60
- evidence of plans to marry
- evidence you have met at least once (1 photo, maybe 2)
- evidence you have visted each other (boarding passes/plane tickets)
- evidence that you keep in contact while apart (Skype/email logs)

That's it. You send only the above and the visa will be granted.

You could in theory send EVERYTHING in your list, and the visa would still be granted (as long as all the required documents were included), but you risk them missing something amongst the clutter.

It's more important to make sure your financial documents are formatted correctly and show the correct amounts/dates on them than it is to include a ton of relationship documents.

So things to consider:
- do the payslips and bank statements conform to the formatting regulations outlined in Appendix FM-SE?
- do the payslips and bank statements cover an entire 6-month period (Cat A) or 12-month period (Cat B)? If they are even 1 day short, the visa can be refused
- will the latest payslip and bank statement you are sending dated be within 28 days of the online application date?
- will the employer letter be dated within 28 days of the online application date?
- for Category A, is every single payslip from the last 6 months at least £1,550 before tax?
- does every single payslip deposit show on the bank statements?

Quote
She does have good insurance in the USA which has covered her when she has visited internationally before, so I think that is ok.

She will need to be able to show full health insurance coverage for the entire time she is on the fiance visa, so she'll need to check that her current insurance covers her for moving to the UK... if not, she may need to take out travel insurance or something similar instead.

If she does not have insurance she will be charged 150% of the full cost of any healthcare she receives in the UK (which could run into thousands if she needs a lot of care). If she does have insurance, she will be charged 100% of the cost.


Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2017, 02:03:02 PM »
Thank you, I will check all this. My payslips are the originals and have my name, the company name, the gross and net pay etc. on and I plan to send in 6 months at over £1550 gross. Is this acceptable?

For bank statements, is it just mine I should include as I am the only one earning? My fiancee does have some savings, but they are in a joint account with her Aunt (who was her legal guardian)? If hers do need to be included, can we get a letter from her stating the money is my fiancee's and she has full control?

For my bank statements, I propose to go into my bank and have them print them off there and then? Do I also need to get the bank to stamp them or do a letter to authenticate them?

Many thanks.


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Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2017, 02:10:36 PM »
Yes, just your payslips and bank statements.  If you don't have the original bank statements sent through to the post (turn off paperless statements for the next many many years), then you will want the bank to either stamp them on each page OR write a letter confirming their authenticity.

Leave your fiancé's out.  Even if you DID need the savings to meet the requirement, you couldn't use it as her aunt's name is on the account (all the letters in the world wouldn't help with that).


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Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2017, 02:18:33 PM »
Thank you, I will check all this. My payslips are the originals and have my name, the company name, the gross and net pay etc. on and I plan to send in 6 months at over £1550 gross. Is this acceptable?

Yes, as long as none of the payslips during the 6 months have dipped below £1,550 gross.

For Category A, you have to show:
a) you have been with your current company for at least 6 months
b) you have been earning at least £18,600/year for the entire 6 months

If the payslips vary in amount, UKVI will only take into account the LOWEST payslip during the 6 months and use it to work out the annual salary that can be used for the application.

As long as the lowest payslip is £1,550 or more, you will meet the requirement, since £1,550 x 12 = £18,600.

However, if the lowest payslip is, for argument's sake, is £1,549, the annual salary will be calculated as: £1,549 x 12 = £18,588... which is less than £18,600, so you will not meet the requirement and the visa will be refused.

Quote
For bank statements, is it just mine I should include as I am the only one earning? My fiancee does have some savings, but they are in a joint account with her Aunt (who was her legal guardian)? If hers do need to be included, can we get a letter from her stating the money is my fiancee's and she has full control?

No.

Savings can only be used if:
a) you do not meet the requirement with your salary alone, and in that case, the first £16,000 of savings are disregarded and then on top of the £16,000, she would need 2.5 times the difference between £18,600 and your salary
AND
b) the account is in your fiance's or your name ONLY (so you can't use an account which is joint with her aunt)

As the account is not in your fiance's name only, it cannot be used.

Quote
For my bank statements, I propose to go into my bank and have them print them off there and then? Do I also need to get the bank to stamp them or do a letter to authenticate them?

The bank statements must either:

a) be official statements mailed to you by the bank, or printed by the bank on official bank stationary
OR
b) online statements printed at home which are either stamped/signed by the bank on EVERY page, or accompanied by a letter from the bank confirming authenticity.

So, technically, if the bank prints them in-branch, they should be considered official and should not need to be stamped/accompanied by a letter


Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2017, 02:21:24 PM »
Great, thanks. The only reason we were considering submitting her bank statements was to prove that we had additional money to support ourselves. As I read it though, if I earn over £18600 per year (£1550 or more gross on each payslip), there is no need to show any additional financial income?


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Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2017, 02:42:55 PM »
Great, thanks. The only reason we were considering submitting her bank statements was to prove that we had additional money to support ourselves. As I read it though, if I earn over £18600 per year (£1550 or more gross on each payslip), there is no need to show any additional financial income?

Exactly - as mentioned, it's a tick-box visa. If you tick the box that your income exceeds £18,600 under Category A, no other income or savings will be considered.

When filling out VAF4a Appendix 2, you are asked which financial requirement category you are applying under and you ONLY fill out the section for that category. You should not use a second category unless you cannot meet the requirement without combining categories.

So, when you fill it out, you tick Category A, fill out your employment details, and leave the rest of the categories blank. UKVI will only look at your employment income documents and will ignore anything else (i.e. they will not consider any savings, because the requirement is already met with your employment income).


Re: Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #13 on: March 24, 2017, 10:10:49 AM »
Hi again,

I have looked at my payslips and started to gather them. They all show above £1550 gross pay for each month and the net pay is different because of a couple of tax errors the accountants made. The deposits in my account are paid around 18th/20th each month and the payslip is dated the 31st. Is this an issue?

Also the actual net pay is different, because of the accounting error. I am in contact with my company to get this figured out and if I am short, I am sure they will pay me the difference. Will all this be ok for the visa, especially if I get the employer to write a letter explaining all this?

Thanks.


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Fiance Visa Checklist/Re-assurance
« Reply #14 on: March 24, 2017, 10:54:10 AM »
The net pay is irrelevant... the only figure that matters is the gross pay before tax each month. There is nothing for the employer to explain.

There would only be an issue if the gross pay before tax was less than £1,550.

You need to show you earn £1,550 each month BEFORE tax... and that the money is deposited into an account in YOUR name and not someone else's name (which is the only reason for needing the bank statements).



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