A few more questions about Spousal Visa

Thanks for all the help so far...... So i know this has probably been addressed many times before but what do i need to include in my sponsorship letter for my wife and also I work for local government who have said they are happy to write me a letter but what should that include and also they are asking for the address ( I believe to make it as formal as possible) and who to actually title the letter too?

Thanks  

Your letter of sponsorship should include the following:

- how you qualify to be a sponsor (your UK citizenship)
- how you meet the financial requirement for the visa (your employment) and which financial category you are applying under
- where you will live in the UK, with details of the property (number of bedrooms, number of people living there)
- a short history of your relationship (how you met, how you keep in touch, how often you see each other, when and where you got married, why you are choosing to settle in the UK together).

The letter from your employer must include ALL of the following:
(i) the person's employment and gross annual salary;
(ii) the length of their employment;
(iii) the period over which they have been or were paid the level of salary relied upon in
the application; and
(iv) the type of employment (permanent, fixed-term contract or agency)

The letter should be addressed to the Entry Clearance Officer.

The address the visa documents need to be sent to is:
International Operations and Visas
6 Millsands
Vulcan House
Sheffield
S3 8NH
United Kingdom

Just to say: it's easier for us if you can keep all your questions in one topic, so that you don't have multiple threads going asking different questions about the same application .

It makes it easier for us to remember your situation, to give accurate advice, and to know what advice you have already been given, if it's all on the same page/thread... rather than us having to hunt down all your other topics to see what you've already been told, every time we answer a new question .

Sorry about not keeping it in one thread as my Mrs would tell you this is like my first ever forum lol.... One other question my wife will be applying for the online application on the 13th April.... I hit my 6 month mark with my job on the 12th would it be ok to get the letter from my employer this week or wait until the 12th ?


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Sorry about not keeping it in one thread as my Mrs would tell you this is like my first ever forum lol.... One other question my wife will be applying for the online application on the 13th April.... I hit my 6 month mark with my job on the 12th would it be ok to get the letter from my employer this week or wait until the 12th ?


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Honestly, you're cutting it way too fine... I don't actually think she will be able to show she qualifies for the visa if she applies online on the 13th.

The employer can't write the letter until after April 12th, because they have to confirm you have been employed by them for at least 6 months... and you haven't yet.

Before she applies online, you need to:

- reach 6 months at your job
- have the employer write a letter, dated AFTER April 12th, confirming that, on the date of writing, you have been with the company for AT LEAST 6 months
- wait until you have payslips that cover the entire 6 month period from October 12th to April 12th... which may mean waiting until you receive your end of April payslip
- wait until you have bank statements that show the April payslip being deposited
- mail all your documents to your wife in the US, using an overnight courier (i.e. FedEx, UPS or DHL)

Once your wife has received all your documents, then she can apply online.

As soon as she submits the online application and pays for the visa, that becomes her official application date.

When she submits the online application, she will be prompted to book a biometrics appointment to give fingerprints and photo. Once she has attended the appointment, she has just 5 DAYS to mail every single document to Sheffield for visa processing.

We have seen people get into the situation in the past where they have applied online before they have received all their documents from their sponsor, and then those documents get lost or delayed and they can't meet the 5-day deadline!

Well that's should be fine as I get paid 15th of each month and I will be getting my pay slip through on the 13th because 15th is on a Saturday and we also have a Easter holiday on the Friday  so we will only need to wait a couple more days not too sad but thank you so much for the solid advice


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Well that's should be fine as I get paid 15th of each month and I will be getting my pay slip through on the 13th because 15th is on a Saturday and we also have a Easter holiday on the Friday  so we will only need to wait a couple more days not too sad but thank you so much for the solid advice

Okay, but I would still recommend she DOES NOT submit her online application until you have mailed her ALL of your documents and she has them in her hands.

I've been on the forum for over 10 years and I've seen firsthand how stressful it is for people who have applied online before receiving their documents from their sponsor... and how people who were in that position have said they wished they had waited to submit it until they had all their documents.

I seriously suggest she takes her time, waits until she has all the documents, checks and double-checks every single one, practices the online application questions using the VAF4a paper form, and has also printed and completed VAF4a Appendix 2 first as well (she will need the details of your employment and accommodation evidence for that). I would also suggest you/she posts a list of all the documents here on the forum, so we can make sure nothing is missing.

The last thing you want to do is rush the application and risk a refusal because you missed something trivial... that would be £1,200+ down the drain and several weeks wasted while she applies a second time.

If even one document is missing, or your bank statements/payslips are even just 1 day short of the 6 months, or they are not quite in the correct format, the visa can be refused.

What's a few days of waiting to submit the application to confirm and make sure she has every single document she needs?

Has she sorted out her document list yet? Does she know exactly what she must include in the document package? Are you aware of the specific format requirements for the payslips and bank statements? Do you have all your relationship documentation sorted out?

Ed's wife here--
I've saved all our plane tickets and have a screenshot from every month of texts between the two of us... figure we can do one wedding photo (along with the certified copy of our marriage license) and one from around the time we first got together.
As to format, we just have his original pay slips and bank statements and are planning on writing a short explanation as to why there were large deposits into his account (my contributions for buying the flat).

Honestly I've not been very good at getting everything sorted. I've been a bit out of sorts since he left after we got married.


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It's deveststing after they leave so soon after getting married. You are in the home stretch! 

I also had sent money to my husband and only included it as additional info on the application and appendix. One question asks about shared finances on the appendix and you can just include there how much you were sending and why. They won't even read the seperate letter.

As for the advice about waiting till his documents are to you, do it. We had a last minute nightmare with bank statements coming in time after applying and almost had time run out!

Also here's my entire list in order sent. I went a bit overboard so I took stuff out
Of what I actually sent but might give you a good checklist.

this is the exact order we did
a.   Current Passport
b.   Expired Passport
d.   2 passport sized photos

Table of contents page

1.   Application and Receipts
a.   Application-
b.   Appendix-
c.   Biometrics Stamped Receipt
d.   IHS Payment Receipt and Confirmation Receipt
e.   Letter of Introduction
f.   Letter of Sponsorship
g.   Copy of Sponsor’s passport page
j.   Flight Itinerary
k.   Extra Return Shipping Label

2.   Financial Requirement – Category A, Salaried UK Employment for Previous 6 Months
a.   Confirmation of Employment Letters
b.   Confirmation of Authentic Payslips Letter from Employer
c.   6 Months Payslips
d.   6 Months Bank Statements
e.   P60 – 2016
f.   Employment Contract

3.   Accommodation
a.   Letter of Invitation from Sponsor’s Parents to Live at Property
b.   Land Registry
c.   Land Lease
e.   Mortgage Statement

4.   Proof of Relationship
a.   Marriage Licence
b.   Photos
c.   Visits to See One Another and Holidays Taken Together
d.   Communication Examples
i.   Facebook Messenger
ii.   Emails

    7. Return Shipping Packaging 

    8., Marriage License (we only did copies of what we wanted back so that's up to you what you wanted.


I only sent two forms of communication because they both weren't super reliable types and I just wanted to cover bases. Sounds like you have texts so it will be fine.

And to back that up, here's my general list of supporting documents for a spousal visa:

Applicant (US citizen)
- Printed online application form (don't submit until you have all the documents in your hands and are completely ready to mail the application package to Sheffield)
- Completed VAF4a Appendix 2 form
- Stamped Biometrics Confirmation Sheet (when you have attended the biometrics appointment)
- Receipt for IHS surcharge payment
- 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 details
 
Sponsor (UK citizen)
- Certified copy of his UK passport photo page

- Sponsor letter of support for the visa, stating:
1) how he is eligible to sponsor the visa (his UK citizenship),
2) how he meets the financial requirement (which category and details of current employment),
3) where you will live in the UK (accommodation details),
4) a brief history of your relationship (no more than 1 paragraph, where/how you met, if you visited each other, when you got engaged and married, and why you are choosing to settle in the UK and not the US)
(Optional: a list of all the documents he is including in the application package to support the above requirements)

Accommodation
If you will live with family or friends:
- a letter from the homeowner giving you permission to live there and stating that the home will not be overcrowded
- their Land Registry document
- their latest original mortgage statement (optional)


Finances
Category A:
- 6 full months of original payslips showing earnings of at least £18,600 (minimum £1,550 per month before tax) and dated no more than 28 days before the online application date
- 6 full months of original bank statements showing the deposit of every single payslip and dated no more than 28 days before the online application date
- original letter from his current employer (dated no more than 28 days before the online application date) 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

Optional but recommended as the guidance says they may ask for them:
- 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
 - screenshots of your text/message logs showing a selection of messages each other through the course of your relationship (no message content)

so this is my sponsor letter :

International Operations and Visas
6 Millsands
Vulcan House
Sheffield
S3 8NH
United Kingdom

23/03/2017

To the Entry Clearance Officer


I am writing in regards of sponsoring my wife, Alyssa Guest, in her application for the Join your Partner in the UK Visa.  My name is Edward Anthony Guest, and I am a UK Citizen. I am employed by the ...................., and have been for 6 months. My Job title is Senior Technician- Theatres & Events. We will be going through category A and I meet the financial requirement as I am on a permanent position which pays £22,284 Annual Salary.

My wife and I will be temporarily living with my parents but by the time Alyssa moves here I hope to have obtained ownership of a studio flat. My parents’ house is in Harlow, Essex. The address is:
....................................
My Father is the incumbent benefice of .................... The Land Registry, which is included in this application, shows that the owner is the incumbent benefice for the......................... I have also included a copy of my father's licence for the church. My parents’ house has 4 bedrooms with only 3 people living there right now. My wife and I would have exclusive access to our bedroom.

Alyssa and I met on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the seas cruise ship on the 5th July 2015. We were both employed as technical stage staff. The ship was docked out of Florida and would alternatively cruise around eastern and western sides of the Caribbean. We started dating in October 2015 and sadly departed one another when we left our jobs on the 26th November 2015.

Alyssa came to England 17th January 2016 for what was originally planned to be a two week visit while I was starting my lighting technician job at Butlins by the Sea. On 13th February 2016, I proposed to Alyssa on the beach in Minehead. We realized that we couldn't bear to be apart, so she stayed past her original return flight date. We weren't sure how long she would stay. I supported any bills she had during her time whilst in England and paid for our living expenses. We lived in Minehead until 28th June, when I quit my job and we moved back to my parents’ home in Harlow. She flew back home on 14th July 2016.

I went to Texas for the first time on 24th August 2016 to meet her friends and family, and left on 6th September 2016.  Alyssa came back over to England from 28th December 2016 until 12th January 2017 for New Years. Then, from 8th March 2017 until 17th March 2017, I visited her in Texas again. We were married on 13th March 2017 during this trip in Fort Worth by a justice of the peace witnessed by her family and friends and my family through a video call.

Alyssa has been working at State Farm as an Auto Express claims associate since 12th September 2016. She has been contributing every month to the deposit of our new flat (which is going to be in my name). We also are saving up to have a Church of England blessing of our marriage and reception for all our English family and friends here in the UK on 24th July 2017.
 
We are choosing to live in the UK because we fit in very well here and really love this country. I have a large family in the UK and Alyssa has a bit of family here as well. Her uncle moved to the UK in the 1980’s, married, and had two children here. Along with all of this, I have a fantastic career with the local government and would like to progress in my career within the UK.  Alyssa and I have both obtained degrees and have worked in theatre. Alyssa is extremely excited about the opportunity to learn more about English theatre and aims to work and excel in her career whilst we are living here. We both know that a life in the UK would give us better opportunities to work in our chosen field.

During our times of separation we constantly call and text each other mainly using Whatsapp. We call each other at least twice a day and text throughout the day. We have never gone a whole day without speaking since we met each other.


Regards
Edward Anthony Guest

And also. I thought I had all the tickets but can't find his from when he just visited (ugh!!) could we possibly print off the itinerary? A couple of the tickets are the print at home type anyway.


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yup to print off itineraries. thats all I had and it was totally fine!

as for the letter, it looks wayyyyy to long to me. I have edited it down a bit as suggestion. You don't need all the dates and details, they only want an overview and will see the dates with the flight information you are providing. They also don't care what she was doing for work in the interim that can not count towards the visa and she will be able to put on the appendix that she wants to work and what she wants to do.



I am writing in regards of sponsoring my wife, Alyssa Guest, in her application for the Join your Partner in the UK Visa.  My name is Edward Anthony Guest, and I am a UK Citizen. I am employed by the ...................., and have been for 6 months. My Job title is Senior Technician- Theatres & Events. We will be going through category A and I meet the financial requirement as I am on a permanent position which pays £22,284 Annual Salary.

My wife and I will be temporarily living with my parents but by the time Alyssa moves here I hope to have obtained ownership of a studio flat. My parents’ house is in Harlow, Essex. The address is:
....................................
My Father is the incumbent benefice of .................... The Land Registry, which is included in this application, shows that the owner is the incumbent benefice for the......................... I have also included a copy of my father's licence for the church. My parents’ house has 4 bedrooms with only 3 people living there right now. My wife and I would have exclusive access to our bedroom.

Alyssa and I met on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the seas cruise ship on the 5th July 2015. We were both employed as technical stage staff. The ship was docked out of Florida and would alternatively cruise around eastern and western sides of the Caribbean. We started dating in October 2015 and sadly departed one another when we left our jobs on the 26th November 2015.

During our times of separation we constantly call and text each other mainly using Whatsapp. We call each other at least twice a day and text throughout the day. We have never gone a whole day without speaking since we met each other. We have tried to see eachtoher as often as possible when work and finances allowed.  We have taken over xxxx number of trips to see eachother. I  have been to Texas meet her friends and family. We have tried to see each other as often as possible when work and finances allowed.On 13th February 2016, I proposed to Alyssa on the beach in Minehead.

We were married on 13th March 2017  by a justice of the peace witnessed by her family and friends and my family through a video call. We  are saving up to have a Church of England blessing of our marriage and reception for all our English family and friends here in the UK on 24th July 2017.
 
We are choosing to live in the UK because we fit in very well here and really love this country. I have a large family in the UK and Alyssa has a bit of family here as well. Her uncle moved to the UK in the 1980’s, married, and had two children here. Along with all of this, I have a fantastic career with the local government and would like to progress in my career within the UK.  Alyssa and I have both obtained degrees and have worked in theatre. Alyssa is extremely excited about the opportunity to learn more about English theatre and aims to work and excel in her career whilst we are living here. We both know that a life in the UK would give us better opportunities to work in our chosen field.


Regards
Edward Anthony Guest

sorry I would also remove the stuff about the flat, or move it to the end say something along the lines of, we are currently saving to buy our own flat.

dont confuse the officer with multiple housing things, just stick to the basics. like the wise ones on here say, its all about tick boxes.

believe me I get it I just wanted to add anything and everything I could to prove our relationship.