FLR (M) Checklist and Panic

Hi,

Going with my wife on Tuesday for her FLR (M) appointment. Here is our final document checklist. Can I check that everything is in order:

Confirmation of payment & appointment
3 photos (two applicant; one sponsor)
Both passports (inc old app passport)
Current tenancy agreement
Marriage certificate

Financial evidence:

My employer letter
Previous 6 payslips
Previous 6 statements

Correspondence:

6 joint from March 15, inc 2 tenancy agreements. Will also provide a smattering of individual correspondence over this period.


Is this all we need?

Two further questions though:

1) I'm panicking as on Friday, following a recent data scare, I blacked out then acc number, sort codes etc on the bank statements, leaving only the name, address and list of transactions. I also highlighted my salary going in. Just read advice that I should not have done this. There is no time to request additional copies before Tuesday. Will this be ok? I can supply my account number on a cover sheet if needs be (though my salary is also confirmed by the letter and payslips?)

2) Following recent advice on this board, we are just providing my financial income, as my wife's salary falls beneath the income requirement.

In this case, we do not mention her income in any of section 7, inc where it asks us for our combined income?

Also, as we do not list her as working, is it OK to use a letter/payslip from her work as an item of correspondence? Are they interested purely in income only so far in that it meets the minimum requirements?

Thanks in advance for any advice

Hi,

Going with my wife on Tuesday for her FLR (M) appointment. Here is our final document checklist. Can I check that everything is in order:

Confirmation of payment & appointment
3 photos (two applicant; one sponsor)
Both passports (inc old app passport)
Current tenancy agreement
Marriage certificate

Financial evidence:

My employer letter
Previous 6 payslips
Previous 6 statements

Correspondence:

6 joint from March 15, inc 2 tenancy agreements. Will also provide a smattering of individual correspondence over this period.


Is this all we need?

The complete list of documents you need is on the FLR(M) application form (though the financial requirement is a bit vague).

1) I'm panicking as on Friday, following a recent data scare, I blacked out then acc number, sort codes etc on the bank statements, leaving only the name, address and list of transactions. I also highlighted my salary going in. Just read advice that I should not have done this. There is no time to request additional copies before Tuesday. Will this be ok? I can supply my account number on a cover sheet if needs be (though my salary is also confirmed by the letter and payslips?)

You MUST have complete, unaltered official bank statements. I guess you could try taking the account number, but the visa may be refused.

Can you not go into the bank on Monday and ask them to print new statements? Or print them from online banking and get the bank to stamp them on Monday?

2) Following recent advice on this board, we are just providing my financial income, as my wife's salary falls beneath the income requirement.

In this case, we do not mention her income in any of section 7, inc where it asks us for our combined income?

Yes, that's fine.

Also, as we do not list her as working, is it OK to use a letter/payslip from her work as an item of correspondence? Are they interested purely in income only so far in that it meets the minimum requirements?

Yes, that's fine. All they care about is that ONE salary meets the requirement, and they will only ask for evidence of that salary.

If neither salary met the requirement on its own, you would HAVE to use both.

I only have paper statements. I asked Barclays to stamp printouts, but they only issue copies which take over a week to come. I have an in-person appointment.

My issue is that I haven't blocked out my name or any transactions. Only my acc numbers. I am supplying my info only to verify my salary going into my account. As this is visible why would they refuse my wife's visa?

I only have paper statements. I asked Barclays to stamp printouts, but they only issue copies which take over a week to come. I have an in-person appointment.

My issue is that I haven't blocked out my name or any transactions. Only my acc numbers. I am supplying my info only to verify my salary going into my account. As this is visible why would they refuse my wife's visa?

Honestly, I would reschedule the appointment.  Or apply by post and lose the £100 non-refundable fee.

Though as it's in person, worst case is they likely won't outright refuse the application, but allow you time to resubmit the statements by post.  While your application would be processed slightly quicker than if you just apply directly by post, it could be a big waste if the £500 fee.

My Barclays branch will print statements in branch or stamp the ones you get from the cash point.  You could try that.

There's a chance you could be fine, but I would NOT chance it.  The bank statements are one of the most important documents.

Thanks for your advice.

Update: after checking the bank statements, it appears I have only blacked out the account info on the second page, along with the balances of my various accounts.

My account number and sort code is visible on the first page and at the top of each individual page.

Do you think this will be OK? Only the balances of my different 'pots' are now obscured, though their respective account info is visible

I only have paper statements. I asked Barclays to stamp printouts, but they only issue copies which take over a week to come. I have an in-person appointment.

Maybe try a different branch of Barclays and see if they will print them out for you - most banks will do it.

Also, if they can write a letter confirming authenticity of the statements, that might work too.

Otherwise, you may have to cancel your appointment and either change it to a later date or just apply by post instead.

You can reschedule up to 48 hours before the appointment, so depending on what time your appointment is on Tuesday, you may just have time today to reschedule without losing any money: https://www.gov.uk/ukvi-premium-service-centres/change-or-cancel-an-appointment

Maybe try a different branch of Barclays and see if they will print them out for you - most banks will do it.

Also, if they can write a letter confirming authenticity of the statements, that might work too.

Otherwise, you may have to cancel your appointment and either change it to a later date or just apply by post instead.

You can reschedule up to 48 hours before the appointment, so depending on what time your appointment is on Tuesday, you may just have time today to reschedule without losing any money: https://www.gov.uk/ukvi-premium-service-centres/change-or-cancel-an-appointment

I have a set of copies (on which I made the same redactions) from the bank, with a letter confirming authenticity.

In conjunction with what I mentioned before (about the acc and sort codes being visible on all but one of the original statements) would submitting both the originals and copies cover me? I'll try for a brand new set too from the bank, but just trying to cover myself in the event that this isn't possible.

Thanks for all your help and advice - sorry for being a pain

I have a set of copies (on which I made the same redactions) from the bank, with a letter confirming authenticity.

In conjunction with what I mentioned before (about the acc and sort codes being visible on all but one of the original statements) would submitting both the originals and copies cover me? I'll try for a brand new set too from the bank, but just trying to cover myself in the event that this isn't possible.

Thanks for all your help and advice - sorry for being a pain

You could try and see, but I'm really not sure if it will be a problem and whether it will be worth the risk.

The requirements regarding the format of the bank statements are very strict and if even one statement is either missing or doesn't meet the requirements, the visa can be refused.

Hopefully you can get a new set from the bank before the appointment... I would definitely try again or try a new branch... when I was applying for a mortgage last year, I needed 4 months of bank statements and I just went into the branch (Natwest) and they printed them all for me right then and there - took less than 5 minutes.

NatWest can only print a finite number of transactions from the bank themselves. In my case (last month) that didn't cover a full 6 months and I had to have them posted to me.

ERayLankester,
It's is extremely importent that nothing is obscured because if you cover up any of the details, technically you could be substituting another account for yours. This is why they have strict rules.

Just to double check, because this is easy to do. Are your bank statements for a full 6 months prior to your appointment date? 6 statements does not always cover 6 full months.

Cheers

Hi,

They are full statements covering the entirety of Sep - Feb.

I understand the rationale, but I have only obscured my balances (irrelevant to my app) and the bank acc number, sort code and IBAN in one column on page 2. The acc number and sort are stated on page one and in the header of each page.

I understand the rationale, but I have only obscured my balances (irrelevant to my app) and the bank acc number, sort code and IBAN in one column on page 2. The acc number and sort are stated on page one and in the header of each page.

The problem is that they are official documents and must be left untampered - obscuring ANY information on them could render them unacceptable for the visa.

By obscuring any of the balance, account number, sort-code or IBAN, they may think you have something to hide and are trying to use deception on the application.

It's still making changes to the document that they tell you specifically not to do in the guidance.
I almost did that originally (back in 2013), but realised that working for a government agency and stealing bank details would get you fired or prosecuted pretty much immediately as they know who processed which applications.

I just applied for my FLR last month by post so I know what you're going through. It's very important to follow everything they want to the T. Even more so with an in person appointment. They can ask you to provide them with more documentation afterwards but that will then be by post. If you're comfortable taking your statements in as is, you can. But you run the risk of being asked to provide them with new statements by post, wasting your in person appointment fee as Ksand said.

It's really whatever you feel comfortable with and if you're willing to risk it. I wouldn't want to have wasted £500, we don't have that to spare right now.

Thanks for the the advice.  I will visit Barclays first thing in the morning to print out the last 6 months worth of printouts and request a stamp/verification note - from the branch manager if the clerk refuses.

Hopefully they will comply - there is one other branch I could try, but if they also refuse, I'll have to write a note explaining why I redacted page 2 of each statement.

I work for a government department, so hopefully their reference, payslips, and the other bank evidence showing my monthly salary will be familiar to the Belfast officials and help them to look favourably on my wife's submission,

(I have included my annual accoubt statement from Barclays, received in June, which verifies the acc and sort code on 4/5 pages on the redacted statements)

Thanks again for your advice

You might be fine.  You just have to remember that this is UKVI and rationale and "putting the pieces together" doesn't always go together.  The visa is a tick box, you've got to tick those boxes.  They don't go outside the box.  Right now you have altered bank statements.  This is a new one for us. We haven't heard of anyone doing that before.  We don't want you to waste your time and money on the appointment on something that can be fixed.

We recently had a member have a refusal for not providing a divorce decree from a previous marriage.  They had the marriage certificate from their second marriage, which they wouldn't have been able to get without the divorce.  So logic doesn't always play a part.  They lost £1,645 on that application.

You could be fine.  I just wouldn't personally risk it.  That's all.  We can't say with certainty that it WILL be fine.

You're welcome. If you have them printed out at the bank, you don't need them to be stamped/verified as they are originals. It's only if you print them at home that every single page must be stamped by the bank for verification purposes.

I know that it isn't always logical, but not everything with the government is logical. I'm sure you've seen some things that you simply have to do because it is required.

It has nothing what so ever to do about 'looking favourably' on an application or not.

They are ONLY looking to make sure you have each and every bit of required documentation and that you meet all of the requirements. As you may have seen around the site, these applications are 'tick box' visas. You tick all the boxes, you get the visa. You don't provide what they need, you don't get the visa. Emotion has absolutely nothing to do with it. Or else, I'm sure, people who are denied visas would get them.

Best of luck with everything tomorrow! I hope they make things easy for you!