Marry in Australia, Apply for Spousal Visa

Thanks, all. Yes, the UK has the greatest wall of all time.

Yes, they give you information about how to submit AFTER they receive your package in Sheffield. Helpful, eh?

"If you have made a Settlement application (except for applications lodged in USA and Canada): you must ensure that your UK sponsor has sent all relevant supporting documentation to the visa section in Sheffield.  The documents should be arranged in this order: application form and relevant Appendix* (See below); English language evidence; relationship documents; maintenance documents; accommodation documents.  If documents are not received a decision will be taken on the basis on the information that has been provided."

Please note that Sheffield will only take ONE package per application. So you have to mail all your paperwork as one package. Your UK sponsor can't mail anything separately.

Also, a lot of the paperwork (bank statements, marriage certificate, etc.) have to be originals. Photocopies aren't okay. Internet printouts aren't okay unless they're stamped by the bank as genuine. Everything that's signed has to have an ink signature, not a photocopy or fax of a signature.

Our application was delayed nearly 2 months while waiting for bank statements. Turn every paperless option off, and make sure you have hard copies.

Now I'm a bit lot confused...

I need to be in the USA to apply for the visa but my spouse is going to send in the paperwork to Sheffield from within the UK? Will I not have any paperwork to submit from biometrics in the US back to Sheffield? Or I WILL, and I'll have to mail that to him so that he mails it all to Sheffield in the one envelope? And will I need paperwork to go to the biometric appointment that we'll have to be mailing back and forth?

RE: bank statements, he will have to provide over 6 months worth of statements from the bank to show that he has been working at his work place for over 6 months. I'm assuming he can go to the bank and ask them to print these for him, yes?

Now I'm a bit lot confused...

I need to be in the USA to apply for the visa but my spouse is going to send in the paperwork to Sheffield from within the UK? Will I not have any paperwork to submit from biometrics in the US back to Sheffield? Or I WILL, and I'll have to mail that to him so that he mails it all to Sheffield in the one envelope? And will I need paperwork to go to the biometric appointment that we'll have to be mailing back and forth?

Your spouse should send their supporting evidence to you in the US. You add your stuff to the package and send it to Sheffield.
All you need for the biometric appointment is your confirmation email which you'll have stamped there and your passport.

Copy you! Thank you, thank you.

RE: bank statements, he will have to provide over 6 months worth of statements from the bank to show that he has been working at his work place for over 6 months. I'm assuming he can go to the bank and ask them to print these for him, yes?

You can have the bank send them or have them printed and stamped in branch. He'll also need the corresponding pay slips and a letter from his employer. P60 and employment contract are recommended too.
The financial evidence can't be older than 28 days at the time of the online application.

Copy you! Thank you, thank you.

You're welcome! 

Depending on what bank your fiance uses, it can take 3 or more weeks for them to mail the statements to you. So please don't do the online application until you have everything in hand.

A (hopefully) easy to understand list of what happens when and where:

- your fiance starts gathering documents in the UK... job contract, P60, bank statements, payslips, accommodation evidence (tenancy agreement and landlord permission if he rents, or Land Registry and mortgage statement if he owns), plus any relationship evidence he will contribute (boarding passes, letters/cards, emails etc.)

- you start gathering documents in the US... relationship evidence, old passports, passport photos etc.

- you get married in Australia... and receive your marriage certificate

- either your fiance gives you his documents when you are in Australia so you can take them back home to the US with you, or he mails them to you in the US (depending on your timing)

- you return to the US with your marriage certificate, plus any documents you may have from him if he's given them to you

- you print and fill out VAF4a Appendix 2 at some point before you apply. It's good to do it while you are gathering documents as it helps you work out what documents you need (depending on financial requirement category)

- when you are back in the US, and you have ALL your documents in your hands (both yours and his), you apply online, pay for the visa and book biometrics

- you attend biometrics in the US

- within 5 days of the biometrics appointment, you mail all your documents and application forms to Sheffield from the US

- the visa will be processed in Sheffield

- when a decision has been made, your passport/visa and documents will be returned to your US address

- you will have 30 days from the date the visa starts (which is determined by the travel date you put on the application form) to enter the UK

- within 10 days of entering the UK, you pick up your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) from a designated UK Post Office. This will be your actual spousal visa.

Alright, this is all very comprehensive and I think totally doable! Thank you for that list.

Question: there have been comments about there being an option to expedite the process after mailing all the paperwork to Sheffield. Do I call Sheffield after I've made my biometrics appointment to pay for this over the phone, is this something I can do through the online application, or is this something biometrics can help with?

Thank you!

Alright, this is all very comprehensive and I think totally doable! Thank you for that list.

No problem .

Question: there have been comments about there being an option to expedite the process after mailing all the paperwork to Sheffield. Do I call Sheffield after I've made my biometrics appointment to pay for this over the phone, is this something I can do through the online application, or is this something biometrics can help with?

No, the Settlement Priority Processing Service has nothing to do with the online application, or biometrics, or calling Sheffield.

- the online application is for all countries, but each country has a different application process and different expediting options, so it's not available on there
- in the US, biometrics are done by US immigration on behalf of UKVI, so they have nothing to do with processing times
- and you can't call Sheffield directly anyway, so contacting them is out too

So, Settlement Priority Processing is a service you must purchase through the VFS Global website (UKVI's commercial partner) before you mail your application to Sheffield. It costs $700 and gets your application put to the front of the processing line once it arrives in Sheffield.

At the moment, with the high volume of applications, priority processing is taking about 5 weeks from when your documents are received in Sheffield (at quiet times of the year it can be as fast as 48 hours). If you don't pay for priority though, you're looking at about 3 months processing time, perhaps longer as we get into the busy summer months.

The VFS Global website also gives you the option to purchase fixed-price, pre-paid shipping with UPS.

See here: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/usa/user_pay_services.html

Okay, got it. Cheers for that info. I just bookmarked the site.

Yes, it's worth the money. I'll be applying in August which seems to be very busy according to this site!

Question Once I send everything in from the US, may I return to the UK? I have a film in a festival in London at the end of August. I'd hate to miss it, but obviously my visa is the priority.

Yes, it's worth the money. I'll be applying in August which seems to be very busy according to this site!

Yeah, last year, people who applied in August without priority didn't get their visas until October/November, whereas those who paid for priority got their visas during September.

Question Once I send everything in from the US, may I return to the UK? I have a film in a festival in London at the end of August. I'd hate to miss it, but obviously my visa is the priority.

You have to send your passport off with your application, as your visa is issued as a 30-day sticker inside your passport... so you won't be able to leave the US while your visa is processing.

So, you'd either have to go to the festival first (congrats on the film, btw ), then return to the US and apply for the visa in September, or you apply for the visa in August and accept you won't be able to go to the festival.

Ahhhh....I think I'll be skipping the film, then! It's alright, there are more important things! Work will be there.