New Settlement Visa Application

My husband are I are getting ready for application #3 for an initial settlement visa. As a review, our first refusal was in May 2017 because I was in the UK; the second one was in October 2017 for financials, which we passed on the first application.

Since our last application attempt in July 2017, have there been updates? I've been checking, but it seems Appendix 2 is still the Dec 2013 version.

Thanks for the help. I'll be listing our documentation soon for final checks.

(And, if you've been following our story, we went to our MP after the second refusal. He was going to get to the bottom of why we were refused for something we passed on the first round. He discovered nothing further, so we are back to doing this with any help you can provide.)

No changes except they are now offering a Gold priority service that so far seems to not be worth the money.  We have two members trying the service for the first time so the jury is still out.

Good luck with this attempt .

Nothing has changed with the application, as far as I am aware.

The most recent version of VAF4a Appendix 2 is the one here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-uk-visa-for-family-settlement-form-vaf4a

(And, if you've been following our story, we went to our MP after the second refusal. He was going to get to the bottom of why we were refused for something we passed on the first round. He discovered nothing further, so we are back to doing this with any help you can provide.)

Sorry you weren't able to get to the bottom of it.

Did they actually specifically say that you passed the financials for the first application?

If it was the case that they just didn't mention the financials as part of the reasons for the refusal, it may have actually been the case that you did not pass the financials the first time either, but it was not mentioned because you weren't even eligible to apply for the visa in the first place... i.e. they may have just refused the visa without even looking at the financials, because whether or not you met the financial requirement was irrelevant since you applied for a visa that you could not qualify for.

Good luck with this attempt .


Did they actually specifically say that you passed the financials for the first application?

Thank you!

Yes, we did pass the financials. It's listed with suitability and English requirement, etc. This time, my husband is writing a cover letter to explain each point. He's also done new taxes and registered his business with HMRC.

Should we pay for priority again?

Should we pay for priority again?

It's up to you, really. If you can afford it, I would say it's worth it.

I know they don't recommend using priority if you have previous refusals, but that's just so they can cover their backs in case it takes longer to process than other applications. However, paying priority will at least get your application put to the 'front' of the line when it arrives, and therefore, picked up for processing earlier than not paying priority.

It's up to you, really. If you can afford it, I would say it's worth it.

I know they don't recommend using priority if you have previous refusals, but that's just so they can cover their backs in case it takes longer to process than other applications. However, paying priority will at least get your application put to the 'front' of the line when it arrives, and therefore, picked up for processing earlier than not paying priority.

Great, thank you!

Just to confirm, I can pay for priority and the shipping labels prior to sending the documents?

Just to confirm, I can pay for priority and the shipping labels prior to sending the documents?

Yes, you have to pay for both of them before you send the documents, because you must include the receipt for priority in your documents package (on the very top so they see it immediately), along with the printed return shipping label.

It is not possible to pay for priority after sending the documents.

Okay, a first try at the documents:

Applicant (US citizen)
- Printed online application form
- Completed VAF4a Appendix 2 form
- Stamped Biometrics Confirmation Sheet (after the biometrics appointment)
- Receipt for IHS surcharge payment
- 2 passport photos
- Current passport
- All previous passports
- Cover letter explaining first two refusals and proposed flight itinerary
- Receipt for priority processing
- Return shipping label
 
Sponsor (UK citizen)
- Copy of his UK passport photo page (they saw the original at our first priority appointment in country)
- Sponsor letter of support w/ all required info, including explanation of the finances

Accommodation
- original tenancy agreement which already lists me and my husband as renters

Finances
Category E: Letter from financial adviser
Letter from pension company stating ongoing amount of 13,066 BP per anum
Bank statement showing deposits for past calendar year

Category F: Current HMRC registration
   Australian taxes for 2016-2017 showing 22,266 BP taxable income
   Bank statements for the last Australian financial year
   Bank statements and invoices for the last six months showing ongoing income in the UK in excess of 30,000 BP.

Relationship evidence 
- marriage certificate
- divorce decrees
- Marriage announcement w/photo

You seem to have a lot of documents missing from the Category F financial requirements. There are about 13 or 14 different specific documents required (either UK tax documents or the Australian equivalent of each one) and ALL of them must be submitted... but you only seem to have about 4 of them.

You also need A LOT more relationship evidence than that. You need to provide evidence showing regular contact and/or living together for the ENTIRE length of your relationship.

So things like:

If you have been long distance:
- boarding passes from trips to see each other
- letters/cards sent to each other
- evidence of regular emails, calls, messages sent to each other covering the entire relationship

Or if you’ve lived together:
- evidence of living together, such as utility bills, bank statements, tax returns, rental agreements, mortgage statements etc.

You must also include at least 1 photo of you together. You don’t need to include the marriage announcement though.


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Okay. We have loads more stuff to add. I'm stressed after two refusals and find it difficult to articulate well. Two questions:

How do we send original documents from institutions that have gone paperless? We ask for originals, and they send us computer copies.

Must we send the documents from one location? Since I am in the US and my husband is in England, we have documentation in both locations.

1. You either need to get them to send you originals or you’ll need to print them and take them to the physical branch of the institution to have them stamped or signed by them

2. Everything needs to be sent together in the same package - usually directly to Sheffield from the US... so he would need to mail all his documents to you and then you mail everything to Sheffield.

I’m a little confused though - didn’t you already go through all this for the last application?


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1. You either need to get them to send you originals or you’ll need to print them and take them to the physical branch of the institution to have them stamped or signed by them

2. Everything needs to be sent together in the same package - usually directly to Sheffield from the US... so he would need to mail all his documents to you and then you mail everything to Sheffield.

I’m a little confused though - didn’t you already go through all this for the last application?


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Yes, we did. We pulled things together in the UK before I came here to apply. We have updated documents since that application was five months ago. Our new Australian documents are the problem.