UK Spouse Visa Document Checklist

Sorry these aren't really in any kind of order:

Documents we have:

Certified copy of his passport
6 months payslips with letter from employer stating authenticity and with sponsor’s employment start date, pay amount each pay period and that his employment is permanent
2 photos of us together (1 from early on and 1 from wedding day)
2 pages of skype and whatsapp phone call logs
Housing report
Online bank statements (taking them to be stamped as official tomorrow)
2 passport photos of myself
Appendix 2
My cover letter
Sponsorship letter from my husband
Marriage certificate
Proposed flight itinerary
My one and only passport

Waiting to get:
Land registry

What else am I missing? Thanks!

Okay, just going to rearrange into the proper order for the package (my additions/comments in red):

Applicant's Documents
- Receipt for priority processing (if purchasing)
- Return shipping label
- Cover letter (contents list)
- Printed online application
- Appendix 2
- Stamped biometrics confirmation sheet (after biometrics)
- Current US passport
- 1 passport photo of myself

Sponsor's Documents
- Certified copy of his passport (photo page only)
- Sponsorship letter from my husband

Financial Documents
- 6 FULL months of payslips, showing at least £1,550 before tax on each one, the latest dated no more than 28 days earlier than the online application date
- 6 FULL months of bank statements showing the deposit of every payslip, the latest dated no more than 28 days earlier than the online application date
- letter from employer, dated within 28 days of the online application date, stating authenticity and with sponsor’s employment start date, pay amount each pay period and that his employment is permanent - also needs to state current annual salary and length of time earning current salary
Optional but recommended:
- sponsor's original employment contract
- latest original P60

Accommodation Evidence
- sponsor's Land Registry document

Relationship evidence
- Marriage certificate
- 2 photos of us together (1 from early on and 1 from wedding day)
- boarding passes from trips to see each other
- any letters/cards sent to each other
- 2 pages of skype phone call logs
- 2 pages of whatsapp phone call logs

If either of you have been married before, you also need original divorce decrees

Photocopies of all original documents you wish to be returned

Okay, just going to rearrange into the proper order for the package (my additions/comments in red):

Financial Documents
- 6 FULL months of payslips, showing at least £1,550 before tax on each one, the latest dated no more than 28 days earlier than the online application date
- 6 FULL months of bank statements showing the deposit of every payslip, the latest dated no more than 28 days earlier than the online application date
- letter from employer, dated within 28 days of the online application date, stating authenticity and with sponsor’s employment start date, pay amount each pay period and that his employment is permanent - also needs to state current annual salary and length of time earning current salary

So he gets paid weekly...but as long as it totals that amount for a month, we’re ok?

So he gets paid weekly...but as long as it totals that amount for a month, we’re ok?

Well, assuming he is on a fixed annual salary (which must be stated in the employer letter), they will take the lowest payslip he received during 6 months and multiply it by the relevant number to get the annual income.

If he is paid weekly, I assume they will calculate it as:
Lowest weekly payslip x 52 weeks = at least £18,600
So, his lowest payslip must be at least £357.69 before tax (so that £357.69 x 52 = £18,600).

Alternatively, if he is not salaried (does not have a fixed annual salary), and instead is paid by the hour, they will calculate the annual income as follows:

(Total of all the payslips added together / 6) x 12 = average annual income, which must be at least £18,600.

He is paid hourly. He’s a painter/decorator so most paychecks are the same.

I guess I’m just confused by the calculation lol. He has to make a minimum of 18600 before taxes to qualify.

Can I take his payslips and multiple then by the number of weeks in a year?

I’m definitely starting to get overwhelmed by his part of the paperwork 

I guess I’m just confused by the calculation lol. He has to make a minimum of 18600 before taxes to qualify.

Can I take his payslips and multiple then by the number of weeks in a year?

I’m definitely starting to get overwhelmed by his part of the paperwork 

Okay, so ignore much of what I said in the document list post, as that was only for people on a fixed annual salary.

If he is paid by the hour, then the employer letter must clearly state ALL of the following:
- that he is NON-salaried
- his hourly wage
- his number of hours per week
- his length of employment and job title
- the length of time earning his current hourly wage

It's VERY important that the letter DOES NOT state an annual total salary OR that he is salaried. It MUST state that he is NON-salaried.

Someone last year had their visa refused because the employer letter stated that they were salaried when they weren't, and therefore their income was calculated based on the lowest payslip (£1,275) instead of the average annual income (which was about £19,000 or £20,000).

If he is paid by the hour, then you need to:
- Add up every single payslip from the 6 months
- Divide that number by 6
- Multiply the result by 12
- Put that figure in the application form as the annual income.

This will give the average annual income that will be used towards the income requirement.

For example, say his total income before tax from the 6 months was £10,300, then the calculation will be as follows:
£10,300 / 6 = £1,716.67 = his average monthly income
£1,716.67 x 12 = £20,600 = his average annual income

To note, also, the payslips and bank statements must cover the FULL 6 months. If they are even 1 day short of 6 months, the visa can be refused.

So, you may need to send more than 6 months' worth (i.e. an extra 1 or 2 weekly payslips and an extra bank statement) to cover all the dates.

So on the application there is no option for hourly, just salaried. Do we fill out a different section?

So on the application there is no option for hourly, just salaried. Do we fill out a different section?

No, you fill out the same section, because you are applying under Category A - it's just poorly-worded. I have no idea why it only says salaried and not non-salaried.

To be honest, the only difference is the way in which the income is calculated, which is why it's important to emphasise the NON-salaried part, because if they use the wrong calculation and his income comes out below £18,600 the visa will be wrongly refused.

Salaried job:
Annual income calculation = lowest payslip x 12 months
Non-salaried job:
Annual income calculation = (total of all the payslips / 6) x 12

So, for Part 3 of Appendix 2, you want to answer as follows:

3.1 - Tick No
3.2 - Tick the first box (no dependants)
3.3 - Tick First box (Part 3A) and tick Category A
Part 3A
3.4 - Tick Yes
3.5-3.10 - Fill out his employment details
3.11 - Write in your calculated average annual income from his payslips (using the non-salaried calculation above)
3.12 - Tick Yes
Go to 3.21
3.21 - Tick Yes
3.22 - Not applicable, so leave blank
Leave the rest of Part 3 and all of Part 4 blank

Thank you! It is poorly worded. When I was filling the appendix out I kept looking for something other than salaried and nope!

We’re good on his $. Recalculated based on what you said and it’s over 23K. Just making sure the letter doesn’t mention $ from his employer.

In my cover letter, I know it's a good idea to put a list of what's included but to what detail?

Do I need to list everything enclosed in my packet?

In my cover letter, I know it's a good idea to put a list of what's included but to what detail?

Do I need to list everything enclosed in my packet?

The point of the cover letter is that it should be a contents list of every document in the package. You don't need much detail though, just list the documents (i.e. 6 months payslips, 6 months bank statements etc.).

An example cover letter:

To The Entry Clearance Officer,

Please find enclosed my application and supporting documents for a settlement visa to join my spouse in the UK. I would like my visa to start on X date, as per the Intended Travel Date on my online application form.

The following documents are included in this package:
(list of documents)

Yours Faithfully,
Your Name

Ok - mine was looking a lot like my husband's with detail or how we met and where we would live, etc. So just needs to be: here's what is inside.

I should be ready to submit my application in the next few days. His paperwork should be to me tomorrow 

Ok - mine was looking a lot like my husband's with detail or how we met and where we would live, etc. So just needs to be: here's what is inside.

Yes, that's all you need. The rest is all in the sponsor letter already, so it doesn't need to be repeated.

Sponsor letter:
- mandatory
- describes how you meet each requirement of the visa (finances, accommodation, relationship)

Applicant's letter:
- optional
- information about what's in the package
- can be used to explain any complicated circumstances (criminal convictions, bad UK immigration history) or anything unusual about the documents (large bank transactions, reasons why you cannot provide something etc.)

Thank you! So does this sound ok?

To The Entry Clearance Officer,

Please find enclosed my application and supporting documents for a settlement visa to join my husband in the UK. I would like my visa to start on 01 April 2018, as per the Intended Travel Date on my online application form.

The following documents are included in this package:

Applicant’s Documents:
Receipt for priority processing
Return shipping label
Printed online application
Appendix 2
Stamped biometrics confirmation sheet
Current US passport
1 Passport photo of myself
Proposed flight itinerary   

Sponsor’s documents
Certified copy of his passport
Sponsorship letter from my husband

Financial documents
6 months of certified pay slips
6 months of certified bank statements
Sponsor’s employment letter

Accommodation evidence:
Sponsor’s land registry
Sponsor’s housing report

Relationship evidence:
Original marriage certificate
2 photos of us together (1 from first meeting in person and 1 from wedding day)
Original boarding passes from visits
Letters from my husband
Skype and Whatsapp call logs

Please do not hesitate to contact me xxxxx
Yours faithfully,