Fiancé visa checklist + more!

Hello everyone!

I know this is a US-UK centric forum but I'm researching everywhere that is possible for myself and my fiance to get this visa right so I hope It's OK if I post it here if I'm not from the US - I'm from Brazil.

Well to start off, we have been in a relationship close to 6 years (we met when I was a student in the UK in 2013 for a short course), and the plan is for Daniel to come down to Brazil for one last time early December so he can see me graduate from university and we can get this visa done!

Please let us know if we are missing or if we need to change something!

Applicant documents:

1.VAFA4 form (can find online).
2.Appendix for VAF4A (can find online).
3.Letter of introduction, description of relationship and intention to marry.
4.Passport.
5.2 copies of passport size ID picture
6.English test (I have the Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) Grade 3 offered by Trinity College London.). We thought about going for the A2 straight away because we wouldn't need to book another £150 test in 6 months time and it's valid for 2 years.

Sponsor documents:

1.Cover letter.
2.Passport.

Accommodation documents:
1.Original title deeds (owns a flat).
2.Mortgage letter. (headed paper and signed by mortgage provider?)
3.Housing report. (to state that it’s not overcrowded. Can we ask for the local council to make one?).
4.House bills (can include council tax, electricity, water, gas, tv etc - are these enough? Should we include bills from the past 6 months prior to application? Or just a couple?).

Financial documents:

1.6 Payslips. (These can be either original, formal payslips that have been issued by the employer - which shows the employer’s name - OR payslip copies that are accompanied by a letter from the employer, printed on the employer’s headed paper that has been signed by a senior official who confirms that the payslips are authentic.)

2.Employer’s letter (confirming the person’s employment and gross annual salary, the length of their employment, the period over which they have been or were paid the level of salary relied upon in the application, the type of employment (permanent, fixed-term contract or agency) Does this letter need to be original, signed and on employer’s headed paper?

3.6 Bank Statements (to show employment earnings being paid into the account). These needs to be original bank statements that has been issued by the bank and printed on official bank stationery; OR online printouts that have been certified by the bank?

4.P60 form.

Proof of intent to marry:

1.Registry office emails enquiring about notice of marriage and wedding date.
2.Notice of marriage booking/receipt of payment.
3.Emails with wedding venue
4.Contract and booking confirmation with the venue
5.Engagement ring receipt.

Proof of relationship:

1.Whatsapp chat log (about one page’s worth every 2 weeks since we started our relationship? We’ve been together for over 5.6 years).
2.Skype call logs. (We only have logs coming back to early 2017, is it OK?)
3.Flights and hotel bookings (printed bookings from trips to see each other as well as the 15 trips we’ve done together).
4.Photos (about 15-20 photos us as well as with other family and friends with descriptions).
5.Letter from family and friends saying we’ve met and we are genuine (should I add a verified copy of their passports to add credibility?) .


Other questions that I have:

1.My fiance recently got a raise - about a month or so ago - so the last payslips/bank statements are going to be different. Do we need a separete letter from his employer/HR stating anything related to the raise? To be clear, he's always been over the £18.600 amount.
I read that the new salary won't be taken in account, only the last salary. We are just confused...if someone could explain what we need to add in terms of his payslips/bank statements we would be very grateful!

2.Daniel gets paid on the last working day of the month, and we plan on applying early December. So does it mean we need payslips/bank statements dating back to June 2018 until November2018?

I think that's it for now! I'm sorry for the long post just trying to get organized! Thank you if you've reached this far!

Welcome to the forum .

In regards to your documents:

- the applicant does not write a letter detailing the relationship and intention to marry. That all goes in the mandatory sponsor letter instead. So, any letter the applicant includes should only be a contents letter for the package.

For the accommodation, you do NOT need:
- housing report
- house bills.
All you need to prove is ownership of the property... the Land Registry document. An optional extra is the latest annual mortgage statement

You have an awful lot of evidence for proof to marry. You can include it all, but all you really need is a printed email chain with the registry office asking about possible ceremony dates

For relationship evidence, you do NOT need:
Photos (about 15-20 photos us as well as with other family and friends with descriptions).. only 2 photos max should be included and only of you and your fiance.
5.Letter from family and friends saying we’ve met and we are genuine - these cannot be considered and will not even be looked at, so no point in including them

_________________________________________________ __________________________________________

Just going to rearrange your documents a little (additions are in blue):

Applicant documents:
- Contents letter (no personal information about the relationship)
- Printed Online application (it is not called the VAF4a, because that is a paper form only accepted in N. Korea)
- VAF4a Appendix 2 form
- Current valid passport
- All previous passports
- 1 passport photo
- English Language test

Sponsor documents:
- copy of photo page of his passport only
- sponsor letter of support detailing the following:
Paragraph 1: how he qualifies to be a sponsor (his UK citizenship)
Paragraph 2: how he meets the financial requirement (i.e. employment details)
Paragraph 3: where you will live together in the UK, including address, ownership and property details
Paragraph 4: short history of your relationship and your plans to marry in the UK

Financial documents: - which category does he meet: A or B? Cat A requires 6 months of payslips and bank statements and Cat B requires 12 months.

Mandatory
- Payslips... how many months are you including (this is very important)? The latest must be dated within 28 days of your online application date
- Bank statements showing the deposit of every payslip - how many months are you including (this is very important)? The latest must be dated within 28 days of your online application date
- Employer letter - must be dated within 28 days of your online application date. It MUST be original, on employer letterhead, with a wet signature. If payslips need to be authenticated, this can also be included in the letter
Optional:
- original contract
- P60 form.

Accommodation documents:
- Land Registry document
Optional:
- Latest mailed annual mortgage statement


Proof of intent to marry:
- Registry office emails enquiring about notice of marriage and wedding date.
Optional extras:
2.Notice of marriage booking/receipt of payment.
3.Emails with wedding venue
4.Contract and booking confirmation with the venue
5.Engagement ring receipt.

Proof of relationship:
- No more than 1 or 2 photos together. No one else should be in the photo, just the two of you. This is only to prove you have met at least 1 time in person
-  boarding passes from flights (you do not need hotel bookings)
- Whatsapp chat log - no more than 2-3 pages in total. Dates, names and times only, no message content. Just copy and paste a selection onto 1-2 sheets of paper and crop out the actual message text. You should be able to get about 20-30 messages on 1 page, with about 60 messages in total. For 5 or 6 years worth, I would include 1 message per month at most (giving about 60-70 in total).
- Skype call logs.- same as above. No more than 2-3 pages in total. Just include a selection from 2017 and 2018... maybe 2 or 3 per month.

Other questions that I have:

1.My fiance recently got a raise - about a month or so ago - so the last payslips/bank statements are going to be different. Do we need a separete letter from his employer/HR stating anything related to the raise? To be clear, he's always been over the £18.600 amount.

I read that the new salary won't be taken in account, only the last salary. We are just confused...if someone could explain what we need to add in terms of his payslips/bank statements we would be very grateful!

You only need 1 employer letter but this must state:
- new salary and date of raise
- old salary and length of time earning it.

As he has not been earning the new salary for 6 months yet, it will not be considered for the visa. So, they will only look at his old salary. For the calculation, they will take the lowest payslip from the last 6 months and multiply it by 12 to get the annual income that can be considered.

For payslips and bank statements you need a full 6 months worth (not a day less). This may mean including 7 months worth to be safe. As long as the lowest payslip is over £1,550 before tax, you will meet the requirements.

2.Daniel gets paid on the last working day of the month, and we plan on applying early December. So does it mean we need payslips/bank statements dating back to June 2018 until November2018?

If his latest payslip will be dated November 30th (and the payslips don't specify that they start on the 1st of the month), you will need the following payslips and bank statements:
1. May 31st (first day of the 6 months)
2. June 30th
3. July 31st
4. August 31st
5. September 30th
6. Oct 31st
7. Nov 30th (last day of the 6 months)

First of all I should say thank you so much for taking your time to read through my post! It's good to know we have people on the internet trying to help others!

Welcome to the forum .

In regards to your documents:

- the applicant does not write a letter detailing the relationship and intention to marry. That all goes in the mandatory sponsor letter instead. So, any letter the applicant includes should only be a contents letter for the package.

Thanks!

For the accommodation, you do NOT need:
- housing report
- house bills.
All you need to prove is ownership of the property... the Land Registry document. An optional extra is the latest annual mortgage statement

Oh interesting, on Reddit people seem to agree house bills are needed.

You have an awful lot of evidence for proof to marry. You can include it all, but all you really need is a printed email chain with the registry office asking about possible ceremony dates

I guess it doesn't hurt to have it all?

For relationship evidence, you do NOT need:
Photos (about 15-20 photos us as well as with other family and friends with descriptions).. only 2 photos max should be included and only of you and your fiance.
5.Letter from family and friends saying we’ve met and we are genuine - these cannot be considered and will not even be looked at, so no point in including them

Yeah I wasn't sure about other people statements....will take them out!

Financial documents: - which category does he meet: A or B? Cat A requires 6 months of payslips and bank statements and Cat B requires 12 months.

We meet the category A where he earns over £18.600!

Mandatory
- Payslips... how many months are you including (this is very important)? The latest must be dated within 28 days of your online application date
- Bank statements showing the deposit of every payslip - how many months are you including (this is very important)? The latest must be dated within 28 days of your online application date
- Employer letter - must be dated within 28 days of your online application date. It MUST be original, on employer letterhead, with a wet signature. If payslips need to be authenticated, this can also be included in the letter
Optional:
- original contract
- P60 form.

1. We are applying in the first week of December, the last payslip he gets it's on November 30th so we need to show 7? (from May 31st until November 30th).
2. We plan on getting the same amount of bank statement as the payslips? So in this case 7? For the bank statements, we will print at home and go to the bank and ask them to sign and stamp every page. Anything else needed?
3. For the employer letter, who needs to write it? HR or his manager? We plan on incluiding the following points: (if we need anything else please do let us know)

• the person's employment and gross annual salary
• the period over they were paid old salary and new salary with date of raise
• the length of their employment
• the type of employment
• payslips are authentic

Accommodation documents:
- Land Registry document
Optional:
- Latest mailed annual mortgage statement

Noted!

Proof of relationship:
- No more than 1 or 2 photos together. No one else should be in the photo, just the two of you. This is only to prove you have met at least 1 time in person
-  boarding passes from flights (you do not need hotel bookings)
- Whatsapp chat log - no more than 2-3 pages in total. Dates, names and times only, no message content. Just copy and paste a selection onto 1-2 sheets of paper and crop out the actual message text. You should be able to get about 20-30 messages on 1 page, with about 60 messages in total. For 5 or 6 years worth, I would include 1 message per month at most (giving about 60-70 in total).
- Skype call logs.- same as above. No more than 2-3 pages in total. Just include a selection from 2017 and 2018... maybe 2 or 3 per month.

1.We don't have the actual boarding passes anymore seeing it's been almost 6 years together and the ink on the boarding passes have disappeared. What we can do instead is print the flight reservation. Is that OK?
2. Are Skype calls mandatory? We don't have them all since 2013, probably only have logs from last year, and we have started using Discord to video chat recently. I'm not sure if Discord has a log or something. We sure do have all What'sapp messages since 2013 as this is our primary way of communication and we back it up every few months.


Ah something else, does his p60 needs to be certified by work or someone else?

First of all I should say thank you so much for taking your time to read through my post! It's good to know we have people on the internet trying to help others!

No problem .

Oh interesting, on Reddit people seem to agree house bills are needed.

And that's why you don't want to get your information from anywhere except the official UKVI accommodation guidance, which says nothing at all about needing house bills... and as house bills do not prove ownership (as anyone can be named on a bill, whether they own the property or not), they are not required:

9. MAA9 Assessing adequate accommodation
The ECO should be satisfied that the accommodation complies with the following requirements:

- it is (or will be) owned or legally occupied for the exclusive use of the couple (see definition in section below); and
- it is capable of accommodating the couple, and any children, without overcrowding as defined in the Housing Act 1985 (see MAA134).

Depending on the circumstances of the case, there may be other relevant factors; for example, the ECO should be satisfied that housing the couple in rented accommodation will not be in breach of any tenancy agreement as regards sub-letting (see below).

10. MAA10 Legally owned or exclusively occupied
The ECO should consider the basis of the availability and security of tenure of the accommodation. Factors to be taken into account will include:

- the ownership of the property and/or the duration of a lease
- whether any lease enables the tenant to sublet to the couple or take them in as lodgers.

If the accommodation is not owned by the couple (or one of them), the Rules require that there be adequate accommodation which is for their exclusive use. This need not be as elaborate as a self-contained flat. It is acceptable for a couple to live in an existing household, for example, that of a parent, uncle, aunt, sibling or friend, as long as they have at least a bedroom for their exclusive use.

If the couple have children with them there must be additional adequate accommodation for them (see MAA134 for maximum numbers of persons allowed).

I guess it doesn't hurt to have it all?

Normally, we say that less is more, but for the proof of plans to get married, all of those can be included, so I think you'll be fine to include them all.

We meet the category A where he earns over £18.600!
1. We are applying in the first week of December, the last payslip he gets it's on November 30th so we need to show 7? (from May 31st until November 30th).

Yes, I would include 7 payslips, because you want to show that every single day of the 6 months are covered, and unless the June payslip explicitly states 'June 1st' on it, you would only have proof of earnings from June 30th onwards... which is less than 6 months. So, you want to include the May one as well, just to make sure the whole of June is covered.

We will print the payslips at home and ask the HR department to write a letter saying they are all real. Does this letter needs to be on a headed paper with a wet signature? Anything else we'd need to include on this letter other than "payslips are real"?

The letter needs to be:
"accompanied by a letter from the employer, on the employer’s headed paper and signed by a senior official, confirming the payslips are authentic;"

We recommend that the letter lists the date of issue and pre-tax amount on each payslip, and confirms that the provided payslips are all authentic.

This letter can be combined with the mandatory letter confirming employment details, so that you don't need to get them to write 2 letters.

2. We plan on getting the same amount of bank statement as the payslips? So in this case 7? For the bank statements, we will print at home and go to the bank and ask them to sign and stamp every page. Anything else needed?

Yes, the bank statements must show the deposit of every single payslip into an account in his name. So, you would need to include the May bank statement right through to the end of November, or possibly early December, to make sure that the November 30th payslip is shown on the bank statements. If he won't receive the bank statement with the November payslip on it in time, he can ask the bank to print a partial statement covering the last few dates.

3. For the employer letter, who needs to write it? HR or his manager? We plan on incluiding the following points: (if we need anything else please do let us know)

Most people get HR to do it - as mentioned above, it can be the same letter as for the payslip authentication - but if they can't, then a line manager or senior manager can do it too.

1.We don't have the actual boarding passes anymore seeing it's been almost 6 years together and the ink on the boarding passes have disappeared. What we can do instead is print the flight reservation. Is that OK?

Yes, if you don't have the boarding passes, you can print the e-tickets instead. Boarding passes are just more preferable as they show you actually got on the flight, rather than just booking it.

2. Are Skype calls mandatory? We don't have them all since 2013, probably only have logs from last year, and we have started using Discord to video chat recently. I'm not sure if Discord has a log or something. We sure do have all What'sapp messages since 2013 as this is our primary way of communication and we back it up every few months.

They aren't mandatory, but you'll want to send whatever you have that shows communication.

So, you can show:
- Skype records from 2017 onwards
- WhatsApp messages from 2013 onwards

And if you can get any logs from Discord, you can include those too (you might just be able to scroll back through your conversations and take some screenshots).

You don't want any actual message content included, just screenshots showing how often you talk. Think of it like an old itemised phone bill (before instant messaging)... you just got a list of numbers, dates and call duration... you did not get a recording of your conversation!

Ah something else, does his p60 needs to be certified by work or someone else?

If it is the original document either handed to him by his employer or mailed to him in the post, it doesn't need to be certified, but if he has printed it out from online, it probably should be certified.

Ah Thank you so much for the clarifications so far!

One thing that people on Reddit doesn't seem to know is about the english exam I have to take...

A couple of months ago I was in the UK and we thought it was fitting to do the test there because I don't have a near center where I live in Brazil, so I'd have to make a trip and it would end up being way more costly. So we researched and it seemed Trinity College London was the right fit.

I did pass the exam (A2 SELT – GESE Grade 3 = CEFR A2). I think we could've gone for the A1 but seeing we will need to apply for FLR(M) after we get married in the UK and apparently the required grade for the second visa is A2 we went ahead and booked the A2 to save us some money.

My question is....are we actually OK going ahead with this certification? I'm getting quite confused and anxious because everyone seem to do the LifeSkills instead. Here is the link ( https://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=3600) to the exam I took.

Ah Thank you so much for the clarifications so far!

One thing that people on Reddit doesn't seem to know is about the english exam I have to take...

I really wouldn't rely on Reddit for anything... you're unlikely to get accurate information on there.

A couple of months ago I was in the UK and we thought it was fitting to do the test there because I don't have a near center where I live in Brazil, so I'd have to make a trip and it would end up being way more costly. So we researched and it seemed Trinity College London was the right fit.

I did pass the exam (A2 SELT – GESE Grade 3 = CEFR A2). I think we could've gone for the A1 but seeing we will need to apply for FLR(M) after we get married in the UK and apparently the required grade for the second visa is A2 we went ahead and booked the A2 to save us some money.

My question is....are we actually OK going ahead with this certification? I'm getting quite confused and anxious because everyone seem to do the LifeSkills instead. Here is the link ( https://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=3600) to the exam I took.

Since the A2 qualification is a higher level than A1, it should be fine for both visas.

I'm not sure what the difference is between the test you took and the Life Skills test, but as long as you have the minimum A1 requirement for the spousal visa, I don't think it'll be an issue. You can always take the Life Skills test later on, when the A2 one expires.

Ah thank you! Sorry for the delay on answering, it's hard to keep up with graduation, wedding and visa plans all at once!

So we went for Trinity College because we saw they are an approved test center in the UK only. I believe LifeSkills are both UK and overseas (?) but because I was already in the UK it seemed like Trinity was fitting. You can double check info on the following link if you wish - pages  7 and 11 -(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/605687/Appendix_FM_Section_1.21.pdf)


Does people usually use templates for the employer's and payslips letters? Or shall we create one and post it here for review?

Also...does the relationship photos need to be printed on A4 paper or on actual photo paper?

Thank you once again!

Bump?

Sorry - completely missed your post above.

Does people usually use templates for the employer's and payslips letters? Or shall we create one and post it here for review?

There are no templates, and really, it's the employer who should decide how to write it, but the employer and payslip letters can be combined into one and need to contain ALL of the following:
- employment position and current salary
- length of employment (i.e. date started at the company)
- length of time earning current salary
- type of employment (i.e full or part-time, permanent or temporary)
And for the payslips:
- list of each payslip included in the application, including pre-tax amount, dates each one covers, date of payslip and date the money was deposited into your account

Also...does the relationship photos need to be printed on A4 paper or on actual photo paper?

Ideally, should be on photo paper.

You only need 2 photos maximum - I usually recommend sending one from the wedding and one from earlier in the relationship.

Thank you so much for answering!

Regarding the land registry document...we are trying to get it but we are unsure whether we are doing it right. Should we send the following form to the Home Office and pay £7 to get the official paper copy of the land registry? We are unsure because it says copy but it also says official so I guess it's OK?

Form: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/713414/OC1__2018-05-25_.pdf

Info we found: https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-property-and-land/search-the-register

Let us know if we are doing it right!

Go here:  https://eservices.landregistry.gov.uk/eservices/FindAProperty/view/QuickEnquiryInit.do

Put in the house number/name and the post  code, click "search".  On the next page, order the £3 Title Register for immediate download.  Print it out.  That's what you need.

Go here:  https://eservices.landregistry.gov.uk/eservices/FindAProperty/view/QuickEnquiryInit.do

Put in the house number/name and the post  code, click "search".  On the next page, order the £3 Title Register for immediate download.  Print it out.  That's what you need.

Are you sure we just need to print it out? Because I heard it needs to be an official paper? This is just confusing!

Are you sure we just need to print it out? Because I heard it needs to be an official paper? This is just confusing!

No-one here has ever had a problem providing just that. 

That is an official copy that you are paying for and it has been accepted as original for at least the last 10 years.

Almost everyone here on the forum has provided the downloaded copy and their visas have all been approved.


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That is an official copy that you are paying for and it has been accepted as original for at least the last 10 years.

Almost everyone here on the forum has provided the downloaded copy and their visas have all been approved.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just wondered because it seems we always have to provide original papers and just having it downloaded seemed not good enough...