Fiance Visa Questions and Double-Checking Checklist

Hello, my fiance and I are hoping for me, as a US citizen living in California, to move over to London for the purpose of marrying him in a civil ceremony. We have been engaged for six years now and with everything that is going on, we've decided to really push toward the move. The choice to move to the UK was simple considering the fact that he has a salaried job with his employer and I only have a part-time job in California, currently still living at home with my parents with minimal bills and payments to handle. That being said, I have been following the fiance roadmaps for the other users here on the forum, but I still want to make sure everything is checked properly before we send off for the application and all of the things that go on from there. I do really appreciate any help you have for us to help in our journey.

Applicant:
- current US passport
- biometrics appointment confirmation letter with the barcode on it
- return shipping label
- return packaging
- receipt for priority processing
- and possibly the first page of the online application
 
Sponsor:
- Copy UK passport photo page
- Sponsor letter of support for the visa

Accommodation:
- original tenancy agreement
- landlord letter

Finances:
(Category A, most likely)
Category A:
- 6 months of original payslips
- 6 months of original bank statements
- letter from current employer

Relationship evidence:

- 1 or 2 photos of us together
- boarding passes from trips to see each other
- 1-3 pages of screenshots of our chats

Evidence of Plans to Marry:
- Wedding Plans: Correspondence

First off, is it okay that the Sponsor Passport's Photo page is taken as a photo with a smartphone camera, or does it have to be a scanned file? My fiance doesn't have a scanner but can scan documents if necessary.

Second, we have a signed employer letter dated back to the 7th of October of last year, which we were hoping to have applied for before the end of 2020 but situations in California made that a bit difficult on my end. Do we need to get a more current letter from his employer to verify the payslips or would the letter we already have sufficed?

Third, is it absolutely necessary to have a full statement of the bank statement or can it just be evidence of the salary being deposited into a bank account? My fiance is concerned about the privacy issue towards his financial transactions being scrutinized by the visa department for the sake of making sure that his salary fits within the financial requirement of the application for my visa.

Other than that, if you see that something is missing, please don't hesitate to inform me. I do want this process to go through as swiftly as possible to put my fiance's mind at ease so I can soon enjoy my life together with him in his home country. Thank you for all your help in advance!

Welcome .

Finances:
(Category A, most likely)
Category A:
- 6 months of original payslips
- 6 months of original bank statements
- letter from current employer

If you have the job contract and latest P60, I would recommend including those as well, as they may ask to see them (they are not mandatory though).

Relationship evidence:

- 1 or 2 photos of us together
- boarding passes from trips to see each other
- 1-3 pages of screenshots of our chats

If you have any, I would also include letters/cards you've sent to each other while apart.

First off, is it okay that the Sponsor Passport's Photo page is taken as a photo with a smartphone camera, or does it have to be a scanned file? My fiance doesn't have a scanner but can scan documents if necessary.

I believe that should be fine. You can also download apps that will actually scan documents on your phone rather than taking a photo.

Second, we have a signed employer letter dated back to the 7th of October of last year, which we were hoping to have applied for before the end of 2020 but situations in California made that a bit difficult on my end. Do we need to get a more current letter from his employer to verify the payslips or would the letter we already have sufficed?

You need a current letter. It MUST be dated no more than 28 days before the date you submit your online application.

All of the following must be dated within 28 days before applying online:
- employer letter
- latest payslip
- latest bank statement

Third, is it absolutely necessary to have a full statement of the bank statement or can it just be evidence of the salary being deposited into a bank account? My fiance is concerned about the privacy issue towards his financial transactions being scrutinized by the visa department for the sake of making sure that his salary fits within the financial requirement of the application for my visa.

It MUST be the FULL bank statement, every page included, and no blacking out of any information. If the statement has been printed at home from online banking, it MUST either be stamped by a local bank branch on EVERY page, or accompanied by an official letter from the bank confirming its authenticity.

However, they will not look at ANY transactions except the payslip deposit. The only thing that matters is that the payslip deposit matches the date and amount shown on the payslip. They don't care about any other incoming or outgoings on the statement.

As long as his payslip shows at least £1,550 gross pay each month, and the net payslip amount is deposited into a legitimate bank account in his name, he will meet the financial requirement.

Welcome! 

@ksand24

Thank you so much for your prompt responses! My fiance and I are both watching this thread, so your information is very helpful!

We have recently got an email chain from my fiance's landlord regarding my occupancy when I move over, so hopefully that satisfies the letter requirement. The email address corresponds to the name on the Tenancy Agreement to line up with the fact that this is the landlord responding to my fiance's emails.

Other than that, I'll be sure to reply as more things are updated just to get clarification before the application submitted.

@ksand24

Thank you so much for your prompt responses! My fiance and I are both watching this thread, so your information is very helpful!

We have recently got an email chain from my fiance's landlord regarding my occupancy when I move over, so hopefully that satisfies the letter requirement. The email address corresponds to the name on the Tenancy Agreement to line up with the fact that this is the landlord responding to my fiance's emails.

Other than that, I'll be sure to reply as more things are updated just to get clarification before the application submitted.

The letter should be on paper with a wet signature.

Duly noted. We're making arrangements to suit that requirement.

In regards to priority processing, it's necessary to choose the "Priority Visa for settlement or migration" service for the fiance visa, correct? (At the price point of $829 USD?)

This is a worthwhile bump, trust me.

So things took a bit of a detour from the plan. For one, I'm currently residing in London at the end of a six-month tourist-y stay. I know I have to be out of the UK before I submit my visa application, but we are working towards getting a landlord letter, bank statements, and all those sorts of things while I'm here to help my fiance out in person. If anyone has any advice or something we missed, please don't hesitate to tell us. I plan to submit promptly upon my return to California so I can finally arrange a permanent trip to London once the visa is in hand.

Quick question for anyone that's still following this thread:

What would be the best way to show correspondence with the town council for evidence for plans to marry? Is it as simple as sending an email with the intention to make plans to marry?

Quick question for anyone that's still following this thread:

What would be the best way to show correspondence with the town council for evidence for plans to marry? Is it as simple as sending an email with the intention to make plans to marry?

You just need an email chain between you and the registry office enquiring about possible/available ceremony dates within your expected 6-month validity of the visa.


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You just need an email chain between you and the registry office enquiring about possible/available ceremony dates within your expected 6-month validity of the visa.


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Thank you for the prompt reply! My fiance has already made an enquiry to the registry office and we are awaiting a reply shortly, hopefully.

Okay, so the application was submitted and well than four months later, I got a notice saying that my application was forwarded through the processing centre and is now on it's way back to me.

But does this mean that was approved? Denied? I don't know and I'm kinda nervous.