I have a few questions: I will be bringing my 7 year old son with me. I would assume I need a letter from his father staying the he is giving permission for him to move. We have joint custody with no formal agreement. Does the letter need to be as simple as that? Notarized as well?
Yes, a letter should be fine - it's showing that he confirms you are the primary caregiver (you have sole responsibility for your son) and he gives his written permission for you to take him to the UK to live.
It does not need to be notarised/certified because it will be an original document.
The only documents that need to be notarised/certified are documents that are not originals and are just copies of the originals.
In terms of proof of previous marriages ended, is this just a divorce decree?
Yes, you just need the divorce decree to prove you are legally able to get married again. You will need this for every visa application you make in the future as well.
Do I need to send in my old passport? My picture on the previous was destroyed but the rest of the passport is intact.
Yes, you need to send in ALL passports you have ever held. You give the passport details in the application form and then include the passport so they can check your travel history. You could just make a note explaining why the picture was destroyed.
Anything else need to be provided?
It depends what you already have.
Most of the supporting documents will come from your UK sponsor - financial documents, accommodation documents etc.
You will also need to include evidence of the entire length of your relationship:
- marriage certificates
- 1-2 photos of you and your UK sponsor together
- evidence of visits to see each other
- cards/letters sent to each other
- screenshots of call logs/email inbox/message logs to show regular communication throughout your relationship
If I am to use some of my savings to make up the income difference (he will be a few hundred pounds short to make the minimum required since it’s my son and I), is it a minimum $16,000 that is needed to add to his total? I think I recall reading that somewhere. Can this be a combo of cash savings, retirement, etc?
For your son and yourself, he needs to be earning at least £22,400.
For the savings, the first £16,000 do not count and then on top of the £16,000 you need 2.5 x the difference between £22,400 and his salary.
For example, say he earns £21,500, meaning he's £900 short... you will need at least £16,000 + (2.5 x £900) = £18,250 in savings to meet the requirements.
You must have held ALL of this money in full in your bank account for a minimum of 6 months before applying. The balance cannot have dropped below £18,250 for even 1 day during the 6 months. If the account is in US dollars, they will take the conversion rate on the Oanda website on the date you submit your online application.
Using today's exchange rate, £18,250 = $23,946.30
