Spouse Visa -- Here's What We're Sending...Thoughts?

How does this look, to those who are in the know? (I'm taking the advice of someone else on the forum and submitting all this in a neatly partitioned binder, with properly labeled sections...)

- US Passport, plus two photos of required size/quality.
- Applicant letters from applicant and spouse
- Earnings statements from current/most recent jobs
- Signed tenancy agreement for house in UK, plus estate agent's listing with pics
- Letter of support from UKC's father, saying he'll house us or help us financially if we need him to (plus certified copies of his passport and property deed)
- Proof of sufficient funds -- official bank letter showing current balance, plus leter from our realtor stating that our home is under offer, plus statement from mortgage company showing how much we owe (and hence, how much we'll take away from the sale).
- Notarized copies of the UK passports of me (the UKC spouse) plus our two children.
- Biometric form -- Water damaged (long story...see other thread) but still just about legible, plus 'clean' copy of printout, minus the stamp but with the all-important barcode
- Proof of employability -- Current CVs, plus lots of emails from various UK employers, responding to job applications by inviting us to come in for an interview. Also a letter showing that I (UKC) have a national insurance number.
- Vital records -- Birth certificates for all four of us, plus our marriage certificate and postgraduate academic transcripts.
- Tax history -- Xeroxed copies of the first page of our federal returns dating back to 2002
- Full printout of online portion of application

And that's it! Anyone fancy our chances of getting this thing quickly?

Quick thoughts:

1. Have you included three months of bank statements, in addition to letters from bank, mortgate lender, etc.?

2. Have you asked specifically for the KOL endorsement in your covering letter?  ECOs have been known not to grant this concession automatically; you'll want to cite paragraph 282c.

1) In addition to the formal letter (signed, certified, on letterheaded notepaper) showing our current balances, I have also included printouts that date back to the beginning of June, giving some historical perspective.

2) I have BOLDED and HIGHLIGHTED text in BOTH applicant letters asking for the KOL REQ stamp. Doubt they'll miss it. 

3rd party financial support is not allowed for spousal settlement visas. Either you can support yourselves without the USC accessing public funds or that's it. No outside help money wise. It's in the guidance: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/ecg/maintenanceaccommodation#17693600

MAA8 maintenance & accommodation: spouse / civil partner / unmarried or same-sex partner

Under the Rules a person being admitted as a spouse / civil partner /  unmarried or same-sex partner must have adequate maintenance and accommodation for both parties and any dependants without recourse to public funds in accommodation which they own or occupy exclusively (see MAA12).

Points to consider:


It is the ability of the couple together to meet the requirements, which the ECO will need to take into account.

The applicant should be able to produce reasonably firm plans for the foreseeable future.
Have they some idea of the employment which they will be seeking (if not already arranged) or any other way in which they will be able to maintain themselves?

If members of the couple’s families in the UK offer to maintain the couple adequately until they can do so from their own resources, such an arrangement would not satisfy the Rules, which require the couple to maintain themselves. Nevertheless, it may be appropriate in certain circumstances to exercise discretion where it is clear that such an arrangement will be for a limited period and that the couple will be in a position to maintain themselves shortly after the applicant’s arrival in the UK.  

 

So should I play down the 'financial help from my dad' stuff, and leave it more focused on the offer of housing? (Which, admittedly, is moot now anyway since we have signed a lease on a house...)

You should show in your budget that you are able to support yourselves without support from your father.  Housing is separate, you are allowed to stay with family members or friends. 

TBH, I'd forget the binder.  They won't return it to you, and the ECO will never see it.  Everything will be removed by an assistant before your application is even given to the ECO.  It would be better to put a paperclip on each individual section and a big binder clip to hold the whole thing together.  This whole binder idea is something someone made up and this community has perpetuated, but it is really not necessary or even beneficial. 

Got it -- I think we do show that. The letter from my dad is mainly about offering to house us or help us out.

So should I play down the 'financial help from my dad' stuff, and leave it more focused on the offer of housing? (Which, admittedly, is moot now anyway since we have signed a lease on a house...)

IMO, yes - this is why the bank statements, etc. showing the state of your finances over a period of time are important, because they're about *your* ability to provide, rather than your father's.  If you haven't included a budget, you may want to do so - using your savings and projected income (from house sale and potential jobs) to show that you will not need to rely on public funds - somewhat moot, since your wife will have ILE and will be able to access public funds, but you're trying to paint a positive picture here!  There are several templates on my website, here: http://englishrosedesign.com/uky/ in case you need one.

  It would be better to put a paperclip on each individual section and a big binder clip to hold the whole thing together. 

Agreed.  I used binders for each of my applications (fiancee, FLR, and ILR) and I found them immensely helpful, BUT - I applied in person each time and the binder helped me organise my documents so that I could quickly locate them and hand them to the ECO as requested.  If I were mailing an application or using an expeditor, I'd lose the binder.

Got it -- I think we do show that. The letter from my dad is mainly about offering to house us or help us out.

If you have the proceeds from the sale of your home, savings and a job offer PLUS already have a place to live I can only seeing the letter from your father hurting your position rather than helping. I'd just bin it.