Self employed - I think I may have saved myself some worry.

Can someone confirm something for me please...

I have seen from the applications advice thread, where people show the information they sent with their application, that everyone has included a letter from their employer (this seems quite an important part of the application).

Q. As I am self-employed, am I correct in thinking that I do not need to produce such a letter, as I am in actual fact my own employer?

I am hoping there is a very straight-forward 'yes that is correct' answer to this question.

Thanks.

What visa are you applying for?

Will be applying for a spouse visa for my wife to be (I'm UK, she's US), marrying in US, moving to UK.

my dh is self employed and he appiled for me, we married in the UK.

Right.

You're right in that you won't be required to submit a letter from your employer - however, self-employed sponsors usually wind up needing to supply MORE evidence, not less.  You'll need to include tax returns (to prove income and show you're paying tax on what you make), P60s, etc. as well as the usual bank statements.  As you're not drawing a regular salary from an employer, you'll need to prove without a doubt that your income is sufficient to support your wife without accessing public funds, AND that this income isn't going to change drastically in the foreseeable future.  You might even be asked to provide evidence of contracts/account agreements for past projects.

Unfair, I know, as it's not as if a traditionally-employed sponsor couldn't just up and quit his or her job immediately following a visa approval, but it's just the way things are.

ETA:  There also seems to be a direct corollary between how much you have in savings and how closely the ECO looks at your employment documentation - so if you have significant amounts of savings, you may be able to omit some of this paperwork.

Well, I had worked 7 years for the same company, was made redundant, so had a year off.
I then went self-employed for the job I have now, but the contract ends on July 31st (I will have been at the same place for 1 year 4 months), and I marry on September 27th.
I don't intend to go back to self-employed work, and I don't have any tax records for while I have been self-employed as I'm not due to pay tax until Jan 2009.
Also, it will be hard to find a job which starts in August, with my 'new' employer then happy for me to take off 4 weeks in September/October to get married.

Advice?

I think you have already started two threads on this!  It might be easier to link them.


Vicky

I would think it really depends on how much savings the two of you have.

Otherwise, the only advice I have involves two scenarios, which I know from your other posts that you are looking to avoid.

1. Try to get a job in August--if the time off is a problem, maybe consider shortening the amount of time you'll be away. Two weeks is probably a lot more palatable to a potential employer than 1 month. However, this would probably mean that your spouse would have to get the spousal visa on her own and come over on her own.

2. Get a job when you return to the UK. Once agian, this would mean your spouse staying in the US while you got set up with your new job.

I think I mentioned in one of your other posts--my husband had just started a new job a few weeks before we got married and applied for the visa. They didn't care that he had only just started--just that he had a steady income coming in.

My wife is self employed she took in business bank statements 6 months worth and she did not have tax returns she has only been self employed a few months but she had her tax number this will be on any paper work from the tax office confirming your self employed and she also took her books with her though these did not get shown as they had the business statements, we also had savings so this helped alot.

Indy

I think I mentioned in one of your other posts--my husband had just started a new job a few weeks before we got married and applied for the visa. They didn't care that he had only just started--just that he had a steady income coming in.

Did he have a letter from his new employer stating he was working for them?

My wife is self employed she took in business bank statements 6 months worth and she did not have tax returns she has only been self employed a few months but she had her tax number this will be on any paper work from the tax office confirming your self employed and she also took her books with her though these did not get shown as they had the business statements, we also had savings so this helped alot.

Indy

I don't have business statements, my money just goes into my regular account (although one of my invoices in the last six months got paid into my other bank account, but I can show them the statement for that month). I obviously have all my invoices still.

Ref savings: Can you give me a ballpark figure of the savings (UK£) you had - are we talking four figures, or five?

(I assume you received the visa ok?)

Did he have a letter from his new employer stating he was working for them?

We included his contract, which stated his start date, salary, etc.