Online application already made & missing bank statements

I’m applying for a spousal visa from the US and completed my online application this past Saturday.  My biometrics are scheduled for this Friday.  We’re getting married on the 18th of this month and our plan had been to slip the marriage certificate in the visa application and send it out within the first few days after the wedding.  We’ve just run into a huge problem with his bank statements now.   He is a pilot and flies for an Irish airline (but is resident in the UK), so his earnings go into an Irish bank account.  He had to request the original copies of his bank statements from this bank as he had been receiving electronic statements.  The bank had posted them off to him about 2 weeks ago, but it has become apparent that they’ve gone lost in the post.  To order another set of bank statements takes 10 days plus the time that it would take for them to get to him (provided that Royal Mail doesn’t screw it up and lose them again).  But this isn’t even an option for us though because at that point he is going to be in the US for the wedding and he won’t be returning to the UK until a week after the wedding, as we’ll be on honeymoon, which by that point my two week window to submit the application will have closed.  The bank refuses to send the statements to my address, as it is not his registered address.  He does have more than sufficient funds in his UK bank (which we have original copies of these statements), but it looks like there is no way to get original copies of his bank statements which would show his current earnings going into his Irish bank account.  Should we provide a printed out copy of his Irish bank account and then ask his bank to fax the consulate his bank statements to verify these?  Does anyone have any advice? 

I'm not sure what they'll accept in this case--if they'll allow a third party to fax them the statements since technically at that point they're not originals, but a copy of the originals via fax. I know they *really* like having originals, or copies of things certified by a solicitor, but maybe someone with more experience can clear that up.

Worse case scenario, you'd have to redo your biometrics, since I think your application will still be valid (again, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought only the biometrics would have to be done again, since they're somewhat time sensitive).

Edit: basically, and I'm curious as to this, is: would they consider a fax of an original document the same as an original document, and are third parties allowed to send documents via fax to the consulate in regards to someone's application?

You may have a bigger problem that just bank statements. You've already done your application & will have your bio's done this Friday the 10th? It was my impression that you can't have your bio's done until AFTER your wedding since that is considered your application date and in your case your applying for a spousal visa and you won't even be a spouse at that point.

You're also going to run up against the 14 day window to submit your docs as well. Depending on how quickly you can get your official copy of your marriage certificate, in my case I was married on the 13th of a month but didn't get the official copy until the 19th. If you're getting married on a Saturday you or your officiant cannot even submit the certificate back to the county office until Monday the 20th. Once your bio's are complete you only have 14 days until your documents must be at the Consulate so yours must be received by the 24th.

The bank statement is a no brainier. Have your fiance print out the electronic statements from the past 3 months, take them to his bank and just have them sign and stamp each page as an authentic document. If push comes to shove some have just submitted the electronic statements printed from the internet and submitted those. I'm not telling you what to do just what others (including myself) have done and it is no guarantee that it would work for you. If the Consulate has problems with what you submit they may just contact you and ask for the originals to be faxed in.

The bank statement is a no brainier. Have your fiance print out the electronic statements from the past 3 months, take them to his bank and just have them sign and stamp each page as an authentic document. If push comes to shove some have just submitted the electronic statements printed from the internet and submitted those. I'm not telling you what to do just what others (including myself) have done and it is no guarantee that it would work for you. If the Consulate has problems with what you submit they may just contact you and ask for the originals to be faxed in.

This is a point, should of thought of that  It seems like they will take faxes, so in that case I would submit what you can--they'd prolly be more likely to call you up and ask for more info if need, instead of outright refusing the application.

But, like WebyJ said, you will be pushing it really close; the bank statement can be more easily rectified than this, and she brought up a point I didn't catch--doing the biometrics *before* the actual wedding might be a catch, since technically at that point you're not married. Hopefully someone can come and give a definite answer on that, but it's a point to think about.

I agree with WebyJ.  If he has money in the UK account, it won't matter that the Irish statements are copies, and if it is backed up by employer letters and payslips it won't matter at all. PROBABLY.

But biometrics before marriage...I'm not so sure about this either. I would move the appointment until after the wedding.

Vicky

But biometrics before marriage...I'm not so sure about this either. I would move the appointment until after the wedding.

I seem to remember reading a couple of months ago that people thought it was okay to do biometrics before the marriage providing you could get all the documentation in within the 14-day window. Maybe this is not the case anymore? (Or maybe that advice was incorrect? I'm not sure.)

I'm not sure I've seen guidance on it.


Vicky

I have seen where people do the online application before getting married and then schedule the Bio's for the day after or even the same day they get married and then ship off the doc's as soon as they have the official marriage cert. I can see where getting the bio's done before the marriage would be a problem especially when something could happen and there might not be a marriage afterall (insert natural disaster or tragedy here or even cold feet).

I do recall this however (granted in relation to PBS applications but I assume that it would apply here too) that your application date is the date you complete your biometrics. I have read on some sites for the ASC's that if you miss your appointment that you can do it on a walk in basis on certain days

To the OP what ASC are you doing your bio's at? As you probably shouldn't go to the one this friday but wait until you have your wedding as you have to wait for your certificate anyway.  You can also try to reschedule it by logging back into your visa application and go to the 'change appointment' option.

Thank you for all your responses.

I didn't even think that doing the biometrics beforehand would pose as a problem.  I had assumed that it wouldn't matter as I wouldn't be able to make an application anyway if I didn't have my marriage certificate, thus the biometrics wouldn't be contingent upon the marriage certificate.  And getting the marriage certificate shouldn't be an issue as I've received confirmation from my county clerk's office that I can walk in the marriage certificate, have it filed, and be given a certified copy the Monday after the wedding. But if the biometrics is an issue, then my question is, how long after my online application do I have to get the biometrics done if I am to reschedule them? I was under the impression that I had 10 days from the point of the online application.  Is this not a hard and fast rule?   

Where did you get the idea that you had 10 days? That's not a rule at all, as far as I know.

By going through the whole visa application process, and filing under a spousal settlement visa, you're technically doing it because you're the spouse of a British citizen, and that's your status; I'm not sure what kind of issues it might raise since I know you can fill out the online application before you get married, but the biometrics get sent to the consulates. I guess the crux of the issue is whether or not they would consider doing biometrics while still unmarried a violation of the rules as they are at the moment.

And like lanicita, I haven't heard of the 10 days rule--you can technically schedule the biometrics whenever you want, as long as you're able to get all your paperwork to the consulate within 14 days of the *biometric* appointment, since those are somewhat time sensitive.

So I guess it just boils down to a technical issue then--I thought the application date was the online application bit, but I've always read of stories where people got their biometrics done *after* the wedding as well, so I'm not really sure Prolly your best bet is to reschedule it like WebyJ said, just to be sure; since you have a quick turn-around on the certificate you should have it in plenty of time to have it mailed off with the rest of your documents.

I seem to remember that there were a couple of people on here a few months back who couldn't get a biometrics appointment quickly and had to wait about a month for an available appointment, so there is no 10-day rule for biometrics as far as I know. You schedule your appointment for when it is convenient for you and/or when you can get an appointment.

It looks like I could very well have been wrong about having 10 days.  I'm not sure were it is I picked up this idea, but I think I might have misunderstood something that was referring to the 10 business days (or 2 weeks) after the biometrics to get the application in.  Thanks for clearing that up!