Paying for Spousal Visa

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are FINALLY going to apply for the spousal visa after three years of procrastinating.  So expect to see a million and one questions coming soon, though I promise I am searching this forum as much as possible before posting my questions! 

I suddenly, for some reason, just noticed that the visa fees are payable in pounds sterling, not dollars.  For months my husband has been saving money and changing it into dollars, planning to send it all over to me to pay for the visa!  Now I see we need it to be in pounds - so now I am thinking that I can just enter his credit/debit card details when I apply online and we won't have to send any money across (and risk losing it).  I don't have a bank account anymore so the only other option for us is to have him send the cash and then give it to my parents and then use their card online.  Does anyone know if this is correct or possible? 

Thank you! 

Oh yes, and another short question.  When I send the supporting documents, is it necessary to include a paper copy of the visa application I will have filled out online?

If you are applying in the US, you pay for the visa online with a US debit/credit card after filling out the application form. The visa fees are given in pounds, but are converted into dollars when you pay - I believe the current fiance/spousal fee is about $878 with the lower exchange rate. If you had applied last summer, it would have cost you $1047 because the exchange rate was higher then.

For your other question: yes, you are required to send a paper copy (printed version) of the online form when you send the documents.

Edited to add: I'm not sure if it matters whether you use a UK or a US credit card to pay for the visa - maybe someone else will know.

Thank you!  So, yes, I still need to know if my hubs' card is ok or not cuz if not we will still have to send the cash. And is it okay if it is just a debit card not credit?  And do they accept Maestro?  Sorry so many questions!

 Thanks for the info on the app though.  I'm at my mom's for the weekend so I know I can print the 16 pages here instead of trying to get to the library next week sometime. 

Thank you!  So, yes, I still need to know if my hubs' card is ok or not cuz if not we will still have to send the cash. And is it okay if it is just a debit card not credit?  And do they accept Maestro?  Sorry so many questions!

Sorry, I don't know the particulars as I'm British and have never had to go through the process myself - everything I know about it comes from this forum and from information I've found out on the internet.

All I can find on payment methods is this page from the Worldbridge site: https://www.visainfoservices.com/Pages/Content.aspx?Tag=VisaFees_PAGE and the visa fees page on the UK visa site: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/visafees/, but hopefully someone who has applied for a UK visa from the US will come along soon to give you some more help .

Thank you!  So, yes, I still need to know if my hubs' card is ok or not cuz if not we will still have to send the cash. And is it okay if it is just a debit card not credit?  And do they accept Maestro?  Sorry so many questions!

 Thanks for the info on the app though.  I'm at my mom's for the weekend so I know I can print the 16 pages here instead of trying to get to the library next week sometime. 

I would assume a debit card works just as well as a credit card, since both of them can generally be used online for other types of transactions. I don't know if they accept that exact card though.

Edit: I'm planning on having Steve transfer money via paypal through to my account so I can use my debit card that's US-based; it might be an idea if they won't take a British card in your case, I don't know exactly what they'll accept.

Edited to add: I'm not sure if it matters whether you use a UK or a US credit card to pay for the visa - maybe someone else will know.

It doesn't matter.  We used my husband's British card.  But, since the visa cost in dollars doesn't keep up with the exchange rate, you could end up paying more with a British card.  My visa was $970, even though at the time the exchange rate made £515 (the cost of the visa at that time) closer to $850.  So my husband got charged about £600, £85 more than he should have had to pay.  Just a caution. 

The visa fees are given in pounds, but are converted into dollars when you pay

Actually, the visa fees are always charged in the applicant's home currency, so your fee will be charged in dollars, NOT converted.  The dollar amounts are adjusted every few weeks to reflect changes in the exchange rate, but if the rate has changed a lot since the last time the dollar amount was adjusted, you could end up paying more (or less, if you're lucky) than the amount in pounds. 

It doesn't matter.  We used my husband's British card.  But, since the visa cost in dollars doesn't keep up with the exchange rate, you could end up paying more with a British card.  My visa was $970, even though at the time the exchange rate made £515 (the cost of the visa at that time) closer to $850.  So my husband got charged about £600, £85 more than he should have had to pay.  Just a caution. 

Actually, the visa fees are always charged in the applicant's home currency, so your fee will be charged in dollars, NOT converted.  The dollar amounts are adjusted every few weeks to reflect changes in the exchange rate, but if the rate has changed a lot since the last time the dollar amount was adjusted, you could end up paying more (or less, if you're lucky) than the amount in pounds. 

Thanks for the warning.  I may have to do it that way anyway because I don't have a bank account to transfer money to.  I hope the exchange rate is favorable to us!!

All the sites simply say, major credit card.  I dont know if that includes his Maestro card or not! 

Also, what do you mean by the fees are not converted?  If he pays from a British bank account, surely they must convert his pounds to dollars?  I am so confused!

No, they'll charge the dollar amount of the fee to his card, then that amount will be converted to pounds based on the exchange rate at the time of the transaction. 

I don't know if Maestro cards are accepted, we used a Visa.  Can the Maestro be used online? 

I don't know if Maestro cards are accepted, we used a Visa.  Can the Maestro be used online? 

I use my Maestro online all the time, but mainly for UK transactions (I have only ever used a Mastercard for US store/online transactions due to the fees involved in using Maestro). It will all depend on whether the UK Visa site specifically will accept Maestro cards. The Worldbridge site states 'major credit cards' and Maestro is a debit card, not a credit card, so I'm not sure if they will accept it.

They don't accept Maestro, only Visa and Mastercard. It can be credit or debit. My husband and I ran into this problem when we applied recently. He was going to pay for it but he only has a Maestro card. So he had to withdraw the cash and I had to put it in my account to pay for it because I have a Visa debit card.

They don't accept Maestro, only Visa and Mastercard. It can be credit or debit. My husband and I ran into this problem when we applied recently. He was going to pay for it but he only has a Maestro card. So he had to withdraw the cash and I had to put it in my account to pay for it because I have a Visa debit card.

That's good to know then, for sure--I'll be using my debit card which is a Mastercard. Just transfer the money from hubby's savings into my paypal, then switch it to my checking account when I go to apply since I don't have a credit card.

Okay, I think I have this straight now.  The fee is charged as 585 pounds, always.  But it is paid in dollars so that amt changes based on the exchange rate. 

So, DH cant pay with his card, so I guess we will have to send the money and have my parents pay with their card.  At least I have that clear though now! 

Thanks so much everyone, for all your help!   

Okay, I think I have this straight now.  The fee is charged as 585 pounds, always.  But it is paid in dollars so that amt changes based on the exchange rate. 

Yeah, sort of. The fee is currently charged at $878 in the US. This is the equivalent of £585 a few weeks ago when they updated the visa site - this figure is set and will not be changed for several weeks, even if the exchange rate changes - so it is not a direct exchange rate for the day you apply.

Right now (today) £585 = $860. However, if you applied today, you would still pay $878 (= £597), so you would actually be paying more than £585 because the exchange rate has changed slightly since the US dollar fee was set.

If you pay on a US credit card, you will be charged $878 - no exchange of currency involved, you just pay the dollar amount directly. If you pay on a UK credit card, you will still be charged $878, but in order for the transaction to appear on the UK bank statement it will have to be converted into pounds (and possibly charged a foreign transaction fee).

Okay, I think I have this straight now.  The fee is charged as 585 pounds, always.  But it is paid in dollars so that amt changes based on the exchange rate. 

So, DH cant pay with his card, so I guess we will have to send the money and have my parents pay with their card.  At least I have that clear though now! 

Not quite.  The amount is fixed in dollars, at $878, which today would be £598.  They revise the dollar amount every six months or so. And your husband can pay with his UK card.


Vicky