Essex, UK lady fallen in love with WA, US man. Need to move him here!

Oh, also copies of the official letters confirming my Carer's Allowance, my son's DLA and Child Tax Credits. I can't find    my Child Benefit letter.

It sounds like there's still documents you need to gather, which may take some time  - and you have to make sure you send the EXACT documents required or the visa will be refused.

I'm wondering if you might be better if your partner withdraws his application, requests a refund and applies again when you're ready with your documents. He can only get a refund if he requests it BEFORE he attends his biometrics appointment though.

See here: https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/Home/ViewFAQ

In terms of the documents, here's a basic rundown of the documents you and your partner need (I hope I haven't forgotten anything):

Applicant
- Simple cover letter stating visa applied for and a list of documents you are including. No personal information unless you have criminal convictions or a bad UK immigration history to explain.
- Online Application
- Appendix 2
- Passport
- Passport photos
- Priority service receipt (if using priority)
- Biometrics confirmation (stamped at the appointment)
- If employed in the US, he can include a couple of payslips/bank statements to show this or if he has savings, he can include bank statements showing them
- Return waybill/online account number for UPS/DHL
- Return packaging

Sponsor
- Your passport (or a certified copy of the photo page only, or a regular photocopy along with your original A4 birth certificate)
- Original Divorce decree
- Signed Letter of confirmation (as per this sample: http://www.londonelegance.com/transpondia/sites/default/files/spousal.pdf)

Financial Requirement
- Official documentation (not copies) of your DLA and Carer's Allowance
- At least one original bank statement from the last 12 months showing deposit of of the Carer's Allowance.
- Original Documentation showing Child Tax Credits and Child Benefit.

Plus evidence of income you have from your part-time job and/or any savings you have:
- last 6 months of original bank statements
- last 6 months of original payslips
- original job contract

You need to show that you have at least £1,354.99 (for you, your partner and 3 kids) left over each month after paying rent and council tax.

Accommodation
If you own:
- Original Deed/Land Registry document
- Original mortgage statement confirming house is being paid for

Evidence of plans to marry in the UK
- Email correspondence from church/registry office about possible wedding dates/provisional booking

Evidence of relationship
- 1 or 2 photos of just you and your fiance to show you have met
- boarding passes from trips to see each other
- a couple of cards/letters you might have sent each other while apart
- 1-2 pages of screenshots your email inbox/Skype call log showing a selection list of call dates/email dates and subjects over the course of your relationship (no actual email content should be included)

Wow. Thank you so much. I think we need to hold on for a couple of weeks while we get everything together. This list is extremely helpful. I'll print it off. Is this anywhere else on this forum? Might be useful for others too!

Why did I just change banks?! Now I'll have to pay to get any old statements!

Also, I'm looking for a part-time job so no extra income but I do have some savings so hopefully that gets taken into account.

So, you'll need to figure out whether he will be applying for a fiance visa (£885) for him to move to the UK and marry here, then switch to FLR(M) after the wedding (£601 by post or £1,001 in person); or if he will come on a Marriage Visitor Visa (£83) to marry, then return to the US and apply for a spousal visa (£885).

Presumably the Marriage Visitor Visa and then Spouse Visa are both as in-depth as the Fiancé Visa?

I don't have my Land Registry stuff and I'm guessing my current mortgage company hold this. I'm in the middle of moving the mortgage to another bank as we speak.

Wow. Thank you so much. I think we need to hold on for a couple of weeks while we get everything together. This list is extremely helpful. I'll print it off. Is this anywhere else on this forum? Might be useful for others too!

You need to make a decision on what you are going to do ASAP.

He has now officially applied for his visa - and his official application date is the date he paid for it.

He only has 30 days from that date to get all the documents to Sheffield, and this is reduced to 14 days from the biometrics - whichever is sooner. If you wait a couple of weeks, you risk missing the deadline and losing the entire visa fee.

If you do want to withdraw the application and apply for a refund of the visa fee, you need to do it in writing ASAP. It may take several weeks/a couple of months to get the money back from it.

Also, I'm looking for a part-time job so no extra income but I do have some savings so hopefully that gets taken into account.

It's not a 'hopefully' - you have to know for absolutely definite that you meet the financial requirements... or the visa will be refused.

How much do you have in savings? Does it make up your required £1,354.99 plus rent/mortgage and council tax each month for at least the next 6 months to a year (preferably longer)?

You can't go into this half-cocked, you need to make sure you meet all the requirements exactly and have all the exact documents for the visa. It takes a lot of people several weeks, sometimes months, to prepare and gather their documents for the visa application... and that's before they think about applying online or mailing the documents to Sheffield.

Hmm. Just wondering which option is best actually - my fiancé coming on a Marriage Visitor Visa or just going for the Fiancé Visa? My head is all over the place! Presumably the Marriage Visitor Visa and then Spouse Visa are both as in-depth as the Fiancé Visa?

You need to decide this fast as you have already applied for the fiance visa now and you only have a limited time in which to withdraw the application and qualify for a refund of it.

I would suggest that the best thing to do is get him to withdraw the application, apply for a refund and take the time to sit down, talk to each other and work out which visa is going to be best for him to apply for.

The Marriage Visitor Visa is just a visitor visa. The only difference between it and a regular visitor visa is that that allows you to marry while on your vacation (it can be used for destination weddings where neither of the couple lives in the UK).

For the Marriage Visitor Visa, he would need to show that:

- he is just a visitor and has no intention of moving to the UK
- he has enough money to support himself for the duration of his visit without working
- he has a job in the US to return to (letter from his employer giving him time off and stating when he will return to work)
- he has a home in the US to return to (evidence of rental agreement or homeownership in the US)
- he has plans to marry while in the UK (correspondence with the church/registry office as per the fiance visa)

So, he would need to get the Marriage Visitor Visa, marry in the UK, return to the US and then apply for the spousal visa, which requires all the same evidence as the fiance visa (except now you are married, not planning to marry).

Or alternatively, you could fly to the US without a visa, marry him there and then he applies directly for a spousal visa. Again this requires all the same evidence as the fiance visa.

I don't have my Land Registry stuff and I'm guessing my current mortgage company hold this. I'm in the middle of moving the mortgage to another bank as we speak.

You can download the Land Registry document from the Land Registry website for £3:
https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry

App has been submitted and signed.. Not paid for yet and no appointment made. According to UK visa site the app will sit until the system deletes it unless it's paid for. We (Sushiewushie) will continue with fiancee visa.

Okay, as long as you haven't paid for it yet, that's fine.

That's a new thing they've added to the Visa4UK site since they revamped it... before, I believe once you hit submit, that was it - you were required to pay and book the biometrics immediately.

As I said before, the official application date is the date you pay for the visa, so just don't pay until you are completely ready with the documents and you should be fine .


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Ksand24 - thank you. Quite a sobering read but useful. I just hope I have enough. I'll do the maths properly today. Thanks for the link for the land registry document. So a downloaded rather official copy is fine?

Ksand24 - thank you. Quite a sobering read but useful. I just hope I have enough. I'll do the maths properly today.

No problem .

Just want to make sure you have all the facts and are completely prepared - some people take months, even years to prepare their application and make sure their lives, jobs and homes are going to meet the requirements.

A fiance or spousal visa application is not something you should 'just apply for' without checking and double checking everything... because all that will result in is a visa refusal and a loss of at least $1,500 in visa fees.

The visa decision is very cut and dry - it's about hard facts and physical evidence: if you tick all the boxes and send all the required documents (exactly as specified), you will get the visa. If you don't tick the boxes and/or don't send every required document, the visa will be refused... regardless of how much you love each other and want to be together.

See also these links for further information about preparing the application and documents:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270197/sup-docs-settlement.pdf

http://www.londonelegance.com/transpondia/family-visas/fiance-visa

http://www.londonelegance.com/transpondia/family-visas/spousal-visa (basically everything on this page applies to the fiance visa, apart from the fact that you aren't married yet)

Note that not all the suggested documents will apply to you though (for example, birth certificates are not required) so it's best to post again what you are including when you have gathered everything, to make sure you aren't missing anything important or have things you don't need.

Thanks for the link for the land registry document. So a downloaded rather official copy is fine?

You are paying for it and downloading it from the official government website for Land Registry, therefore it is considered an official copy for the visa.

Thanks for your reply and sorry I haven't replied. I've been reading another thread every time I have a free moment (http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=82258.0
Any updates from recent applicants?) and it's been very useful. I've now have the title deed document and I received a letter confirming my Child Benefit very quickly. Waiting on a statement from my old bank, plus one from my new bank. Not long to go.  

Incidentally, am I right in thinking my fiancé can't send his paperwork to me before his biometric appointment?

PS... Made me chuckle when I read you were a meteorologist and not working in the visa field! I can't think of anything more different! As always, thanks for your continued help, and to everyone else who has helped too. Invaluable.  

Incidentally, am I right in thinking my fiancé can't send his paperwork to me before his biometric appointment?

Correct.  He must print out the biometrics appointment page and take it with him (along with his passport) to the appointment.   They will verify all of the information is correct and stamp the sheet.  This needs to be included with the final application.  The two week time limit begins the day he attends biometrics. 

Thanks for that - I'm sure I've been told this, but I need reminding about things every so often! How have you settled into life in the UK? If I remember, you went through this?

Indeed I did go through this lovely process.  Don't worry about all of the questions.  Your brain goes into overdrive to the point where you forget every single thing you've read over the past few months.     I actually am still in the good ol' US of A until next weekend so I shall have to let you know then.  Good luck with the application!

Ah ha! Have a safe flight to the UK!