Are you all up-to-date with the new visa requirements, which were introduced in July 2012? From what you've said regarding the documents that your wife has sent you, it doesn't sound like you are, because you won't qualify for the visa with just those documents.
You need to meet the new financial requirement, sending the specific documents that are required by UKBA, you must also send the required accommodation documents, as well as your relationship evidence, and the other required documents.
I filled out the visa application last week (didn't send it yet), and my wife has mailed her birth certificate for proof of age, passport info, filled out sponsor form,
What sponsor form? There is no sponsor form that she needs to fill out (it's not required for a spousal visa). She just needs to write a sponsor's letter of confirmation for the visa (this is mandatory - the visa will be refused without it).
You also need to print and fill out Appendix 2, which asks about your relationship, which financial requirement category you are applying under, and your accommodation in the UK. It's the second link on this page:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-uk-visa-for-family-settlement-form-vaf4athree paystubs, and three utility bills for proof of address. She may have sent more, but I guess I'll see when it arrives (hopefully this week).
She needs to have sent more because that's not nearly enough - the visa will be refused with only that.
The documents required for the visa are very specific, especially the financial requirements.
What financial category are you applying under? The financial requirement categories are listed and detailed in this document:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/chapter-8-appendix-fm-family-members-immigration-directorate-instructionsIf you are applying based on your wife's income, then she must be earning at least £18,600 in the UK in order for you to qualify for the visa. And she MUST send at least 6 months of payslips along with 6 months of bank statements showing the payslips being deposited. She must also send a letter from her employer, and it is also advised for her to send her job contract and her most recent P60.
There are 2 employment categories she can meet:
Category A: your wife has been earning at least £18,600 per year in the UK for 6 months or more - as part of the documents, she must send 6 consecutive payslips, with a gross salary of £1,550 or more.
Category B: your wife has a variable salary, or has been earning £18,600 for less than 6 months, in which case she must also have earned £18,600 in the 12 months before applying and must include 12 months of bank statements as well as her bank statements and employment details.
If she cannot meet either of those Categories, you/she can make up the difference with savings (Category C), but the first £16,000 of savings do not count and then you need 2.5 times the difference between her salary and £18,600 (so, say she earns £15,000, you need £25,000 in savings in order to qualify for the visa). But you/she must have held those savings in full for at least 6 months before you can apply for the visa.
Alternatively, the £18,600 financial requirement can be met using just savings (you need £62,500 in savings), or through non-employment income (Category D), such as property rental, stocks and shares etc., Pension income (Category E) or the UK citizen's self-employment (Categories E and F)
For suitable accommodation, utility bills are not enough. Your wife MUST send:
If she owns:
- evidence of homeownership (land registry document) and mortgage statements
or if she rents:
- her original tenancy agreement and a letter from her landlord giving you permission to live there too.
Once it arrives the plan is to send in the visa application, get my biometrics done (right down the street woo!), and FedEx it off to New York!
You can't send the application to New York, because spousal visas are no longer processed in New York, and haven't been for a year now.
You must send the application to Sheffield, UK for processing, and you need to include return packaging and an international waybill for return of your documents.
The current target move date is mid-March (before plane tickets skyrocket for the summer)
Mid-March is only a couple of weeks away - you're not going to get your visa by then. I would allow at least a month to get your visa.
First you need to get all the documents from your wife - the required documents I mentioned above - if she hasn't sent the right ones she will need to send more.
The you need to submit the application online, pay for the visa and book a biometrics appointment.
Once you have attended biometrics, you need to send the application to Sheffield within 14 days.
Then I would allow anywhere from 1-4 weeks for processing of the visa after that.
After that, you need to wait for the visa to arrive, check it for errors, then book your
flights. I would guess you might be able to move by mid-April at the earliest.
