Fiance visa questions and list of documents

Hi all, I'm going to list a series of questions here, and as I have more keep adding them rather than clogging up the front page of this forum.

Personal details form:
1. Just to clarify, on the personal details for a fiancée visa, I am applying as a "Single" person, correct?

2. I used the NHS when I was in the UK on a student visa, but did not have to worry about paying, is this also correct?

Appendix 2:
3.  We have decided not to live with his parents, but with friends of ours who informally rent a room to us in their house which they own.
  So, for question 2.2 "Does your sponsor own this property? -No", he doesn't occupy it yet, and won't until we are married.  Should I say rent, or something else?
  Question 2.7, other occupants' relationship to sponsor: Should I put friend or landlord/landlady, as we have no written agreement or contract?

4.  For evidence, our friends will provide their land registry, mortgage statement, and a letter of invitation detailing the number of rooms to ensure that it will not be overcrowded.  Should they say that we will be paying rent as well?  Again, it's modest and informal as it is "mate's rates."

5.  We are applying under Category A, so when it asks for a list of previous/other jobs, does that include all other jobs prior to his current one that began in August for which we have the 6 months payslips?  I ask because they were all below the 18,600 threshold, and he had several as a temp.

6.  The letter from the employer basically just needs to restate contract details, correct?  So, when he began, how much he earns, his title, etc.  Also, if he has his original payslips, he does not need a letter of authentication, correct?

7.  A friend of mine has just recently been refused a fiancée visa, as the UKVI claimed that her fiance was not a UK citizen, despite providing copies of his passport AND birth certificate.  As a result, we will be providing my fiancé's ORIGINAL passport, not a copy.  I assume this is sufficient. 

8.  For evidence to show that we are planning our wedding, is just the venue booking sufficient?  Because that's pretty much all we have at this point.

That's all the questions I can think of for now.  If I have more I will add more posts to this thread.

Once again, thanks in advance for all your invaluable advice.

1. Just to clarify, on the personal details for a fiancée visa, I am applying as a "Single" person, correct?

Yes.

2. I used the NHS when I was in the UK on a student visa, but did not have to worry about paying, is this also correct?

Yes, as long as your student visa was valid for more than 6 months, you were entitled to free NHS care. Just list when/where you used it on the application.

Appendix 2:
3.  We have decided not to live with his parents, but with friends of ours who informally rent a room to us in their house which they own.
  So, for question 2.2 "Does your sponsor own this property? -No", he doesn't occupy it yet, and won't until we are married.  Should I say rent, or something else?

Just stay that is it owned by friends that you will be staying with, or something to that effect.

Question 2.7, other occupants' relationship to sponsor: Should I put friend or landlord/landlady, as we have no written agreement or contract?

Put that they are a friend.

4.  For evidence, our friends will provide their land registry, mortgage statement, and a letter of invitation detailing the number of rooms to ensure that it will not be overcrowded.  Should they say that we will be paying rent as well?  Again, it's modest and informal as it is "mate's rates."

That’s all good for the documentation. It’s up to them if they want to charge you rent or not – if they will be charging you they can say that in the letter. If not, they can say that too.

5.  We are applying under Category A, so when it asks for a list of previous/other jobs, does that include all other jobs prior to his current one that began in August for which we have the 6 months payslips?  I ask because they were all below the 18,600 threshold, and he had several as a temp.

No, if he is applying under Category A, then you skip from question 3.12 to question 3.21 and you do not have to answer the questions about other jobs – that’s only for Category B.

6.  The letter from the employer basically just needs to restate contract details, correct?  So, when he began, how much he earns, his title, etc.  Also, if he has his original payslips, he does not need a letter of authentication, correct?

It needs to state the following:
-   His current salary
-   How long he has been earning his current salary
-   How long he has been working for them
-   The type of employment (full-time, part-time etc.)

7.  A friend of mine has just recently been refused a fiancée visa, as the UKVI claimed that her fiance was not a UK citizen, despite providing copies of his passport AND birth certificate.  As a result, we will be providing my fiancé's ORIGINAL passport, not a copy.  I assume this is sufficient. 

It may well be the case that that wasn’t the real reason for refusal, because we had someone else say that they were refused for that reason, but when we saw the actual wording from their visa refusal, it had nothing to do with his nationality at all – it was instead that they didn’t believe their relationship was genuine.

Your sponsor does not need to be a UK citizen to sponsor you – they can be a foreign citizen with permanent residence (ILR) in the UK.

You are fine to send a copy of your sponsor’s passport photo page, but it might be a good idea to get it notarised. The majority of people do not send the actual passport and it’s not been a problem for anyone else here.

8.  For evidence to show that we are planning our wedding, is just the venue booking sufficient?  Because that's pretty much all we have at this point.

Yes, that’s fine - even just an email chain enquiring about possible ceremony date is enough too.

Brilliant, thanks for the quick response! 

The more we tackle this application the less daunting it becomes.  We just want to get it all right.

Does my fiancé need to fill out this sponsorship form, or is his letter and the other evidence to go with the application enough?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sponsor-a-visa-applicant-form-su07

No, that form does not apply.

Does my fiancé need to fill out this sponsorship form, or is his letter and the other evidence to go with the application enough?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sponsor-a-visa-applicant-form-su07

No, that form does not apply to fiance, spousal or child visas, so he doesn't need to fill it out.

Okay thanks.  The website is clear as mud.

A couple more questions:

What exactly is the UKVI looking for us to say in our letters? As the USC, I will state the facts, that I am applying for a fiancee visa and will list the documents, what else should I talk about?  And what should my UKC fiance say?  Should we both talk about how and when we met, the nature of our relationship, etc.?  Just looking for a bit of guidance here.

Also, in the appendix where it asks why we haven't lived together, what kind of a response should we put?  We just haven't yet had the means or opportunity...

Again, thanks in advance.  I don't know how anybody could get through this process without consulting this forum.

Only the UK sponsor NEEDS to write a letter, it's just optional for the USC:

The sponsor letter should contain:

-   their ability to sponsor a visa (UK citizenship)
-   how they meet the financial requirement
-   where you will live together in the UK
-   a short paragraph about how you met and why you have chosen to live in the UK
-   a list of the documents they are including

I did have a link to a sample letter, but the website seems to be down at the moment.

If you like, the USC can include a short cover letter for the application, but it is not mandatory.  It doesn’t need to contain any relationship or personal information as the UK sponsor’s letter and your application form already cover that.

It should contain:

-   the type of visa applied for
-   a list of documents included
-   any discrepancies in the application and documents, such as refused visas/entries, illegal overstaying, criminal convictions etc.

Also, in the appendix where it asks why we haven't lived together, what kind of a response should we put?  We just haven't yet had the means or opportunity...

Just be truthful – if you have been living in different countries and aren’t married yet, then you can’t live together anyway and they won’t be expecting you to be living together.

They are just trying to weed out sham marriages where the marriage is in name only and there’s no personal relationship – if, for example, a couple had been married 10 years but didn’t live together and had no good reason for it, that would be cause for concern.

Thanks for being so clear!

A couple more questions:
For VA4F on the NHS question it asks if I was issued an NHS number...I'm not sure?  I was there as a student for over a year and therefore had free access, but no idea if I was issued a number, and if I was, I would have no idea.

We've hit a bit of a SNAFU with our accommodation.  I was going to go over and stay at my friends' townhouse, then he would move in after we get married (he would state this in the cover letter).  That accommodation is still available to us before we get married, but my friends' niece might be moving in and we may have to move out and into his mother's house, shortly after we get married. 

Either way, my friends or his mother are glad to provide the evidence (letter of invitation, land registry, mortgage statement), we just aren't quite sure what to use for the application.  It could be that we are able to stay with my friends, but possibly not.  Regardless, we will have a place to live, it's just ensuring the UKVI so they're satisfied...

A couple more questions:
For VA4F on the NHS question it asks if I was issued an NHS number...I'm not sure?  I was there as a student for over a year and therefore had free access, but no idea if I was issued a number, and if I was, I would have no idea.

You should have been issued with an NHS number, as everyone is issued with one when they register with a doctor. If you don’t know it, you can try to find out what it is (call the GP surgery you were registered with and ask them) or if you can’t get it, state on the application that you believe you have one, but don’t know what it is (I was born and raised in the UK and I didn't even know I had an NHS number until I was 24!).

We've hit a bit of a SNAFU with our accommodation.  I was going to go over and stay at my friends' townhouse, then he would move in after we get married (he would state this in the cover letter).  That accommodation is still available to us before we get married, but my friends' niece might be moving in and we may have to move out and into his mother's house, shortly after we get married. 

Either way, my friends or his mother are glad to provide the evidence (letter of invitation, land registry, mortgage statement), we just aren't quite sure what to use for the application.  It could be that we are able to stay with my friends, but possibly not.  Regardless, we will have a place to live, it's just ensuring the UKVI so they're satisfied...

I would probably go with his mother’s house as you know that one is definitely available to you, whereas your friends’ house may not be. Plus it’s more common to stay with family members than friends anyway. I wouldn’t complicate things by giving details of both, just pick one of them and go with it. UKVI just need to be satisfied that you have somewhere to live when you arrive and won’t be out on the street and forced to claim illegal public funds.

Called the GP surgery and got my NHS number, no problem.  That's a relief.

I think we will stick with my friends' accommodation as that's definitely where I'll stay when I arrive. 

I'll be so glad when this whole process is over.  It's so much more stressful than it ought to be just making sure we've dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's.

Here is our preliminary list of documents we will be providing, please let us know if there's anything we should add or take out.  I borrowed this format from ASHforUK because it was so well organised:
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION & IDENTIFICATION
________________________________________

1.1 Introduction
a. Printed Online Application
b. Completed Appendix 2 Form (Found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270484/VAF4A-Appendix2.pdf)
c. Stamped Biometrics Appointment Sheet
d. Itinerary for flight to UK.

1.2 Applicant
a. Applicant letter of introduction
b. Passport and previous passport
c. Passport images (2 copies)

1.3 Sponsor
a. Letter of sponsorship detailing our relationship, evidence of maintenance, accommodation
b. Passport (Original copy)

SECTION 2: RELATIONSHIP
________________________________________

2.1 Marriage Planning Documentation
a. Copies of e-mails with the venue showing a provisional booking

2.2 Communication
a. Boarding passes from UK sponsor's most recent trip to America
b. Screenshots of FaceTime call logs, e-mails, 1-2 pages worth (Since January 2015 when the applicant left the UK before student visa expired)
c. Two photos of us together


SECTION 3: PROOF OF MAINTENANCE - Category A
________________________________________

3.1 Sponsor’s Employment Evidence/Income Statements
a. Letter from employer confirming status of employment. (Sponsor)
b. Signed contract of Employment (Sponsor)
c. Last 6 months original payslips (Sponsor)
d. Last 6 months original bank statements (Sponsor)

SECTION 4:  PLANNED ARRIVAL & ACCOMMODATION
________________________________________

4.1 Accommodation
a. Mortgage Statement
b. Land Registry Document
c. Letter from friends inviting us to live with them, detailing number of bedrooms, bathrooms, people living in house.


Also, photocopies of all original documents and waybill for the return package.

They are just trying to weed out sham marriages where the marriage is in name only and there’s no personal relationship – if, for example, a couple had been married 10 years but didn’t live together and had no good reason for it, that would be cause for concern.

There is one other thing they are trying to do: to show that they are not prejudiced against immigrants from certain parts of the world, although of course in truth they are.

As for sham marriages, see the EU guidance: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/citizen/files/swd_2014_284_en.pdf

Maybe my son's history is useful here: he got a marriage visitor visa for his beloved, and then brought her back to California and only later got her conditional ILR based on his long-term status. But being who he is, and having found another financial services job there with a foreign bank (for more money in one year than I made in my whole government career) he lost track of time and his ILR ran out.

But my son has more luck than anybody. He works across the street from the Swiss consul who told him, "Hey, you're entitled to Swiss citizenship". Which he (and I -- but before 1999 it was of no help in the UK) both now have.

Sorry for the digression. Substantively, the posting and the advice are excellent.

Here is our preliminary list of documents we will be providing, please let us know if there's anything we should add or take out.  I borrowed this format from ASHforUK because it was so well organised:
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION & IDENTIFICATION
________________________________________

1.1 Introduction
a. Printed Online Application
b. Completed Appendix 2 Form (Found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270484/VAF4A-Appendix2.pdf)
c. Stamped Biometrics Appointment Sheet
d. Itinerary for flight to UK.

1.2 Applicant
a. Applicant letter of introduction
b. Passport and previous passport
c. Passport images (2 copies)

1.3 Sponsor
a. Letter of sponsorship detailing our relationship, evidence of maintenance, accommodation
b. Passport (Original copy)

SECTION 2: RELATIONSHIP
________________________________________

2.1 Marriage Planning Documentation
a. Copies of e-mails with the venue showing a provisional booking

2.2 Communication
a. Boarding passes from UK sponsor's most recent trip to America
b. Screenshots of FaceTime call logs, e-mails, 1-2 pages worth (Since January 2015 when the applicant left the UK before student visa expired)
c. Two photos of us together


SECTION 3: PROOF OF MAINTENANCE - Category A
________________________________________

3.1 Sponsor’s Employment Evidence/Income Statements
a. Letter from employer confirming status of employment. (Sponsor)
b. Signed contract of Employment (Sponsor)
c. Last 6 months original payslips (Sponsor)
d. Last 6 months original bank statements (Sponsor)

SECTION 4:  PLANNED ARRIVAL & ACCOMMODATION
________________________________________

4.1 Accommodation
a. Mortgage Statement
b. Land Registry Document
c. Letter from friends inviting us to live with them, detailing number of bedrooms, bathrooms, people living in house.


Also, photocopies of all original documents and waybill for the return package.

I would include the sponsors most recent P60 as well if you are able.  Otherwise looks good!