help process and procedures

good morning, please am new to the forum, quick intro, hubby us citizen and son dual citizen (us&uk) son is with me in the UK, we will like to apply for hubby to come join us in the uk. I have been on the ukba website but am still a little confuse. can someone please tell me step by step what need to be done. i have started the application online and is completed, just need to make the payment.

*what has to be included in the application forum
*can hubby send all the paperwork to me to send
* do i need a cover letter
please any help will be gratefully appreciated

First off you need to make sure you fully understand how to qualify for the visa and make sure that you meet all the requirements - because they are very specific.

The online application is only part of the application form - you also have to print and fill out VAF4a appendix 2 - which is about 20 pages long, if I remember correctly.

You need to make sure you meet the financial requirement, which is that unless you receive specific UK benefits, you, the UK citizen, have to be earning at least £18,600 per year in the UK. Your husband's income or UK job prospects cannot be considered and so it's up to you to meet this requirement.

If you don't have any income yourself, then you can use savings to meet the requirement, but you need at least £62,500 in savings between you which you have held in your account in full for at least 6 months.

Other ways to meet the requirement are: pension income of £18,600 or more, or non-employment income of £18,600 or more.

You also need proof of suitable accommodation in the UK and evidence that your relationship is genuine.

So step-by-step:

1) research the visa and find out if you qualify for it

2) research the documents required and make sure you have them all in the exact format required (this includes bank statements, payslips, letter from your employer, job contract, P60, evidence of homeownership or rental agreement, evidence of contact between you and your husband for your entire relationship, a letter of support from you, passports, photos etc.)

3) gather all of your documents and send them to your husband in the US

4) your husband prints and fills out appendix 2 in the US

5) when you're completely ready to apply for the visa, your husband completes the online application, pays the £600 NHS levy, pays for the visa and books the biometrics appointment

6) he attends his biometrics appointment in the US and then mails the documents to Sheffield for processing

I can't list all the documents required now as I'm on my phone and don't have the links and files handy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Okay, now that I am back home, I can give some more details.

Overview of the visa:
https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/overview

Paper version of the online application form (for reference only):
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/274029/VAF4A.pdf

Mandatory VAF4a Appendix 2, must be printed and completed by hand:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270484/VAF4A-Appendix2.pdf

Annex FM 1.7 (how to meet the financial requirement):
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/420154/Appendix_FM_Annex_1_7_Financial_Requirement.pdf

Appendix FM-SE - specifics on the documents you must submit:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449637/20150803_Immigration_Rules_-_Appendix_FM_SE.pdf

A basic guide to the supporting documents (not all will be relevant and not everything is on there):
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270197/sup-docs-settlement.pdf

My general list of supporting documents:

Applicant (US citizen)
- Printed online application form
- Completed VAF4a Appendix 2 form
- Stamped Biometrics Confirmation Sheet (when he has attended the biometrics appointment)
- 2 passport photos (they can be US size (2 inches by 2 inches) or UK size (45 mm by 35 mm, which is 1.77 inches by 1.38 inches))
- His passport
- All of his previous passports
- Optional cover letter (listing which visa he is applying for, a list of documents he is including, any important information about the documents - for example unusual activity on bank statements - and to explain any refused visas in the past or criminal convictions)
- Proposed flight itinerary
- Receipt for settlement priority processing (if paying for priority - costs about $580 for faster processing)
- Return shipping packaging
- return shipping information
 
Sponsor (UK citizen)
- Certified copy of your UK passport photo page
- Letter of support for the visa (including how you qualify to sponsor it (i.e. you are a UK citizen, how you meet the financial requirement, how you meet the accommodation requirement, short paragraph about your relationship and why you have chosen to live together in the UK, list of the documents you are including)

Accommodation
If renting in the UK:
- Your original tenancy agreement
- Letter from the landlord giving your husband permission to live in the house as well

If you own in the UK:
- your land registry document
- latest mortgage statement

If you will be living with family members:
- their land registry document
- latest mortgage statement
- a letter from them giving you permission to live there and stating the home won't be overcrowded

Finances
For example, if you are applying under Category A, where you have been with your current UK employer, earning at least £18,600 for at least 6 months:
- last 6 months of your original UK payslips showing a minimum of £1,550 before tax each month (either officially printed by HR or printed yourself and stamped and signed by HR)
- last 6 months of your original UK bank statements showing each payslip deposit (either officially printed by the bank or printed yourself and stamped and signed by the bank on every single page)
- Original job contract
- Letter from your UK employer stating when you started, your current salary, how long you have been earning your current salary, and type of employment

Other Categories require different documents.

If you receive certain UK benefits you may be exempt from the £18,600 requirement, but will still need to show you have enough to support your husband and child.

Relationship evidence
- marriage certificate
- 1 or 2 photos of you together
- any boarding passes from trips to see each other
- any cards or letters you may have sent to each other
- evidence of regular ongoing contact between you while apart, such as a screenshot of your email inbox with a list of email subject lines and dates (1-2 sheets max), a screenshot of your Skype call log, phone bills, etc.

All documents should be original and you also need to include photocopies of everything you want returning to you.

thanks a lot. yes I have checked and I do meet the 18,60o. I have only 5 months payslip, this month included will be (5). I have been with my company for 9 years, but was maternity leave last year, just came back this April, is 5 months ok or I have to wait till I get the 6 months payslip. thanks for ur help