2nd time through this.

I was married to my UK spouse in the US, on July 2006. A trip to the British Consulate in NY. Somehow I think it was 50 pounds, and got my spousal stamp on my passport in less than 1 hr. My have things have changed in 10 yrs. I was in the UK less than 1 yr. Unable to find work, except with the Royal Mail during the holidays. I had to return to the states. My wife followed thereafter, and we have lived together in Texas during that time. While here, she attained a Masters in Social work at a nearby University.

She has now been in the UK 7 months, and as of Nov 6th she has been employed as a social worker 6 months. We are waiting on the 6th pay stub. As she gets paid monthly.

Questions:
We privately rent in the UK, how do I get permission to live in a rented flat? The realtor says there should be no problem, but they can't give me permission till I am in the UK and have had a background check?

Dates: It's been 10yrs, and I have mislaid my old passport. With all the date I have visited the UK. I have found some old plane tickets with dates. Some old emails with itineraries. I don't want to be flagged because the dates don't match up with their records. Any suggestions?

We have bills and rental agreement, and joint bank accounts in the US. Will that be enough to prove we have had a sustained relationship? 

I will have more questions, I'm sure. Thanks in advance for your replies.

I would just include something annual to prove relationship as you've been married so long.  So I'd use your tax returns since those are annual.

You WILL need to show how you've kept contact during the last 7 months, either via Skype/Facetime records or emails.

The estate agent or landlord needs to provide a letter describing the property and that you will have permission to live there once your visa has been granted.  They can add in that you'll need to pass background criteria if they feel the need.  UKVI just needs to know you'll have somewhere to live.

Thanks KFdancer


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dates: It's been 10yrs, and I have mislaid my old passport. With all the date I have visited the UK. I have found some old plane tickets with dates. Some old emails with itineraries. I don't want to be flagged because the dates don't match up with their records. Any suggestions?

We have bills and rental agreement, and joint bank accounts in the US. Will that be enough to prove we have had a sustained relationship? 

With the dates, you can only do the best you can using what you have to piece the trips together. You should explain the situation in your cover letter but it won't be a problem.

Joint accounts are great for proof of relationship as are bills and rental agreements and as kfdancer noted, don't forget to include evidence of how you have stayed in touch these last 7 months.

Thanks Larrabee. You would think going through this a second time it would be easier? It's not. 

Thanks Larrabee. You would think going through this a second time it would be easier? It's not.

I actually think the folks who originally had a spouse visa years ago before the rules got tough are at a bit of a disadvantage because it was so easy for them last time.
It is absolutely going to be harder this time around and it's important not to underestimate this.

The good news though is that FLR is very similar to what you are going through right now so you should find it easier at that stage. 

I actually think the folks who originally had a spouse visa years ago before the rules got tough are at a bit of a disadvantage because it was so easy for them last time.
It is absolutely going to be harder this time around and it's important not to underestimate this.

The good news though is that FLR is very similar to what you are going through right now so you should find it easier at that stage. 

No kidding! You have NO IDEA! lol

Back on November 1st, 1995, my English boyfriend and I got engaged and we simply walked into the British Consulate General in Houston and asked them what we needed for a fiancee visa. They were extremely kind and gave us the forms and sent us on our merry way. My fiance returned to England, gathered all the papers and found an attorney/ notary in Reading who only charged him GBP 5 to authenticate all the paperwork and I had the paperwork in my possession by November 20th. I didn't even make an appointment at the consulate on the 21st but happily sauntered in with all the stuff. They took a look at it and I did have one sticking point and it was that I needed to have physically met my fiance for three years before the application. I was short by six months. The staff went away and debated for ten minutes and decided our relationship was "legitimate". I got the passports (including one for my then three-year-old boy) with a vignette all within 25 minutes. It was my lunch break and I still had enough time to get a Subway sandwich before returning to work!

We moved on November 30th, married at the end of February. Two days after I married, I went without an appointment to the Home Office in Croydon where I got my status changed within an hour. They gave me directions to an office in Bracknell to get my National Insurance Number. However, I chose to first go to the US Embassy to get my passport amended to my new married name. Again, no appointment, took an hour and took home my passport with my new name and it cost me nothing! I went to Bracknell on the way home and applied for my NI#. I got it a few days later.

Are you guys p.o.'ed yet? You will be now if you aren't...

I got ILR 11 months after I married.

Not only will this make you guys angry, you'll definitely want to beat me!

My ex-husband flat-out refused to give me the permission to allow me to apply for UK citizenship for our son. I decided that I would wait to get my citizenship once my son turned 18 in 2010 and we would do it together. Sadly, due to many factors, we had to leave the UK and return to the US in 2004. We thought we would return before three years to keep our ILR but here we are in Houston in 2016.

Our youngest child will graduate from high school in 2019 and we are planning our return to the UK at that time. It's so overwhelming with the loss of particular visas that we were counting on (independent means visa), the ridiculous and confusing paperwork that has to go to Sheffield (and no friendly, happy consulate staff to help you every step of the way), the cost, and the insane amount of waiting. Jeez, so much waiting. Not to mention the long five years to get citizenship and the rising costs.

Needless to say, yeah, it's hard to wrap your head around it when it was so freaking simple and easy!

My ex-husband flat-out refused to give me the permission to allow me to apply for UK citizenship for our son.

Your son might have been born British.

Where was he born?

What year?

Was his his father a British citizen when he was born?
If the father is a BC, was he born in the UK?

Were you married at the time of the child's birth?

Our youngest child will graduate from high school in 2019

If this is a different son, then the same questions for him, to see if he was born British.

we are planning our return to the UK at that time.

Unless you can find a sponsor, this might not be possible for you. Any non-British children over age 18 need their own sponsor too for a UK visa. Not all visas lead to settlement.

"Sadly, due to many factors, we had to leave the UK and return to the US in 2004. We thought we would return before three years to keep our ILR but here we are in Houston in 2016."

Lorena, sounds like you did not remain in the UK on your ILR for 10 years?  1996-2004?  That really sucks because it is possible to get a new ILR based on 10 years legal residence in the past.  Sorry.  It just does get more and more difficult -- and expensive.

Your son might have been born British.

Where was he born?

What year?

Was his his father a British citizen when he was born?
If the father is a BC, was he born in the UK?

Were you married at the time of the child's birth?


If this is a different son, then the same questions for him, to see if he was born British.


Unless you can find a sponsor, this might not be possible for you. Any non-British children over age 18 need their own sponsor too for a UK visa. Not all visas lead to settlement.

Hi Sirius!

My oldest son was three in 1995 so he is currently 24. He's married with three young children of his own. He is from my first marriage to an American who lives in Houston. That is why I couldn't get my son UK citizenship when we qualified back in 1999. His father flat out refused because at that time, my son was seven and needed his father's permission for citizenship and he felt his son would lose his pull back to the US and him. It was understandable but he completely ruined things for me now. To be fair, I made the choice to wait but he's an ex-husband so I'll just blame him! I'm kidding! Ironically, my son has his life here and trying to get his Mexican-born US citizenship so he'll be staying in the US with his wife and kids to make that happen.

As for my middle and last children, they were born in England and are from my English husband so they're dual citizens. My daughter has decided to be educated in England and the international fees are a bit hard to take when she's a citizen but I guess that's the way that it goes.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk