???'s I've not found answers to about invitation letter & relationship evidence

Hi all, in the process of gathering all the documentation my family will require to get their visas (VA4FA + Appendix 2). We're all moving back to the UK soon. I'm a British citizen and they are US citizens.

Everything's pretty straight-forward but I've not been able to find definitive answers to these two things, despite searches here and online:

--For evidence of our relationship, I am including our original marriage certificate as well as a printed photo montage showing us together, with dates, over the years. I've seen that I should also include some email back and forth but although we're only 40 we have been together since we were 17...there wasn't Skype then :-) . I could include some email back and forth between us but it would be recent, relatively speaking? My photo montage shows us at prom in high school, when we got married, with our kids, and through the years up to current. I cannot imagine how that, plus the original marriage license, plus the financial evidence showing both of our names, does not definitively establish our relationship. What do you think?

--For the sponsor invitation letter, I've found many letters online for inviting family/friends to visit but none inviting them to settle. We will all be moving over together and finding a house once we get there (I have all the temporary accommodation stuff sorted separately so no worries there), so I'm just not sure what I should say. I can't find any definitive statement from the documentation about what I'm required to state.

Thanks in advance, this group has been a life-saver so far.

-Ben

1. For the relationship evidence, you only need to send 1 photo, 2 at most, just to show you've met in person. If you've been living together in the US, then instead of emails etc., you send evidence of living together: tax returns, tenancy agreements/house deeds in both names, utility bills etc.

2. for the sponsor letter, you need to address how you meet each requirement to sponsor her visa:

- how you qualify to be a sponsor (your UK citizenship)
- which financial requirement category you are applying under and how you meet it
- where you will live in the UK and what evidence you are sending to prove accommodation
- a short, 1-paragraph history of your relationship, and why you are choosing to move back to the UK
- a list of all the documents you personally are including to meet the financial, accommodation and relationship documents



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Hi ksand24, thanks. A few thoughts:

--Yes we've always lived together in the US (I am also a US citizen, became a British citizen as well last year) but we sold our house two years ago so no (recent) mortgage/utility bills. Tax forms work though...I could print out the cover letters from every annual tax filing we've done since 2003, which shows both of our names. Seems like that would suffice. I could also included some mortgage statements that were older, back before we sold our house, if you don't think the tax forms alone would be sufficient?

--Gotcha on the letter, thanks. Since we won't have a house there till we get there and find one, I guess I would just state as such and then refer them to all the included documentation from the owners of the temporary accommodation we are listing?

-Ben

You just need to show that you are in regular contact with each other right up to the application date... So if you've lived together for the last few years, then you just show that you have both lived at the same address as each other... Using whatever documents you have.

If it's just tax returns, then that's what you send; if you have more, then send that too.

You MUST have evidence of guaranteed accommodation in the UK, along with permission from the homeowner that you can stay there, otherwise the visa will be refused.

Usually this comes in the form of:

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

If renting:
- an original UK tenancy agreement
- a letter from the landlord giving your wife (and kids) permission to live there too

If living with family members or friends:
- a letter from the homeowner giving you permission to stay there and stating the property will not be overcrowded
- their land registry document
- their latest original mortgage statement

Not many people list temporary accommodation on their visa application (I don't recall anyone doing this in a few years), but if that's your only option, you'll need to send all the evidence you have to show you can stay there.


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Sorry, by "temporary accommodation" I mean "temporarily staying with some family members while we look for a place." I have all the appropriate details from them, so we should be good there...a signed invitation letter inviting us (with all their details and ours), photos of the spare bedrooms plus the additional rooms suitable for temporary sleeping accommodation, and originals of: gas bill, council tax bill, mortgage statement, and the official land registry document (all showing their names and their house address).

I'll get creative on the "living together" proof. The last two years, after we sold our house, we have been living in a downstairs apartment at my wife's parent's house, so none of those bills are in our name. We do however have our mobile phone bill and perhaps a few other things that are in both of our names and show that address (all the checking account statements we're including for the last 12 months show our names and that address too). Sounds like that would be sufficient?

-Ben

Okay, if you're staying with family then you don't need any photos or any bills or anything like that, because all you need to show is homeownership and permission to live there

All you need is:

- letter of invitation giving permission to live there and stating the property will not be overcrowded (number of living rooms and bedrooms, plus total number of people)

- their land registry document

Optional:
- their latest original mortgage statement


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For the relationship evidence, as I said, just send whatever you have that shows you have been living together continuously since you got married


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Re: living arrangements, got all that. The letter does state that it's a 3 bedroom house and they are the only two living there. But, because our kids are 12 and 14 they are technically supposed to be in separate rooms, therefore a 3 bedroom house is one bedroom short. But, the guidance says other rooms can be counted, hence why on top of stating this, I included pics of those other rooms (an office, a study/conservatory, and the living room), just to be safe. Might be overkill but wanted them to see that per their own rules the house is suitable, especially just for a temporary landing spot. By all means if you think that's not going to fly let me know...but based on their documentation it seems acceptable?

-Ben

Re: living arrangements, got all that. The letter does state that it's a 3 bedroom house and they are the only two living there. But, because our kids are 12 and 14 they are technically supposed to be in separate rooms, therefore a 3 bedroom house is one bedroom short. But, the guidance says other rooms can be counted, hence why on top of stating this, I included pics of those other rooms (an office, a study/conservatory, and the living room), just to be safe.

You don't need photos, so take them out. They will calculate it according to how many bedrooms + living rooms there are in the property (they won't count kitchens or bathrooms).

If there are 3 bedrooms plus 1 living room, you can have up to 7.5 people living there without it being overcrowded. With 4 adults and 2 children over 10, then that counts as 6 people, so you will have more than enough room.

Might be overkill but wanted them to see that per their own rules the house is suitable, especially just for a temporary landing spot. By all means if you think that's not going to fly let me know...but based on their documentation it seems acceptable?

It is completely acceptable, so don't complicate things by sending extra - they know their own rules, and those rules explicitly state that you can have up to 7.5 people in the house, so they don't need you to send pictures.

Overkill can be a bad thing when it comes to visa applications - the more extra, unneeded stuff you send, the more they have to wade through to get to the necessary stuff and the more likely something important will be missed because it gets lost amongst the surplus.

OK, good advice. I got the thing about the photos from some YouTube videos and just thought it'd be a good idea :-). But, as you said...it's not their requirement and I definitely don't want to hold them up.

ksand24, from your advice I have drafted the following sponsorship letter. I didn't want to include lots of redundant info...based on your experience would you consider this suitable, or should I include more? Do you think an inventory of all the included documentation is important on this letter or just let them work through it (as they will anyway)?

To whom it may concern,

Regarding:
<wife's name>, DOB: <date>, Nationality: United States of America
<daughter's name>, DOB: <date>, Nationality: United States of America
<son's name>, DOB: <date>, Nationality: United States of America

I am writing to confirm sponsorship for my wife, <name>, and our two children, <name> and <name>. As a British citizen, I will be settling in the UK and wish for them to join me.  (I wasn't sure about this sentence...not quite sure how to word it?)

<name> and I met in 1993 while we were both still in high school. We began dating shortly thereafter and were married in January, 1999. Since that time, we have lived together in a committed relationship to one another, and as devoted parents to <name> and <name>.

I have worked for 20 years as a technology professional and I am currently employed by <current employer>, a management consulting and technology services firm. My gross salary with <current employer> is $<salary>/year (approximately £<salary>). I have a confirmed job offer in the UK beginning 1/1/2017 with <new employer>, and my gross salary will be approximately £<salary>/year. Because I am currently employed overseas and have been with <current employer> for slightly less than 6 months, we are applying under 3B, Category B.

I accept all responsibility to maintain, financially support, and accommodate <wife>, <daughter>, and <son> in the UK.

Upon arrival, we will temporarily stay with family located in the <city> area, and immediately begin the search for our own home. We plan to live in <city>.   

If you should require any further information or clarification, please contact me:

<contact details>

Sincerely,

<full name>: <signature>  <date>

Do you think an inventory of all the included documentation is important on this letter or just let them work through it (as they will anyway)?

I would include all the documents you are including (as the sponsor), because you are basically saying, 'these are the documents I am providing to support the requirements I have stated in this letter'.

As you don't mention your new or previous salaries, can I just confirm that your previous income of the last 12 months and your new income in the UK both meet the requirement to sponsor your wife and 2 non-UK citizen children, which is £24,800 per year?

I would suggest a slight rewrite of your letter, just to be a bit more specific with exactly how you meet each requirement:

To The Entry Clearance Officer,

I am writing to confirm sponsorship of settlement visas for my wife, <name>, and our two children, <name> and <name>. I was born in the US but became a British citizen on X date, based on (reason why you are British) and now wish to settle in the UK with my family.

I have a confirmed job offer in the UK beginning 1/1/2017 with <new employer>, and my gross salary will be £<salary>/year. Because I am currently employed overseas and have been with <current employer> for slightly less than 6 months and I have earned Y amount in the last 12 months, we are applying under Category B of the financial requirement.

Once in the UK, we will live at Z address. This is a 3-bedroom property with 1 living room, owned by (state who owns it), and there will be 6 people living there once we arrive. I am including a letter of invitation from them, along with their Land Registry document (and mortgage statement, if applicable).

<name> and I met in 1993 while we were both still in high school. We began dating shortly thereafter and were married in January, 1999. Since that time, we have lived together continuously in the US. We now wish to relocate and settle in the UK because (give your reason why you are now choosing to move to the UK).

I am including the following documents to show I meet the requirements above to sponsor my family:
- list of documents (financial, accommodation, relationship evidence)

Sincerely,

<full name>: <signature>  <date>

Hi ksand24, that's very kind of you, thank you. I like yours much better and will adopt accordingly.

I can confirm that we are over the line for the past 12 months, as well as in the new UK position. All I'm waiting for now is the letter from my new UK employer with the pertinent bits...new UK position start date, salary, on their letterhead and signed, etc. Once I've got that, I've got pretty much everything together! I'm sure I'll have more questions but I promise to do my best to find the answers before posting on the forum. :-)

Thanks again for your help.

-Ben

The exclusion of the divorce decrees led to the refusal.  The OP never mentioned there had been prior marriages and also had been linked the list of required specified evidence from UKVI clearly showing that divorce decrees are required.

Edited for continuity, apologies - Leah

No worries, not bothered in the least. I appreciate the other perspectives