Refusal of entry for Spouse Visa...

Hello! I was looking around the forum and read this thread (http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=88661.0) whose case seems to be almost identical to my own. Apparently I forgot to send in a bunch of information.

I have found in the past that as a USA citizen I can enter the U.K. For up to 6 months without applying for a visa. After I was refused entry for the spouse visa I checked my passport and nothing is stamped in it, so I'm curious if I am allowed to go visit my husband in the U.K. Before we reapply (I haven't seen him since May and it sucks) or if since I was denied the spousal visa do I now need to apply for a 6 month visitor visa.

Thank you!

UKVI's official stance is that you should apply for a visit visa in advance after a refusal.  There have been members successful in entering without an advance visa (and plenty more returned home on the next flight).

No matter which option you chose, you should have:

Return flight booked (itinerary if in advance)
Proof of a job to return to
Proof of a home that you are maintaining while visiting the U.K.
Plenty of money to support your trip
Health insurance (not required but if you use the NHS it could put a future visa in jeopardy)
A clear understanding of the rules to move permanently

It'll be tough but it can be done.

Okay so now I have a follow-up/different question. From what I have read on the forums it makes more sense for me to reapply than for me to appeal (8 months sounds daunting) however having to wait another 3 to 4 months also sounds horrible. So now I am looking into the Settlement Priority Visa (which I didn't use the 1st time).

The VHS website states that if I have been denied I shouldn't use the priority service the following times I apply... since the reason I was denied was because I didn't send in photos or enough paperwork... should I still not use this service?

Then my next question is... if I can still use this service, what's the average time it takes to get a decision?

Thank you!

Wouldn't it just be better to apply again for a spouse visa with all the correct information?

I don't know what the timelines are, but others on here will know.



* we cross posted

Wouldn't it just be better to apply again for a spouse visa with all the correct information?

I don't know what the timelines are, but others on here will know.

I mean to just apply again, but to use their priority service which is suppose to make things faster.

I mean to just apply again, but to use their priority service which is suppose to make things faster.

Paying for the priority service simply means that your application will be put to the front of the processing line, ahead of all the non-priority applications, but behind the priority applications that have already arrived.

While a previous visa refusal will most likely mean it takes a bit longer to process when they get to your application, using the priority service will mean you skip the waiting line - and the majority of the 3-4 month processing time over the summer was applications just sitting in line waiting to be picked up and looked at.

At the moment (November), if you use the priority service with a straightforward application (no refusals), then it has been taking about 2-4 days for processing and people are receiving their visas within a week or so of applying.

If you have a refusal, it may add 1-2 weeks onto that processing time, so if you do qualify and just didn't send the correct documents, then if you reapply now, you could probably have your visa in about 3 weeks.

If you don't use priority, I'm not sure what the current processing times are as everyone has been using priority lately, but I would guess maybe 4-6 weeks as an estimate?

The reason they say not to use the priority service if you have been refused before is because they cannot guarantee fast processing due to having to look into the refusal... so they don't want people using the service and then complaining that it took too long. However, I would say you might as well pay for priority since it should still be quicker than not using it.

Thank you so much for your help! I guess I am going to apply again with priority.

BTW... not using priority takes about 14 weeks. I wish I had used priority the first time.

Thank you so much for your help! I guess I am going to apply again with priority.

BTW... not using priority takes about 14 weeks. I wish I had used priority the first time.

That was just the Summer 2016 backlog.  Summer and Christmas are the worst times to apply due to short staff and high applications.  The rest of the year is usually 2-3 weeks max for non-priority.  14 weeks was pretty okay for this summer.  We had a few members take 19/20 weeks!

BTW... not using priority takes about 14 weeks. I wish I had used priority the first time.

It does not normally take that long for non-priority - I've been on this forum for almost 10 years and that's the longest it's ever taken... there were massive backlogs this summer and we believe the extremely long processing times were due to Brexit (a rush of people getting applications in before/just after the vote).

Normal, regular processing times (not in the summer and not right after the Brexit vote) are:

- Priority processing = 1-2 days to 1-2 weeks
- Non-priority processing = 1-4 weeks

November is a quiet month and right now priority is taking about 2-4 days... so I can only assume non-priority is back to about 2-3 weeks.

In comparison, this summer the processing times were:
Priority = 5-6 weeks
Non-priority = 3-4 months

As we head into December though, the processing times may slow down a bit as people apply to move just before Christmas... so the sooner you get the new application in, the faster it should be.

Feel free to post a list of all the documents you are sending this time - we can check them and make sure you're not missing anything .

I wish I had found this forum before I applied the first time.

I wish I had found this forum before I applied the first time.

At least you have found it now. You will be in the UK soon on your spouse visa.

Okay I have yet another question. In one of the threads I've read it's okay for the pay stubs and such can be copies. I just want to make sure that this is true.

Okay I have yet another question. In one of the threads I've read it's okay for the pay stubs and such can be copies. I just want to make sure that this is true.

No, it's not true... they cannot be regular copies.

All documents must be either originals or certified copies.

So, you either need to get HR to issue official paystubs if you don't have any, or if they are printed from the internet, they should be stamped/signed by HR.

Same with bank statements - they must be official statements issued by the bank, or if printed from online banking, either stamped/signed by the bank on EVERY page or accompanied by a letter on headed stationery confirming their authenticity.

However, you should include photocopies of all documents you wish to be returned to you.

See Appendix FM-SE for document format specifications:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-se-family-members-specified-evidence

Since I left out a bunch of stuff the last time I want to make sure I do everything super correctly this time. So I have quite a list of questions:


A: Photos I include do they need to be actual photos or can I print them on printer paper?
B: Should I include a copy of the refusal?
C: When having used skype with my husband we have only used the free side of skype. So I can only find the call logs for my most recent computer. Does anyone know how to records from further back? I couldn’t find anything when I googled but I figured I would double check.
D: Is it going to be a problem that I have no call records before February 2016?
E: For both Skype/Facebook I can get logs that show the text but its nothing “official”. Will that work or does a printscreen show of conversations (with the message whited out) work best?
(ex: Chip Shop CruickieWednesday, November 13, 2013 at 1:31pm EST Rachel Alexandra HolmanWednesday, November 13, 2013 at 12:55pm EST)
F: One of the lists I read said to include 1-2 pages of screenshots of IM messages. Is there anything in particular I should be trying to screenshot? I have 3 and a half years of messages and I just don’t know what I should be looking for.
G: That list also said to include a proposed flight itinerary. And this may be the most dunce question ever but… Am I just looking up the dates I would like to go and sending a possible flight itinerary or are they looking for something more?
H: My husband is collecting all his paperwork in Scotland. Does he have to mail them to me to mail in or can he mail them in himself once I apply?

Okay I have edited this post a few times now... But now I am worried about my husband's pay. He makes over 19k however his pay each week is rather sporadic, never quite the same. He will have weeks when its far below the 1550 mark and then weeks when its far over. What do I do?

I regularly publish articles about the American expat experience and work with a immigration attorney in London for material. My blog 'Sunny in London' has several of these posts, but you might want to see this spouse visa video on my YouTube channel too.

Thanks anyway, but we have ksands and there isn't much she doesn't know about these.