Settlement Refusal

I mean, type or handwrite the rest of your trips on a separate sheet of paper and include it with the application form.

Or if there's an Additional Information section as part of the online form, you could type the trips in there.

Got it, thanks. There are 55 entries I will have to log, ugh, so I will see how many I can get on the application section. I have it all typed up bc he sent in the spreadsheet with the ins and outs of each trip, but it looks like they only want the arrival date, so that's less work! What I don't have room for I will just add either in the additional info section or on a separate piece of paper.

Got it, thanks. There are 55 entries I will have to log, ugh, so I will see how many I can get on the application section. I have it all typed up bc he sent in the spreadsheet with the ins and outs of each trip, but it looks like they only want the arrival date, so that's less work! What I don't have room for I will just add either in the additional info section or on a separate piece of paper.

Yeah, that's why I suggested not using the spreadsheet, because it sounded too complicated/detailed.

What you need is:
- dates you left and returned to the US
- country you visited

And as I said, you may not need to list all 55 separately.

If, say 20 of the trips were while you were living in Greece and you're using a separate sheet, you might just be able to combine them into one or two lines, such as: '20 trips to Turkey from Greece of X days each, between Y date and Z date'.

Yeah, that's why I suggested not using the spreadsheet, because it sounded too complicated/detailed.

What you need is:
- dates you left and returned to the US
- country you visited

And as I said, you may not need to list all 55 separately.

If, say 20 of the trips were while you were living in Greece and you're using a separate sheet, you might just be able to combine them into one or two lines, such as: '20 trips to Turkey from Greece of X days each, between Y date and Z date'.

It only lets me log 10 so I will add the remaining to the addt'l info section. It looks like it only asks the date I arrived in each country, not when I left, and as far as putting the date I returned to the US, I was travelling to different countries for sometimes up to 3 years without returning home. So presumably I can just continue the format they use on the application of the date of travel (arrival as it only wants one date), country visited, and reason for the trip....

It only lets me log 10 so I will add the remaining to the addt'l info section. It looks like it only asks the date I arrived in each country, not when I left, and as far as putting the date I returned to the US, I was travelling to different countries for sometimes up to 3 years without returning home. So presumably I can just continue the format they use on the application of the date of travel (arrival as it only wants one date), country visited, and reason for the trip....

Yeah, pretty much .

As I said in a post above, they just use the information to check your travel history and I think also to see if you have had any immigration issues in any other countries.

If it makes you feel any better about the travel history level of detail, I lived on the Canadian border and therefore had very few exact dates for trips since they don't stamp your passport. I listed the ones I definitely knew and then gave an approximate number w/ date range saying I was visiting friends or attending concerts in the additional info section referencing that question on the app. They had no issues with it!

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So we are just sorting out and organizing our application so we can have it in by the end of the week, hopefully! Would you guys mind telling me if we have missed something?

My husband will send in most of the documents, etc from England because he has all of the photos, letters of support from family, etc that were returned from Sheffield to our solicitor. In his packet he will include:

cover
application
appendix 2
marriage certificate
employment letter (this will address the previous discrepancies in payroll, his NON_SALARIED status, his rate of pay and hours guaranteed per week, the fact that accommodation is included in his employment contract and I have permission to stay with him, and his time off in Feb/March this year, hence low pay)
Employment Contract
Bank Statements and Pay slips - we are going to include the ones for the months that had discrepancies on the last application, even though they don't apply to this application because they are now out of the 6 months pay - but we thought it may be smart to include them to show the mistakes were fixed
P60 - should we include this? It is from April 2017 to April 2018 and the amount is 19460
Accommodation Letter - this is addressed in the employment letter and in the employment contract, but should we write a separate letter from his employer stating again that his accommodation is provided as long as he is working for the company and that I have permission to live with him? Or is it sufficient in just the employment letter?
Scan's of my husbands passport to show he has permission to live in the UK
Photos, copies of correspondence between us, letters of support from family and friends etc to prove relationship legitimacy
A copy of our refusal letter
a copy of my additional travel document

In my package I will send from the US I will include

biometrics
passport photo
my old and current passports
return postage/priority page

Should my husband also print the priority paperwork and put at the top of the packet he sends in so we go to the top-ish of the queue?


Thanks <3

Should my husband also print the priority paperwork and put at the top of the packet he sends in so we go to the top-ish of the queue?


Thanks <3

You must only send one package to Sheffield so either you send your stuff to him and he adds his and sends it on or vice versa.

You must only send one package to Sheffield so either you send your stuff to him and he adds his and sends it on or vice versa.

Really? We sent it in 2 packages last time, one from England and one from the US, and it all got linked together. I guess it will only add an additional fee days if I send my biometrics etc to my husband and he sends it all in together....

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Really? We sent it in 2 packages last time, one from England and one from the US, and it all got linked together. I guess it will only add an additional fee days if I send my biometrics etc to my husband and he sends it all in together....

Yes really. Remember whose advice you were following last time!
You were lucky they managed to link the packages before and it likely added way more than a couple of days to your processing time.

Yes really. Remember whose advice you were following last time!
You were lucky they managed to link the packages before and it likely added way more than a couple of days to your processing time.

Oh I absolutely trust you guys, no way I would follow he who must  of be named's advice over you beautiful souls ♡ it's just good to know so we can plan accordingly 

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In other countries, the applicant submits their documents in person at their biometrics appointment and then the UK sponsor has a certain number of days to mail their documents to Sheffield from the UK.

HOWEVER, it doesn’t work like that in the US.

The applicant cannot submit their documents in person because the biometrics are taken by US immigration on behalf of UKVI, so EVERYTHING must arrive in Sheffield in the same package, which must be mailed within 5 days of biometrics.

Also, the passport and documents will only be returned to the US address given on your application - so your lawyer should NOT have received them, since they aren’t supposed to return anything to a UK address.

I too am very surprised that they managed to link your documents to each other, as normally only the documents included in the same package as the application form will be considered... and it actually may have extended your processing time while they matched them up.

Have you read through the UKVI ‘Apply for a UK visa in the USA’ page:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-the-usa


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In other countries, the applicant submits their documents in person at their biometrics appointment and then the UK sponsor has a certain number of days to mail their documents to Sheffield from the UK.

HOWEVER, it doesn’t work like that in the US.

The applicant cannot submit their documents in person because the biometrics are taken by US immigration on behalf of UKVI, so EVERYTHING must arrive in Sheffield in the same package, which must be mailed within 5 days of biometrics.

Also, the passport and documents will only be returned to the US address given on your application - so your lawyer should NOT have received them, since they aren’t supposed to return anything to a UK address.

I too am very surprised that they managed to link your documents to each other, as normally only the documents included in the same package as the application form will be considered... and it actually may have extended your processing time while they matched them up.

Have you read through the UKVI ‘Apply for a UK visa in the USA’ page:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-the-usa


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Thanks everyone, we are going to send everything together from the US.

So now I just need to make sure I've got all the right paperwork together 

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Thanks everyone, we are going to send everything together from the US.

That's probably the best/easiest way to do it. And if you're mailing everything from the US, then it makes it a bit easier for the shipping labels, because if you want to purchase the round-trip shipping from VFS Global, the package can only go from the US directly to Sheffield.

Just make sure that your husband uses a reputable courier to mail his documents to you in the US - i.e. UPS, DHL or FedEx. He should NOT use any service offered by Royal Mail (including Parcel Force), as the documents are not properly tracked and have been known to either get stuck in US customs for several weeks, or even never arrive at all!

That's probably the best/easiest way to do it. And if you're mailing everything from the US, then it makes it a bit easier for the shipping labels, because if you want to purchase the round-trip shipping from VFS Global, the package can only go from the US directly to Sheffield.

Just make sure that your husband uses a reputable courier to mail his documents to you in the US - i.e. UPS, DHL or FedEx. He should NOT use any service offered by Royal Mail (including Parcel Force), as the documents are not properly tracked and have been known to either get stuck in US customs for several weeks, or even never arrive at all!

Sooo useful to know- he was going to send it Parcel Force but now we will go with DHL instead!

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In regards to the document list you posted above, I'm just going to rearrange it slightly into the order in which it should be presented in your package (comments in blue, additions in red):

Applicant Documents
- priority processing receipt (if purchasing)
- return shipping label
- cover letter
- printed online application
- VAF4a Appendix 2
- IHS surcharge number/receipt (by the way, the first IHS payment should have been refunded to you since the visa was refused, though it can take a while for the refund to come though)
- stamped biometrics confirmation
- refusal letter
- your current passport
- all your previous passports (if you have them)
- 1 passport photo of you

Sponsor's Documents
- certified copy of his passport photo page ONLY (can be certified by a UK Post Office for about £10)
- letter of support for the visa, outlining how he meets each requirement - this letter is mandatory

Financial Documents - Category A
- 6 months of original payslips (the latest dated within 28 days of your online application date)
- 6 months of original bank statements (the latest dated within 28 days of your online application date)
- employment letter (dated within 28 days of your online application date)
- Employment Contract
- P60 (yes - include this)

Accommodation Documents
- Letter from employer stating accommodation will be provided for both of you... not sure if it needs to be separate to the employer letter or not, as usually accommodation is separate from the employment, where you live in your own rented or owned accommodation, or with relatives

Relationship Documents:
- marriage certificate
- 1 or 2 photos of you together
- boarding passes from flights to see each other
- letters/cards sent to each other
- no more than 1-3 pages of each type of correspondence (call logs/emails/messages) between you, covering the length of the relationship, no message content, just screenshots of dates/times/names.

DO NOT include any letters of support from family and friends as they cannot be considered and will not be looked at.

Should my husband also print the priority paperwork and put at the top of the packet he sends in so we go to the top-ish of the queue?

The instructions are on the VFS Global website and are very specific.

You must:
- print the priority receipt
- place it on the VERY TOP of your documents in the package so it is seen immediately
- write SETTLEMENT PRIORITY PROCESSING in VERY LARGE LETTERS on the outermost packaging so it is seen as soon as it arrives, before being opened (if you use the round-trip shipping, this must be on the outside of the UPS envelope).