UK Spouse Visa - Please help

In the case of a fixed bond or other investment of the type discussed in the guidance, then no. Providing you have held the investment for at least 6 months, you can apply as soon as you have a statement showing the funds in an instant access account.

Thank you Larabee. 

So just for clarity if my husband converts this to instant access then we would be able to use it to fulfill the financial requirement as soon as it’s converted? 



Here is the relevant guidance, from FM-SE.

(c) Funds held as cash savings by the applicant, their partner or both jointly at the date of application can have been transferred from investments, stocks, shares, bonds or trust funds within the period of 6 months prior to the date of application, provided that:
(i) The funds have been in the ownership and under the control of the applicant, their partner or both jointly for at least the period of 6 months prior to the date of application.
(ii) The ownership of the funds in the form of investments, stocks, shares, bonds or trust funds; the cash value of the funds in that form at or before the beginning of the period of 6 months prior to the date of application; and the transfer of the funds into cash, are evidenced by a portfolio report or other relevant documentation from a financial institution regulated by the appropriate regulatory body for the country in which that institution is operating.
(iii) The requirements of this Appendix in respect of the cash savings held at the date of application are met, except that the period of 6 months prior to the date of application in paragraph 11(a) will be reduced by the amount of that period in which the relevant funds were held in the form of investments, stocks, shares, bonds or trust funds.
(iv) For the purposes of sub-paragraph 11A(c), “investments” includes funds held in an investment account or pension account or fund which does not meet the requirements of paragraphs 11 and 11A(a).

So just for clarity if my husband converts this to instant access then we would be able to use it to fulfill the financial requirement as soon as it’s converted? 

Yes.
That didn't used to be the case. You used to have to cash out your stocks and shares and bonds and other such investments and wait a further 6 months before you could apply but they actually changed it for the better several years ago now and added the part of the rules I quoted above.

You would have to provide proof of having owned the funds prior to 6 months before the application and proof of the transfer into the instant access account and also the most recent statement(s) from the instant access account which must be dated within 28 days of the application date.

Yes.
That didn't used to be the case. You used to have to cash out your stocks and shares and bonds and other such investments and wait a further 6 months before you could apply but they actually changed it for the better several years ago now and added the part of the rules I quoted above.

You would have to provide proof of having owned the funds prior to 6 months before the application and proof of the transfer into the instant access account and also the most recent statement(s) from the instant access account which must be dated within 28 days of the application date.

Thank you that makes me feel better.

We are actually applying possibly the first week of October but we are making sure we have our documentations in place. 

I will post what documents we have put together once we are about to apply.  It’s been 7 long years we’ve been apart, and we have a 5 year old little girl who needs her dad.  I am a bit panicky at the moment, as the unknown is really doing my head in, but trying to be patient, and hopefully we can get this all sorted by the end of the year. 

Thank you that makes me feel better.

We are actually applying possibly the first week of October but we are making sure we have our documentations in place. 

I will post what documents we have put together once we are about to apply.  It’s been 7 long years we’ve been apart, and we have a 5 year old little girl who needs her dad.  I am a bit panicky at the moment, as the unknown is really doing my head in, but trying to be patient, and hopefully we can get this all sorted by the end of the year.

Oh, that must be so hard. 
But that's good on a couple of counts. You're going to have plenty of time to do your research and make sure you have the perfect application put together and also, October is a fairly good time of year to apply. The summer rush will hopefully be over and the Christmas one not started yet. 

One more question.  Our daughter has dual citizenship US/UK.  She has both passports.  When I do my application online and send my documents, do I need to fill in her information?  Do I put in her UK Passport or US Passport information in the online application?

Also, do I need to send her passport with my documents or do I just send a copy of her passport ?  Do I need to send a copy of her birth certificate ? 

One more question.  Our daughter has dual citizenship US/UK.  She has both passports.  When I do my application online and send my documents, do I need to fill in her information?  Do I put in her UK Passport or US Passport information in the online application?

Also, do I need to send her passport with my documents or do I just send a copy of her passport ?  Do I need to send a copy of her birth certificate ?

Dlilah, sorry, I'm not sure, are you Smokeroo's other half? If so, that's great but if you're not, it's best if you start a thread of your own before things get too complicated in this one!   

Dlilah, sorry, I'm not sure, are you Smokeroo's other half? If so, that's great but if you're not, it's best if you start a thread of your own before things get too complicated in this one!   

Yes I am smokeroos wife.  Sorry I should have said that.

Yes I am smokeroos wife.  Sorry I should have said that.

Great, thanks for clarifying! I'll leave the child questions to one of the others though. 

Welcome to the forum, Dlilah .

One more question.  Our daughter has dual citizenship US/UK.  She has both passports.  When I do my application online and send my documents, do I need to fill in her information?  Do I put in her UK Passport or US Passport information in the online application?

Also, do I need to send her passport with my documents or do I just send a copy of her passport ?  Do I need to send a copy of her birth certificate ? 

You will need to give her personal details on the application form, along with her passport information (not sure exactly what the application asks for, but I would try to give her UK passport number first and then also include her US passport number if you can).

However, because your daughter is a UK citizen and does not need a visa,  you do NOT need to include any documents from her at all... so, while you do list her details on the form, you DO NOT include her passport(s) or birth certificate.

Welcome to the forum, Dlilah .

You will need to give her personal details on the application form, along with her passport information (not sure exactly what the application asks for, but I would try to give her UK passport number first and then also include her US passport number if you can).

However, because your daughter is a UK citizen and does not need a visa,  you do NOT need to include any documents from her at all... so, while you do list her details on the form, you DO NOT include her passport(s) or birth certificate.

Thank you 😊.  You’ve all been very helpful we truly appreciate it.

In regards to using the Natwest Fixed Bond account, it will depend on the exact CURRENT nature of the account as to how you can use the money,

From the information I can find about Natwest Fixed Bond accounts:
- it looks like a Fixed Bond account is one where the interest rate is high and fixed, but you cannot touch the money while it is in the fixed-rate period
- however, once the fixed rate period is over and the account has reached maturity, you can either:
a) choose to re-invest the money in another Fixed Bond/Fixed Savings Account,
or
b) if you want to withdraw the money, you can Opt Out and have the money transferred into an Instant Saver Account.

So, it will depend on the exact state of the Bond account right now as to whether the money can be used for the requirements:
- has it reached maturity?
- has it been reinvested?
- has it been converted to an Instant Saver Account?

If it has NOT been reinvested, and it is now sitting in an Instant Savings Account, where you can withdraw the money at any time, you can use it as it is, without having to do anything else.

If it HAS been reinvested and is still tied up in a Fixed Bond account which has not yet reached maturity,  it looks like, in order to withdraw the money, you will have to close the account, giving 35 days notice, and you may have to pay an Early Closure fee.

See here: https://personal.natwest.com/personal/savings/fixed-rate-bond/existing-customers.html

Bear in mind though, that in order to meet the Cash Savings requirements, the money must have been in a bond and/or bank account in the sponsor's name (and/or applicant's name) ONLY for at least 6 months. If any other people are named on the account, the money cannot be used as it is, and will need to be transferred to an account in the sponsor's and/or applicant's name only, and then sit there for 6 months first before applying for the visa.

I would like to say thank you as ever for all the advice and good morning to my wife in the US  x

In regards to using the Natwest Fixed Bond account, it will depend on the exact CURRENT nature of the account as to how you can use the money,

From the information I can find about Natwest Fixed Bond accounts:
- it looks like a Fixed Bond account is one where the interest rate is high and fixed, but you cannot touch the money while it is in the fixed-rate period
- however, once the fixed rate period is over and the account has reached maturity, you can either:
a) choose to re-invest the money in another Fixed Bond/Fixed Savings Account,
or
b) if you want to withdraw the money, you can Opt Out and have the money transferred into an Instant Saver Account.

So, it will depend on the exact state of the Bond account right now as to whether the money can be used for the requirements:
- has it reached maturity?
- has it been reinvested?
- has it been converted to an Instant Saver Account?

If it has NOT been reinvested, and it is now sitting in an Instant Savings Account, where you can withdraw the money at any time, you can use it as it is, without having to do anything else.

If it HAS been reinvested and is still tied up in a Fixed Bond account which has not yet reached maturity,  it looks like, in order to withdraw the money, you will have to close the account, giving 35 days notice, and you may have to pay an Early Closure fee.

See here: https://personal.natwest.com/personal/savings/fixed-rate-bond/existing-customers.html

Bear in mind though, that in order to meet the Cash Savings requirements, the money must have been in a bond and/or bank account in the sponsor's name (and/or applicant's name) ONLY for at least 6 months. If any other people are named on the account, the money cannot be used as it is, and will need to be transferred to an account in the sponsor's and/or applicant's name only, and then sit there for 6 months first before applying for the visa.

Thank you Ksand.  Although we won’t be applying till October, my husband already converted it into instant access today, and yes we’ve held it in the fixed bond since 2017 so it’s been there more than 6 months.

Yes, that’s correct - everything needs to arrive in Sheffield in one package and it’s easiest to sent it all from the US.

However, you’ll want to make sure you have sent her all of your documents BEFORE she submits her online application or books her biometrics appointment... because the documents required are very specific and you don’t want her to attend biometrics and then find something important is missing, but you don’t have time to get it to her before the 5-day deadline.

I have seen multiple comments regarding the 5 day deadline to submit documents.  The email I rec'd on 4 July confirming my visa application appointment for my biometrics states " Your biometrics will be stamped at your appointment.  You then have 2 weeks to send the following documents to the relevant decision maker...."
I only mention this because I needed that much time due to a missing certified document that i had to chase down.  I am planning to  next day air my documents to Sheffield on this upcoming monday when my certified documents arrive.  Can one of the experts comment?



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It is definitely 5 days, not 2 weeks.

The email from the online application is incorrect and I have no idea why it has not been updated - the deadline for US applications changed from 2 weeks to 5 days way back in September 2015!

See here for the official, up-to-date guidance for submitting applications made in the US:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-the-usa

From that page:
3. Post your application
Your biometric confirmation receipt will be stamped at your appointment. You then have 5 days to post this, your application form, your passport and supporting documents to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).


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