Can we apply for a Spouse Visa with No Current UK address.

Hi at UK Yankee

I realize rules and monetary amounts may change over the years, but assuming things remain basically the same I have a question that I’m sure other’s must have pondered and experienced.

I am a UK born citizen who has lived in Dallas Texas in the USA, and been married to my US wife, for 8 years. I am retired, on two UK pensions and in a few years time, when my wife retires onto her US pension, I would like to go back to the UK, with my wife, for us both to live in retirement.

Although my pensions alone falls short of £18600, our two pensions between us should adequately cover the financial requirements not counting our savings, which alone should be adequate.  Over £65,000. We currently have a mortgage free house here in Texas, which we would need to sell first, to have the funds to buy a house, (without mortgage), in the UK. 

My question is a ‘matter of timing’.  As I no longer currently have a place of residence in the UK, can we apply for a Spouse Visa for my my wife, before we make a move into the UK, so that we can then both, (together), find a UK rental house initially, then sell our US house,  then seek a home to buy in the UK.

I get the impression, from all prior explanations, that I would need to be living in the UK first, (or at least have a UK address), before applying for a Spouse Visa for my wife..?

I’m also a little confused, where my wife would need to go for the Biometrics. Could she pick a location in Texas to have this done..?  Can my wife apply online for a Spouse Visa from outside the UK..?  Our nearest UK Embassy is in Houston, would she/we need to go there to be interviewed..?

Regards..

Shy.

There are threee elements to the visa:

1.  Financial requirement
2.  Relationship requirement
3.  Accommodation requirement

So you must have somewhere to live, even just temporarily to apply for the visa.  This can be with a friend or family or even short term corporate housing.

Biometrics are super easy.  When she completes the application, she will be prompted to select where she wants them done from several hundred locations in the USA.  The embassy does not deal with visas.  And there is no interview.

Many Thanks KFdancer.

Since posting my original plea for help, I’ve stumbled upon this link...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-the-usa#go-to-your-appointment

This verifies what you’ve said about the Biometrics.  I’m now guessing that we might be able to use the same nearby ASC (Biometric Centre) that we used when I had my Biometrics taken for my US citizenship application.

I also notice on the same above URL that it looks like my wife needs to start her application, online, here...

https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/account/register

Without actually entering this last URL location yet, I’m assuming we should find forms to fill out that we can print out ready to be posted to  VFS Services USA Inc. at an address in New York, and not Houston.

OR Is there other URL locations where we should seek the application forms for a Spouse Visa..?

As for the Financial Requirements, I should be able to obtain Bank Account statements, UK P60’s for my Private Pension and other Statements for my UK OAP.

On the Relationship Requirements, we have our Marriage Certificate. Our US House deeds in joint names., Insurance policies in joint names. Bank Accounts and Utility Bills in joint names.

Is this enough to satisfy the Relationship Requirements..? Or do we need to include photo’s, for example, showing us both living together in our house..?

As for the Accomodation Requirements, this is as I’d anticipated I need a UK address.  If its possible I might use a Friends Address. I realize we would have to declare the number of bedrooms in the house to be sure the accomodation is adequate and get a letter from our friend showing he would be able and willing to accommodate us, but..

Would there need to be a House Inspection taken of his property to verify the claim..?

I have more questions but these are enough for now..

Once again, Many Thanks.

Your links are the exact ones you should be using - well done there!    The visa4uk website is the ONLY website/provider for applying for a UK visa.

For relationship documents, you'll need to have documentation from your entire marriage.  The easiest item to submit is the front pages of your annual joint tax return.  You'll also need your marriage certificate and one photo.  If it's a long marriage, you'll want one item address to both of you (or two individual items to the same address) for each year of your marriage.  That's why the tax return is usually the easiest item to produce.

If you were to stay with a friend, you would need:
letter from friend stating you can live there and how many rooms the property has and who is currently living there (to ensure it won't be overcrowded)
their land registry document (downloaded online for £3) showing they are the owner
and it's good to have their most recent mortgage statement if there is a mortgage, showing the payments are being made.
No property inspection is required.

They *just* changed the applications to be submitted to NYC from Sheffield.  Who knows where they will be sent in a few years time.  A lot will likely to have changed by then.  Namely just the cost.  If you were to apply today, we recommend budgeting £10,000-£12,000 for the process over the next five years.

Wow,

Finding one item for every year of your marriage that is addressed to both of us, or two individual items addressed to each of us, is quite a task the longer you’ve been married. We we’re married in 2010. 8 years ago, my online bank statements only go back 7 years. My wife thinks we have our Tax records saved electronically at least, probably as a Turbo Tax .pdf file. 

Would printouts from these Tax and online Bank statements be considered authentic enough, or original enough to be acceptable. I don’t believe we’ve ever received a paper tax return from the IRS..?

Am I right in thinking my Wife won’t need an English Test being a US Citizen..?

I’m really appreciating your help

She won’t need an English test, but when the time comes will have to pass the Life in the UK test- but that’s a ways away. Also, hi there from a former Plano resident!

Ahh Thanks for that info Mikeymike31  Plano Hey, its a small world. 

Wow,

Finding one item for every year of your marriage that is addressed to both of us, or two individual items addressed to each of us, is quite a task the longer you’ve been married. We we’re married in 2010. 8 years ago, my online bank statements only go back 7 years. My wife thinks we have our Tax records saved electronically at least, probably as a Turbo Tax .pdf file. 

Would printouts from these Tax and online Bank statements be considered authentic enough, or original enough to be acceptable. I don’t believe we’ve ever received a paper tax return from the IRS..?

Am I right in thinking my Wife won’t need an English Test being a US Citizen..?

I’m really appreciating your help

Yes, the print outs from Turbo Tax would be fine - that is the original after all.  Luckily you only have 8 years to cover.  When it's 30 years +, it really gets tricky.

This just shows how it has become much more difficult to prove long term relationship! When we applied early 2014, we had very little to prove we had been together for nearly fifty years. Most of our post had no physical address, only PO Box numbers. We had nothing earlier than 1983! We sent fifteen photos spanning the length of the marriage and just a few pieces of correspondence and we were approved. If we had to do it today, I guess we would be refused!


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Thanks KFDancer and Michali,

Call me overly cautious, I’m a kinda ‘Belt & Braces’ guy, but since yesterday, I’ve already ordered original paper copies of our bank statements, one month for each year over at least the last 7 years back to 2011. That seems to be as far back as I can request.

This is why I’ve started making enquiries about this Visa process a few years up front, so I wouldn’t be taken by surprise with anything leaving it while the last minute, and I can now continue to get at least one paper bank statement each year,  to be sure we have a complete record. We normally go paperless for statements on our bank account.

Maybe our Marriage Certificate document itself would cover the first year, (2010), as this also has our names and address on it..?  We were actually married in our US home, which was great that we could.

I know I’ve mentioned originally staying with a friend in the UK, while going through the tansition of moving into a bought home of our own in the UK. But, as this will be in a few years time, and things could change, should we have to move into rental accomodation in the UK as a temporary measure, what are the documental requirements for this...?

Would this be a letter from the Landlord, stating he/she is providing rental accommodation, the size of the property, (No. of Rooms),  Length of Contract..? 

Would there be a Minimum Contract length required by the Visa Service..?

Would the landlord also need to show a copy of the property deeds, proving ownership, as would my friend..?

I like to keep you busy with my questions..

Kind Regards..

Thanks KFDancer and Michali,

Call me overly cautious, I’m a kinda ‘Belt & Braces’ guy, but since yesterday, I’ve already ordered original paper copies of our bank statements, one month for each year over at least the last 7 years back to 2011. That seems to be as far back as I can request.

This is why I’ve started making enquiries about this Visa process a few years up front, so I wouldn’t be taken by surprise with anything leaving it while the last minute, and I can now continue to get at least one paper bank statement each year,  to be sure we have a complete record. We normally go paperless for statements on our bank account.

Maybe our Marriage Certificate document itself would cover the first year, (2010), as this also has our names and address on it..?  We were actually married in our US home, which was great that we could.

I know I’ve mentioned originally staying with a friend in the UK, while going through the tansition of moving into a bought home of our own in the UK. But, as this will be in a few years time, and things could change, should we have to move into rental accomodation in the UK as a temporary measure, what are the documental requirements for this...?

Would this be a letter from the Landlord, stating he/she is providing rental accommodation, the size of the property, (No. of Rooms),  Length of Contract..? 

Would there be a Minimum Contract length required by the Visa Service..?

Would the landlord also need to show a copy of the property deeds, proving ownership, as would my friend..?

I like to keep you busy with my questions..

Kind Regards..

Wise to keep documentation starting now!

Totally an aside, but getting a mortgage when you return will be an uphill battle as you will need to re-establish UK credit, etc.  But cash is easy. 

If you were to rent, you would need a copy of your tenancy agreement and a letter from the landlord stating that your wife has permission to live there once the visa is granted (her name cannot be on the tenancy until after the visa is granted).

No minimum contract needed.

This just shows how it has become much more difficult to prove long term relationship! When we applied early 2014, we had very little to prove we had been together for nearly fifty years. Most of our post had no physical address, only PO Box numbers. We had nothing earlier than 1983! We sent fifteen photos spanning the length of the marriage and just a few pieces of correspondence and we were approved. If we had to do it today, I guess we would be refused!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

This so much. Granted hubby and I have only been married for over 10 years, but it is still difficult to locate ton of documentation. Right now, we have acquired what tax forms we could as well as property taxes paid when we have owned homes as well as what lease agreements we could locate. We aren't applying until next spring but have begun to get what we could ahead of time. Worse comes to worse, we can always just print out our W-2s from our current employer to show we've resided at the same address over the last 10+ years Oh and to the original poster, Austin TX here

Thanks KFDancer

So just to be sure I’ve got the Relationship Requirements right. 

As we’ve always lived at our current address for all the years of our marriage, if I send...

[1] Let’s say 1 bank statement for each and every year we’ve been married showing both our names at our current US address, (or a pair of individual statements showing our individual names at our current US address)..?

[2] Our Original Marriage Certificate.
Or is a notarized copy OK..?

[3] One photo.. ?
Of who..?  Is this a passport sized photo of my wife or a photo of both of us..? Eg Wedding Photo..?

And is that it..?

Won’t there be questions about where we met etc..? Won’t they want to see for example recreational photo’s where we might have been out playing pool or dinning out, or visiting the Renaissance festival, etc..?

Just showing bank statements for every year of our marriage doesn’t paint a very romantic picture, or are they more interested in whether or not we’ve been cohabiting together every year over the period of our marriage..?

Letters and cards that you have sent each other are good to include.

Thankyou larrabee