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

I’m aware that you can combine savings and pension income(s) to achieve the target, but leaving this aside are these the basic numbers that you need to be able to achieve, at each stage, over the whole 5 years..? 

If you have the savings, it's far easier to use them each time.

Hmmm, well, we can but try..

It’s some time ago now that I phoned Lloyds in the UK to ask about this very problem, getting my wife’s name onto my account. So unless the guy I was talking to didn’t quite get what I was asking him, or he didn’t know the fine rules details himself, it was him that suggested we walk into any Lloyds bank branch with our details, including proof that we both live at the US address attached to the account, which is the only address they have now.

Maybe the guy I was talking to didn’t realize that my wife isn’t a UK Citizen as I am, and so missinformed me.  I was intending to phone them again before we go on holiday, to ask and double check what ID we will need to bring with us, I will make a point of letting them know about my wife’s US Citizenship and see if this changes their mind..? 

Thanks for pointing this out... 

Not a huge deal, but just remember that if the account has more than $10,000 at any point during the year, your wife will also need to file an FBAR each year.

Not a huge deal, but just remember that if the account has more than $10,000 at any point during the year, your wife will also need to file an FBAR each year.

Isnt he also subject to FBAR, as a US person... he's resident in the US currently, yes?  Does he still have to report when he leaves the US and makes the UK his home?

Isnt he also subject to FBAR, as a US person... he's resident in the US currently, yes?  Does he still have to report when he leaves the US and makes the UK his home?

Yes, he should already be completing FBARS if over the limit.

My Hole digs deeper..!!

Although I mentioned at the top of this stream what my ‘target’ savings hope to be, in  ₤‘s (UK Pounds sterling), the bulk of my savings are currently in US savings accounts, and the UK value I calculated using today’s exchange rate.

My wife files our Joint Tax return every year using Turbo Tax, where my UK pensions are declared, AND, I have also declared my UK pension incomes to the IRS when I applied to Both the IRS and the UK Tax office to avoid getting Taxed twice on my UK income.  I should only get taxed in the USA right now.

My UK Bank account is a conduit into which my pensions are paid before I pull the funds over to the US, and rarely get close to be holding $10,000.

However, because of the poor current ‘Brexit Inspired’ exchange rate, I was considering letting my UK savings accumulate over the coming years which will cause the UK Bank balance to go higher than the equivalent of $10,000.

Now it would seem, I need to learn what an FBAR is, and how easy/hard it is to let the IRS know when my UK account is holding more than $10,000..!!

OR.. Whether or not it would be simpler to just keep pulling the funds over to the US instead..?

It's actually reporting through the US treasury department, not the IRS.  Weird, I know.

Honestly, it doesn't matter which one you do.  I personally would keep money in the UK as then you don't have to worry about watching exchange rates.  And with both countries current political climates, the exchange rate could be volatile for the next few years at least.

The FBAR is just a form.  The first time you complete it is the most difficult, for future years you can pretty much just copy everything over and update the new total. 

https://bsaefiling.fincen.treas.gov/NoRegFBARFiler.html

Isn't being an immigrant fun?   

Ahhh so the FBAR has nothing to do with the IRS.. OK..

This makes sense, as I notice, on first searches, that this will be why TurboTax doesn’t handle it..

I will follow your link and Thanks for that..

Yes, even though you can get almost 2% on savings here in the US and only 0.2% in the UK, its still not worth losing the 3% you would experience, bringing funds to the US and then sending funds back to the UK later, (1.5% each way roughly). 

So far, the new things I have discovered, while digging this deep hole, during this discussion stream, is what a Biometric Residance Permit is, and that this is also your ‘Visa’,  What ‘Catch 22 scenarios’ to expect, now this FBAR requirement.. !!

Are there anymore surprises under this migration rock I’m lifting..?   

Ahhh so the FBAR has nothing to do with the IRS.. OK..

This makes sense, as I notice, on first searches, that this will be why TurboTax doesn’t handle it..

I will follow your link and Thanks for that..

Yes, even though you can get almost 2% on savings here in the US and only 0.2% in the UK, its still not worth losing the 3% you would experience, bringing funds to the US and then sending funds back to the UK later, (1.5% each way roughly). 

So far, the new things I have discovered, while digging this deep hole, during this discussion stream, is what a Biometric Residance Permit is, and that this is also your ‘Visa’,  What ‘Catch 22 scenarios’ to expect, now this FBAR requirement.. !!

Are there anymore surprises under this migration rock I’m lifting..?   

Tim did an excellent write up over the weekend of their first month...  worth a read.

https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=94880.msg1254218#msg1254218

You'll uncover things at every corner.  But I'm sure you experienced similar going UK to USA.  The biggest thing is the costs and fees of a UK visa.  Not for the faint of heart!

Your wife may struggle to some of the "pioneer ways" of the UK.  Often no dishwasher, clothes dryer, screens on windows, air conditioning (trust me, this summer we all wanted air conditioning), ironing clothes since permanent press hasn't caught on here, the washing up bucket in the sink, no plug sockets in the bathrooms, stores that close before working hours are over for regular folk, reduced Sunday hours, the crowds - oh dear lord how crowded things are, booking a table to get into a restaurant that is completely empty, etc.  And jeans don't fit American bodies.  None of us know why. 

The biggest thing is the costs and fees of all of the UK visas.  Not for the faint of heart!

Fixed that for you.

Fixed that for you.

Ugh, yeah, you did.  I've been trying to black it all out!

To think, I feel like we were extravagant with our sixth anniversary celebrations.  When really it was NOTHING compared to the visa fees at our fifth anniversary!

Ugh, yeah, you did.  I've been trying to black it all out!

To think, I feel like we were extravagant with our sixth anniversary celebrations.  When really it was NOTHING compared to the visa fees at our fifth anniversary!

Yay!  Perspective!  As long as you can do it without taking on debt, you enjoy life for a while.  You've earned it.  ... And as soon as I've got my citizenship application sent off, I'll do some enjoying, too. 

Yes, even though you can get almost 2% on savings here in the US and only 0.2% in the UK, its still not worth losing the 3% you would experience, bringing funds to the US and then sending funds back to the UK later, (1.5% each way roughly). 

Not to influence your choice of where to house your savings but just so that you know, you can do a lot better than 0.2% here for a bog standard High Street savings account. And obviously if you lock it in for a bit longer, you'll do better than that. The Bank of England has finally started raising interest rates a little and although the banks are not as quick to move as when rates go down, they are starting to creep up slightly.
If you do decide to move money in either direction, Transferwise is used by many of us and I highly recommend it. 

Just one problem,

I can’t open a new bank or savings account in the UK while I’m living in the US,  I’ve tried it and alway’s fall at the first fence, but once living in the UK, that’s a different story.

Going back a few steps some previous replies about banking have corrected my original missinformed assumptions...

I’ve just contacted Lloyds Bank and its true my wife can’t become a joint account holder on my account there until she’s actually living in England.  She will need her Biometric Residence Card and proof of UK address before she can join the account.

Getting Proof of address might be more straight forward if we let Wells Fargo know what our new UK address is and have them send us a statement to that UK address with both our names on it..?

Assuming Wells Fargo doesn’t need proof of the UK address also..?  I just hope convincing Wells Fargo might be easier than convincing Lloyds.

 Loyds will accept a statement from Wells Fargo to our current UK address as proof of address.

While talking to Lloyds, I did turn up another stone that might have a ‘Worm’ under it...

If we chose a Rental, Lloyds Bank will accept a letter from the ‘Renting Company’, as proof of address, but NOT from a Private Landlord.

I can ‘sort of’ see the logic in that, as such a letter from a private person could be from any ‘Joe Soap’..!!

BUT, this now leads me to wonder about the Visa Application once again.  If we choose to rent from a Private UK Landlord would his/her letter to the Visa Application people be considered OK or Not..?
 

Yay!  Perspective!  As long as you can do it without taking on debt, you enjoy life for a while.  You've earned it.  ... And as soon as I've got my citizenship application sent off, I'll do some enjoying, too. 

Definitely enjoy it!

It's a bit sad, but it wasn't until I got citizenship sorted that I was finally able to feel a bit more relaxed about spending money on non-essential things.  With the stupid visa fees, DH and I haven't been able to *really* build up and use proper savings until after the point where we didn't have to apply for any other immigration-related things ever again.  And that was under the pre-2012 rules.  I can't imagine how difficult it is now for couples to have their finances hostage to visa applications for 5 years.  Good gracious.  Hats off to everyone who has done it through the 5-year route.

BUT, this now leads me to wonder about the Visa Application once again.  If we choose to rent from a Private UK Landlord would his/her letter to the Visa Application people be considered OK or Not..?
 

Yes, absolutely.  UKVI just want to see a letter from the registered owner.  They do NOT want a letter from an estate agent.  Mindboggling, isn't it?