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Topic: Greg and Tre's advice thread  (Read 15820 times)

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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #30 on: March 03, 2019, 03:30:18 PM »
The only issue with keeping the same name all the way through is that you can only apply for citizenship and your U.K. passport in the name on your US passport... so you end up having to apply for citizenship in your old name, get a UK passport in your old name, change your US passport to the new name and then apply for another UK passport in the new name.

But if you change it just before applying for one of the visas (so the visa is issued in the new name), you can just apply for citizenship and the UK passport in the new name with no extra faff.


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #31 on: March 03, 2019, 03:59:40 PM »
Thanks ksand and nan :)

We're actually just discussing name change options. Neither of us has strong thoughts but we need to make a decision because if one of us wants to change we should do it before the wedding I believe?

Anyway, one option is that we just continue as Mr Frain and Mr Thompson throughout the spouse visa, FLR, ILR etc. Are there any obvious drawbacks to this that we need to bear in mind?

Other ideas we've had are:
One of us takes the other's name
Switching surnames
Picking a new surname for us both to use

I was wondering if any of these four options is the best for us, or if any are clearly a terrible idea from the point of future visa applications etc?
Thanks all

If you're not sure which way to go with it, I wouldn't rush into a name change.

Another option which is quite popular is hyphenating both names.  As if you didn't have enough to choose from already!  ;)


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #32 on: March 03, 2019, 06:05:38 PM »
Larrabee, Tre is opposed to the hyphenating option so we've ruled that one out at least  :D

We've now kinda decided that we have enough to think about, and that we can revisit this at either of the next two visa application stages.  There seems no pressing need to change since neither of us feels strongly...so we'll wait until one of us does
Met online: April 2017 | Met in person: March 2018 | Entered relationship: October 2018 | Engaged: Feb 2019 | Wedding: August 2019
Application package sent: 14 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd in New York: 16 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd email: 20 Aug 2019
Decision made email: 19 Sept 2019 (23WD) | Passport received (approval!) 23 Sept (25WD)


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #33 on: March 03, 2019, 10:16:54 PM »
Hi
Could someone quickly update us on the IHS situation?
Previously it was £200/yr and so you paid £500 for the 30months of your spouse visa and then another £500 for the 30 months of FLR.
I'm aware that the surcharge has gone up to £400/yr, so I thought this would mean £1000 and then another £1000 - but I've just seen on another thread that £1200 is due with the initial spousal visa application?
Met online: April 2017 | Met in person: March 2018 | Entered relationship: October 2018 | Engaged: Feb 2019 | Wedding: August 2019
Application package sent: 14 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd in New York: 16 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd email: 20 Aug 2019
Decision made email: 19 Sept 2019 (23WD) | Passport received (approval!) 23 Sept (25WD)


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #34 on: March 03, 2019, 10:23:04 PM »
Hi
Could someone quickly update us on the IHS situation?
Previously it was £200/yr and so you paid £500 for the 30months of your spouse visa and then another £500 for the 30 months of FLR.
I'm aware that the surcharge has gone up to £400/yr, so I thought this would mean £1000 and then another £1000 - but I've just seen on another thread that £1200 is due with the initial spousal visa application?

It’s now £400 per year but any visa valid more than half of a year is rounded up to a full year.

So, for the spousal visa (2 years 9 months), you pay:
3 years x £400 = £1,200

And for the FLR(M) visa (2 years 6 months), you pay:
2.5 years x £400 = £1,000


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #35 on: March 03, 2019, 10:31:22 PM »
Thanks ksand24

I was just reading that there is one refund system for unused portions of the surcharge - does that apply to the 3 unused months of the initial spouse visa?

And how come the initial visa is 2 years 9 months and not 2 years and 6 months? Do you actually get 2 years and 9 months or do they expect you to reapply in time for 2 years and 6 months so you basically have to write off £200?
Met online: April 2017 | Met in person: March 2018 | Entered relationship: October 2018 | Engaged: Feb 2019 | Wedding: August 2019
Application package sent: 14 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd in New York: 16 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd email: 20 Aug 2019
Decision made email: 19 Sept 2019 (23WD) | Passport received (approval!) 23 Sept (25WD)


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #36 on: March 03, 2019, 10:53:29 PM »
Thanks ksand24

I was just reading that there is one refund system for unused portions of the surcharge - does that apply to the 3 unused months of the initial spouse visa?

No, it doesn’t. It would only apply if you switched to a different visa partway through your current one and ended up paying twice for a number of years (or perhaps if your visa was cancelled partway through?).

When you apply for FLR(M), the new visa should start from the expiry date of the current visa, so there is no overlap with IHS payments. Also, you have until the expiry date of your spousal visa to apply for FLR(M), so it’s essentially your decision to apply early.

Quote
And how come the initial visa is 2 years 9 months and not 2 years and 6 months? Do you actually get 2 years and 9 months or do they expect you to reapply in time for 2 years and 6 months so you basically have to write off £200?

It’s issued for 2 years 9 months to give you 3 months leeway to enter the UK a the beginning of the visa and still qualify for ILR after 5 years without your visa expiring before you can apply.

It was more useful before the 30-day vignette and BRP were introduced because you could enter the UK for the first time at any time in the 33 months, without having to meet the 30-day deadline.

When the spousal visa was only issued for 2 years and 6 months you only had 28 days to enter the UK without leaving it too late to apply for ILR and there was no leeway... so they added an extra 3 months to make it easier for people to move.

You get 2 years and 9 months but you can apply for FLR(M) as early as 28 days before reaching 2 years and 6 months if you want.



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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #37 on: March 03, 2019, 11:18:50 PM »
thanks ksand24, much appreciated :)
Met online: April 2017 | Met in person: March 2018 | Entered relationship: October 2018 | Engaged: Feb 2019 | Wedding: August 2019
Application package sent: 14 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd in New York: 16 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd email: 20 Aug 2019
Decision made email: 19 Sept 2019 (23WD) | Passport received (approval!) 23 Sept (25WD)


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #38 on: March 04, 2019, 03:22:33 PM »
And while I 100% understand that £200 is not chump change... in the grand scheme of visas, it's absolutely nothing.  This isn't cheap!   :-\\\\


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #39 on: March 04, 2019, 09:48:30 PM »
Another question has crossed my mind while browsing the forum, and that is that I'm not sure if I'm salaried or unsalaried in my Royal Mail job which is the one I'll be using to sponsor Tre...

My contracted hours are 32.5 hrs/wk - I earn this even if I actually do slightly fewer hours eg if it's a light week for mail and parcels and I get finished 10-15 minutes early some days.

I have set start times and finish times for each day of the week and if I need to work beyond those eg if it's an unexpectedly busy day, then I can claim the extra time.

The first line of my payslip every week reads:

Payments          Hours       Amount
Basic Pay.         32.30.       370.26

There has been a discussion about the peculiar nature of my payslips previously!...which I may need to come back to, but first of all I'd like to establish whether I'm considered salaried or unsalaried?
Thanks forum
Met online: April 2017 | Met in person: March 2018 | Entered relationship: October 2018 | Engaged: Feb 2019 | Wedding: August 2019
Application package sent: 14 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd in New York: 16 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd email: 20 Aug 2019
Decision made email: 19 Sept 2019 (23WD) | Passport received (approval!) 23 Sept (25WD)


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #40 on: March 05, 2019, 07:17:30 PM »
So I've just been reading the splendidly-titled:

Immigration Directorate Instruction Family Migration:
Appendix FM Section 1.7
Appendix Armed Forces
Financial Requirement
August 2017


Which includes a section thus:
Salaried employment includes that paid at a minimum fixed rate (usually annual) which is usually subject to a contractual minimum number of hours to be worked.

Which makes me think I'm salaried, right?

However, I'm a bit concerned by:

The only difference in Category B between salaried and non-salaried employment is how gross annual salary or employment income at the date of application is calculated:
Where the person is in salaried employment – the level of gross annual salary will be as at the date of application. This must be evidenced by the latest payslip or the signed contract of employment (if a payslip does not provide this information).


Our current plans mean I'll have a payslip from Friday 2 August, fly to US on Tuesday 6th, and possibly not submit the application until Friday 9th or even later depending on when we can get hold of the marriage certificate!  Is this 'latest payslip' meant to be interpreted in a 'monthly' context, so that as long as I have payslips within a month of the application being submitted I should be ok?

Thanks
Met online: April 2017 | Met in person: March 2018 | Entered relationship: October 2018 | Engaged: Feb 2019 | Wedding: August 2019
Application package sent: 14 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd in New York: 16 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd email: 20 Aug 2019
Decision made email: 19 Sept 2019 (23WD) | Passport received (approval!) 23 Sept (25WD)


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #41 on: March 05, 2019, 08:28:59 PM »
So I've just been reading the splendidly-titled:

Immigration Directorate Instruction Family Migration:
Appendix FM Section 1.7
Appendix Armed Forces
Financial Requirement
August 2017


Which includes a section thus:
Salaried employment includes that paid at a minimum fixed rate (usually annual) which is usually subject to a contractual minimum number of hours to be worked.

Which makes me think I'm salaried, right?

If you have a fixed annual salary, as stated on your contract, which is not related to the number of hours you actually work (same base pay each month), you are salaried. For salaried employment, they calculate your annual income by taking your lowest payslip from the 6 months and multiplying it by 12 to get a total annual salary.

If you are on an hourly wage, with a contracted number of hours per week, and not a fixed annual salary, you are non-salaried. For non-salaried employment, they add up all 6 months of payslips, divide by 6 and multiply by 12 to get your average annual income.

Quote
Our current plans mean I'll have a payslip from Friday 2 August, fly to US on Tuesday 6th, and possibly not submit the application until Friday 9th or even later depending on when we can get hold of the marriage certificate!  Is this 'latest payslip' meant to be interpreted in a 'monthly' context, so that as long as I have payslips within a month of the application being submitted I should be ok?

Thanks

Yes, the only requirement here is that your latest payslip, bank statement and employer letter must be dated no earlier than 28 days before the date you submit the online application.


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #42 on: March 05, 2019, 10:50:37 PM »
"If you have a fixed annual salary, as stated on your contract, which is not related to the number of hours you actually work (same base pay each month), you are salaried. For salaried employment, they calculate your annual income by taking your lowest payslip from the 6 months and multiplying it by 12 to get a total annual salary.

If you are on an hourly wage, with a contracted number of hours per week, and not a fixed annual salary, you are non-salaried. For non-salaried employment, they add up all 6 months of payslips, divide by 6 and multiply by 12 to get your average annual income."

I get paid for 32.5 hours per week regardless. Some weeks I'll work slightly less than that if there's not much mail. Other weeks it will be busy and I'll have to work slightly more and then I can claim the overtime. So I think I'm salaried?

I presume they'll take my lowest payslip from the six months and multiply by 52?

"Yes, the only requirement here is that your latest payslip, bank statement and employer letter must be dated no earlier than 28 days before the date you submit the online application."
Excellent, this is good news :)
Met online: April 2017 | Met in person: March 2018 | Entered relationship: October 2018 | Engaged: Feb 2019 | Wedding: August 2019
Application package sent: 14 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd in New York: 16 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd email: 20 Aug 2019
Decision made email: 19 Sept 2019 (23WD) | Passport received (approval!) 23 Sept (25WD)


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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #43 on: March 05, 2019, 11:06:58 PM »
I get paid for 32.5 hours per week regardless. Some weeks I'll work slightly less than that if there's not much mail. Other weeks it will be busy and I'll have to work slightly more and then I can claim the overtime. So I think I'm salaried?

I believe you are salaried... and so I assume you have a fixed annual salary that you will be listing on the application form and that your employer will list in their letter? (This amount will be checked against your payslips)

Quote
I presume they'll take my lowest payslip from the six months and multiply by 52?

If you are paid weekly, then yes, I believe so.



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Re: Greg and Tre's advice thread
« Reply #44 on: March 06, 2019, 04:11:49 PM »
Hi, I just called HR and as it happened the guy I spoke to had been through a spousal visa process earlier this year!

Anyway, he says I can email HR nearer to the time and they will issue a statement of employment letter including my earnings, and that figure should be £20442 approx, so that helps.

He said the annual figure is calculated from my weekly pay x52.179 to allow for leap years and the fact that there's actually slightly more than exactly 52 weeks per year, so I hope that doesn't introduce a discrepancy that would trouble the Home Office?!
Met online: April 2017 | Met in person: March 2018 | Entered relationship: October 2018 | Engaged: Feb 2019 | Wedding: August 2019
Application package sent: 14 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd in New York: 16 Aug 2019 | Package rec'd email: 20 Aug 2019
Decision made email: 19 Sept 2019 (23WD) | Passport received (approval!) 23 Sept (25WD)


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