Help! Spouse Visa Questions

Hello, my boyfriend and I are in the process of gathering all the required documentation to hopefully submit our application after getting married in January.  I am confused on some things with this application:

1) Where are we supposed to mail the application to? Like what is the address? 
Looking at this website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-the-usa) shows the following address:

VFS Services USA Inc.
UKVI Scanning Hub
750 Third Avenue
Suite 946
New York
NY 10017

We will be getting married in Chicago and would prefer to mail from Chicago.  Is that the address I am supposed to mail our application to? I keep hearing something about Sheffield...Are we supposed to mail to a Sheffield address?

2) I'm confused on the VFS Global Return Label stuff.  What exactly am I supposed to do with that? Do I just go to this website: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/us/en/premium-services/round-trip-courier-service-up-to-5lbs
and pay for that? Can someone walk me through the whole mailing of the application process/VFS Global Return Label process?

3) What is VFS Global Premium Application Center? I noticed there is one in Chicago but what is the point of that and the VFS Round Trip Courier Service?  Is one of them where you drop your application in person and they mail it for you vs you mailing it yourself?


Sorry if my questions are stupid I am completely new to this! I appreciate any and all help!

Hello, my boyfriend and I are in the process of gathering all the required documentation to hopefully submit our application after getting married in January.  I am confused on some things with this application:

1) Where are we supposed to mail the application to? Like what is the address? 
Looking at this website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-the-usa) shows the following address:

VFS Services USA Inc.
UKVI Scanning Hub
750 Third Avenue
Suite 946
New York
NY 10017

We will be getting married in Chicago and would prefer to mail from Chicago.  Is that the address I am supposed to mail our application to? I keep hearing something about Sheffield...Are we supposed to mail to a Sheffield address?

2) I'm confused on the VFS Global Return Label stuff.  What exactly am I supposed to do with that? Do I just go to this website: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/us/en/premium-services/round-trip-courier-service-up-to-5lbs
and pay for that? Can someone walk me through the whole mailing of the application process/VFS Global Return Label process?

3) What is VFS Global Premium Application Center? I noticed there is one in Chicago but what is the point of that and the VFS Round Trip Courier Service?  Is one of them where you drop your application in person and they mail it for you vs you mailing it yourself?


Sorry if my questions are stupid I am completely new to this! I appreciate any and all help!

1- You send your application to that address, from there they will scan it to Sheffield. Make sure you keep a copy of every single thing you send because they are having a great many teething problems with this new system.

2- Yes, that's where you get the return label. You will include the return portion with your documents and take the package to a UPS store for mailing.

3-Unless you plan to spend $1,900 on the super priority service, then this doesn't come into it.

The questions are not stupid at all, the process is very confusing, especially now since the most recent changes!   

Hello, my boyfriend and I are in the process of gathering all the required documentation to hopefully submit our application after getting married in January.  I am confused on some things with this application:

1) Where are we supposed to mail the application to? Like what is the address? 
Looking at this website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-the-usa) shows the following address:

VFS Services USA Inc.
UKVI Scanning Hub
750 Third Avenue
Suite 946
New York
NY 10017

Yes, that's the correct address.

We will be getting married in Chicago and would prefer to mail from Chicago.  Is that the address I am supposed to mail our application to? I keep hearing something about Sheffield...Are we supposed to mail to a Sheffield address?

You have 2 options to apply:

1) Mail your application to New York from Chicago after you have attended biometrics in Chicago. Once your documents arrive in New York, they will be scanned and sent to Sheffield electronically for processing. Then when the visa has been processed by Sheffield, New York will issue the visa and mail your passport and documents back to you.

2) Pay an extra $1900 for the Settlement Premium Service so that you can submit your documents in person at the Chicago Premium Centre. They will then scan your documents and send them to Sheffield electronically for processing. Then when the visa has been processed by Sheffield, the Chicago Premium Centre will issue the visa .

2) I'm confused on the VFS Global Return Label stuff.  What exactly am I supposed to do with that? Do I just go to this website: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/us/en/premium-services/round-trip-courier-service-up-to-5lbs
and pay for that? Can someone walk me through the whole mailing of the application process/VFS Global Return Label process?

Once you have submitted your online application, you go to the VFS Global website and purchase any services you need. You can purchase either:
- The $1900 Settlement Premium Service
OR
- The Settlement Priority Service for $793 and either the 2lb or 5lb Round trip or Return shipping labels
OR
- just the shipping labels

3) What is VFS Global Premium Application Center? I noticed there is one in Chicago but what is the point of that and the VFS Round Trip Courier Service?  Is one of them where you drop your application in person and they mail it for you vs you mailing it yourself?

As mentioned above, the Premium Service costs an extra $1900 for you to submit your documents in person at the Chicago Premium Centre. This service also includes the $793 priority processing and the return courier shipping labels. To be honest, it's kind of a waste of money... you're basically paying an extra $1000 for the option to keep your passport while the visa is processing.

So, the process is:
1) Research the visa requirements
2) Gather all your documents
3) Print and complete VAF4a Appendix 2
4) when you are completely ready to submit your documents, complete the online application
5) Submit the online application, pay for the visa, pay the IHS surcharge if applicable to your visa type, and book either a biometrics appointment at a USCIS Application Support Centre (if applying by mail), or book a Premium Centre appointment (if using the $1900 service.

If applying by mail you then:
6) Go to the VFS Global website and purchase either the Settlement Priority Processing service ($793) or the required shipping labels, or both
7) you then have the option to upload all your supporting documents to New York on the website
8 ) attend biometrics, taking your passport and biometrics appointment letter with you
9) within 5 days of biometrics, mail your passport etc. to New York for processing
10) wait for Sheffield to process the visa

If applying using the Premium Service, you then:
6) Go to the VFS Global website and purchase the Premium Service
7) attend your appointment at the Premium Centre
8 ) wait for Sheffield to process the visa

@larrabee Thank you for the fast response! What recent changes are you referring to? Where can I read about them?  Also when you mail out your application, what kind of box or envelope do you put it in? Or do you just bring all your documents and they put it in something for you there?

@ksand24 Thank you for the fast response! You walking out the process for me really helps.  I have a few questions:

1) How do you order your documents? I know there is a certain order things are supposed to be in but do you put everything in a binder or something to organize it?

2) If I am applying for the spouse visa, do I need to pay the IHS surcharge? If so, where and how do I pay for it? Is it part of the Visa4UK application?

3) What do you mean upload supporting documents to New York on the website? I thought mailing the documents is enough they want it online too? What website are you referring to?

4) With the $1900 service, do I still need to buy the $793 Settlement Priority Service? Or is that included with the $1900 premium service? Also if I were to do the $1900 service I assume I wouldn't have to do the whole VFS Courier Return Label stuff either? How will they know where to return my passport and notify me of VISA approval?

Thank you guys for your help I really appreciate it.

@larrabee Thank you for the fast response! What recent changes are you referring to? Where can I read about them?  Also when you mail out your application, what kind of box or envelope do you put it in? Or do you just bring all your documents and they put it in something for you there?

On September 14th, they completely changed the process for how and where you mail your documents.

Before September 14th, all your documents were mailed to Sheffield directly and they all had to be original documents.

Since September 14th, the documents are now mailed or scanned to New York and then New York forward them on to Sheffield. Also, it seems copies are now accepted instead of originals. However, the new system seems to be experiencing some teething problems and Sheffield have been contacting people asking them to supply their documents again because New York haven't scanned them properly.

See here for some info about the new process:
https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/us/en/vacs/supporting-documents

1) How do you order your documents? I know there is a certain order things are supposed to be in but do you put everything in a binder or something to organize it

No binders, no folders, no staples. Just put everything in a sensible order (you may be told the order they want when you apply) and scan or mail them. The link I posted just above has downloadable barcode separators for each section.

2) If I am applying for the spouse visa, do I need to pay the IHS surcharge? If so, where and how do I pay for it? Is it part of the Visa4UK application?

Yes, you will need to pay it. It's currently £600, but will be doubling soon to £1200 (which we think will either happen this week, or possibly not until February... we're not sure). You will be prompted to pay it as part of submitting the online application.

3) What do you mean upload supporting documents to New York on the website? I thought mailing the documents is enough they want it online too? What website are you referring to?

The VFS website.

People are reporting that they are unable to purchase the shipping labels/priority service without uploading all their documents to the VFS website.

As mentioned though, the system is brand new and we're not entirely sure how it's all working yet.

4) With the $1900 service, do I still need to buy the $793 Settlement Priority Service? Or is that included with the $1900 premium service? Also if I were to do the $1900 service I assume I wouldn't have to do the whole VFS Courier Return Label stuff either? How will they know where to return my passport and notify me of VISA approval?

As I said above, the $1900 service includes the $793 priority service and the return courier. Personally, I would NOT recommend using it because it seems like a complete waste of money to me.

Your address for returning the visa will be on your application form, and they will tell you by email when the decision has been made. If you choose to keep your passport, they will contact you to ask you to bring your passport back to the Chicago Premium Centre so they can issue the visa.

See here: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/us/en/premium-services/settlement-premium-package

Sorry to tag on but I just thought of a question,

Are you supposed to send copies of all documents or originals or both?

I'm also curious on that question too @cherrymist


@ksand24 Thank you!

Another random question: Is "cover letter" and "content letter" the same thing? Does anyone have a sample or template I can use? I'm actually a bit confused on the difference between Cover letter vs content letter vs Sponsor cover letter.  Are we supposed to each write a cover letter?

Sorry to tag on but I just thought of a question,

Are you supposed to send copies of all documents or originals or both?

Apparently originals are no longer required.

So I think the option is:
- send copies
or
- scan your documents

With all the people who have been asked to re-send almost all of their documents to Sheffield by email, because New York haven't scanned them properly, it might be best to send only copies, so that you have the originals available to scan if Sheffield request them to be sent by email.

Another random question: Is "cover letter" and "content letter" the same thing? Does anyone have a sample or template I can use?

Same thing.

A letter from the sponsor is mandatory and should cover the following:
- eligibility to be a sponsor (i.e. UK citizenship)
- employment details and how they meet the financial requirement (which Category)
- where you will live together in the UK, including property details
- a short, factual history of your relationship (no personal feelings, just facts and dates)

A letter from the applicant is only optional and should only be a list of contents. It can be used to explain any complicated circumstances though, like previous refused visas or entries to the UK, any criminal convictions the applicant might have.
Most cover letters will be simply something like:
'To The Entry Clearance Officer,

Please find enclosed my application and supporting documents for a settlement visa to join my husband in the UK. I would like my 30-day visa vignette to start on X date, as per the Intended Travel Date listed on my online application.

The following documents are included in this package:
[ list of documents]

Yours Faithfully,
Your Name

Hello! Noticing there have been a bunch of changes since when we applied ... and we are about to reapply again soon, so a few questions relating to the above ...

(1) But we do still have to send our original passport for them to put the sticker in, difference is the passport will be held in New York instead of Sheffield?

(2) Why do some people think that the IHS fee might not increase until February instead of this week? That would be amazing ...

(3) Has priority service been pretty timely lately? Planning to reapply in late Jan but absolutely must get back in by early May this time.

Thank you for your help! Just spoke with an immigration lawyer recently and was quoted 6-8,000 in fees for a spouse visa. You all are saints.

(1) But we do still have to send our original passport for them to put the sticker in, difference is the passport will be held in New York instead of Sheffield?

Yes, you mail your documents and passport to New York, they keep them while Sheffield is processing the visa and then send them back once a decision has been made.

(2) Why do some people think that the IHS fee might not increase until February instead of this week? That would be amazing ...

I think it was something Sirius(?) said about whether or not it had actually gone through parliament and been officially published/decided upon yet. It was supposed to come into effect 21 days after it was passed by parliament... and I believe that time should have been up sometime this week, but it doesn’t seem to have happened yet.

(3) Has priority service been pretty timely lately? Planning to reapply in late Jan but absolutely must get back in by early May this time.

It seems to be pretty good at the moment - about 20-30 working days, I think, there have been some issues where Sheffield have emailed to ask for documents to be resent because they were not scanned correctly in New York and they never received them, but then they seem to be making the decisions within 1-3 days of them being re-sent.



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Hello! Noticing there have been a bunch of changes since when we applied ... and we are about to reapply again soon, so a few questions relating to the above ...

(1) But we do still have to send our original passport for them to put the sticker in, difference is the passport will be held in New York instead of Sheffield?

(2) Why do some people think that the IHS fee might not increase until February instead of this week? That would be amazing ...

(3) Has priority service been pretty timely lately? Planning to reapply in late Jan but absolutely must get back in by early May this time.

Thank you for your help! Just spoke with an immigration lawyer recently and was quoted 6-8,000 in fees for a spouse visa. You all are saints.

Do you guys meet the requirements now?

Also with your previous refusal, media attention, special permission to enter the country, etc., it will take your application from being straight forward to more complex, which will likely add to the processing time.  Please do not set a deadline of when you "must" be in the UK this time, as there is never any guarantee those timelines will be adhered to.  Just allow it to take as long as it will take.  Rest assured that if you tick all the boxes, your application WILL be approved.  It just may take time.

I think it was something Sirius(?) said about whether or not it had actually gone through parliament and been officially published/decided upon yet. It was supposed to come into effect 21 days after it was passed by parliament... and I believe that time should have been up sometime this week, but it doesn’t seem to have happened yet.

Yes, it was me that said  I read that a Lord in a House of Lords transcript, mentioned the government planned to bring in the IHS rise in February; but also that the goverment notices a while ago said in December; and that some solicitor sites said on 18th December. One down, two to go.

https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=95166.msg1263117#msg1263117

@ksand24

Sorry if this is getting too into the nitty gritty but in regards to the cover letter template/format you posted, for the [list of documents], did you list all the documents in order with or without breaking it into the categories? Also did you list each document name and put a comma after or just put each document on a line by itself?

Example 1:
Applicant documents: Priority Processing Receipt, Round Trip VFS Shipping Label, Printed Online Visa4UK Application, etc.
Sponsor documents: Certified Sponsor Passport Bio/Photo, Sponsor Cover letter, etc.

Example 2:
Priority Processing Receipt
Round Trip VFS Shipping Label
Printed Online Visa4UK Application
Certified Sponsor Passport Bio/Photo
Sponsor Cover Letter
etc.

Example 3:
Priority Processing Receipt, Round Trip VFS Shipping Label, Printed Online Visa4UK Application, Certified Sponsor Passport Bio/Photo, Sponsor Cover Letter, etc.


Also for the boarding passes/flight confirmations, should all of them be on one word document copy and pasted or is it ok to have multiple print outs for each itinerary?


Added: Do we need to organize our documents with the VFS barcode separators under the new system as US applicants?


[/list]

@ksand24

Sorry if this is getting too into the nitty gritty but in regards to the cover letter template/format you posted, for the [list of documents], did you list all the documents in order with or without breaking it into the categories? Also did you list each document name and put a comma after or just put each document on a line by itself?

Example 1:
Applicant documents: Priority Processing Receipt, Round Trip VFS Shipping Label, Printed Online Visa4UK Application, etc.
Sponsor documents: Certified Sponsor Passport Bio/Photo, Sponsor Cover letter, etc.

Example 2:
Priority Processing Receipt
Round Trip VFS Shipping Label
Printed Online Visa4UK Application
Certified Sponsor Passport Bio/Photo
Sponsor Cover Letter
etc.

Example 3:
Priority Processing Receipt, Round Trip VFS Shipping Label, Printed Online Visa4UK Application, Certified Sponsor Passport Bio/Photo, Sponsor Cover Letter, etc.


Also for the boarding passes/flight confirmations, should all of them be on one word document copy and pasted or is it ok to have multiple print outs for each itinerary?


Added: Do we need to organize our documents with the VFS barcode separators under the new system as US applicants?


[/list]

I did a separate contents list. I gave each item a new line. I also separated into sections:- Admin, Financial, relationship and accommodation.