Starting to plan for our move - July 2019

Have you applied for your ToR yet for moving your stuff?  If not, might want to jump on that!

We are 5 days away from applying and then hopping in the car to the nearest biometric appointment within 400 miles of us.

Can you double check my evidence, any glaring ommissions? The only original documents I am sending are the applicant's current and expired passport along with our original birth certificate. Other official documents will be color photocopies.

Receipts (will receive upon submitting application)
Priority Payment Receipt
Visa Application Payment Receipt
IHS Payment Receipt
Biometrics Receipt 

The Application
Table of Contents
Sponsorship Support Letter
Application Form
Appendix 2
Applicant's Current US Passport
Applicant's Previous Expired US Passport
Photocopy Of Sponsor Passport Photo Page
One return UPS label and envelope

Financial
6 months of original HSBC statements showing a balance above 62,500 GBP
Letter from parents explaining source of funds (gift to me with no expectation of it being returned)

Accommodation
Letter from my parents providing permission to stay with them as long as needed. With an explanation of the rooms in the house and how many people live in the house.
1x Mortgage Statement
Land Registry Document

Relationship Evidence
Original British Marriage certificate
Photocopies of our kids birth certificates (four kids!)
16 photos showing us and the kids over the past 5 years
1 Screenshot per month of iMessage between us since July 2016
IRS Tax returns from 2013 – 2019 showing married filing joint
GEICO car insurance policy document from 2013 to 2019
Property Tax Receipts showing joint home ownership from 2014 to 2018
Joint bank statement and paychecks from January 2015/16/17/18/19 showing our paychecks going into the same account.

What are the exact dates on the bank statements for the savings?

Under relationship evidence:
You only need 1 photo - it's just to prove you've met in person. 
If you live together, you don't include messages to one another.  That's only for people who are doing long distance.
Keep the joint tax returns
Take out the Geico items, and property tax items.  The tax returns are "the gold standard" and perfectly adequate

DEFINITELY take out the bank statements, payslips, etc.  You will confuse the Entry Clearance Officer and they may think you are using employment to apply. 

KF

The dates are January 13th to July 14th, 182 days according to google.

I will take out the payslips to prevent out that confusion, in addition to messages.

It feels a little risky just supplying one photo along with tax returns, so i may include them .

Thanks for your help! Cant believe its almost here.

It feels a little risky just supplying one photo along with tax returns, so i may include them .

The photo is not to prove your relationship, it’s to show you have met at least 1 time in person.

They just need to tick a box to say they have seen a photo of you and your spouse together (no one else needs to be in the photo). You don’t get a bigger tick for sending more than 1 photo.



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It feels a little risky just supplying one photo along with tax returns, so i may include them .

Honestly, if you're feeling really nervous about it, supply 2 photos (your wedding and a recent family photo of you all together). There is absolutely no need to supply 16 photos, however, as it will be overkill. All this will do is add extra clutter into the submission stack for the ECO to have to wade through. As Ksand said, it won't give you a bigger tick in the box so is really not necessary to do and is just more work for yourself (and the ECO) with no added benefit.

Got it, however its already printed and ready to go. I guess I will try and reduce it down.

KF

The dates are January 13th to July 14th, 182 days according to google.

I will take out the payslips to prevent out that confusion, in addition to messages.

It feels a little risky just supplying one photo along with tax returns, so i may include them .

Thanks for your help! Cant believe its almost here.

Perfect.

If it helps, back in the day my husband and I applied in person.  I had a photo of us attached to the application and the officer made me remove it from my application before taking it.  She also had me remove all of my paper clips and post it notes.  It killed me a little inside.  LOL.  That was before I found the forum though.  I get it now.

Thanks for everything, we can apply in T minus 3 hours (midnight central time).

I have double, triple, quadruple checked everything and I think we are ready.

Good luck

Perfect.

If it helps, back in the day my husband and I applied in person.  I had a photo of us attached to the application and the officer made me remove it from my application before taking it.  She also had me remove all of my paper clips and post it notes.  It killed me a little inside.  LOL.  That was before I found the forum though.  I get it now.

Holy crap I'm furious.

6th and final HSBC statement placed in the mail via FEDEX on July 16th, biometrics was on July 18th and now FEDEX state they have basically lost the envelope containing the statement.

What to do?

1. Send in a copy of the online statement that looks very very similar but is missing barcodes and random numbers on the footer/header and hope UKVI dont notice.

2. Send in a copy of the online statement with a letter explaining why and then as soon as Fed Ex find the missing envelope with the statement, send that to VFS too

3. Wait for Fed Ex to find the envelope (which maybe never) go past the 5 days and then explain why its late.

4. Keep the original HSBC statements out of the application and just use the online PDFs they provide which look just like the originals except for  2 barcodes and some numbers in yhe header/footer area.


Regardless of anything, this almost guarantees my wife will miss the kids 1st days in British school. It's my birthday today, mine and the kids last day in the USA today and the weather is sh*t.

Holy crap I'm furious.

6th and final HSBC statement placed in the mail via FEDEX on July 16th, biometrics was on July 18th and now FEDEX state they have basically lost the envelope containing the statement.

What to do?

1. Send in a copy of the online statement that looks very very similar but is missing barcodes and random numbers on the footer/header and hope UKVI dont notice.

2. Send in a copy of the online statement with a letter explaining why and then as soon as Fed Ex find the missing envelope with the statement, send that to VFS too

3. Wait for Fed Ex to find the envelope (which maybe never) go past the 5 days and then explain why its late.

4. Keep the original HSBC statements out of the application and just use the online PDFs they provide which look just like the originals except for  2 barcodes and some numbers in yhe header/footer area.


Regardless of anything, this almost guarantees my wife will miss the kids 1st days in British school. It's my birthday today, mine and the kids last day in the USA today and the weather is sh*t.

I know it doesn't help, but this is why we always say to not apply until you have EVERYTHING in hand.

I would wait for the final statement and send after the 5 days.  We've never seen anyone refused for sending their documents late.

DO NOT send a second package later.  They won't get linked up and you'll be looking at a refusal.

Sorry you are going through this.  Just wait until you have everything ready to go in a single package, then send.

I know it doesn't help, but this is why we always say to not apply until you have EVERYTHING in hand.

I would wait for the final statement and send after the 5 days.  We've never seen anyone refused for sending their documents late.

DO NOT send a second package later.  They won't get linked up and you'll be looking at a refusal.

Sorry you are going through this.  Just wait until you have everything ready to go in a single package, then send.

Well i sent the packet sans the 6th statement and it was accepted july 24th in NY.

Today I woke up to a glorious text message that the statement is being delivered today.

My wife hopped on thr VFS website and document upload is still available, should we upload just that document to the vfs portal OR UPS it to NY.

Well i sent the packet sans the 6th statement and it was accepted july 24th in NY.

Today I woke up to a glorious text message that the statement is being delivered today.

My wife hopped on thr VFS website and document upload is still available, should we upload just that document to the vfs portal OR UPS it to NY.

Honestly cross your fingers and hope for the best.

You’ve charged forward on your own path here.  Hopefully it all works out in your favour. 

Yep we have the TOR, upackweship.com have been great!

Maybe I should include a copy of the kids British passport photo page, just to solidify that they are citizens?

We are using upackweship as well, and so far they have been great for us too. I'm using 3 crates, and if all goes well they will be picked up on the 30th of July.

I hope your move goes well.

Honestly cross your fingers and hope for the best.

You’ve charged forward on your own path here.  Hopefully it all works out in your favour. 

I like extra anxiety.



Evidential flexibility as explained here gives me hope.


https://immigrationbarrister.co.uk/evidential-flexibility-under-appendix-fm-of-the-immigration-rules/

We shall see how it all pans out.