Spouse Visa Extension - question(s)

Hi - our friends directed my husband and me to this site, and we've found it so helpful as we prepare to file for our visa extension. We had a bit of a tricky go at the first application, so are trying to be extra prepared this time around and would be grateful if anyone had any ideas or thoughts on the below?

Address changes
We have moved x3 times since I have arrived in the UK, from my husband's original flat to a larger one in London and most recently back up to Glasgow to be closer to his family. We have proof of address changes, etc., but wondered if there is a certain way we should highlight these moves for clarity? 

Name changes
I have not legally changed my surname to my husband's name, as my BRP was issued in my maiden name, however, I professionally go by my husband's surname as I wait to legally change my US passport, etc. Our documentations have a few varieties between my names (Maggie v Margaret) and Roth (maiden) v Gordon (husbands) and wonder if this will pose an issue? My work has clarified in their support letter that professionally I go by Maggie Gordon but my official name (on my US passport) is Margaret Gordon - any advice on this?

x6 documents v x12 documents
We have seen conflicting advice on needing x12 documents total in each of our names versus x6 official documents in both of our names from three different official sources - do we need to provide both x12 and x6/could it be a combination of both of these?

Really appreciate the help Thank you!

Hi - our friends directed my husband and me to this site, and we've found it so helpful as we prepare to file for our visa extension. We had a bit of a tricky go at the first application, so are trying to be extra prepared this time around and would be grateful if anyone had any ideas or thoughts on the below?

Address changes
We have moved x3 times since I have arrived in the UK, from my husband's original flat to a larger one in London and most recently back up to Glasgow to be closer to his family. We have proof of address changes, etc., but wondered if there is a certain way we should highlight these moves for clarity? 

Name changes
I have not legally changed my surname to my husband's name, as my BRP was issued in my maiden name, however, I professionally go by my husband's surname as I wait to legally change my US passport, etc. Our documentations have a few varieties between my names (Maggie v Margaret) and Roth (maiden) v Gordon (husbands) and wonder if this will pose an issue? My work has clarified in their support letter that professionally I go by Maggie Gordon but my official name (on my US passport) is Margaret Gordon - any advice on this?

x6 documents v x12 documents
We have seen conflicting advice on needing x12 documents total in each of our names versus x6 official documents in both of our names from three different official sources - do we need to provide both x12 and x6/could it be a combination of both of these?

Really appreciate the help Thank you!

Hi Maggie, welcome. 

It's 6 documents in each name over most recent 2 years from at least 3 sources. It could be 6 joint or 6 in each name separately making 12 individual pieces of mail. Most usually it's a combination of both.

Name is not a problem as long as it is explained.

Address changes are not an issue either, You'll just want to enter somewhere the 'from-to' for each address.

Thank you so much - that's all very helpful! One more question (if I may), we know that paperwork should be spread out evenly over x4 months for the official correspondence, but what happens if we don't have paperwork that is equally in those dates? For example, our council tax bill that was mailed to us for the entire 2019 time period and dated August 2019 which is not in the equal split of the months (since we're doing Feb 2018, June 2018, October 2018, Feb 2019 and onward until June 2020...).

Appreciate any insight on how to best showcase these official documents? Thank you!

Thank you so much - that's all very helpful! One more question (if I may), we know that paperwork should be spread out evenly over x4 months for the official correspondence, but what happens if we don't have paperwork that is equally in those dates? For example, our council tax bill that was mailed to us for the entire 2019 time period and dated August 2019 which is not in the equal split of the months (since we're doing Feb 2018, June 2018, October 2018, Feb 2019 and onward until June 2020...).

Appreciate any insight on how to best showcase these official documents? Thank you!

You do need to spread them out evenly. We recommend having at least one item each, usually this will be a bank statement, coming in every single month so you don't face this problem.
You can always move all the dates up or down a month if your ideal timing is not possible

Welcome to the forum .

Thank you so much - that's all very helpful! One more question (if I may), we know that paperwork should be spread out evenly over x4 months for the official correspondence, but what happens if we don't have paperwork that is equally in those dates? For example, our council tax bill that was mailed to us for the entire 2019 time period and dated August 2019 which is not in the equal split of the months (since we're doing Feb 2018, June 2018, October 2018, Feb 2019 and onward until June 2020...).

Ideally you will have turned off paperless for everything as soon as you arrived in the UK and saved all your mail for the last 2.5 years. If you get everything in the post (including things like bank statements) then you should have something you can use for every single month, so you can just pick and choose the documents for the months you need.

You only go back 2 years, so if you are applying in August 2020, then you need documents from the following months:
August 2018
December 2018
April 2019
August 2019
December 2019
April 2020
August 2020

Or alternatively, you would probably be okay with using:
July 2018
November 2018
March 2019
July 2019
November 2019
March 2020
July 2020

Thanks so much for the above information - so helpful! Could I confirm that I understand this correctly based on the below? We have some joint documents and some individual ones, as listed below?

As for the dates, my BRP expires in October 24 2020, and I arrived in the UK in February 2018- so would it be right to assume I could apply 28 days before then, so in September, so could the following months work?

June 2018
- joint bank statement
- husband GP letter
- my GP letter

October 2018
- joint bank statement
- joint council tax bill

February 2019
- joint bank statement
- joint council tax bill

June 2019
- joint bank statement
- letter addressed to me from criminal justice system to be a witness to a crime

October 2019
- joint bank statement

February 2020
- joint bank statement

June 2020
- joint bank statement
- joint royal mail change of address form
- my husband's change of tax code

October 2020 - would I need this month as well?

- joint bank statement

Thanks so much for the above information - so helpful! Could I confirm that I understand this correctly based on the below? We have some joint documents and some individual ones, as listed below?

As for the dates, my BRP expires in October 24 2020, and I arrived in the UK in February 2018- so would it be right to assume I could apply 28 days before then, so in September, so could the following months work?

You can apply up to 28 days before you reach 30 months in the UK. So, if you arrived in the UK in February 2018, you will reach 30 months in the UK in August 2020, so you have been eligible to apply since July 2020. Which means you can apply online any time from today up until October 24 2020.

If you apply this month (August), you will need mail from the following months:
August 2018
December 2018
April 2019
August 2019
December 2019
April 2020
August 2020

If you apply in September, you will need mail from the following months:
September 2018
January 2019
May 2019
September 2019
January 2019
May 2020
September 2020

If you apply in October, you can use the following mail from the ones you've listed:
October 2018
1. joint council tax bill  (Source 1)

February 2019
2. joint bank statement (Source 2)

June 2019
3. joint bank statement

October 2019
4. joint bank statement

February 2020
5. joint bank statement

June 2020
6. joint royal mail change of address form (Source 3)

October 2020 - Yes, you should use this month too
7 joint bank statement

So, if you don't have enough mail to meet the requirements for August, December and April each year, or for September, January and May each year, then you may have to wait until October to apply, so you can use the documents from October, February and June.

Thanks so much for your insights - that is all so helpful! My work has written a letter (as did my husband's work), mine is dated July and my husband's is August - did these need to be redone and dated for October as well? Or does that not matter as these are just supplementary documents?

Thanks so much for your insights - that is all so helpful! My work has written a letter (as did my husband's work), mine is dated July and my husband's is August - did these need to be redone and dated for October as well? Or does that not matter as these are just supplementary documents?

Are the work letters for the financial requirement? If so, they are not just supplementary, they are absolutely mandatory, and must be dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online in October.

Whose income will you be using in order to meet the financial requirement?

If one of you earns £18,600 or more on your own (and meets the requirements with your income), then you only need to include one set of financial documents.

If neither of you earns £18,600 on your own, then you will need to combine your incomes to meet the requirements and will need to send 2 set of financial documents.

The mandatory financial documents are:
1. 6 full months of payslips (usually 7 months are including to make sure you cover every single day of the 6 months)
2. 6 full months of bank statements showing the deposit of every single payslip (usually 7 months are including to make sure you cover every single day of the 6 months)
3. employer letter stating ALL of the following:
i) current employment and salary
ii) length of employment
iii) length of time earning current salary
iv) type of employment

Optional but recommended documents:
4. Original job contract
5. Latest P60

The most recent payslip and bank statement, plus the employer letter, must all be dated no more than 28 days before the date you submit your online application.

Many thanks for this clarification - we both (individually) earn well above the £18,600, but we thought perhaps it might be best to show letters from both employers, with the additional documents you have listed below. Do you know if it's helpful to include both or more problematic? As I say, we are being overly cautious due to our original finance denial a few years ago.

Should the payslips correlate with the months we have provided below (those equally spaced out by 4)? Or should we include one payslip per month since I moved to the UK? We will also include the P60s and original job contracts. My husband switched jobs recently, so we were planning on providing letters from both of his employers - would you agree?

Thanks!

Many thanks for this clarification - we both (individually) earn well above the £18,600, but we thought perhaps it might be best to show letters from both employers, with the additional documents you have listed below. Do you know if it's helpful to include both or more problematic? As I say, we are being overly cautious due to our original finance denial a few years ago.

No, including both when you don't need to makes your application more complicated... because it means you're sending unnecessary paperwork, and therefore there is more chance of a mistake being made with the documents you provide - either when you gather them, or when UKVI go through them - which could lead to an unnecessary refusal.

As long as one income is above £18,600, they don't care about any other income. In fact, when people used to be able to apply in person, and they had both sets of financial documents with them, UKVI would only look at one set and would refuse to look at the other one.

So, the best thing to do is decide which income you would prefer to use... for example, if one has more straightforward payslips or is easier to show, or if one of you has been with your current employer less than 6 months, it makes it more complicated to use their income as they have to meet 2 requirements and not just 1 requirement, so it's better to use the other income... .. and then ONLY provide the documents for that income.

Should the payslips correlate with the months we have provided below (those equally spaced out by 4)? Or should we include one payslip per month since I moved to the UK? We will also include the P60s and original job contracts.We will also include the P60s and original job contracts. My husband switched jobs recently, so we were planning on providing letters from both of his employers - would you agree?

No, I listed the requirements above.

You provide the following:

If you have been with your employer more than 6 months, earning at least £18,600 with that same employer for all of that time, you apply under Category A and provide:
- 6 full months of payslips ending no more than 28 days before the online application date - this normally means including 7 months of payslips to cover every single day of the 6 months.
-- 6 full months of bank statements ending no more than 28 days before the online application date  - this normally means including 7 months of payslips to cover every single day of the 6 months.
- employer letter dated no more than 28 days before the online application date stating the information I listed above
- job contract
- P60

If you have been with your current employer LESS THAN 6 months, you have to meet Category B instead, which has 2 requirements:
- your current income is £18,600 or more before tax with your current employer
AND
- you have earned at least £18,600 in total before tax in the last 12 months from any and all jobs held.
Which means you provide:
- 12 full months of payslips showing total pre-tax income of £18,600 (13 months usually needed to cover every single day)
- 12 full months of bank statements showing every payslip (13 months usually needed to cover every single day)
- letter from CURRENT employer ONLY stating all the information above
- job contract for new job
- latest P60

So, if your income meets Category A and your husband's new job means he has to meet Category B, then it'll be easier to just use your income only and apply under Category A.

If using your income and you are applying in October, then you will need the following payslips and bank statements
1. March 2020
2. April 2020
3. May 2020
4. June 2020
5. July 2020
6. August 2020
7. September 2020

If using your husband's income under Category B, you will need the following payslips and bank statements:
1. September 2019
2. October 2019
3. November 2019
4. December 2019
5. January 2020
6. February 2020
7. March 2020
8. April 2020
9. May 2020
10. June 2020
11. July 2020
12. August 2020
13. September 2020

If any of the payslips are electronic and printed off, then each one must be verified in the employer letter.

If any of the bank statements are electronic and printed off at home, they must either be stamped/signed by the bank on every page or accompanied by a letter from the bank confirming their authenticity.

You can have a look here regarding how to meet the financial requirements and what documents are required and in what format here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/901579/appendix-fm-1-7-financial-requirement-v2.0-gov-uk.pdf
and
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-se-family-members-specified-evidence

This is all very helpful - thanks so much!!

Me (again) sorry! When it comes to the official documentation, some of the PDF bills have the date, header, and names on it - is this enough? Or did it need to be physically mailed to us to then scan into the computer to submit? I am just trying to figure out what the difference would be between the two! THANKS

Me (again) sorry! When it comes to the official documentation, some of the PDF bills have the date, header, and names on it - is this enough? Or did it need to be physically mailed to us to then scan into the computer to submit? I am just trying to figure out what the difference would be between the two! THANKS

All the correspondence documents must have been physically mailed to you in the months they were issued.

The reason for this is that you are using the documents to prove you were both physically living in the house on those dates and were therefore able to receive the mail in person.

Online/PDF documents do not prove this because you could have been living anywhere (or living apart) at the time they were issued and still have received them electronically.


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Got it! Were we supposed to keep the envelopes they were mailed in?....