Spousal Visa Extension queries

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone is safe and well. This page has already helped us so much whilst navigating the scary waters of visa applications and it is so appreciated. My wife received her first spousal visa in 2018 and now it is time for us to re-approach the most anxious months I think we all feel.

With Covid I am currently feeling particularly lost and if you could help with the below questions that would be a great help.

1) My Wife's visa is set to expire in May of this year so we are planning on submitting our application to extend the spousal visa within the next week. Is that the correct time frame?

2) As we will most likely apply at the beginning of February we are enclosing documents for the following months:
- January 2019
- April 2019
- July 2019
- October 2019
- January 2020
- April 2020
- July 2020
- October 2020
- January 2021.
Would these be the correct months? We are including either 1 joint letter as proof or 2 individual letters for each of the Months and ensuring we use at least 4 sources.

3) In terms of cost, am I right in thinking that it would be just over £1500 for the application and £1600 for the NHS surcharge, or are there some other elements to take into account?

4) In terms of applying, do we complete an application and then scan all of the documents straight away? My wife did her biometrics when she first entered the country in 2018 but do we need to go to a center again to update this?

I am sorry If some of these are quite obvious, I just wanted to be sure we don't mess anything up.

Any help is always greatly appreciated.

Thank you 

Welcome back .

1) My Wife's visa is set to expire in May of this year so we are planning on submitting our application to extend the spousal visa within the next week. Is that the correct time frame?

What date in 2018 did she enter the UK? That date will determine when you can submit her application.

The earliest date she can submit the online application is 28 days before she reaches 30 months (2.5 years) in the UK. The latest date is the expiry date of her visa.

So, you need to work out what date she will reach 30 months here (starting from the date she entered on her 30-day visa vignette) and then count back 28 days from then.

2) As we will most likely apply at the beginning of February we are enclosing documents for the following months:
- January 2019
- April 2019
- July 2019
- October 2019
- January 2020
- April 2020
- July 2020
- October 2020
- January 2021.
Would these be the correct months? We are including either 1 joint letter as proof or 2 individual letters for each of the Months and ensuring we use at least 4 sources.

The requirements are:
- 1 document in each name (either 1 joint or 2 individual) dated every 4 months
- from at least 3 different sources

So, you will need documents from the following months:
January 2019
May 2019
September 2019
January 2020
May 2020
September 2020
January 2021

3) In terms of cost, am I right in thinking that it would be just over £1500 for the application and £1600 for the NHS surcharge, or are there some other elements to take into account?

Not quite. The visa fee is £1,033 (plus £19.20 for biometrics which is added to this) and the NHS surcharge is £1,560.

You may need to pay for a biometrics appointment (up to £135) if there are no free appointments available.

4) In terms of applying, do we complete an application and then scan all of the documents straight away? My wife did her biometrics when she first entered the country in 2018 but do we need to go to a center again to update this?

Biometrics must be given every single time you apply for a visa. This is to update your photo/fingerprints and to confirm you are the same person who applied last time.

The timeline for applying is:
- gather all your documents
- check and double-check that you have everything
- complete the online application, paying the IHS surcharge when you are prompted to
- when ready to submit it, submit the online application and pay the visa fee
- you will then be sent an email with a code to register on the UKVCAS website
- register on the UKVCAS website
- book a biometrics appointment on the UKVCAS website (you may need to keep checking for appointment availability)
- upload your documents to the UKVCAS website before you attend the biometrics appointment (or you can pay extra when you book the appointment to have them scan your documents for you)
- attend biometrics
- wait for the visa to be processed and the new BRP to be mailed to you

Thank you for the quick response and the information. This is a great help.

Her date of issue was 16-08-2018 and expires 22-05-2021 so would this mean we should apply on 23-04-2021? I feel like I have been reading for days and all the information has become a large ball of confusion . Wouldnt February be the 30th Month for her stay?

Great with the documents. We have created quite an extensive filling system since 2018 haha.

Great news with the financial side. I will make sure we have that covers.

Also, just to follow up, to make sure we meet the financial evidence, should we both include bank statements and payslips for the past 6 months?


Thank you again.

Her date of issue was 16-08-2018 and expires 22-05-2021 so would this mean we should apply on 23-04-2021? I feel like I have been reading for days and all the information has become a large ball of confusion . Wouldnt February be the 30th Month for her stay?

What was the exact date she physically entered the UK (what date was stamped in her passport by immigration when she got off the plane)?

That is the date that matters when it comes to working out when she can apply, as you count 30 months from that date.

So, say she entered the UK on 18th August 2018. She will reach 30 months in the UK on 18th February 2021... which means she can submit her online application at any time from 21st January 2021 (28 days before 18th Feb)

However, if she didn't enter the UK until, say, 12th September, she won't reach 30 months until 12th March, which means she can't apply online until 12th February 2021 at the earliest (28 days before 12th March).

Also, just to follow up, to make sure we meet the financial evidence, should we both include bank statements and payslips for the past 6 months?

Assuming you meet Category A (you have been with your current employer for at least 6 months and have been earning £18,600 or more for all of that time), then you must provide:

Mandatory Documents
- 6 FULL months of payslips showing at least £1,550 before tax on each one (assuming you are salaried) - normally this means including 7 months' worth to cover every single day of the 6 months. The latest payslip must be dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online.

- 6 FULL months of bank statements showing the deposit of every single payslip - normally this means including 7 months' worth to cover every single day of the 6 months. The latest bank statement must be dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online.

- A letter from your employer, dated no more than 28 days before the date you apply online, 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 (full- or part-time, permanent or temporary

Optional but recommended documents
- job contract
- latest P60

If you are Category B (you've been with your current employer less than 6 months and/or have not been earning £18,600 for a full 6 months yet), then it's the same documents as above, but you need 12 FULL months of payslips and bank statements instead of 6 months.

O I see, perfect. She arrived on the 4th of September. So I think if we organize all of our documents this weekend and then submit them next week, either the 5th or 6th of February then that would work well?

Yes, we would both fall into category A so I will include bank accounts and payslips for both of us and letters from our employers. We will also include our contracts and P60s.

This has been very insightful, thank you. Just one more question if that is ok. In terms of uploading the documents, are pictures of each document ok to upload and also downloaded documents, or do we need to find a way to scan them in?

O I see, perfect. She arrived on the 4th of September. So I think if we organize all of our documents this weekend and then submit them next week, either the 5th or 6th of February then that would work well?

Okay, if she arrived on 4th September, you can submit the online application at any time between 4th February and 22nd May 2021.

Don't try to rush it though, just for the sake of applying next week. It can sometimes take a few weeks to collect all the documents and make sure you have everything in order, and you don't want to apply quickly and then find you don't have something important.

Yes, we would both fall into category A so I will include bank accounts and payslips for both of us and letters from our employers. We will also include our contracts and P60s.

If you both make over £18,600 individually, you should NOT include both incomes.

They only need to verify that ONE of you meets the requirement with your ONE income, so you only need to include the employment details for one of you, and send one set of financial documents.

So, you just need to decide between you whose income is easiest to use... for example:
- if one of you gets paper payslips and/or bank statements, and the other gets electronic ones, then use the income for which you have paper documents (as if they are electronic they all need to be verified by the employer/bank).
Or
- if one of you is salaried and one is non-salaried, it may be easier to use the salaried income (as they are calculated differently)

And then you only fill out that person's employment information on the application form, leaving the other person's employment details blank, and only provide the payslips, bank statements, employer letter etc. for that person's income.

If you include both employment details, then you will be required to send double the number of financial documents (one set for each of you), which complicates things for the person deciding your application as it means more work for them, and leaves you at higher risk of refusal in the case that a document is missing or doesn't meet the formatting requirements.

This has been very insightful, thank you. Just one more question if that is ok. In terms of uploading the documents, are pictures of each document ok to upload and also downloaded documents, or do we need to find a way to scan them in?

Have a read of the scanning and upload requirements here (page 18):
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/soprasteria-ukvi-prd-ukvcas/FAQ.pdf

Yeah, good thinking. We will be sure that we have all documents before sending everything through.

In that case, we will include my wife's salary. That is the bank account we get paper statements. That makes a lot of sense.

I just had a look then. Thank you for sharing that link. Now the hunt for a scanner begins haha.

Thank you again for this. I am sure I will be back soon with my head spinning but I really appreciate it. You have really helped put my mind at ease.

Yeah, good thinking. We will be sure that we have all documents before sending everything through.

In that case, we will include my wife's salary. That is the bank account we get paper statements. That makes a lot of sense.

I just had a look then. Thank you for sharing that link. Now the hunt for a scanner begins haha.

Thank you again for this. I am sure I will be back soon with my head spinning but I really appreciate it. You have really helped put my mind at ease.

Most smartphones can scan using their cameras! I scanned all my docs with my iPhone using the native scanning function in the Files app!  We have an actual scanner and I didn’t even bother with it cause using my phone was easier.


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Hi Alisonr,

Thank you for this. I will give it a try.

I was actually curious about something. With a lot of our documents, I.E bank statements/payslips, we get them online. In order to get them verified would we need to contact the bank to send up additional paper documents? Also with my employer, do you know if a letter detailing that all of the documents are valid or would I need someone at the company to sign each one and send them to me as a physical copy?

Thank you again.

Samson

The requirements are...

For bank statements:

(a) Bank statements must:

(v) be:
(1) on official bank stationery;
or
(2) electronic bank statements which are either accompanied by a letter from the bank on its headed stationery confirming that the documents are authentic or which bear the official stamp of the issuing bank on every page.

For payslips:

(bb) Payslips must be:
(i) formal payslips issued by the employer and showing the employer’s name;
or
(ii) accompanied by a letter from the employer, on the employer’s headed paper and signed by a senior official, confirming the payslips are authentic;

From Appendix FM-SE:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-se-family-members-specified-evidence


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Thank you Ksand24,

That makes a lot of sense ad is clear. Thank you