globalThailand

Slightly off topic (but I  don't want to keep posting new threads) 

Appendix 2... A few questions

1. Am I going mad or is there nowhere they ask for the applicants details, nor ask the applicant to sign?
2. (Q1.27) Does your sponsor have any children?... yes... with the applicant... Odd that they don't ask that
3. (Q3.47) If your sponsor has not been employed by the same employer [...]?  Guidance says answer yes or no to an IF question...? it's not relevant.  Leave blank?

Thanks all

Ouch... not sure I'd like to be in either position. 

This whole process really has opened my eyes to a lot of absurdities.  A Spanish friend of mine went back home with his Thai wife for 3 months, got a job in London, paid £65 for a 5 year residency card for his Mrs.  At the current prices I'll need to pay around 3 grand over the next 5 years for the same privilege (2 visas and 5 years health surcharge) and jump a considerable number of other hoops...

Many thanks 7by7, and to rasg for the pm example.

There were a couple of key points that I hadn't put in to the letter (son has British passport and the initial accommodation arrangement).  It's info that's already in the supporting evidence but a short summary in the letter is a great idea.

Re. the list of supporting evidence I was going to have some kind of index, like a cover page for each segment.  Actually was gonna ask for suggestions on the 'final presentation' at some point soon.  A ring binder?  Divided file folders?

Oh My... this is a suggested letter from  Canadian Immigration Consultants

It reads like some dodgy Nicholas Sparks novel!

Nearly there!  Just waiting on the English test certificate and we'll be ready to apply

I'm now writing up the sponsor's letter and I'd like to get some general pointers.  I've gone through some of the older threads and done some Googlefoo but there are a wild range of opinions on the approach - from the robot factual dates and times of meetings to the hackneyed romantic novella.

What I have so far is fairly simple and honest.  I haven't gone into any history of where we met (we're married, have lived together for 7 years and have a child, which I think is what's relevant).  I'm more focused on the 'now' - the fact I have to leave to take up a job in the UK meaning we'll be separated... being away from my boy for at least a few weeks is going to be hard!

Any thoughts?  Do I need to put in obvious facts that are already in the application (eg I, Mr X, {D.o.B} am a UK citizen {passport No XYZ} am writing in support of [...]) Or can I simply put my name {I, Mr X, am writing in support of [...]}

Thanks all

Many thanks for the clarification 7by7.

It seems like I was over thinking things and chasing my own tail!  My understanding was I had to show what my outgoings would be (housing / council tax) despite already meeting the £18600 financial requirement.  An extreme example would be that I return home to rent a luxurious mansion that I clearly couldn't afford.

Looking into it further, and thanks to 7by7, that's not the case.  My mum has already sent through her letter and council tax info (which, while not relevant, it at least shows proof of address)

...I'm off to look for some luxurious mansion to rent! :)

Ooooh....

Quote

Adequate maintenance must be met by the following categories in Part 8 of the Immigration Rules where an applicant may rely on transitional provisions:

 

Spouses and civil partners:

Paragraph 284 – Limited Leave to Remain

Paragraph 284

So this is not necessary for the initial visa, but for the 2nd visa in a couple of years?

Yeah, its the settlement for spouse - the initial step... Unless I have misunderstood something the ECO has to consider if the applicant will have adequate maintenance and accommodation  without recourse to public funds.

Jumping in with another question, this time on what evidence is needed to show adequate maintenance.   I've been so focused on getting evidence to support the accommodation part of the equation that I haven't given the maintenance part much thought.

I meet the financial requirement but looking again at the guidance notes and the voodoo maths they use, I realise that's not enough. 

We'll be living for a short time with my mum, so I don't have any official rental agreement.  She is disabled and receives housing / council tax benefits.  I'm aware the benefits will be reduced as I'm a non-dependent and will obviously pay my mum the shortfall. 

I found some info here Appendix-FM-SE (12A)

Quote

(f) The monthly housing and Council Tax costs for the accommodation in the UK in which the applicant (and any other family members who are or will be part of the same household) lives or will live if the application is granted.

So, evidence of rent and council tax... anything else? Does mum need to explicitly say in a sponsor letter that we have an agreement that I will pay?

18 hours ago, Shaymaa said:

Hi,

I am from Palestine and I am having the same problem regarding worldpay. it says ''Sorry, there was a problem processing your payment'' every-time i want to pay my visa application fees. I am running out of time and they keep cancelling my appointment because I could not pay. I already paid my health insurance. In an attempt to avoid this problem, I started another new application but they wanted me to pay for a new HIF again. Please help 

 

That is alarming!

If you are outside the UK you can contact UKVI here https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-outside-uk

If you applying for someone and you are inside the UK https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi/technical-problems-when-applying-online

Good luck with that - keep us posted

Well... I have a PDF of the previous application and even with copy/paste it took a long time to get through the bulk of the application... hope I don't have to do that again!

I do have a question for those with experience >>

My wife is still working at the time of application.  In the employment section  should I put in the current job?  She's obviously going to quit soon so do I put 'supported by spouse'.. or 'unemployed'

It's the 16th December but we still have the same warning about paying before the 15th lol

Just making a start on the online application form -  when I selected the type of visa I got this popup

Quote

WorldPay, our online payment merchant, is introducing new payment pages on 15th December.
If you make a visa application but your payment(s) are declined and you fail to make a valid online payment before 15th December then you will need to make a new visa application.

...I'm assuming I'd need to complete the form and pay tonight, else I will need to start again?  Am I reading that right?  Anyone else read that differently?

Uff... so I figured I'd make a start with the online application.  Once I select the settlement / wife visa type the dialogue opens up saying I must also complete appendix 2 and the su07 form, which they have links to... and one of the links is broken. 

I found it, no probs... but really?!  I used online application for visit visas at least 3 years back and there is still a 'BETA: This is the new UK visa application website.' warning on the site header.  What does the excessive application fees actually get spent on?

Many thanks rasg!

Btw, I asked UKVI directly again using the online help form... (with a lot less waffle - much more direct) and the response I got was

Quote

With regards to your query, please see the following link for guidance when applying for a UK visa for family settlement:

... and the link was broken.  404 - Page not found.

Many thanks all for your thoughts on this

9 hours ago, rasg said:

I just signed mine. No issues getting the visa.

Rasg, may I ask, was that for a settlement visa or a visit visa?

Yeah, that seems to be about right.  I can't find any official information that it's a requirement, though a number of people recommend it.  I used the UKVI help contact form https://ukvi-international.faq-help.com/ and posed the question, to which the one sentence response was....

Quote

You’ll need to provide a certified translation of any documents that aren’t in English or Welsh.

Which, is...well... information that I knew and in no way answered my question. 

I'll try rephrasing the question again, with a bit less waffle (I tend to waffle...) and see what response I get... though I'm leaning towards getting it officially stamped at the embassy for safety's sake.  Adds another £50 to everything else this will cost!

Thanks again for the info theoldgit

...but how do I know I am trustworthy and of good character?

But seriously though, does that mean the copy is legally certified?

Many thanks again 7by7.  Seems like the B1 would have been a good idea and perhaps saved a little cash (in this ever increasing expensive endeavour)

That being said the added pressure of passing a more difficult test would probably be the end for me... this process is stressful enough as it is!

Back again with another question on spouse visa application!

I've heard that I will need to get my (read: the sponsor's) passport photocopies legally certified.   For the half dozen visit visas I've done in the past I've just signed each photocopied page.  Can anyone confirm that the legal certification is required or just recommended? 

If so, I'm assuming the best place to do that is the Embassy Notarial Service though I'm concerned that the "[...] fee is determined by the number of pages requiring certification" could end up costing an arm and a leg seeing as one signature costs 25 quid from the embassy.

Would anyone have experience of this?  Know what that might end up costing at the embassy?  Or have any other (reputable) alternatives?

Many thanks in advance.

Many thanks 7by7!  I've spoken to my dear old ma and we'll be contacting the council tomorrow. :)

I've had some contrary opinion to Point 2 but I've scoured through the link you sent and the criteria the ECO considers is laid out pretty clear.  As I mentioned in another thread these guidance notes are clear, but complex - and you often bump into clauses that negate a prior clause... just hope I don't bump into some technicality as I continue down the rabbit hole!

Quote

 

The ECO must be satisfied as to:

• The availability and adequacy of accommodation (see MAA14 below).
• That (where applicable) the permission of the owner of the accommodation has been given
• No additional public funds will be necessary for accommodating the applicant in cases where the sponsor lives in accommodation from public funds. (see guidance on public funds - MAA2)

 

That is interesting.  My wife will be applying soon and I was really shocked at the price.  7by7 makes some good points, and the 173 quid average is surely an over simplification of the truth but I can't see how a £1200 price tag can be justified...  Top lawyers musing over the application for a week? O.o

What upsets me more is that after 33 months you have to do the whole thing again, to get another 33 month extension, before you get ILR... that seems totally arbitrary to me

Hi All,

I've spent the last week or so gathering info on getting a 'family of a settled person' (Aka. Spouse visa) for my wife.  I've lived in Thailand for 10 years, we married 7 years ago (officially registering around the birth of our son 2 years ago).  As far as I can see we meet the financial requirements (unless the pound suddenly jumps back to the 50 baht level!), my wife is about to take the English test (should be a breeze) and the TB test will be booked next week.  

The issue I have though is about the requirement of accommodation. I have accepted a job in Scotland and will start there early in the new year but, as I am still in Thailand, I haven't secured anywhere to live (and I don't really want to sign up a 12 month rental on a place I haven't seen).  I have family in the UK and my plan was to use my mum's address (with a letter of invitation / consent from her, of course) for the application.

However, I'm concerned about a couple of things if I go this route:

1.  The property is council owned. My mum has lived there 24 years, is an assured tenant, on disability living allowance.
2.   It's in north London... nowhere near the job offer!

Reading up on what the ECO considers as adequate accommodation my feeling is point 2) is pretty irrelevant - The house has enough spare bedrooms, meets the requirement laid out in the housing act 1985 -  it's proximity to my workplace shouldn't come under consideration.  Point 1) is what what worries me most.  As it is council property, my mum technically doesn't have the authority to give consent as to who lives there.
 

We are already resigned to the fact I will be heading back first (the language test and application length means a visa approval before early Jan is very unlikely).  My dilemma is, do I secure a place in Scotland first, then apply (meaning an even lengthier time apart from wife and child), or use my mum's place on the application?   If so, should we try to get a letter of consent from the housing association (even though really we'd only be there for a week at most before heading to Scotland)

Any advice would be much appreciated. Plus any suggestions on supporting evidence would be great.  Thanks in advance!

On 12/2/2016 at 10:37 PM, brewsterbudgen said:

I don't think A2 can be done in Thailand - only Life Skills A1 or B1.

That seems to be the case as far as I can see.  As I understand it, it's A1 for the initial 33 month visa and A2 (available only in the UK) for the 2nd 33 month FLR(M).

On 12/2/2016 at 5:56 PM, 7by7 said:

 

Bear in mind that once a pass has been used for a successful application it can, provided it is at or above the required level, be used again for all subsequent ones; even if the certificate has expired or the provider is no longer on the approved list.

 

See paragraph 32D of Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence,

<snip>

Thanks for the info 7by7... these gov guidance notes really do seem overly complex!  Paragraph 27(ii) seemed like the final word on the matter.

Quote

From Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence Para 27 regarding language requirement (bold is mine)

 

(ii) that test was an English language test in speaking and listening which is approved by the Secretary of State, as specified in Appendix O, and was taken no more than two years before the date of application and at a test centre approved by the Secretary of State as a Secure English Language Test Centre.

Anyway, I was worried we'd miss the test date window so we booked A1 for mid December.  Thanks again for the advice... I'm sure I'll be bugging the forums some more in the coming days as we get closer to submitting the application.

Thanks for the info 7by7.  After double checking the available dates for the General Test we opted for the Life Skills through British Council at the Landmark hotel

15 hours ago, 7by7 said:

<snip>

But for IELTS for UKVI the level starts at B1, not A1.

 

A heads up re. the levels offered.  It seems A1 is available and offered by the British Council (See here).  I'm pretty sure my wife would do fine at B1 level but since it's only valid for 2 years I think we'll get the required A1 and cross the B1 bridge when it's necessary.