uk settlement/spouse visa - supporting letter

[darren1971]

Working on the supporting letter for my partners uk settlement/spouse visa, and from past experience with visit visas know it is important to write a good one. I believe it is all in order and straightforward but I have concerns over our accommodation in the UK. Essentially I have live in accommodation supplied by my employer and outlined in my employment contract. My employment contract states I am allowed to use the accommodation for myself, my spouse and any dependents until my employment ends. My employer does not own the property he has a lease for the business, I will include a copy of his lease and a letter from him and the owner stating they have no objection to my wife living in the accommodation. I feel everything is in order but I'm also concerned the ECO may be confused and rather than clarify or request more information will just refuse the application.

 

Here is the supporting letter I have been preparing.

 

Settlement/Spouse visa application for S aka K

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

I would like to present some additional information in support of K's application.

 

PERSONAL DETAILS

I am 46 years old and a British national. I have one daughter M who is 18 years old and lives with her Mother A P in London. From 2009 to 2017 I ran The xxxxxxx public house, Priston with my then business partner A. In 2017 I left the partnership but remained at The xxxxxxx as a manager and head chef.

 

RELATIONSHIP HISTORY 

I first spoke to K online in March 2016. I was in Thailand at the time and we met and we went on a few dates together and really enjoyed each others company. We spent much of that first month together at the condo I was renting and planned to meet up again when I returned in 3 months time.

I returned again in July 2016 for a further month and we decided we would like to have a more permanent relationship together. We then spent three more one month trips together in Thailand (November 2016, March 2017, June 2017) and we travelled to Chiang Mai, Thaton, Chiang Dao, Phuket and Bangkok together.

In June 2017 we began making plans for a permanent future together and we discussed marriage and where we could live together. We decided that it would be best if K first come to the UK on a visit visa and see if she liked it here. We applied for a visit visa to the UK in June but unfortunately it was refused. The visa was refused because it was considered that our plans for marriage and K's lack of strong economic ties to Thailand may mean that K would not return at the end of the visa. We were both devastated by the refusal but decided we would re-apply straight away addressing the concerns of the ECO. K's second visit visa application was granted in September and she flew to the U.K to stay with me in October 2017.

K enjoyed her stay in the U.K much more than we anticipated, originally our plan was for her to stay for just one month because she helps her family a lot on the farm and I was not sure she would cope well with a U.K winter, but she was fine and after a call back to the family we all agreed she should stay as long as she wanted and would return to Thailand before her visit visa expired. Ket got to meet my parents who were visiting from Spain and they were both very happy that we were making plans to marry and live together. She also got a chance to meet my daughter  'Mia Littlewood' and some of my friends.

We returned to Thailand together in March 2018 and went on a holiday for 4 weeks to Phuket, Khao Lak, Bangkok and Jomtien. At the end of the month I had to return to work and finalise our plans to marry in Bangkok in July 2018. I returned to Thailand in July and we were married at the Amphur office in Bangkok, Ket had her TB test and sat her A1 English exam and we then went to visit her family and begin making plans for our Thai village wedding in 2020.

K and I are very much in love, happily married and looking forward to finally living together as a family in the UK. Ket does not work and she lives at home with her mother, her brother and his wife and their two children. She also has an older sister and a twin brother who don't live in the family home.

K is very committed to her family and loves them very much. Her father died when she was 14 and her mother's health is not the best. K finished school early to help out. She has had a couple of jobs over the years. Working on a rubber plantation and then a spa and at one point worked away from home in Bangkok in a restaurant. 

Before we met, her brother and sister-in-law were the main bread winners for the household like so many families in Thailand. I have been helping support her and I have been sending her money to help. I send her regular payments by international money transfer directly into her bank or into my Thai account which she has the ATM card for.

(I have included photos of K and I together, copies of money transfers, flight bookings and passport stamps showing my visits to Thailand)

 

INCOME

I am currently employed by Mr A as a manager/head chef at the xxxx public house and restaurant. My Salary is £19,000 a year plus gratuities and overtime as and when required. My contract of employment began on October 1st 2017 and is a permanent position.

(I have included my contract of employment, 6 months of bank statements, 6 months of pay slips and a letter from my employer Mr A)

 

ACCOMMODATION

I live at The xxxxxxxxx. My accommodation and utility bills are included with my employment and I am only liable to pay the Council tax. I share the accommodation with my friend and employer A. We share a 3 bedroom flat above the restaurant/pub and it has a private entrance. There is one double bedroom solely for A's use, one Double bedroom solely for me, my spouse, partner or dependents and one double bedroom for guests which A and I share. There is a shared family bathroom and a large kitchen/diner/lounge room that is also shared. Currently just A and I live here but K did stay whilst she was here on her UK visit visa and my daughter does stay occasionally in the guest bedroom.

(I have included a letter from A, my council tax bill, photos of the property and all rooms. I have also included a floor plan showing the room layout and approximate sizes.)

 

A holds the lease for The Ring O' Bells which includes the business premises and the accommodation above which we currently share. My contract of employment with A grants me (and my spouse/partner and dependents) use of the accommodation as long as I remain employed by him. 

(I have included a copy of the lease and a copy of my contract of employment and a letter from the landlord stating no objection to K living here)

 

Thank you for considering this application. If there is any other information you need in order to make your decision please contact either S (K) on xxxxxxxxx or myself, D. on +66 xxxxxxxx / +44 xxxxxxxx.

Yours faithfully,

D

[theoldgit]

To be frank, and it's only my opinion, there's far too much waffle in the first draft of your supporting letter, the decision maker in Sheffield will just need to be satisfied that you are legally married, have actually met, and meet the financial and accomodation requirements.

 

How you guys met and your relationship developed, her visa history and the fact that she's met some of your friends and your daughter are, again in my opinion, are only going to muddy the waters.

 

Of course you need to satisfy the decision maker that there is suitable accomodation but I really think you've over egged it.

[darren1971]

5 hours ago, theoldgit said:

To be frank, and it's only my opinion, there's far too much waffle in the first draft of your supporting letter, the decision maker in Sheffield will just need to be satisfied that you are legally married, have actually met, and meet the financial and accomodation requirements.

 

How you guys met and your relationship developed, her visa history and the fact that she's met some of your friends and your daughter are, again in my opinion, are only going to muddy the waters.

 

Of course you need to satisfy the decision maker that there is suitable accomodation but I really think you've over egged it.

That's what I thought too, I will go back and try and simplify it. Thank's

[darren1971]

So I have removed the waffle, it feels counter intuitive because all previous visa's have been visit visa's which seem to require excess waffle...

 

Settlement/Spouse visa application for S aka K.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to present some additional information in support of K's application.

 

PERSONAL DETAILS

I am 46 years old and a British national. I have one daughter M who is 18 years old and lives with her Mother AP in London. From 2009 to 2017 I ran The R public house, P with my then business partner A. In 2017 I left the partnership but remained at The R as a manager and head chef.

 

RELATIONSHIP HISTORY 

I first met K in Thailand in March 2016 and we stayed together for one month at the condo I was renting. I have since been to Thailand six more times staying with K for a month each time (July 2016, November 2016, March 2017, June 2017, March 2018 and July 2018) In September 2017 K was granted a visit visa to the UK and stayed for 5 months at my home in the UK.

In July 2018 we were married at the Amphur office in Bangkok, K had her TB test and sat her A1 English exam and we then went to visit her family and begin making plans for our Thai village wedding in 2020.

 

(I have included photos of K and I together, copies of money transfers, flight bookings and passport stamps showing my visits to Thailand, our Thai marriage certificate and certified translation)

 

INCOME

I am currently employed by Mr A as a manager/head chef at the r public house and restaurant. My Salary is £19,000 a year plus gratuities and overtime as and when required. My contract of employment began on October 1st 2017 and is a permanent live-in position.

 

(I have included my contract of employment, 6 months of bank statements, 6 months of pay slips and a letter from my employer Mr A)

 

ACCOMMODATION

I live at The R. My job is a 'live-in' position and includes private accommodation and utility bills excluding Council tax. I share the accommodation with my friend and employer A. We share a 3 bedroom flat above the restaurant/pub and it has a private entrance. There is one double bedroom solely for A's use, one Double bedroom solely for me, my spouse, partner or dependents and one double bedroom for guests which A and I share. There is a shared family bathroom and a large kitchen/diner/lounge room that is also shared. Currently just A and I live here but K did stay whilst she was here on her UK visit visa and my daughter does stay occasionally in the guest bedroom.

(I have included a letter from A, my council tax bill, photos of the property and all rooms. I have also included a floor plan showing the room layout and approximate sizes.)  

 

Thank you for considering this application. If there is any other information you need in order to make your decision please contact either S (K) on +66 or myself, D. on +66  / +44 .