Settlement Visa For Wife To Come To Uk

[UKBristol32]

Hi,

First post here, we are going to put in our application for the settlement visa for my wife to join me in the UK. I am currently renting a flat and wondered if I apply for any housing benefit or Local Housing Assocation benefit, would this be looked at in the application?

I have read that it may be seen as a weakness to providing financially and thus wondered if anyone has any experience of this please?

Many thanks.

[cuddleypete]

Can i ask are you working?

You can apply for houseing benifit in your name only but you would still have to put your wifes name on the form.

[learningcurve]

The answer to your question I believe is yes. One of the questions on the application form is something like "Does your spouse claim any type of Public Fund?" This question may lead people to believe that if they do claim a public fund then there will be a problem, however what the requirements state is that you must be able to financially support yourself and your wife without claiming additional public funds. So although it will be looked at, it should not be held against you.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

You must include any benefits you are receiving with the application.

[sumrit]

Hi,

First post here, we are going to put in our application for the settlement visa for my wife to join me in the UK. I am currently renting a flat and wondered if I apply for any housing benefit or Local Housing Assocation benefit, would this be looked at in the application?

I have read that it may be seen as a weakness to providing financially and thus wondered if anyone has any experience of this please?

Many thanks.

After your wife arrives in the UK, but before she gets ILR, you are entitled to claim benefits yourself but your wife will not be able to claim in her name, although if you make a claim you must include her on the claim form. I don't know if it's looked at in a negative light if you're claiming when your wife applies for her settlement visa but, as ThaiVisaExpress rightly says, if you are claiming your wife must include that as part of your income on her application form.

[7by7]

From Maintenance and accommodation

MAA2 Public funds

There is no objection to the British citizen/settled sponsor receiving any public funds to which he/she is entitled in his/her own right.....

If the sponsor is in receipt of public funds, it does not mean that they will be unable to support the applicant, although clearly a person who is heavily dependent on the state because they don't have sufficient means of their own will find it difficult to support another person for any length of time.

The important factor to consider is whether there will be a need for the sponsor to claim additional public funds to support the applicant if leave to enter granted........

[nigelandjan]

Hi,

First post here, we are going to put in our application for the settlement visa for my wife to join me in the UK. I am currently renting a flat and wondered if I apply for any housing benefit or Local Housing Assocation benefit, would this be looked at in the application?

I have read that it may be seen as a weakness to providing financially and thus wondered if anyone has any experience of this please?

Many thanks.

Dont know your financial position ,, but if your talking about claiming benefits of any kind ,, its a good idea to do your homework before you get too deep in this ,, bringing your wife to the UK is one hel_l of an expense ,, mabe better to accumalate a lump of money behind you beforehand so you can afford to carry the whole process through ,, also dont foget when you go for her FLTR after shes been here 5 months and then her ILTR 2 years after you need to show a good sum in the bank for the UKBA ,, I have heard from various people at the UKBA although no one will actually give me a definative figure ,, we need in the regoin of £10.000 ,

Good luck to you both in your application make it as strong as you can

[cuddleypete]

This is a new one on me never heard this before I have heard from various people at the UKBA although no one will actually give me a definative figure ,, we need in the regoin of £10.000 , i thought as long as you can provide for your partner and they can support themself's it does not matter on how much or how little in bank you have.

Maybe someone else can shed some light on this?

pete

[sumrit]

Hi,

First post here, we are going to put in our application for the settlement visa for my wife to join me in the UK. I am currently renting a flat and wondered if I apply for any housing benefit or Local Housing Assocation benefit, would this be looked at in the application?

I have read that it may be seen as a weakness to providing financially and thus wondered if anyone has any experience of this please?

Many thanks.

Dont know your financial position ,, but if your talking about claiming benefits of any kind ,, its a good idea to do your homework before you get too deep in this ,, bringing your wife to the UK is one hel_l of an expense ,, mabe better to accumalate a lump of money behind you beforehand so you can afford to carry the whole process through ,, also dont foget when you go for her FLTR after shes been here 5 months and then her ILTR 2 years after you need to show a good sum in the bank for the UKBA ,, I have heard from various people at the UKBA although no one will actually give me a definative figure ,, we need in the regoin of £10.000 ,

Good luck to you both in your application make it as strong as you can

I don't think this is true, as I understand it you must show that you can maintain your wife not show that you have 'X' amount of savings.

I know of two couples in thev UK who recently went through this process. One went for FLR because his wife didn't pass the life in the UK test and the other ones wife received ILR. Neither had any savings to speak of (one had about £2000 but the second one even had to borrow the £700+ they needed) but both couples were working and earning enough to qualify for the visas.

[cuddleypete]

I agree with sumit post

you must show that you can maintain your wife not show that you have 'X' amount of savings.

[nigelandjan]

I agree with sumit post

you must show that you can maintain your wife not show that you have 'X' amount of savings.

Depends who deals with you at Croydon ,,,,,we had some ginger haired hippy do my wifes FLTR and despite 100% owning our own home she suggested a figure in the £10.000 region to demonstrate I had the ability to keep my wife without claiming benefits.

Also we were checked by 4 different sets of gestapo before we got our interview ,, each one only being intersted in my last 12 months bank statements ,, any savings , premium bonds ,, share certs. and also 12 months continuos wage slips.

[cuddleypete]

I still say this is hard to belive that you need 10,000 or above

I did my wife's fltr and i can say there was more like 10 pence in bank account not 10,000

[cuddleypete]

Can anyone shed light on this so it helps other people , because as i have said i do not belive this 10,000 pounds

[Merangue]

Agree with Sumrit.

You need to show you can maintain your wife without recourse to benefits. You do not need any savings unless your income is not enough alone to support her.

[nigelandjan]

Can anyone shed light on this so it helps other people , because as i have said i do not belive this 10,000 pounds

Ok sorry dreamt all the 6 and a half hours we was in that shithole in Croydon ,,,,,,also dreamt I was told that,,,,, just remembered bad dream.

I am sure if anyone goes down there with an IOU ticket signed by a good friend for about £75 you will get your ILTR ,, after all they are well known now for dishing them out like confetti ,,,,,

[sumrit]

Can anyone shed light on this so it helps other people , because as i have said i do not belive this 10,000 pounds

Ok sorry dreamt all the 6 and a half hours we was in that shithole in Croydon ,,,,,,also dreamt I was told that,,,,, just remembered bad dream.

I am sure if anyone goes down there with an IOU ticket signed by a good friend for about £75 you will get your ILTR ,, after all they are well known now for dishing them out like confetti ,,,,,

Nigel I don't think that anybody is disputing what happened to you and your wife when you went to Croydon. I posted my comments because, according to the UKBA website, having £10,000 in savings (or any savings for that matter) is not a requirement for getting either FLR or ILR visas,but being able to maintain your wife is, and the two people I mentioned both went through the process this year, one in January and the other in March, although they both live in the north so I don't know if they actually traveled to Croydon. You used to be able to do it by post.

The last (and only) time I went to Croydon immigration office was about fifteen years ago and the place was a sh**hole then, and the counter staff were some of the most ignorant people I have ever come accross. Watching the way they spoke to and treated people then made me truly ashamed to be British at the time. I would have thought things would be much better now (at least until now I havent heard of people complaining), but I havent been there, you have.

[mazimus]

I didnt have a great amount in the bank for my wifes visa but i showed that i was paying my rent (council flat),poll tax,utility bills credit cards etc.I am self employed and could con working tax credit but i am sure if you are in reciept of any benefits it will seriously damage your application.I reckon you would have no chance,you have to support her on your own.

[icequeen]

I am not an expert but a guy I know received a settlement visa for his wife last year and the only income he has is pension credit of around £120 per week. He claims housing benefit and council tax benefit and had enough in savings for the visa application and her flight to the UK.

They have not reached the stage of applying for ILR yet but I would assume that the financial criteria would be similar to that of obtaining a settlement visa in the first place.

Edited June 5, 2009 by icequeen

[nigelandjan]

I am not an expert but a guy I know received a settlement visa for his wife last year and the only income he has is pension credit of around £120 per week. He claims housing benefit and council tax benefit and had enough in savings for the visa application and her flight to the UK.

They have not reached the stage of applying for ILR yet but I would assume that the financial criteria would be similar to that of obtaining a settlement visa in the first place.

I wish them all the best when the time comes ,, BUT anyone else reading this post must not ASSUME as you do that things will be ok ,, by the way you dont say if they have been granted her FLR yet . Mabe in this case the guy has £16.000 in the bin , which I believe is the cut off points for benefits.

Things are changing all the time at the UKBA and it aint getting any easier ,, my wife took and passed her UK test 2nd edition in March ,, in April the test has been revised AGAIN and guess what it hasn,t been made easier,, I am not sure but I believe handwriting is involved now.

We was also told in November last year when we got my wifes FLR that it would be no walk in the park in 2 years time when we go for her ILTR despite the fact we 100% own our home and they know we are financially sound ( at the moment !)

My post is based on actual experience at Croydon last November

[icequeen]

I agree nobody should assume anything as every application is different. Maybe the best idea would be for the op to take advice from a qualified advisor ie

Thaivisaexpress or DaviesKhan as this seems to be a grey area and everyone has had different experiences although the quote from 7by7 explains things quite clearly.

NigelandJan, unless there has been some rule change that I am not aware of, a spouse goes to the UK on a 2 year settlement visa and at the end of that 2 years they apply for ILR, or FLR if they don't qualify for ILR.

I helped a friend submit their application for ILR at the beginning of the year and it was a very straight forward process, sent it all off by post and received the passport back with ILR stamped in it six weeks later, no further questions asked.

Just to clarify the people I have discussed in my posts have no savings just a weekly or monthly income which is enough to cover their living expenses.

I am by no means saying that they have found things easy and indeed they may have struggled to get the cash together for their applications but the op should not be put off bringing his spouse to the UK just because he doesn't have pots full of money.

[Farside]

Hi,

What is "FLR" ? My wife has been in the uk since the end of January (3.5 - 4 months), Can someone tell us what we need to do next as we aren't sure, Do we just wait the full 2 years and apply for ILR or do we need to gather other paperwork or something? When does she need to do the "life in the uk" test?

Thanks

[Merangue]

Hi,

What is "FLR" ? My wife has been in the uk since the end of January (3.5 - 4 months), Can someone tell us what we need to do next as we aren't sure, Do we just wait the full 2 years and apply for ILR or do we need to gather other paperwork or something? When does she need to do the "life in the uk" test?

Thanks

If you delayed your journey to the United Kingdom by weeks or months from the date you received your visa, your visa will run out before the end of your two-year qualifying period and you may need to apply to extend your visa, using application form FLR(M) (see Applying to extend your visa for more information on doing this).

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ukreside...tionformset(m)/

[nigelandjan]

Hi,

What is "FLR" ? My wife has been in the uk since the end of January (3.5 - 4 months), Can someone tell us what we need to do next as we aren't sure, Do we just wait the full 2 years and apply for ILR or do we need to gather other paperwork or something? When does she need to do the "life in the uk" test?

Thanks

All depends what visa she came on mate ,,,,,,, this is where the last person to reply to my post has drawn a conclusion that my wife came here on a 2 year visa ,she didnt ,,, 6 month fiancee then you have to do your 2 year FLTR then in 2 more years your ILTR,, so I will assume now your missus came on a 2 year spouse visa ,, if she has no panick ( not yet )she needs to do the life in the UK test BEFORE this visa runs out ,,,,,,,if you need any help on this citizenshit test PM me we can help loads ok good luck

[7by7]

I am not doubting anyone's word when they say what their experience was, however there is nothing in the immigration rules to say that applicants for settlement entry or any form of leave to remain as a spouse or civil partner require any savings. The only requirement is that they must be able to support themselves. The funds for this may come from income, savings or a combination of both.

For the initial visa, the entry clearance guidance, Maintenance and accommodationsays

MAA4 Maintenance: General requirements

There is no explicit minimum figure for what represents sufficient maintenance. If dependants of the main applicant are going to accompany him / her to the United Kingdom, resources must be available for the whole family unit to be maintained.

The ECO should bear in mind the position taken by the UK Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (UKAIT):

In 2006, the UKAIT in UKAIT 00065 KA and Others (Pakistan), strongly suggested that it would not be appropriate to have immigrant families existing on resources that were less than the Income Support level for a British family of that size.

For FLR and ILR, all the Immigration Rules say is

Spouses and civil partners

Requirements for an extension of stay as the spouse or civil partner of a person present and settled in the United Kingdom

Para 284(viii) the parties will be able to maintain themselves and any dependants adequately without recourse to public funds.

Requirements for indefinite leave to remain for the spouse or civil partner of a person present and settled in the United Kingdom

Para 287(i)(e)(v)the parties will be able to maintain themselves and any dependants adequately without recourse to public funds(

From the Immigration Directorate Instructions, Chapter 8 - Family members, Section 1-Spouses

3 LEAVE TO REMAIN AS A SPOUSE OF A PERSON PRESENT AND SETTLED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

3.5 Maintenance and accommodation

Maintenance and accommodation requirements are set out in the Rules. Applicants will provide information on these requirements when completing the application form. The whole application should be assessed according to the Rules and refusal on maintenance and accommodation grounds alone is likely to be rare.

(My emphasis, remember though, this applies to applications for LTR, not the initial visa.)

When my wife obtained her ILR we had absolutely no savings, merely our income. This was in 2002, but as you can see above, the rules, guidance and instructions still make no mention of any requirement for savings. Of course, if a couple have no or insufficient income then they may use their savings to show that they can support themselves until their income improves.

Edited June 5, 2009 by 7by7

[7by7]

Hi,

What is "FLR" ? My wife has been in the uk since the end of January (3.5 - 4 months), Can someone tell us what we need to do next as we aren't sure, Do we just wait the full 2 years and apply for ILR or do we need to gather other paperwork or something? When does she need to do the "life in the uk" test?

Thanks

FLR or FLTR is Further Leave to Remain.

If one entered the UK on a 6 month fiance or proposed civil partner visa then after the marriage/civil partnership has taken place they apply for FLR, which lasts 2 years. At the end of the 2 years they can then apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

If one entered the UK on a 27 month spouse visa then one can apply for ILR after one has lived in the UK for 2 years.

However, if one has not completed 2 years in the UK before one's current leave to remain expires then one is not time qualified for ILR, or one is time qualified for ILR but for some reason one does not meet one of the other requirements, e.g. the Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK (KOL) requirement, then one must apply for FLR instead.

When applying for ILR you and your wife will need to provide letters addressed to each of you or to you both jointly covering the whole 2 year period to show that you have been living together. These can be utility bills, bank statements, letters from government departments such as the DWP and other 'official' organisations. So it is a good idea to open a joint bank account, have her name put on your utility bills etc.

See Completing application form SET(M) and the links from that page.

See also Knowledge of language and life in the United Kingdom

Edited June 5, 2009 by 7by7

[Farside]

Hi,

What is "FLR" ? My wife has been in the uk since the end of January (3.5 - 4 months), Can someone tell us what we need to do next as we aren't sure, Do we just wait the full 2 years and apply for ILR or do we need to gather other paperwork or something? When does she need to do the "life in the uk" test?

Thanks

If you delayed your journey to the United Kingdom by weeks or months from the date you received your visa, your visa will run out before the end of your two-year qualifying period and you may need to apply to extend your visa, using application form FLR(M) (see Applying to extend your visa for more information on doing this).

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ukreside...tionformset(m)/

Ok thanks and thanks to everyone else for replying to me ,

[Farside]

Hi,

What is "FLR" ? My wife has been in the uk since the end of January (3.5 - 4 months), Can someone tell us what we need to do next as we aren't sure, Do we just wait the full 2 years and apply for ILR or do we need to gather other paperwork or something? When does she need to do the "life in the uk" test?

Thanks

When applying for ILR you and your wife will need to provide letters addressed to each of you or to you both jointly covering the whole 2 year period to show that you have been living together. These can be utility bills, bank statements, letters from government departments such as the DWP and other 'official' organisations. So it is a good idea to open a joint bank account, have her name put on your utility bills etc.

See Completing application form SET(M) and the links from that page.

See also Knowledge of language and life in the United Kingdom

Ah, May be a bit of a prob there lol, I have all direct debits and no paper billing on any of my bills so we don't receive letters addressed to us, I tried to open her a bank account but no bank will let her as she has no proof of previous address in Thailand.

[7by7]

We had a similar problem with a bank account in my wife's name only when she first arrived, but were able to open a joint account in both our names with no problem.

Has she registered with a doctor yet? When she does she will get a medical card with her name and address on. When she applies for her NI number she will have letters from the DWP. Put her name on your council tax bill. Get her a driving licence etc.

Section 10 of the application form gives further examples.

.

[sumrit]

We had a similar problem with a bank account in my wife's name only when she first arrived, but were able to open a joint account in both our names with no problem.

Has she registered with a doctor yet? When she does she will get a medical card with her name and address on. When she applies for her NI number she will have letters from the DWP. Put her name on your council tax bill. Get her a driving licence etc.

Section 10 of the application form gives further examples.

.

And once she has a joint account with you she can then open her own account, current and/or savings,without any problems. Doing that gives an extra letter of proof of address. Just remember to choose the option of having monthly/quarterly statements sent to the house to cover continual proof over the two year period.

[UKBristol32]

Thank you kindly for all of the replies, I think the wisest choice for me and my wife is to avoid any recourse to public funds. I work full time and pay everything from my income and have savings, so I hope we will be ok. May I ask another question please, I have been back in the UK for 8 weeks and begans working 4 weeks ago having 4 weeks payslips, my wife tells me we should wait another month until wehave 8 -9 payslips and then put in the application, can anyone advise on this please? Is there a minimum amount of payslips I should have before we apply or would it be ok to do so with 8 payslips?

Thank you kindly for any advice or pointers with this, I am slowly gettting deeper into the application and paperwork process!