Uk Visa Options For Wife

[Insight]

Although we've got no immediate plans to relocate back to the UK, me and my wife was wondering if there's anything we could do right now to make a settlement visa application easier in the future. We have been back to the UK together several times on a tourist visa, obviously without any glitches.

Reason for asking is my wife's boss has just successfully applied for a green card in the US, even though she and her husbands have no plans right now to return to the US right now. Is there anything similar we can do for the UK?

Thanks in advance.

[nigelandjan]

Although we've got no immediate plans to relocate back to the UK, me and my wife was wondering if there's anything we could do right now to make a settlement visa application easier in the future. We have been back to the UK together several times on a tourist visa, obviously without any glitches.

Reason for asking is my wife's boss has just successfully applied for a green card in the US, even though she and her husbands have no plans right now to return to the US right now. Is there anything similar we can do for the UK?

Thanks in advance.

I guess you are retired in the LOS so you must have plenty of wedge to live on ,, which obviously you will need to show to get settlement for the Uk and presumably property to relocate to in the UK , so having said that I would think you are doing your cause good by regularly coming back on tourist visas ,, can you get your family to post letters addressed too you and your wife ? I would think family connections are going to be a strong point of help.Unfortunately the USA and UK bear no relation as to why they issue visas so I wouldnt read too much into that. I would think if you are able to show your financially capable of looking after your wife you have nothing to worry about , that is all the UKBA seems interested in these days. Good luck

[Insight]

Thanks for the response, nigelandjan. Not retired - been working out here for a while now. Last tourist visa application my wife was literally "fast tracked" through it.

[Eff1n2ret]

There's no application that you can make now that would give you any advantage if/when you do decide to settle in the UK. Your sponsorship of several tourist visas for you wife is adequate proof of an enduring and genuine marriage, so your only concerns in applying for settlement would be proof of support and accommodation.

If you have a visit planned in the near future, you might like to look into how/where she could take the "Knowledge of Life in the UK" test, and prepare her for that, which I think you can do online. It would be highly unusual for a visitor to take the KOL test, but I don't see why she shouldn't if she's up to it. A good reason for doing so would be that if you have been married and living together outside the UK for 4 years, she can apply directly for ILR rather than the 2-year probationary period, except that she would still have to take the KOL test after arrival in the UK and apply to have her status upgraded, which would cost several hundred quid extra.

[7by7]

You have evidence of your continuing relationship and marriage? Presumably so, or she would not have got the visit visas so easily!

In which case if and when you decide to relocate to the UK then you should have no problems, provided you can satisfy the maitenance and accommodation requirements.

As EffIn2ret says, if you have been married for more than 4 years then she would qualify for Indefinite Leave to Enter rather than a 27 month spouse visa. However, to do so she would need to satisfy the knowledge of language and life in the United Kingdom requirement. It is only possible to do this in the UK, but perfectly feasible for her to take the LitUK test whilst in the UK on a visit and keep the certificate for when you want to apply for settlement.

[Insight]

Great stuff, thanks for the responses.

The catch is that we haven't actually got round to registering the marriage as yet, even though it's been over 2 years. I'm guessing it'll be 4 years from the date we registered for the Indefinite Leave to Enter visa?

Eff1n2ret - will look into doing the KOL test from here, thanks for the advice.

[sumrit]

Great stuff, thanks for the responses.

The catch is that we haven't actually got round to registering the marriage as yet, even though it's been over 2 years. I'm guessing it'll be 4 years from the date we registered for the Indefinite Leave to Enter visa?

Eff1n2ret - will look into doing the KOL test from here, thanks for the advice.

You don't actually have to have been legally married for the four years, you must have formed a partnership and lived together abroad for that length of time.

Taken from the UKBA website here http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ukresiden...fecivilpartner/

"In some cases, we can give your husband, wife or civil partner permission to live permanently in the United Kingdom as soon as he/she arrives. To qualify for this, you must:

have married or formed a civil partnership four years or more ago;

have spent those four years living together outside the United Kingdom;

now be returning to the United Kingdom to settle here together; and

your spouse/partner must (unless aged 65 or over) have sufficient knowledge of the English language and about life in the United Kingdom."

[Eff1n2ret]

Great stuff, thanks for the responses.

The catch is that we haven't actually got round to registering the marriage as yet, even though it's been over 2 years. I'm guessing it'll be 4 years from the date we registered for the Indefinite Leave to Enter visa?

Eff1n2ret - will look into doing the KOL test from here, thanks for the advice.

You don't actually have to have been legally married for the four years, you must have formed a partnership and lived together abroad for that length of time.

Taken from the UKBA website here http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ukresiden...fecivilpartner/

"In some cases, we can give your husband, wife or civil partner permission to live permanently in the United Kingdom as soon as he/she arrives. To qualify for this, you must:

have married or formed a civil partnership four years or more ago;

have spent those four years living together outside the United Kingdom;

now be returning to the United Kingdom to settle here together; and

your spouse/partner must (unless aged 65 or over) have sufficient knowledge of the English language and about life in the United Kingdom."

A bit pedantic, I know, but a "civil partner" is someone whose same-sex relationship has been recognised in a formal ceremony giving the partnership the same status as marriage. In this case the OP's wife is an "unmarried partner", but the same principle applies as set out in Para 295A of the Immigration Rules:

"b(i) the applicant is the unmarried or same-sex partner of a person who has a right of abode in the United Kingdom or indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom and is on the same occasion seeking admission to the United Kingdom for the purposes of settlement and the parties have been living together outside the United Kingdom in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership which has subsisted for 4 years or more;"

Insight, I don't know whether your lady can actually take the KOL test outside the UK, I very much doubt it. But my suggestion was that you seek the course material so that she can mug up for it and take it on a visit.

[Insight]

^ and ^^ That's good to know, thanks again. We do have a certificate from the church where we were wed stating the exact date we were (unofficially) married. Will be using this when the time comes.

[steve187]

Great stuff, thanks for the responses.

The catch is that we haven't actually got round to registering the marriage as yet, even though it's been over 2 years. I'm guessing it'll be 4 years from the date we registered for the Indefinite Leave to Enter visa?

Eff1n2ret - will look into doing the KOL test from here, thanks for the advice.

Hi what do you mean you haven't got around to registering the marriage, are you legally married? and if so in which country were you married? I married in thailand and never registered the marriage anywhere other than at the amphur, the 4 years has to start from when the marriage took place, Life in the uk test can be practised on line, my wife used a book called Life in the UK Test: Practice Questions by red squirrel publishing who have a free on line practice question web site, have to buy a book first.

[steve187]

Great stuff, thanks for the responses.

The catch is that we haven't actually got round to registering the marriage as yet, even though it's been over 2 years. I'm guessing it'll be 4 years from the date we registered for the Indefinite Leave to Enter visa?

Eff1n2ret - will look into doing the KOL test from here, thanks for the advice.

Hi what do you mean you haven't got around to registering the marriage, are you legally married? and if so in which country were you married? I married in thailand and never registered the marriage anywhere other than at the amphur, the 4 years has to start from when the marriage took place, Life in the uk test can be practised on line, my wife used a book called Life in the UK Test: Practice Questions by red squirrel publishing who have a free on line practice question web site, have to buy a book first.

[kennkate]

Might be a good time to buy a house in the UK, If you do not allready have one. Accomodation is always Good

The UK housing Market is on it's backside. Rent it out untill you decide to go back to live.

On the Marraige You said you got married in Church, Was that in the UK?

I find parts of your post difficult to understand.