Settlement Visa Question

[gunn09]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick question we will not be applying for our settlement visa until the end of the year then I will need to return to Scotland for work(cant afford to stay)my question is if my then wife is granted a visa after say 3 months how much longer could she wait before traveling to the uk?

I know she would need to travel before her tb cert runs out but is there any other reason or knock on effect of say waiting a further 2 months when I could travel back to Thailand and return home with her.

Cheers James.

[7by7]

I assume you are talking about a settlement visa as your wife.

If so, then the visa will be valid for 27 months and she can use it to enter the UK at anytime up to it's expiry.

However, in order to qualify for the next stage, Indefinite Leave to Remain, she will, among other criteria, need to have been resident in the UK for at least 24 months. If she has not completed this 24 month period when her settlement visa expires you will have to pay for an expensive extension of her leave to remain, known as Further Leave to Remain.

So, to put it simply, in order to be time qualified for ILR without paying for FLR she will need to arrive in the UK within 3 months of the visa being issued. (Although she can request that it's start date be postdated for a further 3 months.)

Edited June 25, 2009 by 7by7