Uk Visa

[anjali16lvm]

Hi guys,

I live in the US( US citizen) and am in the process for applying for a finance visa to the UK, as my finance is a citizen there(UK). We are kind of having a hard time because his bank statements haven't been too good lately but we have everything else. I wanted to know if anyone else can financially sponsor me like my finance's friend or other family member? In this case what do people do? My finance and I got married by our religion just four months back but it hasn't been registered any where so I guess I can still apply for the finance visa instead of the marriage visa, is that right? I want to go live with my finance as soon as possible, can someone please offer me the best advice for not getting refused.

Thanks so Much!

Anjali

[bangkockney]

Hi

If your marriage is not recognised, you will be able to apply for a UK fiancee visa only.

If succesfull you'll be given 6 months permission to stay, after which you will have to get married and switch to a married visa. No work is permitted during this period.

The married visa will give you 27 months permission to stay, after which you would have to apply for indefinite leave to remain if you wish to stay in the UK.

You will not qualify for either if you or your partner is under 21 years of age.

These visa are not under the Points Based System and so are much more subjective in nature. There is no specific guidance as to what documents you are required to show, but you must be able to demonstrate:

You will be supported without recourse to public funds

Your relationship is genuine

That you intend to live together

Your partner in the UK should submit covering letter, payslips, bank statements, fixed deposits, stock and share holdings, tenancy agreement / house deed etc.

Phone bills, emails, photographs, visa stamps, air ticket stubs and receipts of payment, letters etc should all be used to demonstrate your relationship is genuine.

Any relative of your partner can also sponsor you. The same sorts of documents should be provided, with particular attention paid to available funds to support you both and must be accompanied by a covering letter detailing the sponsor's relationship to your partner. Proof of this relationship (e.g. birth certificate) is advisable.

Friends are not considered suitable sponsors.

[anjali16lvm]

Hi

If your marriage is not recognised, you will be able to apply for a UK fiancee visa only.

If succesfull you'll be given 6 months permission to stay, after which you will have to get married and switch to a married visa. No work is permitted during this period.

The married visa will give you 27 months permission to stay, after which you would have to apply for indefinite leave to remain if you wish to stay in the UK.

You will not qualify for either if you or your partner is under 21 years of age.

These visa are not under the Points Based System and so are much more subjective in nature. There is no specific guidance as to what documents you are required to show, but you must be able to demonstrate:

You will be supported without recourse to public funds

Your relationship is genuine

That you intend to live together

Your partner in the UK should submit covering letter, payslips, bank statements, fixed deposits, stock and share holdings, tenancy agreement / house deed etc.

Phone bills, emails, photographs, visa stamps, air ticket stubs and receipts of payment, letters etc should all be used to demonstrate your relationship is genuine.

Any relative of your partner can also sponsor you. The same sorts of documents should be provided, with particular attention paid to available funds to support you both and must be accompanied by a covering letter detailing the sponsor's relationship to your partner. Proof of this relationship (e.g. birth certificate) is advisable.

Friends are not considered suitable sponsors.

thanks so much for the reply... so will i need to provide my partners info. in the application or the sponsors?? (if its a family member) Or just send proof of available funds of the sponsor, accompanied by the letter?? also I was in the UK for couple of months visiting within my six month time frame and took a trip to germany and dubai with my partner, when we were returning I was stopped by immigration and asked to go back to the USA to get a visa... will this effect my processing time?? I really had no idea that I needed the visa because I thought I was visiting in the frame of six months... (but yes I did not have a ticket back to the USA at the time). What is the average time of processing if I do it by express service ($300 extra that is)??

[7by7]

Is your marriage legally recognised in the country where it took place? If so, then it is also legally recognised in the UK and you will need a spouse visa, not a fiance one. Not much difference, except for a spouse visa you need to show that you are married while for a fiance one you need to show that you will marry once in the UK. A fiance visa also needs the extra application after the marriage that Bangkockney mentions (called FLR) , which has to be paid for. Also a fiance cannot work until they have FLR whereas a spouse can work immediately.

The following should tell you most of what you need to know, and feel free to ask further questions if you need to.

Maintenance and accommodation

Settlement, Fiancé(e)s

Settlement, Spouses.

I don't know the current processing times in the US, but Guide to visa processing times will give you those for the last month.

BTW, I've deleted the identical post you made in another topic to avoid confusion.

[anjali16lvm]

Is your marriage legally recognised in the country where it took place? If so, then it is also legally recognised in the UK and you will need a spouse visa, not a fiance one. Not much difference, except for a spouse visa you need to show that you are married while for a fiance one you need to show that you will marry once in the UK. A fiance visa also needs the extra application after the marriage that Bangkockney mentions (called FLR) , which has to be paid for. Also a fiance cannot work until they have FLR whereas a spouse can work immediately.

The following should tell you most of what you need to know, and feel free to ask further questions if you need to.

Maintenance and accommodation

Settlement, Fiancé(e)s

Settlement, Spouses.

I don't know the current processing times in the US, but Guide to visa processing times will give you those for the last month.

BTW, I've deleted the identical post you made in another topic to avoid confusion.

Thank you... no the marriage is not legally recognized. So my last question is still about the sponsor.. will I be giving the sponsor's info. in the online application or my partners? Also, then should I just accompany a letter stating that my partners family member (who ever the sponsor is) will be sponsoring me, and send their available funds? Exactly how much funds does the consulate expect to see, to grant the visa???

[7by7]

So it is a fiance visa you need.

Your fiance is your sponsor

SET1.2. What is the definition of a sponsor?

In a fiancé(e) application the term ‘sponsor’ refers to the person whom the applicant is intending to marry.

There is no set minimum amount of funds required, a lot depends upon your circumstances once in the UK. For example if living rent free with your fiance's family you will obviously need less than if you will be paying rent. The necessary finances can come from you, your fiance, a third party such as a family member or any combination of these. Whoever is providing financial assistance will have to provide evidence of their ability to do so.

See the Maintenance and accommodation information linked to previously.

[anjali16lvm]

So it is a fiance visa you need.

Your fiance is your sponsor

SET1.2. What is the definition of a sponsor?

In a fiancé(e) application the term 'sponsor' refers to the person whom the applicant is intending to marry.

There is no set minimum amount of funds required, a lot depends upon your circumstances once in the UK. For example if living rent free with your fiance's family you will obviously need less than if you will be paying rent. The necessary finances can come from you, your fiance, a third party such as a family member or any combination of these. Whoever is providing financial assistance will have to provide evidence of their ability to do so.

See the Maintenance and accommodation information linked to previously.

okay.. so my partner has his own house which he pays mortgage for so i guess the necessary finances will be less? Its just that his bank statements haven't been too good lately because we have made so many trips together and in less time... also as we got married so he had to spend a good amount of money. So I have read the maintenance and accommodation info. which states this ..

"MAA7 Maintenance and accommodation: fiancé(e) / proposed civil partnerA person being admitted as a fiancé(e) / proposed civil partner must have adequate maintenance and accommodation without additional recourse to public funds.

Points to consider for Maintenance:

• The applicant is prohibited from employment for a period not exceeding 6 months to enable the marriage to take place.
• The applicant may obtain financial assistance from a relative or friend in the UK to ensure adequate maintenance until the marriage / civil partnership; but there should be no dependency on such assistance after the marriage / civil partnership as the Rules require that the couple then maintain themselves.
• Evidence that plans for obtaining employment in the UK (applicant and / or sponsor) are reasonable and realistic. In the case of the applicant, evidence of arrangements for a specific job is not necessary."

So it says I can obtain financial assistance from a relative or FRIEND in the UK until the marriage... so thats really what I wanted to know... because my partners friend can provide that financial assistance and I am also friends with him, so it would be alright? Also while I was in the UK visiting my partner I opened a bank account (I didnt have proof of residence, just my passport so I dont know how they let me open the account) and deposited some money.. So will be okay for me to show them that fund? (as it was not an overseas account but a regular basic account)

I just don't want them to say "well you weren't even eligible to have an account without being a resident.." which is not my fault if the bank let me open it.

[7by7]

If your partner has sufficient income to meet the mortgage payments and his other regular commitments has enough left over for the two of you to live on, that is fine.

Even if he has debts or an overdraft, that is not a problem as long as the debts are being serviced to the satisfaction of the creditor.

As the guidance says, relatives or friends can supply financial support if required. Whoever is going to be contributing toward your living expenses in the UK has to provide evidence that they can do so. That a bank opened an account for you whilst you were visiting the UK is no concern of the ECO assessing your application.

In answer to your question in the pinned topic; that one person had their visa issued in one day in Thailand is no guarantee that you will have the same in the US. Processing times depend on demand, sometimes demand is low and applications are processed quickly; sometimes it is hard and it takes longer.

The document you couldn't open :-

Should the ECO require copies there are copies at the back of each section.

Section 1 Sponsor Letter explaining our history/finance/Intentions

Section 2 Settlement Checklist

Section 3 Completed VAF4 Application form / 2 passport photos

Section 4 Our Marriage Certificate / Affirmation to marry document

Section 5 TB certificate showing free from TB

Section 6 Original birth certificates for sponsor

Section 7 Divorce Certificate from my previous marriage

Section 8 Letter from my MP in UK showing I'm on the electoral role

Section 9 HM Revenue/Customs letter confirming my address

Section 10 All Water bills with joint names since the property purchase

Section 11 5 yrs worth of telephony calls between me and my wife

Section 12 Hotel receipts where we stayed during the relationship

Section 13 5 yrs western union slips showing my support too my wife

Section 14 Pension forecast from the pension service in the UK

Section 15 Full Property Particulars of the property where we will live.

Section 16 Share certificates

Section 17 NHS card

Section 18 Mortgage Statements detailing monthly payments

Section 19 Flight itinerary when the wife and I flew to Phuket in 2006

Section 20 Bank statement's from our joint UK Bank Account

Section 21 Certified copies of the family passports

Section 22 My shift pattern detailing dates spent with my wife in TH.

Section 23 Invoices showing I receive £? vouchers every month

Section 24 12 months Gas/ electric bills in both names

TB certificates are not required from applicant's in the US; and some of the other documents I feel are unnecessary; but it's your choice.

See also Supporting document checklist Settlement – Fiancée / Register Civil Partnership

[anjali16lvm]

If your partner has sufficient income to meet the mortgage payments and his other regular commitments has enough left over for the two of you to live on, that is fine.

Even if he has debts or an overdraft, that is not a problem as long as the debts are being serviced to the satisfaction of the creditor.

As the guidance says, relatives or friends can supply financial support if required. Whoever is going to be contributing toward your living expenses in the UK has to provide evidence that they can do so. That a bank opened an account for you whilst you were visiting the UK is no concern of the ECO assessing your application.

In answer to your question in the pinned topic; that one person had their visa issued in one day in Thailand is no guarantee that you will have the same in the US. Processing times depend on demand, sometimes demand is low and applications are processed quickly; sometimes it is hard and it takes longer.

The document you couldn't open :-

Should the ECO require copies there are copies at the back of each section.

Section 1 Sponsor Letter explaining our history/finance/Intentions

Section 2 Settlement Checklist

Section 3 Completed VAF4 Application form / 2 passport photos

Section 4 Our Marriage Certificate / Affirmation to marry document

Section 5 TB certificate showing free from TB

Section 6 Original birth certificates for sponsor

Section 7 Divorce Certificate from my previous marriage

Section 8 Letter from my MP in UK showing I'm on the electoral role

Section 9 HM Revenue/Customs letter confirming my address

Section 10 All Water bills with joint names since the property purchase

Section 11 5 yrs worth of telephony calls between me and my wife

Section 12 Hotel receipts where we stayed during the relationship

Section 13 5 yrs western union slips showing my support too my wife

Section 14 Pension forecast from the pension service in the UK

Section 15 Full Property Particulars of the property where we will live.

Section 16 Share certificates

Section 17 NHS card

Section 18 Mortgage Statements detailing monthly payments

Section 19 Flight itinerary when the wife and I flew to Phuket in 2006

Section 20 Bank statement's from our joint UK Bank Account

Section 21 Certified copies of the family passports

Section 22 My shift pattern detailing dates spent with my wife in TH.

Section 23 Invoices showing I receive £? vouchers every month

Section 24 12 months Gas/ electric bills in both names

TB certificates are not required from applicant's in the US; and some of the other documents I feel are unnecessary; but it's your choice.

See also Supporting document checklist Settlement – Fiancée / Register Civil Partnership

Thanks So Much For All Your Help... Really Appreciate It!