Settlement/Marriage - Now In The Uk, What To Do Now?

[nongbkk]

Hi Guys,

Been back in the UK for some 3 weeks now on a Marriage/ settlement visa( valid for 6months)

We have made our Civil marriage appointment which is scheduled to take place at our local council offices on the 27th of august, now i was wondering what is the best way to proceed with our extension of stay application, and i have a few question that i was hoping you guys would help in answering.

1. Is the correct form to use - FLR(M)

2. I assume that i can only apply for the extension after i am married? ( in 2 weeks) is this assumption correct?

3. Through experience's, what is the normal waiting period for if i post my application for extension ?

4. If i decide to book an application for the premium service what, should i book now, is there a long wait for a booking?

I greatly appreciate your help with my previous questions, and would greatly welcome your suggestions with my extension questions.

Thank you

[nongbkk]

No body get any idea's?

Come on guys, surely some one can give helpful advice?

Cheers

N

[7by7]

1) Yes

2) Yes

3) Don't know

4) Don't know.

See Applying as a husband, wife or civil partner from inside the UK for more.

[catch245uk]

Hi

I am in much the same situation as yourselve except a week behind.

From looking at other forums the waiting for postal is anything from 3-14 weeks and from what other people are saying you cannot even chase until the 14 weeks is up.

I have been looking into the premium service myself. If you go to https://ukbabooking....kba/index.start you can register then logon and have a look at what appointments are available for each site. As long as you do not confirm the appointment it lets you log in as many times as you want. You can see up 9 weeks ahead and don't pay anything until the day.

Hope this helps a little

Paul

[brian272727]

Nong / Paul, can I ask how easy or difficult it was to get your Finance visa compared to a visitor visa(if you have one previously).

I am looking at going down this route in November when the TGF is back from Aus.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Edited August 16, 2010 by brian272727

[nongbkk]

Nong / Paul, can I ask how easy or difficult it was to get your Finance visa compared to a visitor visa(if you have one previously).

I am looking at going down this route in November when the TGF is back from Aus.

Any advice would be appreciated.

The fiancé marriage visa is the same process as a settlement visa vaf4

It much different to a tourist visa as it can take upto 12 weeks,( I got ours in 6-7 weeks)

And the cost is alot more, I paid $1100 usd to the britsih embassy in phnom penh

I think tourist is around $90-$100

[nongbkk]

Hi

I am in much the same situation as yourselve except a week behind.

From looking at other forums the waiting for postal is anything from 3-14 weeks and from what other people are saying you cannot even chase until the 14 weeks is up.

I have been looking into the premium service myself. If you go to https://ukbabooking....kba/index.start you can register then logon and have a look at what appointments are available for each site. As long as you do not confirm the appointment it lets you log in as many times as you want. You can see up 9 weeks ahead and don't pay anything until the day.

Hope this helps a little

Paul

Paul,

I was a little taken back today as i found out that it can take up to a month to get a time slot for the premium service!! i have ours booked in Croydon for the 20th of sept, this was the earliest appointment available to us, we have our marriage in the uk on the 27th of august, i was hoping to book for the following monday ... but no this is not the case... you have been warned !! It takes a good month now to get an appointment... for marriage fiance visa' extensions, i cannot say for other visa tiers .

Cheers

[brian272727]

Nong / Paul, can I ask how easy or difficult it was to get your Finance visa compared to a visitor visa(if you have one previously).

I am looking at going down this route in November when the TGF is back from Aus.

Any advice would be appreciated.

The fiancé marriage visa is the same process as a settlement visa vaf4

It much different to a tourist visa as it can take upto 12 weeks,( I got ours in 6-7 weeks)

And the cost is alot more, I paid $1100 usd to the britsih embassy in phnom penh

I think tourist is around $90-$100

$1100!!!!, how does that cost break down? Surprised at that.

Other than the TB test is there any specific information needed for the fiancé visa though? or would it be the usual dossier of bank statements, photos, phonecalls, emails etc etc

[nongbkk]

Nong / Paul, can I ask how easy or difficult it was to get your Finance visa compared to a visitor visa(if you have one previously).

I am looking at going down this route in November when the TGF is back from Aus.

Any advice would be appreciated.

The fiancé marriage visa is the same process as a settlement visa vaf4

It much different to a tourist visa as it can take upto 12 weeks,( I got ours in 6-7 weeks)

And the cost is alot more, I paid $1100 usd to the British embassy in phnom penh

I think tourist is around $90-$100

$1100!!!!, how does that cost break down? Surprised at that.

Other than the TB test is there any specific information needed for the fiancé visa though? or would it be the usual dossier of bank statements, photos, phonecalls, emails etc etc

Yes it is expensive, i applied for settlement visa marriage, the actual cost is something like $1070 USD give or take and depending on the exchange rate at time of application. (make sure you truly love your intended before marrying !!)

The requirements are much more stricter and more inside leg measurement are required ( heh heh )

the TB test cost something like $50 - 75 USD

Now back in the UK the the application for extension is between £500 - £725 odd quid, truly the GOV is making a fortune on fee;'s collected, and with so little information provided it only sites and forum like this that one can get all the necessary info on what to do etc..

Now i have to figure out how much i have to have in saving before we lodge our premium application, I have £4000 locked away, plus waiting for sale proceeds from a house in OZ, but is that enough that is the question ..... ???????????? Taking in to account that we are back home with mum and dad... so no rent payable...

[7by7]

In Thailand the fees are payable in THB, and can be found here.

[nongbkk]

7by7 my question was regarding how much money a person/couple is to have in savings as a guide when lodging a premium application for extension to existing marriage visa .. Not how much the actual visa is going to cost me. I think i read some where that the guide line is that I must have more than the average income support payments for a couple in the uk which is around £93, so if I average that for year, which is around £4850 odd in the bank, taking into concideration that I don't pay rent ( live with parents) will this be enough to show our case officier ?

Ar our face to face meeting.

[7by7]

When applying for FLR there is no need for any savings at all. As with the initial fiance visa application all that is necessary is to show that you can support yourselves without access to public funds. This support can come from savings, income or a combination of both. Obviously, though, if an applicant has no income and is living purely off their savings then, unless those savings are producing sufficient investment income, the case officer may wonder what will happen when those savings run out.

There is no fixed minimum amount of income as everyones circumstances are different; though the income support level is a useful guide.

Remember that the FLR application after marriage is basically a formality. You have already shown that the basic requirements are met otherwise the fiance visa would not have been issued; all that you really need to do now is show that your circumstances have not changed since then and that the marriage has now taken place.

I agree with your comments about the fees. New fees were introduced and then both old and new fees regularly raised way above the rate of inflation by the last government. Unfortunately, despite their vociferous opposition at the time, it is unlikely that the new government will change anything. I have no objection to applicants paying a fair fee which reflects the work involved; but that is patently not the case.

[nongbkk]

When applying for FLR there is no need for any savings at all. As with the initial fiance visa application all that is necessary is to show that you can support yourselves without access to public funds. This support can come from savings, income or a combination of both. Obviously, though, if an applicant has no income and is living purely off their savings then, unless those savings are producing sufficient investment income, the case officer may wonder what will happen when those savings run out.

There is no fixed minimum amount of income as everyones circumstances are different; though the income support level is a useful guide.

Remember that the FLR application after marriage is basically a formality. You have already shown that the basic requirements are met otherwise the fiance visa would not have been issued; all that you really need to do now is show that your circumstances have not changed since then and that the marriage has now taken place.

I agree with your comments about the fees. New fees were introduced and then both old and new fees regularly raised way above the rate of inflation by the last government. Unfortunately, despite their vociferous opposition at the time, it is unlikely that the new government will change anything. I have no objection to applicants paying a fair fee which reflects the work involved; but that is patently not the case.

Thanks for that 7by7.

Now this raise's the question about completeing the FLR(M). As the application states - extension of stay in the UK as a partner of a person present and settled in the UK and for a Biometric immigration document, I have looked through this doc, it is so for similar to what i filled in for my VAF4 settlement??

Now it clearly asks to produce your financials as part of your application, if as stated its a formality why do you have to produce the last 3 months bank statements or building society lodgment book slips and all must be original not taken from the internet ???

Also, i just don't get why, they charge some £730 for a premium and £475 for postal application... ?? This is on top of the $1100 USD I have already paid for the VAF4 settlement(marriage), its outrageous, I get that if you want to stay you have to pay, but why do the gouge Marriage visa applications like this? Its got me stuffed !!

Cheers

[7by7]

The FLR(M) form is not just for people who have entered as a fiance and are now married, it is also for other situations such as someone who has completed their 24 months but for some reason, e.g. not yet satisfied KOL, do not qualify for ILR so need to extend their stay. So some of the questions may seem pointless to someone in your position. However, they must be answered even though you answered them only a short while ago on the VAF form.

Both FLR and ILR applications used to be free; yes, free! Or rather the cost of them was included in the cost of the initial visa, which was why settlement visas were so much more expensive than non settlement ones. Then Tony Blair and Gordon Brown saw an easy way of making some money which would effect very few people and introduced these outrageous prices; without reducing the cost of the initial visa.

Edited August 19, 2010 by 7by7

[nongbkk]

The FLR(M) form is not just for people who have entered as a fiance and are now married, it is also for other situations such as someone who has completed their 24 months but for some reason, e.g. not yet satisfied KOL, do not qualify for ILR so need to extend their stay. So some of the questions may seem pointless to someone in your position. However, they must be answered even though you answered them only a short while ago on the VAF form.

Both FLR and ILR applications used to be free; yes, free! Or rather the cost of them was included in the cost of the initial visa, which was why settlement visas were so much more expensive than non settlement ones. Then Tony Blair and Gordon Brown saw an easy way of making some money which would effect very few people and introduced these outrageous prices; without reducing the cost of the initial visa.

And there's me Thinking that Labour's ethos was to help people... oh times have changed... as i have always said to people ... " in every communists/ socialist there is a capitalist ready to break out "

I heard a good one the other day from a pensioner, we we talking about how a family in the Bristol area where claiming £34,000 quid per year on benefits plus £1200 per month rent assistance ( Family of 12 kids ) he was saying what a disgrace this was... he said there were 2 kinds of people in the western world.... Pie eaters and pie makers.... he explained .... pie makers are people who make the jobs, invest there own money take risk to create wealth..... the pie eaters - eat the pies i.e live on welfare, are fit to work but see no point as the "state' will pay, basically <deleted> scroungers that's all they are... I laughed with him, but its such a sad inditement of the western world. It cannot continue.

Cheers 7by7

[Petergreet]

Nong / Paul, can I ask how easy or difficult it was to get your Finance visa compared to a visitor visa(if you have one previously).

I am looking at going down this route in November when the TGF is back from Aus.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Brian, have you considered marrying in Thailand? First the marriage is much cheaper, and the subsequent visa easier to get. Secondly you will not have to pay for another FLR visa once you have married in the UK, as the visa you get in thailand will last for 27 months

[dowman73]

No body get any idea's?

Come on guys, surely some one can give helpful advice?

Cheers

N

Hi my friend has just been through the same thing, he booked a same day appointment (Croyden Office) about 3 weeks before he got married took his wife there paid the money and got a same day visa...Simples!!