Sponsorship Letter

[bangbuathongben]

Hi all I was wondering if anyone could help me? I have just recieved all the paperwork from back home in the UK and will be heading to the Embassy tomorrow, to apply for the wife's visa. I am sponsoring her, and need some help as to what to write in my sponsorship letter. I think I know the basics, I will support her both financialy and emotionaly, but is there any suggestions as to anything else I could include.

Thanks in advance Ben

[Eric Davis]

emotionaly???

[IvanLaw]

In the covering letter to the Visa Section for my wife I included every thing:

How we met, How long ago, Where we would live in UK, property type, (rooms etc)

Just think what you can tell them in a letter.

Remember they don’t know you.

So better to give more information than they need.

My Wife has her Interview Tuesday 9th Over 250 pages a little over the top maybe but have tried to cover everything.

Unfortunately I CAN NOT BE WITH HER

and we are both extremely nervous.

Good luck to you both

Regards

Ivan

[mrbojangles]

Hi Bang, I think Ivan has covered everything i put in my letter. I also put about my work, how long i have worked there and salary etc. Ivan hit the nail on the head with "Remember they don't know you". So the more info the better. Best of luck.

Mr BoJ

[mrbojangles]

P.S. Bang. I hope your not in an hurry for the interview. It's taking approx 2 weeks (even though they say 10 days) to get an interview date and then it's taken 16 weeks to actually get the interview. We applied in May and still have about 6 weeks to wait. Theyr'e pretty busy at the moment.

Mr BoJ

[bangbuathongben]

Thanks for the responses. I was kinda hoping that the process would be a little quicker than 18 weeks from start to finish. This could be a worry! I suppose putting a earlier date for going to the Uk on the visa form wouldn't help? Still I will see what they say tomorrow. Thanks Bang

[thebear]

Hi bangbuathongben,

You don't say whether you have a legal marriage or not, or if this intended as a permanent move. If you are legally married under Thai law, and as recognised reciprocally by UK law, then it should be enough just to provide all the necessary undertakings including her repatriation at your cost should the marriage not work out. This is not of course legally binding under law but it does give the issuing officer some assurance that you have considered all aspects. The biggest fear the aurhorities have is if the marriage fails before she has permanent residency, then there is a risk that she could 'disappear' into the illegal alien system which could imply a cost to UK tax payers.

It helps also to provide additional references or guarantors if you can in the event that anything should happen to you.

From her side it helps if she can provide proof of any of the following as applicable:

1. Personal Bank Statements

2. Letter of confirmation from her employer that she may return to her job after the UK visit

3. Proof of Home/Property ownership

4. Proof of car ownership

Hope this helps, good luck.

[mrbojangles]

Bang,

Just for clarity, is it a Settlement Visa or a Tourist Visa you are applying for?

MrBoJ

[bangbuathongben]

Sorry I did not make myself that clear. I have been married to my wife since 24 September last year 2004. And the visa I am applying for is the settlement visa. I have all sorts of information prooving our relationship ie e-mails dating back 5 years, passport stamps to prove I was in the country on these dates.And a letter from my Mum stating she has spoke to my wife on nemerous occations and has plenty of room in the house for us ect ect. I also have a letter from my boss stating there is always a job in England for me, and if I was to settle in Uk with the wife they would like to make me a manager, the quicker the return the better for the company. I also have details of last 6 months of bank statements, savings acounts and transactions of money I have sent her well I was working in the Uk.

My wife also has 6 months bank statements, letters from the bank translated into english stating how much she has in a savings funds. Passport, I.D card, copy of house deeds up north and copies of her new car ownership.

And of course the sponsorship letter that I will be writing shortley. Which I should have done yesterday but got a little drunk watching my team get beat in the community sheild!

Bang...............

[mrbojangles]

In that case Bang, it's more about proving she won't need any recourse to public funds when she is in the UK. Scouse could probably explain better. But i will try. The fact that she has a house and land etc is good to have but more important for a Tourist Visa, to show she has a reason to return to Thailand. However, you are applying for a settlement visa, so it's more important to prove that she has a place to live in the UK and that you can take care of her (financially) as she won't have access to public funds. I provided a letter from my Mortgage company showing that the house is mine and also a copy of the deeds showing the size, i.e. how many bedrooms and how many people live there. In my case it is only me but in yours it seems to be your mother and you 2 if successful, is there anybody else? As, if it's only a 2 bedroom house this would be a problem etc. You might want to think about getting this info from your mother if she owns the house. If she rents the house, it might be worthwhile getting a letter off the landlord saying he doesn't have an issue with you both living there.

Hope this helps

Mr BoJ

[bangbuathongben]

Hi Mr Boj, My Mums place is a 3 bedroom with my folks there young child living there, which means there is a spare double bedroom. My mother has wrote a letter explaining this and that they would welcome us with open arms to come and stay. Although she does state that I will probably want to look for my own place fairly soon. And according to my bosses letter the work and money to support will not be a issue (hopefully) I will also stae in the sponsorship letter that I will be saving added money if she come back to the Uk as I wont be sending money each month and I wont be saving money to come back and stay with her for 6 months at a time. I hope this works!!!

Bang......

[Eric Davis]

I am not married and my girlfriend got here Euro Visa in 3 days flat! Just submitted a letter of invitation from my mother,my bank statement,gf's bank statement,gf's business papers and voila.

Edited August 8, 2005 by Eric Davis

[bangbuathongben]

I have just visited the british embassy website, and it says they are very busy, settlement visa's about 16 weeks!!! Just wondering I am a little concerned about giving the original house deds and car book to the embassy if it takes 16 weeks, should I just hand it in with my collected documentation? Or just hand in copies?

Bang....

[mrbojangles]

We haven't handed anything in yet, apart from the application of course. The wife will take everything with her on the day of the interview. But make copies of everything just in case.

MrBoJ

[bangbuathongben]

Oh, I was under the impression you had to take everything with you when u apply? Was I mis-informed? Should I wait for the interview?

Bang........

[the scouser]

Hi Ben,

You can supply the supporting documentation at either the application or interview stage. However, if at the application stage, and providing it's all up to scratch, your wife may be granted her visa on the papers alone, thus avoiding the 16-week wait for the interview. If you are supplying the original house deeds, then ask for them back and leave a copy duly noted by the receptionist that the originals have been seen.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[bangbuathongben]

Hi Ben,

You can supply the supporting documentation at either the application or interview stage. However, if at the application stage, and providing it's all up to scratch, your wife may be granted her visa on the papers alone, thus avoiding the 16-week wait for the interview. If you are supplying the original house deeds, then ask for them back and leave a copy duly noted by the receptionist that the originals have been seen.

Cheers,

Scouse.

Do you think this is enough evidence, Scouse?

Sorry I did not make myself that clear. I have been married to my wife since 24 September last year 2004. And the visa I am applying for is the settlement visa. I have all sorts of information prooving our relationship ie e-mails dating back 5 years, passport stamps to prove I was in the country on these dates.And a letter from my Mum stating she has spoke to my wife on nemerous occations and has plenty of room in the house for us ect ect. I also have a letter from my boss stating there is always a job in England for me, and if I was to settle in Uk with the wife they would like to make me a manager, the quicker the return the better for the company. I also have details of last 6 months of bank statements, savings acounts and transactions of money I have sent her well I was working in the Uk.

My wife also has 6 months bank statements, letters from the bank translated into english stating how much she has in a savings funds. Passport, I.D card, copy of house deeds up north and copies of her new car ownership.

And of course the sponsorship letter that I will be writing shortley. Which I should have done yesterday but got a little drunk watching my team get beat in the community sheild!

Bang...............

I hope so.........

[bangbuathongben]

Sorry about that last post a little confusing! Do you think I have enough information to hand all the documentation in straight aay tomorrow??

Bang.........

[the scouser]

It's not imperative, but a few photos spanning the period you've known each other wouldn't go amiss, plus any greetings cards that you may have exchanged. I'm sure you not mentioned this because it's so obvious, but just in case, you'll also need your marriage certificate and a translation into English.

Scouse.

[Shenanigan]

Hi Ben,

You can supply the supporting documentation at either the application or interview stage. However, if at the application stage, and providing it's all up to scratch, your wife may be granted her visa on the papers alone, thus avoiding the 16-week wait for the interview. If you are supplying the original house deeds, then ask for them back and leave a copy duly noted by the receptionist that the originals have been seen.

Cheers,

Scouse.

Do you think this is enough evidence, Scouse?

Sorry I did not make myself that clear. I have been married to my wife since 24 September last year 2004. And the visa I am applying for is the settlement visa. I have all sorts of information prooving our relationship ie e-mails dating back 5 years, passport stamps to prove I was in the country on these dates.And a letter from my Mum stating she has spoke to my wife on nemerous occations and has plenty of room in the house for us ect ect. I also have a letter from my boss stating there is always a job in England for me, and if I was to settle in Uk with the wife they would like to make me a manager, the quicker the return the better for the company. I also have details of last 6 months of bank statements, savings acounts and transactions of money I have sent her well I was working in the Uk.

My wife also has 6 months bank statements, letters from the bank translated into english stating how much she has in a savings funds. Passport, I.D card, copy of house deeds up north and copies of her new car ownership.

And of course the sponsorship letter that I will be writing shortley. Which I should have done yesterday but got a little drunk watching my team get beat in the community sheild!

Bang...............

I hope so.........

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

she should have a handsome bank statements before your marriage. Anything she had after the marriage proves no credit at all to the embassy, even a brand new car. Again, one more classic story anyway...............

[bangbuathongben]

Scouse, I dont have a translation of the marriage certificate into English! Or a translation of her house deeds, or car ownership. Are pictures desperatly needed? I had my bag stolen from Heathrow which had all my photo's in, spanning back 4 years or so. So I only have a couple of very recent ones. Will this be enough?

Thanks Bang...........

[the scouser]

Ben,

The photos aren't imperative. In your sponsorship letter you can explain why you've only enclosed more recent photos.

It is always possible that the visa officer would accept the marriage certificate without a translation as the locally engaged staff could translate it. However, they do like a translation for the record, and I would not want to risk the visa being refused on a technicality. I would therefore get it translated.

As Mr BoJ commented in a previous post, your wife is applying for a settlement visa and, as such, doesn't need to show a reason to return to Thailand. Your wife has to satisfy the visa officer that:-

1. You are married;

2. You have met;

3. You have adequate accommodation;

4. You have the means to financially support your wife without recourse to public funds; and

5. You intend to live together permanently.

Consequently, the vehicle and house ownership documents are not strictly necessary. Submitting them won't do any harm but, likewise, it's not going to greatly enhance your wife's chances. It's your call, therefore, whether you want to adduce them as supporting evidence. If you do, I would have them translated.

Cheers,

Scouse.

ps - In some dealings with government depts and banks etc in the UK you may well need to show a translation of your marriage certificate, so when you have it translated, ask the bureau to produce 4-5 copies too. It's a lot cheaper than having it translated in the UK.

[bangbuathongben]

Thanks for the help Scouse. Dont know of any translation companies where I get it done in the morning, befor I go do you?

[the scouser]

There are some about 150 yards from the embassy (to your left as you're looking at the entrance to the visa section), but I don't know what time they open.

Scouse.

[bangbuathongben]

Thanks mate will let you know how I get on

Bang........