We made the settlement visa application the other week in Bangkok and now I'm back in the UK only to find that my contract is not being extended. I am lucky in that I have another contract starting the first week of January but I would not have taken up this offer if my previous contract had been rolled over and thus, the settlement visa people know nothing about this, only the contract I had at the time of making the application.

So I don't really know what to do. Do I tell them about the change in circumstances ? If so, how do I go about that ? If not, then why not, as I worry if they contact my employers only to be told that I no longer work there.

Then there is the issue of benefits. I am entitled to claim but don't want to screw up the application by doing so. It would only be until the New Year anyway and I have written confirmation of the new job offer but I just don't know what to do for the best.

Any ideas on how to handle these points ?

This is a significant change in circumstances which may (but probably wont) effect the ECOs decision. Therefore you should tell them.

Your partner will have been given a receipt with an application reference number; so you should contact the visa office at the embassy to explain what has happened and include evidence of your new job and salary. Unfortunately, they don't give contact details for the visa office any more, so you will need to contact them via the VAC, see here. Unless other contact details have been given on the receipt.

Immigrants entering the UK for settlement are prohibited from claiming many public funds, but their UK resident sponsor may claim any and all that they are entitled to; provided they do not claim any extra because their partner is now living with them.

MAA2 Public funds

There is no objection to the British citizen/settled sponsor receiving any public funds to which he/she is entitled in his/her own right.

Details on current benefit and tax rates (means and non-means tested)

The fact that an applicant may not be eligible to claim public funds is not in itself sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Rules.

If the sponsor is in receipt of public funds, it does not mean that they will be unable to support the applicant, although clearly a person who is heavily dependent on the state because they don't have sufficient means of their own will find it difficult to support another person for any length of time.

The important factor to consider is whether there will be a need for the sponsor to claim additional public funds to support the applicant if leave to enter granted.

Would this not be their email address:

[email protected]

This is not from a receipt but from previous correspondence.

Edited November 16, 201015 yr by SGD