Hello
I have a here, a draft of my letter of sponsorship, and would appreciate ANY feedback / advice. Many thanks
(I have blanked out addreess and names in interests of Privcay and Security
39 XXXX XXXX
XXXXXXXXX
XXX
XXX
January 6th 2009 0044XXXXX295
Application for Fiancée Visa. Letter of Sponsorship
Dear Sir,
I am writing this letter as the sponsor and fiancé of Miss Jessica XXXXXX to support our application for a fiancée visa, and subsequent settlement in the UK.
Miss XXXXX and I met on the well-known dating site “Match.com” in June 2005. We established a long distance relationship and planned our first meeting, which took place at her home in Manila from February 19th to 25th, 2006. During this time, I stayed at a local hotel, “XXXXXXXXXXXXXI”, and met most of Miss XXXXXX close family and relatives, including her parents and two sisters.
A second and longer visit took place from the 15th to 30th July 2006, and this time her family allowed me to stay in the family home. I also had the opportunity to meet more family members, and Miss XXXXX closest friends. During this time, I experienced the Filipino lifestyle, helping with household chores, cooking for the family and attending Mass with them on Sunday as a mark of respect to their culture and way of life.
It was at this time that Miss XXXX and I decided to pursue a long term serious relationship, and I asked her father for his acceptance, to which he agreed.
Evidence of my visits are enclosed in the form of photographs, a booking receipt for the Skyway Travellers’ Inn, and E-mail printouts of flight details. My Passport stamp also confirms my second visit to the Philippines, but the passport used during my first visit was accidentally damaged, and a new one was issued. Glasgow Passport office will confirm this information if required:
Glasgow passportXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, Glasgow XXXX
After returning home, Miss XXXXX and I continued our relationship and communicated on a daily basis using e-mails, MSN Messenger and the occasional phone call and text message. A third visit was discussed, but did not take place for a number of reasons which included work commitments, and personal family commitments (Ruby wedding of my Parents). We also decided that it would be more practical to save for a fiancée visa, to enable us to be together permanently, rather than for me visit the Philippines for a short time again.
During our time apart, Miss XXXXX and I kept our relationship strong by chatting almost every day on MSN, and re-affirmed in our own hearts that we really loved and wanted to be together. We now believe that the time is right to make a permanent commitment, and plan to marry in July 30th, 2009 at XXXXXXXXXXXX at 2:00 pm. A booking receipt is enclosed to confirm this.
During our time apart, Miss XXXXXXX also received postcards, gifts and Christmas cards from my own family. Photos, archives, phone bills and examples of these communiqué are all enclosed with our application. Miss XXXXXX also formed friendships with Mr and Mrs Stuart and Eve XXXXX, who are personal friends of mine, and who have also agreed to be our witnesses when we marry. Miss XXXXX and Mrs XXXXX chat regularly on MSN, and Mrs XXXXXX has also kindly provided a letter of support for the application, which is enclosed.
Employment and Finances
I now take pleasure in providing some important information about myself to further support the application.
I was born in XXXXXXXX 1971, and was educated in my home town. In 1995 I graduated with an honours degree in XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, and I currently teach XXXXXXXXXXXXXXx at XXXXXX Scotland, a post I have held since August 1995. The address of the school is as follows :
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
My salary from this occupation is approximately £36,000 per annum (before tax) and being a private school, this is 10% higher than national pay scales. Full payslips are enclosed which confirm my employment status. Variations which appear in the September and December payslips are due to a Scottish Office Tax rebate, and claimed travel expenses respectively. My “take home” pay from my teaching occupation is therefore £2076 UK Pounds Sterling.
I mentioned earlier about further work commitments, and will now explain these in more detail.
At XXXXXXXX I run the Air Cadet Club, which is affiliated to the Royal Air Force. This commits me to a number of paid cadet camps and training courses which take place during vacation times. This commitment therefore provides me with a second income. On average, I earn an extra £1200 per annum with potential yearly earnings of about £2000 (max 28 days pay at £70 per day). I have enclosed Pay slips from the RAF to confirm this, and should you wish to make further enquires, then the details are as follows:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
It should be noted that the Air Cadets is a youth organisation, and although I am a commissioned officer, this is purely in the volunteer reserves, and I will never be enlisted into active Air-force Service.
A third source of income comes from part time employment as a leaflet distributor. On average, I earn an extra £100 per month, for eight hours distribution work paying me £65 or £85 once every three weeks. During vacation times, I have taken on larger jobs, the largest so far paying me £260. I have enclosed copies of various work contracts, and the address of the company to which I am subcontracted is as follows:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
My total monthly income AFTER TAX is approximately £2200 Pounds Sterling. This is based on my teaching salary of £2076 Pounds Sterling, plus the average of my payments from the RAF, and the average monthly payments from TLD. Although my secondary payments are variable, they are a constant source of income, hence the reason for inclusion here.
My monthly outgoings are approximately £1700 Pounds sterling, and these include my mortgage, Car loan, petrol costs, secured loan, utilities, phone bills, taxes, and insurance costs for my home and vehicle. A percentage of my salary is paid into a pension scheme, and I also make additional voluntary contributions. These are deducted at source and can be seen on my payslips rather than bank statements. I have enclosed my most recent pension statement.
£25 per month is paid into a savings account, but this is normally topped up with further payments. At the time of writing, there is over £300 in this account and this will increase monthly. My actual Savings book is included to confirm this.
For your convenience, I have also enclosed a financial Audit which gives a breakdown of my income and expenditure. From this information, it can be seen that I have over £450 per month of “disposable income”. This will increase by £200 after February 2009, and in interests of honesty and Integrity, I will explain this situation to you as follows :
Payments to XXXXXXXXXXXX
From my payslips, it can be seen that £200 per month is paid to the above company.
Four years ago, I experienced some financial difficulty due to a number of circumstances, and the decision was made in 2006 to take out a Trust Deed (IVA). Over the past three years, I have paid £200 per month to my trustee (XXXXXXXXXX), and this trust deed will terminate in February 2009. I have enclosed a letter from the company to confirm this. Since this time, a combination of hard work, frugal spending and improved money management have meant that my finances are in a much more positive shape and indeed, it can be seen from my bank statements that I always have money at the end of every month and have never used any overdraft facilities. After this time, my disposable income will rise from £450 per month to £650 per month. We plan for XXXXXX to arrive in the UK during April, and by this time, my trust Deed will have come to and end and will therefore not affect my ability to support her. Although this information is sensitive and personal, I felt it correct to inform you.
To summarise my financial situation :
(1) Past problems led to a Trust Deed being taken out in 2006 but even with Trust Deed in place, disposable income is over £450 per month.
(2) Trust deed will Terminate in February, after which Disposable Income will increase to around £650 p/m
Despite global credit problems and rising energy costs, my finances are stable, my job is secure, and any extra income is from legitimate employment and not from Public funds in any way.
Support of Miss XXXXXXXX
Throughout my relationship with Miss XXXXXXX, I used Western Union to send her money when she required it. I sent money to her family last November to purchase a wedding cake for her Sister’s wedding. Transfers were made online using my Credit card (Mastercard). I have also sent a number of gifts to Miss XXXXXXX including a digital camera, clothes, CD, a watch and a new cell phone with a UK SIM card.
The visa, air fairs and future support of Miss XXXXXXX will be provided as follows:
I will use my Mastercard to pay for the visa by sending the funds to Miss XXXXx by Western Union. At the time of writing, my Mastercard has been fully paid off.
Between January and April, I will pay off the cost of the Visa, and send further funds to Miss XXXXXXXx to pay for her air-fair to the UK.
In the month of January, I have two TLD Flier jobs paying a total of £300 which will also be transferred to my Mastercard. I have included contract sheets to confirm this work.
Miss XXXXXXXX has plans to open an HSBC bank account that she can use in the UK, and I will deposit a sum of £100 per month. This account will also be credited with money that Miss XXXXXX has from her previous employment. I also have plans to start a ten year endowment policy to build up a lump sum over the next ten years. This can later be used to support any children we may have, or be invested in an ISA. Financial advice will be sought nearer the time.
My Property
The house that Miss XXXXXXand I will reside in is a two bedroom terraced property in Dunfermline (address above). This was purchased, by myself, in XXXXXXXXx and I pay a monthly mortgage. The cost of the house when purchased was £76,000 Pounds Sterling and I have an outstanding mortgage of £64,500 Pounds Sterling. At the time of writing, the value of the property is approximately £109,000 pounds sterling. This information is based on the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I have included a mortgage statement and title deeds which confirm my ownership of the property. Mortgage statements are issued annually, and at the time of writing, a paper statement for 2008 had not been received. Confirmation of my mortgage can be made by contacting:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
Our Wedding
As mentioned previously, we plan to marry on July 30th at 2:00 pm at XXXXXXXXXXXX We plan to have a small private ceremony with close friends and family. Miss XXXXXXX and I plan to purchase rings when she is in UK, as I did not wish to ship an expensive engagement ring overseas with the risk of loss, or expensive import taxes being imposed. I also understand that UK ring sizes and Filipino / US ring sizes are different, so it also makes sense for us to choose something special when we are both together.
I very much hope that this letter, and all the supporting paperwork is sufficient to allow XXXXXXXXX and I to fulfil our dreams, but if there is anything that is out of place, or requires clarification, then please do not hesitate to contact me.
On behalf of XXXXXXXXXXX and Myself, we thank you for your time.
Yours Faithfully,
Mr Simon XXXXXXXXXX
January 2009
