Advice needed on Accommodation and amount of savings

[mrako]

Okay well I have a few questions regarding what is needed from me to make sure that when the time comes for my gf applying for her visa all goes through with no complications. Just to confirm I am English.

So let me kick on with our current situation, My gf is currently married/seperated for the past 8 years and her Filipino husband is more than happy to sign any papers for Annulment. She has a cousin who had an Annulment completed within 2 months at a cost of 120,000 php. We have actually known each other for 4 years but have been very serious for the past 5 months now. She has a degree in HRM and is currently in full time employment and so once she is here and allowed to work I am sure that she will be able to find work due to her qualifications and experience.

So as I said earlier I have several questions and I'm sure that this is the right place whereby I can gain the best info possible.

What type of visa are we applying for?

1) We are wanting to marry here in the UK so would she be applying for Marriage Visa or Settlement visa?

2) Once the visa has been awarded how long is my gf permitted to stay in the UK and if it is not forever then what must we do to ensure that she can stay here forever?



Bank Savings

1) I am under the impression that I need around £2,000 in my bank and will have to present 6 months worth of bank statements showing at least £2,000 in my account. Is this correct?

2) Once the 6 statements have been sent am I then able to use that money for her flight and clothing etc once/if the visa is accepted?



Accomodation (big concern for me)

1) I currently live in a 'Shared' house along with 3 other occupients. Their is 4 bedrooms inside the house all in use and a total of 5 people including myself living here. We share the kitchen, lounge, Toilet, Bathroom etc. Now would I be able to stay in this house and have my gf stay here with me (my landlord should be fine with this) or will the 'Border Agency' deem this as unacceptable accomodation for my gf?

I checked that a house with 4 bedrooms can have an occupancy of up to 7.5 people so I figure this would be okay just I am unsure as to how they will look upon it.

2) If this accomodation is unsuitable is it possible I can twist the facts about the number of tenants here with a letter from my landlord?

3) Do the 'Border Agency' actually check up peoples addresses to actually see if all is true?



Money left over after Rent etc

1) Whilst I am staying in 'shared' accomodation after paying rent and bills totalling £300 I am left with around £635 per month for Food, travel, clothing etc so will this be looked upon as enough money to support my gf without course to public funds?



Proof of relationship

Well I call my gf via Skype to her mobile almost 2-3 times per day and can print off all my calls that I have made. Further to this we chat for at least 2hrs per day Skype - Skype but we do not have any contact via Emails/Yahoo chat or hand written letters.

1) So would the print off of my calls via skype to her mobile phone and the print off of our call duration each day via Skype - Skype be enough to show how serious we are and that our relationship is real?

I send her money via Western Union each month so I have the transcripts that will surely help.

2) We only have pictures from my last visit which was from Oct 21st - Jan 17th, so will this be sufficient proof of our relationship?


Sorry it is so many questions but after looking at many posts here I felt it best that I state my current situation and get the best advice for my situation. Thank you so much in advance.

[stevewool]

hi there i too am planning to bring emma to england soon , and like you i am a little concerned , the only worry i would have is the accomadation, we do not write to each other or email, just like you lots of records on skype and my phone calls, have you tried rebtel for very cheap calls by the way, good luck steve

[sparky]

i think i can help with a few of your questions

the type of visa needed will be a fiance visa- very similar to the spouse visa apart from the fact that you need to marry her within 6 months of her getting the visa an coming to the UK, then apply for the 2yr ILR

i dont think thats its a prerequisite that you have 2k savings but it helps

with accommodation- get a letter from your landlord and a few pics of the place- that should be enough, no need to really mention that its a shared house

with regards proof of relationship- anything that can prove how long you have known her- not just pics should be enough proof. i think that you need to have known each other for a minimum of 9 months but i am not 100% sure on that one

one thing that a wise old chap once told me was you can never have enough info- if in doubt then just include it in your application- noones ever had a visa refused cos there was too much info supplied but many have cos there wasnt enough

[evo76]

Hi Mrako, just want to correct sparky - once you got your fiance visa, yes you need to get married within 6 months here in UK after that File for FLR first not ILR...FLR is the esxtension of your visa as a spouse of a british national that is good for 2 years...then that's the time you'll apply for ILR.

[joebloggs]

the type of visa needed will be a fiance visa- very similar to the spouse visa apart from the fact that you need to marry her within 6 months of her getting the visa an coming to the UK, then apply for the 2yr ILR

once married in the UK you need to apply for FLR(lasts 2 yrs) then you can apply for ILR but you must have passed the 'life in uk' test first and once your wife has been in the uk 3yrs she can apply for citizenship, (thou there could be some changes regarding this soon)

£2k+ would help your visa app, i wouldn't start spending it until your g/f has her visa. then you can


there is no minimum figure you and your g/f need to have each month, but a figure of £101 wk has been used in appeal cases as a minimum, thats your monthly income - (rent and community charge) hopefully will leave you at least £101 a week ?

your right about the 7.5 people also
Rented accommodation If the accommodation is privately rented, the sponsor should submit a letter from the landlord that confirms both the size of the property and his agreement that an additional occupant may take up residence there. The sponsor should also include a copy of the tenancy agreement, and the tenancy agreement should have at least six months remaining until its expiry.

[mrako]

Hi Mrako, just want to correct sparky - once you got your fiance visa, yes you need to get married within 6 months here in UK after that File for FLR first not ILR...FLR is the esxtension of your visa as a spouse of a british national that is good for 2 years...then that's the time you'll apply for ILR.

Thanks for the info. Do I need to show that we have at least £2000 in the bank for that visa to be successful? Also what is the actual name of the 'Fiance Visa'? is it Marriage or Settlement visa?

i think i can help with a few of your questions

the type of visa needed will be a fiance visa- very similar to the spouse visa apart from the fact that you need to marry her within 6 months of her getting the visa an coming to the UK, then apply for the 2yr ILR

i dont think thats its a prerequisite that you have 2k savings but it helps

with accommodation- get a letter from your landlord and a few pics of the place- that should be enough, no need to really mention that its a shared house

with regards proof of relationship- anything that can prove how long you have known her- not just pics should be enough proof. i think that you need to have known each other for a minimum of 9 months but i am not 100% sure on that one

one thing that a wise old chap once told me was you can never have enough info- if in doubt then just include it in your application- noones ever had a visa refused cos there was too much info supplied but many have cos there wasnt enough

Hi Sparky, thank you for your reply. When you said no need to mention that it is shared accomodation I think that on the form it asks about other people who are living with you. Can anyone please clarify this? What should I get the landlord to say on the letter?

[mrako]

once married in the UK you need to apply for FLR(lasts 2 yrs) then you can apply for ILR but you must have passed the 'life in uk' test first and once your wife has been in the uk 3yrs she can apply for citizenship, (thou there could be some changes regarding this soon)

£2k+ would help your visa app, i wouldn't start spending it until your g/f has her visa. then you can


there is no minimum figure you and your g/f need to have each month, but a figure of £101 wk has been used in appeal cases as a minimum, thats your monthly income - (rent and community charge) hopefully will leave you at least £101 a week ?

your right about the 7.5 people also
Rented accommodation If the accommodation is privately rented, the sponsor should submit a letter from the landlord that confirms both the size of the property and his agreement that an additional occupant may take up residence there. The sponsor should also include a copy of the tenancy agreement, and the tenancy agreement should have at least six months remaining until its expiry.

Thank you so much for your informative response. I will have left over £635 per month after rent (my rent includes all bills). Will this be deemed enough for the both of us to live on to cover food, travel, clothing etc?

Would you reccomend that we mention that the house is shared with other tenants?

[joebloggs]

i wouldn't lie about anything, because it only takes one phone call to your landlord or simple checks to see who lives at the same address as you, but i very much doubt they would check anything anyway mention you have sole use of a bedroom, you should be ok..

you should also be ok on the money side...

is living with your parents on an option ?

[mrako]

i wouldn't lie about anything, because it only takes one phone call to your landlord or simple checks to see who lives at the same address as you, but i very much doubt they would check anything anyway mention you have sole use of a bedroom, you should be ok..

you should also be ok on the money side...

is living with your parents on an option ?

Unfortuantely living with parents is not an option. Could you please tell me what form is it that my gf will need to complete? I am still somewhat confused as to which form is the one for a 'Fiance' visa.

[darren-b]

Unfortuantely living with parents is not an option. Could you please tell me what form is it that my gf will need to complete? I am still somewhat confused as to which form is the one for a 'Fiance' visa.

It's VAF4a she needs to complete.

[sparky]

apologies

i got my Is an Fs mixed up

[mrako]

It's VAF4a she needs to complete.

Thank you.

[belfast_dude]

quick Q. living at parents home...ok on a visa appliciation??? cheers dudes

[mrako]

Accommodation

It says this on the form:
Evidence of any other occupants in the accommodation that you intend to occupy, e.g. council tax statements, rental agreements, rent books

How am I supposed to supply this info for the other 4 tenants? Do they really need this?

Evidence of your relationship to your sponsor e.g. marriage/civil partnership certificate, birth certificate, adoption certificate

We have not offically got engaged with exchange of rings etc and we do not hold any certificate to prove that we are an item. I am a bit confused by this request. Please can someone advise.

[mrako]

Evidence of any other occupants in the accommodation that you intend to occupy, e.g. council tax statements, rental agreements, rent books

How am I supposed to provide details of the other 4 tenants in this property? Do they really need this? My gf and I will have the use of the big bedroom and all the other amenities within this property so why do I have to provide evidence of the other tenants?

Evidence of your relationship to your sponsor e.g. marriage/civil partnership certificate, birth certificate, adoption certificate

We did not exchange rings and as we are unmarried we have no certificate to prove our relationship. I am somewhat confused by this request so please if someone could advise that would be greatly appreciated.

[joebloggs]

quick Q. living at parents home...ok on a visa appliciation??? cheers dudes

as long as its not overcrowded saves you paying rent, and increases your disposable income
no problems at all

[joebloggs]

Accommodation

It says this on the form:
Evidence of any other occupants in the accommodation that you intend to occupy, e.g. council tax statements, rental agreements, rent books

How am I supposed to supply this info for the other 4 tenants? Do they really need this?

Evidence of your relationship to your sponsor e.g. marriage/civil partnership certificate, birth certificate, adoption certificate

We have not offically got engaged with exchange of rings etc and we do not hold any certificate to prove that we are an item. I am a bit confused by this request. Please can someone advise.

Accommodation documents:

1.Landlords permission letter for your fiancée to live there

2.Property Inspection report.You can get one from your local council or you can contact some estate agents who charge upto 50 pounds.

3.copy of your Council Tax Bill?

4.If your on the electoral register then add this as well

5.Tenancy agreement. i your name is better.If on joint name then add letter from other person as well saying he has no objection.

6.If you have utility bills then add these as well.

7.Take whole house pictures and include with your application.

Accommodation (sharing a house with others and co-sponsors offering accommodation) If the sponsor and the applicant intend to live in an accommodation with multiple occupants, the information shown for renters should be provided. Additionally, the applicant and sponsor should show that they will have exclusive access to a bedroom which is not used by anyone else. A bedroom is a room which is normally used as such and kitchens, bathrooms, and utility rooms do not qualify. A bedroom can be a family room or study which has been converted for exclusive access. Finally, a bedroom must be at least 50 square feet in dimension.

Accommodation (renters) If the sponsor rents a flat or house, the tenancy agreement should be provided. If the applicant is not a signatory to the tenancy agreement, then an additional statement from the landlord (or estate agent) should be provided that attests to his agreement that the premises will be occupied by an additional person. If an existing tenancy agreement is to be used, it should have at least six months before expiry. If the tenancy agreement does not have at least six months before expiry, then an additional statement from the landlord showing intent to renew at the same terms should be provided.

read the following to
http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/ecg/mai...ation#18177546

Only where overcrowding seems likely, and there is no other way of determining this, should an ECO need to write the local authority or landlord, or ask the applicant to provide such evidence.

[mrako]

Thank you so much for a detailed response to my questions. Just a couple more if you don't mind me asking...

1) What does the property Inspection entail?

2) Could you link me to where you got this information from so that I can have a thorough read through.

Thank you so much for the replies that I have recieved as it has made me feel a bit at ease in regards to the accommodation as I was really thinking that they would refuse due to me sharing in a house with 4 other people and I really cannot afford at this stage to rent a house.

Also once we are married will my gf/wife be able to work here in the UK?

[joebloggs]

most councils will do a report. eg
http://www.tameside.gov.uk/housing/inspections/ukentry

read the info here..
http://londonelegance.com/transpondia/fiance/


once your married and your wife has FLR she can work, not until then thou on a fiancée visa. if you married in the phils and applied for a spouse visa, she could work straight away