Hi Everyone,
It’s been a while since I last posted in here at which time I was asking for advice with regards to applying for a UK Visit Visa. Since my last post we have twice been refused a visit visa; on the first occasion because we didn’t submit enough evidence of our relationship and on the second occasion because they doubted a payment I sent to my girlfriend was genuine (despite the fact we submitted all details)
Anyway nearly a year has passed and in that time we’ve managed to spend quite a bit of time together, including a tour of Asia. It was during this tour that I asked the question and we’re now engaged to be married. While we’re both very happy and looking forward to starting our lives together we still have the UKBA standing between us. We want to marry and settle in the UK and we are in the process of preparing to apply for the UK Fiancé Visa. Given our past experiences with the UKBA we’re extremely apprehensive about applying again, despite the fact we easily meet all the requirements.
We have been researching the entry requirements and documents needed on various websites including the UKBA site and this site. This site has been an excellent resource although I have found that reading old posts can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help given how often the UKBA seem to change their rules. I have therefore focused on the information provided on the UKBA site although this too is rather confusing.
I am hoping that the community here might be able to provide some guidance as to if we’re focusing on the correct requirements, providing the right documents and if we’ve missed anything obvious. Listed below are the requirements we’ve found and the evidence we’ll submit so far. I appreciate this is a long list, but I hope that by posting everything we might also help others in a similar position.
As per the Documents Required page of the UKBA site:
You must send:
1. 2 recent passport photographs and your passport - see the Photographs and passport page
• My fiancé will provide these.
2. evidence of your age and your partner's age
• Both our passports and birth certificates (originals and copies)
3. official evidence that your and your partner's previous marriage(s) and/or civil partnership(s) broken down permanently, if either of you has been married or in a civil partnership.
• Neither of us have previously been married, therefore do we need to provide any evidence that we are both single? My fiancé has obtained a Certificate from the Office of The Civil Registrar General stating that they have no record of her ever being married, do I need to provide something similar from the British General Register Office?
4. evidence that you intend to marry or register your civil partnership within a reasonable time (usually 6 months)
• Engagement ring receipt (original and copy)
• Engagement ring diamond certificates (original and copies)
• Screenshot of Facebook status showing engaged.
• Email conversations with wedding dress designer.
• Email conversations enquiring about booking the venue for the ceremony.
• Email conversations with designated register office (this is where we need to file notice).
• Email conversations with register office (this is the district where we intend to marry).
• Booking confirmation to file notice of marriage at designated office (if we can get this).
• Booking confirmation with registrar where we intend to marry (if we can get this).
5. evidence that you have met each other
• Hotel and flight booking confirmations from our three trips together.
• A selection of photographs together.
• My fiancé has also done a scrap book of our trips; receipts, photos etc.
• Both our passports which show visas for countries visited together.
6. evidence that you intend to live together permanently after you have married or registered your civil partnership
• I am not sure what evidence we can provided that we will live together, other than mentioning it in our cover letters, any suggestions or advice on this would be much appreciated?
7. evidence of your English language ability - see the English language page
• My fiancés TOEIC score report
8. evidence that you meet the financial requirement.
•This is rather complicated as I am a self-employed director of my own limited company (low salary, high dividend), based on the Appendix FM-SE I have provided the following documents:
As per the Appendix FM-SE page of the UKBA site:
All of the following must be provided:
1. Company Tax Return CT600 (a copy or print out) for the last full financial year and evidence this has been filed with HMRC, such as electronic or written acknowledgement from HMRC.
• CT600 Company Tax Return for last financial year (print out)
• CT600 Electronic Confirmation from HMRC (print out)
• I have read elsewhere that I have to submit CT603 and that many applications have been refused because they failed to provide this. I think however the rules have changed and they have removed this from the requirements, see page 69 here. I just hope the ECO is aware of the changes as I don’t have this document.
2. Evidence of registration with the Registrar of Companies at Companies House
• Certificate of Incorporation (print out)
3. If the company is required to produce annual audited accounts, the latest such accounts.
• My company is not required to produce audited accounts.
4. If the company is not required to produce annual audited accounts, the latest unaudited accounts and an accountant's certificate of confirmation, from an accountant who is a member of a UK Recognized Supervisory Body (as defined in the Companies Act 2006).
• Financial Statements (print out)
• Letter from Accountant (original). The letter is signed by an accredited accountant; however it contains the following statement: “Whilst the information provided above is believed to be true, it is provided without acceptance by Churchill Knight and Associates Limited of any responsibility whatsoever, any use you wish to make of the information is, therefore, entirely at your own risk”. I guess this must be fairly standard; however will this statement have any impact on the ECO’s decision?
5. Corporate/business bank statements covering the same 12-month period as the Company Tax Return CT600.
• All Monthly Company Bank Statements for the period (original and copies)
6.A current Appointment Report from Companies House.
• Current Appointments Report (print out).
One of the following documents must also be provided:
1. A certificate of VAT registration and the latest VAT return (a copy or print-out) confirming the VAT registration number, if turnover is in excess of £73,000.
• Certificate of Registration for Value Added Tax (original)
• Latest VAT Return (print out).
2. Proof of ownership or lease of business premises.
• Not Provided
3. Original proof of registration with HMRC as an employer for the purposes of PAYE and National Insurance, proof of PAYE reference number and Accounts Office reference number. This evidence may be in the form of a certified copy of the documentation issued by HMRC.
• Not Provided
Where the person is listed as a director of the company and receives a salary from the company, all of the following documents must also be provided:
1. Wage slips and P60 (if issued) covering the same period as the Company Tax Return CT600.
• All Weekly Payslips and Remittance Advices for the period (print outs).
• P60 for Tax Year 2012/2013.
2. Personal bank statements covering the same 12-month period as the Company Tax Return CT600 showing that the salary as a director was paid into an account in the name of the person or in the name of the person and their partner jointly.
• All Monthly Personal Bank Statements for the period (print outs). I bank online with Natwest and I download my statements in PDF format, I have highlighted transactions to show amounts coming in from my company (Salary and Dividend). Does anyone have experience of submitting these Natwest statements to the UKBA, will the online printed statements suffice or will I need to ask Natwest to authenticate them?
Where the person receives dividends from the company, all of the following documents must also be provided:
1. Dividend vouchers for all dividends declared in favour of the person during or in respect of the period covered by the Company Tax Return CT600 showing the company's and the person's details with the person's net dividend amount and tax credit.
• All Dividend Vouchers for the period (original)
2. Personal bank statement(s) showing that those dividends were paid into an account in the name of the person or in the name of the person and their partner jointly.
• I assume this is covered by point two of the above paragraph, as I paid my weekly salary and divided into my bank account in the same transaction?
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