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Followup on my Visa ** Success **

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simani
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Followup on my Visa ** Success **

Post by simani » Fri Jun 03, 2005 1:24 pm

Hi,

I just need some peace of mind basically. Here is my situation.

1. I got married in Jan 2003 to my british passport holder husband.

2. Came to the UK (after all the visa formalities) in April 2003 on a two year initial visa.

3. Before my Visa expired i applied for ILR as a spouse in mid march this year (2005).

4. I had submitted the application before 1st April 2005 so i was issued an application form from August 2003 with a fee of £155 for postal application.

5. Before finally sending my application i called the help desk and confirmed what docs are needed. The lady there told me that i need my latest bank statements, payslips, some bills, car insurance certificate if any. Quite frankly to be on the safe side i sent docs dating from apr2004 to apr2005.

6 After about a month (around end of april) my husband's passport came back with a letter stating that they need more of my docs dated apr2003 to apr2004. I got very annoyed as this wasnt mentioned in the old form under the spouse visa category . all the said was to send some bills etc. moreover the lady on phone also didnt guide me well when i called to cross verify.

7. However i sent the required docs. Every document that i had and now i called up home office today to enquire about my application's progress. I was put on hold (i wonder why) because the guy on other side had a query he needed to clarify. Then he told me that since i had sent the second lot a bit later my application might have got delayed. Its been like almost 2 1/2 months since my application and i am getting impatient now.

Not that i have any doubt about anything because i know i sent a good lot of papers supporting my application and i am earning well as well. But why so much time? Is everything ok or am i just being a Paranoid thinking about how much time it is taking to complete...?

please i need an answer to ease my mind. did i do something wrong in the whole process?

Thanks,
sim
Last edited by simani on Mon Jun 13, 2005 9:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

Chess
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Post by Chess » Fri Jun 03, 2005 1:35 pm

You never did anything wrong. I assume you supplied all the documents that they requireto demonstrate living togetther for the 2 -year period.

In hindsight, it might have been better to do an 'in-person' application at the PEO.
Where there is a will there is a way.

simani
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Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2005 1:09 pm

Post by simani » Fri Jun 03, 2005 1:42 pm

Thanks a lot for your reply... and my ease of mind. i still have many questions.

1. actually that time no one was there to guide us. we were saving up every penny that time to buy a house and couldnt afford another £95 more, else we would have fallen short of the deposit for the house, so we made a postal application. Moreover it was written that most applications are completed in 3 weeks and we were in no hurry. later i got to know that it takes more than that :(

2. Actually whenever i call and they put me on hold since they need to verify something i get very very anxious and think that maybe something is wrong. :? why would they do that.. i almost get tempted to ask them.. will that be appropriate? it's like watching a 3 month long suspense rubbish..

3. When i made the application we were renting at the time. Since then we have bought this house and moved in. I have notified them of address change but havent told them that we are joint owners now. Do i have to do that as well?

4. From the last two times that i have called they have told me thatmy application is in the final stages of completion/consideration. what does that mean? what is the approximate status when they say this?

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions... but they keep coming up in my head.

Regards,
Sim

John
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Post by John » Fri Jun 03, 2005 2:27 pm

Sim, obviously this is a worrying time for you but suspect that it is just a question of time before you get your passport back with a shiny new ILR visa in it.

The evidence? I agree that the pre-April application form requested just one year's information from a spouse. However the new April or later version does ask for two years information. Suspect that someone in IND dealing with the application got confused by that difference.

In practice, regarding applications for ILR by a spouse, where the marriage is genuine and can be proved to be such, and no claim to non-permitted claim to Public Funds has been made, the rejection rate is NIL! So just a question of time before you get your visa.

I look forward to reading your "success" message!
John

simani
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Post by simani » Fri Jun 03, 2005 2:58 pm

Thanks John,

Your answer is quite reassuring. I have sent across all possible documents: Bank Statements, ISA Statements, Credit Card Statements, Council tax bill, electricity bill, water bill, Private medical insurance certificate, Car insurance certificates, my mobile phone bills, BT phone bills, My payslips, Husbands's payslips, my P60, Tenancy agreements, Our marriage certificate etc etc. That way i think these would be enough. thats why i was a bit confident of my application.

We have been earning well with a good combined salary and never made any claims to public funds. So that also sounds ok.

However do i still need to tell them that we arent renting anymore? That we have bought a property? I have notified them of address change for further correspondence.

I'll definitely post my update on this forum once i hear something from the Home office.

Regards,
Smriti

simani
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Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2005 1:09 pm

Success

Post by simani » Mon Jun 13, 2005 9:15 am

Hi John & Chess & Other guys who read this post,

This is my Success message 8) ... my passport has come back with a "shiny new ILR visa in it". :wink:

I am very happy today and much relieved. This is exactly the 13th week of my application. I made my application on 18th March and this is the 13 week since then. Nice work.

Well, thanks to you both for your advice and see you next time when i will apply for my british passport or when i would need an NTL on existing passport.

Regards,
Sim

John
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Post by John » Mon Jun 13, 2005 9:23 am

Congratulations Sim on your ILR visa. Although, in reality, it was just a question of time before it arrived, it is no doubt quite a relief to you to actually receive it.

Now roll on next April, after you have been in the UK for three years, when you can apply for Naturalisation as British.
John

simani
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Post by simani » Mon Jun 13, 2005 9:27 am

Thanks John,

Yea i understand that it was only a matter of time. But, i had been reading all these distress post and messages that i was wondering if it is that tough to get the application cleared.

Thanks for the information about Naturalisation information. I didnt know i could apply this soon. I'll gather more information on this when the time nears.

Regards,
Sim

John
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Post by John » Mon Jun 13, 2005 9:50 am

Hi, as the spouse of a British Citizen you can apply after you have been in the UK for three years. That is, there is a very strict rule .... the applicant for naturalised must have been physically in the UK exactly three years before IND receive the application. (My wife first arrived in the UK on 14.04.01, and her Naturalisation application was submitted on 15.04.04! On 09.06.04 she attended her Citizenship Ceremony.)

There are other rules as well. As regards ILR you must simply have ILR .... which of course you now do (as compared to someone who is not the spouse of a British Citizen, who needs to have held ILR for a minimum of one year).

Also, counting up to when IND receive the naturalisation application, you should not have been out of the UK for more than 270 days in the previous three years, and also not outside the UK for more than 90 days in the previous one year to IND getting the application.

Assuming you meet those tests and are of good character you should not encounter a problem.
John

simani
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Post by simani » Mon Jun 13, 2005 10:07 am

Oh thanks once again John,

I came here on 13-04-03 so i'll submit my application on the 13-04-06 by special delivery so that it reaches the very next day.

Thanks for the other information about being in the UK. I have not been out much really. Just been out of UK for about 20 days so far and have another 20 days booked in September.

See you next year :)

~Sim

John
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Post by John » Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:48 pm

Sim, don't overlook the fact that two referees need to sign your form and both of them need to certify that they have known you for at least three years. Accordingly it might be the case that you will need to delay your application a few days.
John

sreeni
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Post by sreeni » Mon Jun 13, 2005 1:35 pm

Hi guys thinking of the future for my wife in 2 yrs time when she will apply for FLR.
I have a question when applying for FLR do you need to send documents that show you have lived together for the whole two years? or just the recent ones? or the last 6 months? :?

John
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Post by John » Mon Jun 13, 2005 1:44 pm

She will be applying for ILR at the end of her current two-year spouse visa? If so the form SET(M) introduced in April 2005 made a change to the requirement. It is now necessary to send proof of living together for each of the two years, not just the last year.
John

simani
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Post by simani » Mon Jun 13, 2005 1:47 pm

hmm.... slowly the folds are opening on this. i know two people who have known me from the day i have come here. they are my husband's friend & my current boss. i hope these two will do? or they need someone more formal like a solicitor etc?

John
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Post by John » Mon Jun 13, 2005 2:27 pm

Hi, have a look here and also click on "Application Forms and Guidance Notes" in the left-hand column, then download Guide AN(NEW), the AN(NEW) application form and also the Fees Note.

The Guide AN(NEW) says who can act as a referee.
John

simani
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Post by simani » Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:44 pm

Oh thanks John,

You are a very good guide.

Regards

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