Spouse Visa Extension - How does it work?

Hi Guys,

I wanted to ask if our spouse visa renewal could be impacted by unpaid sickness.

My wife has been employeed since May, 2019.

I have been employed since November, 2016.

I want to know if we can still apply under Category A as my wife and I both typically earn well above the £1550 threshold, however this month my wife has had unpaid sickness which may bring us slightly under the £1550 threshold.

My question is, does unpaid sickness impact what category we could apply under? Or is it disregarded by the Home Office during application stage? On my wife's payslips it clearly states how much the pay was, and then the deduction that came off I.E -Sickness, etc.

Thanks!

If you are earning sufficiently then use your income alone.
OR
You both can combine your incomes to cover the shortfall.
OR
If there is still shortfall then use employer letter confirming her sickness and in that case that period (unpaid sickness) will be discounted. For example if she was sick for 2 weeks then she will need to show the income for 6 months and 2 weeks.

klite12 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 06, 2020 1:46 am

My question is, does unpaid sickness impact what category we could apply under?

The only difference between eligibility for Category A and B is length of time employed by current employer. As long as you have both been employed by the same employer for at least 6 months, you can apply using Category A with the caveat seagul discussed regarding unpaid sick leave.

seagul wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 06, 2020 4:40 am

If you are earning sufficiently then use your income alone.
OR
You both can combine your incomes to cover the shortfall.
OR
If there is still shortfall then use employer letter confirming her sickness and in that case that period (unpaid sickness) will be discounted. For example if she was sick for 2 weeks then she will need to show the income for 6 months and 2 weeks.

Ahh, so if she's off for say 2 weeks, 4 weeks. Whatever, then that difference will be covered by going back 2 weeks or 4 weeks whatever is applicable?

On her payslip it shows the payments being deducted and so on.

klite12 wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 11, 2020 2:23 am

Ahh, so if she's off for say 2 weeks, 4 weeks. Whatever, then that difference will be covered by going back 2 weeks or 4 weeks whatever is applicable?

On her payslip it shows the payments being deducted and so on.

Yes, see section 5.5.21 on page 34 of the guidance document linked below for details and an example.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... -ext_1.pdf

Hi Guys,

Can someone confirm this for me, my wife's spouse visa is due to expire on June 20th, 2020. She has a CEFR Level C1 IELTS test completed at a UK university (It's not on the UKVI list) and this was done 02/06/2018 so it's almost about to expire as I believe they have 2 years on them.

The problem we have is that we can't book a new test. The test centres are all closed and I've booked a test for the 27th of June (A week after the visa expiry). I phoned the COVID19 Immigration Help Centre and they've advised that if we attach a cover letter detailing the circumstances that the Home Office will realise and progress the application to where it can go and ask us to send in the test once it's completed.

Is this correct?

klite12 wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 12:53 pm

Hi Guys,

Can someone confirm this for me, my wife's spouse visa is due to expire on June 20th, 2020. She has a CEFR Level C1 IELTS test completed at a UK university (It's not on the UKVI list) and this was done 02/06/2018 so it's almost about to expire as I believe they have 2 years on them.

Don't take risk if it isn't carrying any ukvi unique ref number.

klite12 wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 12:53 pm

The problem we have is that we can't book a new test. The test centres are all closed and I've booked a test for the 27th of June (A week after the visa expiry). I phoned the COVID19 Immigration Help Centre and they've advised that if we attach a cover letter detailing the circumstances that the Home Office will realise and progress the application to where it can go and ask us to send in the test once it's completed.

Is this correct?

Alternatively If you have an overseas bachelor degree which consumed 3-4 years then might consider to use NARIC route who have been working remotely.

seagul wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 3:34 pm

klite12 wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 12:53 pm

Hi Guys,

Can someone confirm this for me, my wife's spouse visa is due to expire on June 20th, 2020. She has a CEFR Level C1 IELTS test completed at a UK university (It's not on the UKVI list) and this was done 02/06/2018 so it's almost about to expire as I believe they have 2 years on them.

Don't take risk if it isn't carrying any ukvi unique ref number.

klite12 wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 12:53 pm

The problem we have is that we can't book a new test. The test centres are all closed and I've booked a test for the 27th of June (A week after the visa expiry). I phoned the COVID19 Immigration Help Centre and they've advised that if we attach a cover letter detailing the circumstances that the Home Office will realise and progress the application to where it can go and ask us to send in the test once it's completed.

Is this correct?

Alternatively If you have an overseas bachelor degree which consumed 3-4 years then might consider to use NARIC route who have been working remotely.

So, with the centres being closed is there no flexibility being granted? My wife is from Pakistan and has a 4 yr bachelors degree - the problem isn't that she can't pass that test it's moreso the facility to do so is gone for now.

I'm just really worried that they might reject her application for that? Or if we do provide a cover letter based on current would we be fine?

klite12 wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 4:28 pm

seagul wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 3:34 pm

klite12 wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 12:53 pm

Hi Guys,

Can someone confirm this for me, my wife's spouse visa is due to expire on June 20th, 2020. She has a CEFR Level C1 IELTS test completed at a UK university (It's not on the UKVI list) and this was done 02/06/2018 so it's almost about to expire as I believe they have 2 years on them.

Don't take risk if it isn't carrying any ukvi unique ref number.

klite12 wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 12:53 pm

The problem we have is that we can't book a new test. The test centres are all closed and I've booked a test for the 27th of June (A week after the visa expiry). I phoned the COVID19 Immigration Help Centre and they've advised that if we attach a cover letter detailing the circumstances that the Home Office will realise and progress the application to where it can go and ask us to send in the test once it's completed.

Is this correct?

Alternatively If you have an overseas bachelor degree which consumed 3-4 years then might consider to use NARIC route who have been working remotely.

So, with the centres being closed is there no flexibility being granted? My wife is from Pakistan and has a 4 yr bachelors degree - the problem isn't that she can't pass that test it's moreso the facility to do so is gone for now.

I'm just really worried that they might reject her application for that? Or if we do provide a cover letter based on current would we be fine?

Apart of test centres the UKCAS centers were/are also closed and both more likely will be reopened almost same times. That means your application will stay standstill upon online submission and you will certainly have sufficient time to pass the test. However, as per members experiences NARIC is still operating remotely who can assess your degree and issue you all the relevant statements under their red route to meet this requirement (if you don't want to wait for the test centres to reopen).

seagul wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 5:14 pm

Apart of test centres the UKCAS centers were/are also closed and both more likely will be reopened almost same times. That means your application will stay standstill upon online submission and you will certainly have sufficient time to pass the test. However, as per members experiences NARIC is still operating remotely who can assess your degree and issue you all the relevant statements under their red route to meet this requirement (if you don't want to wait for the test centres to reopen).

I've contacted NARIC and requested the Visas and Nationality Service to assess my wife's degree. Is this sufficient enough or do I need another service?

I just want to ensure that what they give back would be accepted by the home office in lieu for the IELTS test.

For NARIC, you need to have both Comparable Assessment and the English Assessment done. It costs about £150.

klite12 wrote: ↑

Thu May 14, 2020 10:56 am

I just want to ensure that what they give back would be accepted by the home office in lieu for the IELTS test.

Yes provided by using their red route which will give you two statements/reports:
NARIC comparability statement
NARIC English fluency report

If she has 4 years Pakistani degree
She can convert with NARIC online
NARIC will issue a statement which is enough for visa issue

I think there is a 2 month window after you submit your application online for document submission, My wife's visa expired 7th of Jan of this year and at that point in time, my company had not yet issued me a letter about my employment with them, she eventually submitted that application mid feb and was granted her visa the following month, what am trying to say is, if you have already booked for the test on the 27th of june, you can still submit your application on the 20th of june but don't book for a date to submit your documents until you have a copy of your results which should not be more than 2 weeks, if i remember correctly you have an option to say you have a certificate which can be submitted physically along with other documents

i hope i am right and if i am wrong pls can moderators point it out as i would not want to give false or bad advice

klite12 wrote: ↑

Wed May 13, 2020 12:53 pm

Hi Guys,

Can someone confirm this for me, my wife's spouse visa is due to expire on June 20th, 2020. She has a CEFR Level C1 IELTS test completed at a UK university (It's not on the UKVI list) and this was done 02/06/2018 so it's almost about to expire as I believe they have 2 years on them.

The problem we have is that we can't book a new test. The test centres are all closed and I've booked a test for the 27th of June (A week after the visa expiry). I phoned the COVID19 Immigration Help Centre and they've advised that if we attach a cover letter detailing the circumstances that the Home Office will realise and progress the application to where it can go and ask us to send in the test once it's completed.

Is this correct?

Hi Guys,

Got a question - so my wife as a Bachelors Degree from a Pakistani University. Based on the evidence I gave NARIC, they've said they can qualify as a B1 minimum which satisfies the requirements.

My lawyer has suggested that all I need is the 'Visas & Nationality Service' however I've been told on here I need a statement of comparability. I asked my lawyer if I needed the statement of comparability however she stated that the Visas & Nationality Service will give a document that'll cover off both.

If anyone has any knowledge in this or any personal experience could guide me as it's confusing me as to what to do because I don't want to pay for both services if I don't need them.

Topics merged!!

You need the statement of comparability and English assessments, which is the UK visa & nationality red route option. So yes, you need to pay for both assessments, costs about £150.

CR001 wrote: ↑

Sun May 17, 2020 10:19 am

Topics merged!!

You need the statement of comparability and English assessments, which is the UK visa & nationality red route option. So yes, you need to pay for both assessments, costs about £150.

I've paid for the red route service and they said they'll provide me with the following;

1) Academic Qualification Level statement (AQUALS) to advise if your qualification compares to a UK Bachelor, Master or PhD.

and

2) English Language Proficiency Statement (ELPS) to comment on the level of English proficiency on the CEFR scale.

Is this satisfactory?

Yes.

Hi guys,

Just hoping someone can help explain how the visa extension process works.

- My lawyer told me we don't need to submit the documents at the same date we submit the application, this can be done afterwards and has to be done before the date of our appointment?

I'm just a bit confused so - when we submit the application, we wait until an appointment and then take all our evidence with us? Or do we submit all the evidence prior to the date of the appointment and also take the evidence with us?

Thanks!

So I believe you're lawyer is talking about the online application.

You won't need to submit documents when you make the online application. But after you've paid and submitted, you can either upload the documents through the online portal or take them with you when you've booked an appointment, so it can be scanned.

Best bet is to upload it online and still take the originals to the appointment.

Topics merged again!!!