Family vistor visa for my parents

I am planning to call my parents in UK as my wife is pregnant and is due for delivery by Dec 2012.

Should I mention the reason of visit in the invitation letter as help for wife's pregnancy and if this is the case what supporting docs should I provide to prove this?

Should I mention the travel dates in the invitation letter?

Will the visa be issued only for the travel dates mentioned?

Please help.

Hello Majumdar

Do not ever mention that your parents will be "taking care" of your wife but you can say "your parents want to be with your wife" during her final stages of pregnancy and child birth.

Both looks same, but the British High Commission views the phrase "taking care" as a job and may refuse the visa. I have many examples of people whose parents visa got refused because they straight away mentioned in their sponsor ship letters that "they are calling their parents to look after their kids" or "to take care of his wife during her pregnancy"

Yes, you need to mention the travel dates. When you fill the Family visit visa form, on the first page, you have to give the departure and arrival dates. Moreover, family visit visa is normally issued and valid for 6-months only in any given 12-month period irrespective of the term of visa granted. Family visit visas can issued for 6-months / 2-years /5-years or 10-years. Obviously visa fees varies accordingly to the tenure applied.

For example if you apply for a Family visit visa for your parents for 2-years - if it is issued from 1st of Aug 2012 it will be valid until 31 July 2014. During this period, your parents can come to UK only 2 times. Once in every 12 month period.

It may be best to apply for 6-months initially if they are coming for the first time.

Hope this helps

Regards...
Santosh

Thanks a lot Santosh for the advice.

Can you please let me know that if I mention in the invitation letter regarding my wife's pregnancy and that my parents are visiting due to this what supporting docs do I need to provide?

Also If I mention the duration of stay as 12 weeks how much money should I show? Will £3000 pound be sufficient i.e £1500 each for my parents?

Hello Majumdar

Here is the normal list of documents. Also, check a sticky on this Forum for more exhaustive list. These list of documents differ according to the visa status and personal circumstances of the sponsor(s).

1) Sponsorship Letter (Do not call it invitation letter, Invitation and Sponsorship are viewed very differently by BHC as invitation doesn't have to be sponsorship)
2) Last 6-months payslips
3) Last 6-months bank statements
4) Latest P-60 (2011-2012)
5) Accommodation Letter (Explaining how many bedrooms you have and you can accommodate your parents without recourse to public funds)
6) Mortgage Statement from the bank.(If you own a home and pay mortgage)
7) Home Title Deeds (Obviously if you own home)
8) Council Tax Bills (Preferably last 2-years)
9) Land line telephone bills (Last three Months)

For all the above ORIGINAL documents needs to be sent. Never ever send any photocopies except No.7 Home Title Deeds - these can be sent photocopies.

Regarding funds, there is no specific rule that how much is needed, but in my view I would show at least £5,000 before I send in my documents.

Even though you apply for 12 weeks (~3 months), it is highly likely that your parents may get 6-months visa but again this is not same with everyone.

Also, if both or any of yours parents work, please submit all their personal and financial circumstances documentation too. If they do not work, please make sure that you provide any evidence (like property documents) to show the High Commission that they will return back to their home country after their authorized stay in UK

If your wife works, you can include her documents too for sponsorship even if she is just paid SMP (Statutory Maternity Pay)

Hope this helps.

Regards...
Santosh

You do not need to mention anything about wife's pregnancy. Just say, they are visiting you to see your family and sight seeing in UK.

majumdar.anamitra7 wrote:Thanks a lot Santosh for the advice.

Can you please let me know that if I mention in the invitation letter regarding my wife's pregnancy and that my parents are visiting due to this what supporting docs do I need to provide?

Also If I mention the duration of stay as 12 weeks how much money should I show? Will £3000 pound be sufficient i.e £1500 each for my parents?

Hi,
I am sponsoring my mother to visit me here in the UK. she is totally depend on me and I send her money every Month. She has been here before in 2006.

I am sending her following documents

bank statements (with this month salary I will have around £2800 in my account)
payslips
employer letter
lease
my visa and passport copy.
and sponsorship letter.
Money transfer slips

She is just presenting her property documents. she widow and house wife therefore dont have any job letter or bank statement.

Do u guys this these are sufficient documents? and does anyone know whether we can apply online from Pakistan.

Thanks