Potential probs with accommodation and financial evdence

I´m a UK national in Brazil at the moment and soon to be married (here)to my Brazilian fiancee. She has a provisional offer from a London college to do a masters degree and our original plan was for her to get a student visa. However, for various reasons (not least of which being the fact that she has overstayed in the past) we have decided that a marriage settlement visa is the way to go. I´m confident that we can show evidence of a genuine relationship but financial and accommodation evidence may be problematic for the following reasons;

Accommodation; Neither mine nor her rented accommodation in the UK was in a suitable location for her college, so we both left our respective places. We will be in Brazil for the next three weeks staying in a borrowed apartment and Hotels, so I suppose technically in the UK we are both of no fixed abode (so what do we put in the address part of the application form?). We do have a flat lined up and do have in our possession a receipt for a holding deposit for it. However, we don´t have any verifiable details of the flat´s size etc. and possibly would have trouble showing that we can pay the remaining deposit/1 months rent.

Financial; I´m a self employed courier and I have 2 months self-billing invoices (effectively payslips) from the company I work for and these show a reasonable income. However, I don´t have any bank statements with us nor does she. We both have internet banking and can do screen prints of our balances. I´ve read on other posts that these can be used but only if they are verifyed in a branch, which we obviously can´t do. She has a credit card with a 5000 pound limit but again we can only show this with a screen print. I don´t suppose they would sit at a computer in the consulate with us whilst we log on to our banks!? She has relations in France who have promised to pay for her tuition fees and six months accommodation, but they are a bit unreliable and there is a possibility they would renage on the promise. If, or when, they did come through with the money, it may be a bit late and how could we show that this is happening? They would only pay direct to the college and estate agent. In the event of them not paying she would seek work (she is a physio) and my parents will loan us the remainder of the flat deposit. I have arranged with my father that in any event he will bring a letter with him, when he comes here for our wedding, with a promise to pay 1 months rent and the remainder of the deposit and with current bank statements showing HIS financial viability.

And that´s where we stand. Any comments or advice would be much appreciated.

No advice from anyone

Hi there,

I'm not in a qualified position to give you any really good advice! But I have been looking into settlement visas for a long long time now! And I have been told 2 things - these are that the most important things when applying are to show the relationship is genuine (proof of living together, phone calls, emails, letters, cards, photos) which is sounds like is fine for you, and to show that your finances are all ok - and they do ask for 6 months bank statements and wage slips - possibly you could get away with 3 months, but I'm not too sure about that. And you need to be able to show that you have something around £95 week after rent etc. From what I've got from my research is that it is basically important to show that your wife wont result to public funds whilst here, and that even if she doesnt have a job, your job alone is enough to keep her. Also they need proof that housing isnt overcrowded - enough rooms etc. I'm not sure what the case is if you are still living in Brazil. Is it possible to come back to the UK and get finances sorted for maybe a few months? And then she can follow. When does the masters course start? I'm just thinking the visa is an expensive process, and appeal can take months and months apparently so when you apply you want to make sure you have the best chance possible and if that means waiting a few extra months then its worth it.

This is just what I am doing right now, I got married in Kenya just 6 weeks ago and am now home without my husband getting finances together before we appy - maybe around xmas! Its hard, but long term I think this gives us the best chance, and the time away will be well worth it in the end. I was worried if we rushed it, without the proper evidence, then it would be refused and we would lose a lot of time, and then a refused visa wouldnt look good next time we came to apply.

As I said this is just my situation, but I hope it maybe helps a little bit. at least its not impossible but may take time!

3rd party financial support is no longer allowed for spouse visa applications. Bank accounts statements printed from the internet without being stamped and signed by the bank are not accepted as proof of finances.
If you're unable to pay the flat's first month's rent and deposit, I assume that you don't have any savings. Your financial situation could be a problem.