Standard Visa

[Mr Green]

Hi all i am new to the forums and looking for advice.

My Fiancée has booked a flight to England from China for February and she wants to apply for the Standard Visa but the problem is we have read that you need to have £5,000 in your bank account per month you wish to stay in the UK but she doesn't have this amount of money. I will tell you the details and i am wanting to know if there is a way around this.

I live in Leeds and i work in a marketing department for a local government company and my salary is £23,402 per annum. is there a way i could provide a monthly salary slip to prove i can take care of her.

I currently live with my parents as I am saving money for a deposit on a house and our marriage, would this cause problems because she is staying at my parents house and not mine?

I am a British citizen. and my girlfriend is chinese, she studied and graduated her masters degree in leeds university before having to return to China after her visa expired.

Any help or alternatives is much appreciated.

[CR001]

There is no requirement for a standard visitor visa to hold £5k in the bank every month. Where did you hear this from?

https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa/overview

[Mr Green]

ah i read it on a forum when doing a google search. would she be likely to be turned down if she only had £1000 in her bank though ?

[CR001]

Have you clicked on the link I provided?

Whichever forum you read it on is not accurate, there is no such requirement.

[Mr Green]

Have you clicked on the link I provided?

Whichever forum you read it on is not accurate, there is no such requirement.

Yeah i read it thanks for that. about my previous question do you have any experience with people being turned down for having just £1000 in the bank ?

[CR001]

She needs to provide documentary evidence that she has sufficient funds to support herself for the duration of her visit, as well as provide documentary evidence of her ties to her home country (property owned, employment, finances, studies, family, etc).

[Mr Green]

I wonder how they decide how much money is enough because she will be staying with me so she wont be paying rent or paying for food.

[CR001]

UKVI has a per day forumla they use to calculate what the requirement is. It is obviously based on what the expected trip costs might be and depends on how long the visitor intends to stay.

Link below, guidance on supporting documents

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... _CLEAN.pdf

Edited due to incorrect Section quoted.

[secret.simon]

provide documentary evidence of her ties to her home country (property owned, employment, finances, studies, family, etc).

This is the crucial bit. The most common reason for refusal of visit visa cited on these forums is failure to prove a strong link back home. She will need to prove, by such links, that she will go back before the end of her visa.

You can write a letter stating that you will be sponsoring her and bearing her costs. But that can be a double-edged sword if the ECO (Entry Clearance Officer) thinks that she has stronger links to the UK (you) than back home. So, I would be circumspect in the letter, which would be more on lines of very close and good friends than that of being a couple.

Mind you, if she were to stay here for the full six months of a visit visa, after having completed a degree course here, questions would be raised on any subsequent application as to her ties back home. If you were to spend too much time in the UK together now, you may end up compromising any future applications.

[Mr Green]

it says on the marriage visa that it cannot be switched to another visa so is the only option for my fiancée to fly back to China and then apply for the spouse visa afterwards? I just wanted to know if there was a way around it or alternative.

[vinny]

A more expensive fiancée settlement visa, not a marriage visitor visa.

[Casa]

provide documentary evidence of her ties to her home country (property owned, employment, finances, studies, family, etc).

This is the crucial bit. The most common reason for refusal of visit visa cited on these forums is failure to prove a strong link back home. She will need to prove, by such links, that she will go back before the end of her visa.

You can write a letter stating that you will be sponsoring her and bearing her costs. But that can be a double-edged sword if the ECO (Entry Clearance Officer) thinks that she has stronger links to the UK (you) than back home. So, I would be circumspect in the letter, which would be more on lines of very close and good friends than that of being a couple.

Mind you, if she were to stay here for the full six months of a visit visa, after having completed a degree course here, questions would be raised on any subsequent application as to her ties back home. If you were to spend too much time in the UK together now, you may end up compromising any future applications.

With respect, if the relationship is declared as being 'on lines of very close and good friends than that of being a couple.' you will have a serious problem when your fiance application states something quite different. Unfortunately it is a common mistake and could result in a refusal due to deception as all information given in visa applications is cross-checked and held on record ad infinitum. You should be honest and open and hope that the ECO believes an intent to return.

[Mr Green]

So if the future plan was to stay in the uk with a spouse visa it would be best for her to spend as little time in England as possible until we apply for it?

e.g. she comes to england for 1 or 2 months while we marry and then goes back to china and then we apply for the spouse visa. would that be the best course of action? also in terms of getting a spouse visa would it be better to marry in the uk or in china ?

[Mr Green]

A more expensive fiancée settlement visa, not a marriage visitor visa.

would that be this one? https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/overview

if so that would mean we would already need to be married right?

[vinny]

Yes, that's the one. It's better if she was married to you, but possible without marriage. A fiancée settlement entry clearance would be valid for six months, giving her time to get married in the UK and subsequently switch to FLR(M) in the UK.

If you had been living with her for at least two years akin to marriage (and can prove it), then she would be granted a 33 months entry clearance and there would be no need to get married.

[Mr Green]

Yes, that's the one. It's better if she was married to you, but possible without marriage. A fiancée settlement entry clearance would be valid for six months, giving her time to get married in the UK and subsequently switch to FLR(M) in the UK.

If you had been living with her for at least two years akin to marriage (and can prove it), then she would be granted a 33 months entry clearance and there would be no need to get married.

Thanks for the info. just a couple of questions.

it says You must also meet the financial requirement of:

£18,600 per year if you’re applying only for yourself - If I show 6 months worth of payslips from my employer would that suffice? also my yearly salary for my job is only £16,543 but i receive a bonus for my job of about £400-500 a month which takes it to about £23,000 i think and i have been receiving this bonus for about 2 years and it is also showed on my payslip so i wonder if they would take this into account or just dismiss it when they say the 16,543 normal salary amount.

also it says

You’re engaged

You must prove that you plan to marry or become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK. - Would booking a date at the marriage reception suffice?

also one final thing. You must prove that any previous relationships you or your partner had are permanently broken down. what does this mean? we have never broken up so i dont think this applies but just wanted to check.

[secret.simon]

You must prove that any previous relationships you or your partner had are permanently broken down. what does this mean? we have never broken up so i dont think this applies but just wanted to check.

It means that if either your partner or you have been married before, then that person needs to have a decree absolute of divorce (or equivalent) before applying for this visa.

[vinny]

Thanks for the info. just a couple of questions.

it says You must also meet the financial requirement of:

£18,600 per year if you’re applying only for yourself - If I show 6 months worth of payslips from my employer would that suffice? also my yearly salary for my job is only £16,543 but i receive a bonus for my job of about £400-500 a month which takes it to about £23,000 i think and i have been receiving this bonus for about 2 years and it is also showed on my payslip so i wonder if they would take this into account or just dismiss it when they say the 16,543 normal salary amount.

See also Appendix FM-SE.

also it says

You’re engaged

You must prove that you plan to marry or become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK. - Would booking a date at the marriage reception suffice?

SET1.18.

also one final thing. You must prove that any previous relationships you or your partner had are permanently broken down. what does this mean? we have never broken up so i dont think this applies but just wanted to check.

SET1.15

[Mr Green]

Thanks for the info. just a couple of questions.

it says You must also meet the financial requirement of:

£18,600 per year if you’re applying only for yourself - If I show 6 months worth of payslips from my employer would that suffice? also my yearly salary for my job is only £16,543 but i receive a bonus for my job of about £400-500 a month which takes it to about £23,000 i think and i have been receiving this bonus for about 2 years and it is also showed on my payslip so i wonder if they would take this into account or just dismiss it when they say the 16,543 normal salary amount.

See also Appendix FM-SE.

also it says

You’re engaged

You must prove that you plan to marry or become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK. - Would booking a date at the marriage reception suffice?

SET1.18.

also one final thing. You must prove that any previous relationships you or your partner had are permanently broken down. what does this mean? we have never broken up so i dont think this applies but just wanted to check.

SET1.15

Thanks again vinny. for the first question about the salary i clicked the links you provided but i couldnt really find any information about it.

The other question about the proof of marriage seems a bit tricky. If we cannot book the wedding until she arrives in england but we need the visa to get her into england then im not really sure what proof i could provide because everything in terms of wedding planning would first need the wedding to be booked for date purposes. Maybe i am not thinking outside the box enough but if you could provide some ideas i would very much appreciate it.

[Wanderer]

The other question about the proof of marriage seems a bit tricky. If we cannot book the wedding until she arrives in england but we need the visa to get her into england then im not really sure what proof i could provide because everything in terms of wedding planning would first need the wedding to be booked for date purposes. Maybe i am not thinking outside the box enough but if you could provide some ideas i would very much appreciate it.

Fiancee visa.

[Mr Green]

The other question about the proof of marriage seems a bit tricky. If we cannot book the wedding until she arrives in england but we need the visa to get her into england then im not really sure what proof i could provide because everything in terms of wedding planning would first need the wedding to be booked for date purposes. Maybe i am not thinking outside the box enough but if you could provide some ideas i would very much appreciate it.

Fiancee visa.

Hi thanks for that but it says on the visa you need to proof you will be married within 6 months of arriving in the UK? so i was just looking for ideas on how to prove it because booking the wedding at a reception does not suffice unfortunately.

[Wanderer]

The other question about the proof of marriage seems a bit tricky. If we cannot book the wedding until she arrives in england but we need the visa to get her into england then im not really sure what proof i could provide because everything in terms of wedding planning would first need the wedding to be booked for date purposes. Maybe i am not thinking outside the box enough but if you could provide some ideas i would very much appreciate it.

Fiancee visa.

Hi thanks for that but it says on the visa you need to proof you will be married within 6 months of arriving in the UK? so i was just looking for ideas on how to prove it because booking the wedding at a reception does not suffice unfortunately.

Banns, appointments with ministers etc. or maybe registry office appointment? Sounds like fun!

[Mr Green]

yeah i had thought about the registry office appointment but im guessing that doesent count as evidence because on the document provided before it says that a registry office booking off a marriage does not count towards the proof. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... rangements

Of itself, a booking at a Register Office or church is not proof that a marriage will take place.

[Mr Green]

so does anybody else have any ideas since we will be getting married in the registry office is there any other proof we can provide of marriage.

[Mr Green]

Would my fiancée need to pay the healthcare surcharge if she is coming to visit me on this visa for 6 months.

https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/overview