Funds to be shown by sponsor for Standard Visitor Visa for Mother-In-Law

[sunil9]

Hi friends,

I am in very much confusion and nervousness about the funds that I, as a sponsor, need to show for standard visitor visa for my Mother-In-Law. I hope you guys will help me in this regard.

Please read and suggest me further proceedings. Thanks a lot.

I am planning to bring in my mother-in-law on a visitor visa. She is a house wife. She has enough documents to show that she has close ties to back to India after her visit to UK. Below are the list of documents that I want to show.
1. Property registered on her name.
2. Agricultural Land registration pass book.
3. Vehicle registration.
4. Photos with blood relatives.

Only problem I am facing is the necessary funds that I need to show to case worker officer to offer visa. After doing some research in online and asking for friends, got to know that per month I need to show at least £3000 in my bank account for last 5 months as savings. Here comes the problem. I did not maintain such amounts in my bank account as I am not getting that much amount as savings. What ever money left after my expenses here in UK, I sent back to home to help father maintenances. So couldn't maintain such amounts as I recently came to UK. I would like to know how can I come out of this and get visa.

I have below questions to be clarified to proceed further.

1. I am asking my mother-in-law to maintain 5 lakhs rupees (£5000) in her account at the time of application and in the application/sponsorship letter I will mention that the expenses are shared between my self and mother-in-law. Can I do this.? Will ECO accepts this. ?

2. My wife is house wife in UK. She just opened Monzo account 3 weeks back. I will deposit some money for her expenses monthly. Now I will ask my friends or colleagues to deposit £1000 or £1500 to her account and I will mention that expenses for my mother-in-law will also be shared by my wife as well. Can I do this. ? Will this cause any problem.

Please reply.

Thanks for reading and understanding my issue here. Hope I will have a direction to proceed further.

[meself2]

I did not maintain such amounts in my bank account as I am not getting that much amount as savings. What ever money left after my expenses here in UK, I sent back to home to help father maintenances. So couldn't maintain such amounts as I recently came to UK. I would like to know how can I come out of this and get visa.

How recently have you arrived in the UK? If you're going to be here for a few weeks and will be a visa sponsor, that might not be looked upon very favourably - you haven't even settled here yourself.

1. I am asking my mother-in-law to maintain 5 lakhs rupees (£5000) in her account at the time of application and in the application/sponsorship letter I will mention that the expenses are shared between my self and mother-in-law. Can I do this.? Will ECO accepts this. ?

Seems okay, but your bank account (as a sponsor) would also have to be shown. Also there's transparency about where does the money come from for both of you (see below). Is it money from her job? Pension? How did she get this money?

Now I will ask my friends or colleagues to deposit £1000 or £1500 to her account and I will mention that expenses for my mother-in-law will also be shared by my wife as well. Can I do this. ? Will this cause any problem.

It will.
You have to show to ECO not just the amount of money you have but also the history of transactions.
ECO will see that your wife got a sudden influx of money from your friends/coworkers/etc and will doubt that she has access to this money, as it looks like she just borrowed this for a successful visa application (which is the case). That may mean she has no such money of her own and cannot sponsor the person she's sponsoring.

[sunil9]

Thank you very much for the reply. Appreciate your time and effort.

How recently have you arrived in the UK? If you're going to be here for a few weeks and will be a visa sponsor, that might not be looked upon very favourably - you haven't even settled here yourself.

It's been a year since I have arrived to UK. Hope this duration will be sufficient and I am here on a skilled worker visa valid for 5 years.

Seems okay, but your bank account (as a sponsor) would also have to be shown. Also there's transparency about where does the money come from for both of you (see below). Is it money from her job? Pension? How did she get this money?

She is a house wife. She does not get any pension. Quick question here. Does case worker will get any doubts about the source of her income if nothing is mentioned in the application about any reason how she get such huge amount. ?

It will.
You have to show to ECO not just the amount of money you have but also the history of transactions.
ECO will see that your wife got a sudden influx of money from your friends/coworkers/etc and will doubt that she has access to this money, as it looks like she just borrowed this for a successful visa application (which is the case). That may mean she has no such money of her own and cannot sponsor the person she's sponsoring.

Thanks for the response. I will not do this.

[meself2]

Does case worker will get any doubts about the source of her income if nothing is mentioned in the application about any reason how she get such huge amount. ?

They certainly will question it - they look through bank statements to figure out the disposable income.
Once again, they want to ideally see that a person has earned the money in their home country legally (via salary/pension/etc), and not just borrowed this money from a friend to show for visa (as I mentioned beforehand).
For example, here's a quote from a refusal letter in post2115169.html#p2115169 :

In support of your application, you have submitted a bank statement which is in your name and shows the transactions for the period of 10/10/2022 – 10/04/2023.
You have stated that you receive no additional income. I note your salary credits, however –
in the statement, there are a few transactions that aren’t in your declared circumstances.
A deposit of ****** INR (£****) on the 13/12/2022 and another deposit of ****** INR
(£****) on the 02/02/23.
These amounts are inconsistent with your stated circumstances and do not correspond with
the supporting information provided. The value of these transactions are roughly 2 times
your declared monthly earning from employment. The information provided does not explain
the origins or purposes of these funds. Given this I am not satisfied these funds remain
exclusively available to you and is an accurate reflection of your circumstances.

Where are you planning to get this money from? Is that savings? If it's some huge cash deposits, it also raises questions (see point about borrowing mentioned).

You might have to take some time (a few months) to get a proper history of transactions/etc and increase the chances of success. It might be challenging, but needs to be done.
Go through the forum looking for similar topics (example query - search.php?keywords=visa+refused&fid%5B0%5D=3) and see what you can do.

[sunil9]

@meself2 Thanks a lot for the reference posts. I have read thorough those and looks like there should be clear declaration about the income sources. So it is better not to submit her bank records.

If remove her name from sponsorship and If I mention that I am fully sponsoring her, then Do I need to submit her bank records.?

1. If I am sponsoring fully for her, then how much fund is necessary to show in my account so that case worker will accept. ?
2. Does £3000 at the time of application sufficient.?

Please suggest me.

Thanks.

[meself2]

So it is better not to submit her bank records.
If remove her name from sponsorship and If I mention that I am fully sponsoring her, then Do I need to submit her bank records.?

You don't really have a choice.
Even though you're fully sponsoring them, ECO still needs to see their bank statements - they want to make sure the person going to the UK can sustain themselves at home (since otherwise it would be no reason to go back).

Don't know about the money amount which is required (if there is any, though - there's no set amount which is "okay", it's a summary of conditions). Others will clarify.

[AmazonianX]

@meself2 Thanks a lot for the reference posts. I have read thorough those and looks like there should be clear declaration about the income sources. So it is better not to submit her bank records.

If remove her name from sponsorship and If I mention that I am fully sponsoring her, then Do I need to submit her bank records.?

1. If I am sponsoring fully for her, then how much fund is necessary to show in my account so that case worker will accept. ?
2. Does £3000 at the time of application sufficient.? [

Thanks.

It goes beyond just the amount. The ECO will use information provided in the picture to have an overview of your personal and financial circumstances in determining if the visit may result into a situation where the visitor becomes public charge or requiring public funds.
I note in initial post it appears you run your balances per mont low and thats only income for the household

[sunil9]

@AmazonianX Thanks for your reply.

What is my situation then.? I have only around £3000 in my account to show as funds and I cannot show my mother-in-law bank account as I am not sure about the income sources for that money in her account.

Is there a solution for this. ? Can I not get her visitor visa. ?

[sunil9]

@meself2 Thanks for the reply.

You don't really have a choice.
Even though you're fully sponsoring them, ECO still needs to see their bank statements - they want to make sure the person going to the UK can sustain themselves at home (since otherwise it would be no reason to go back).

I will show reason why she needs to leave UK after visit is completed. Like her social reasons etc.. Her husband, Son, daughter-in-law, her registered home and agricultural land is back in home. Wouldn't this be sufficient for ECO to believe that she will leave after her visit.? Why does her bank statements are needed.? What if a person who does not have any bank account / income / pension wants to visit her/his relatives in UK.? This is not possible in that case.

I am totally confused in my situation here. I do not have high funds in my account. I cannot show her bank records. Not applying is only the option here. ?

or I will show my bank statements and explain the ECO officer why previous months savings are less. Actually the main reason for my less savings is that I invested back in my home land and had to sent money for that investment for last 2 months. If I show proof of that, can ECO believes why funds are low. Coming months I need not send any funds for that investment as that is done and I can have more money sufficient for our family and visitor as well. Will this explanation make stronger than before.

[meself2]

What if a person who does not have any bank account / income / pension wants to visit her/his relatives in UK.? This is not possible in that case.

Yes, it would be very challenging. Unfortunately, in the eyes of UK visa officers, it's not a right (ie, not a necessity) to see a family member in the UK - you can technically do it in the third country. You (your mother, specifically) is the guest there and they set the rules - it's up to them to open the door or not
See this topic post2104478.html#p2104478 for a similar situation, refusal texts and guidance.
Notice this part, though:

The documents provided do not demonstrate your financial circumstances or commitments or how you are supported in your country of residence. I acknowledge that you have provided various land documents. Whilst I have considered that the land documents may show evidence of land sold, they do not show what income, if any, you personally received from it or how many people are reliant upon this land sale for support. I am therefore not satisfied that you have given an accurate account of your circumstances and this undermines the credibility of your application.

I am totally confused in my situation here. I do not have high funds in my account. I cannot show her bank records. Not applying is only the option here. ?

Unfortunately, for now it might be the best option.
Look at it from the point of view of a visa officer, who wants to make sure a person does not stay in country and violate immigration laws - you want to invite somebody, but you don't have enough money to sponsor them (in their mind). What would you do? Work illegally or use public funds, for example, or something else neither of you are allowed to do.

You can take a few months to get both of your bank statements in order and submit it with a better chance of success, providing just last few months.