How to supply sponsor's documents

[sghughes42]

My fiancee will be applying for her visa to come over to the uk in the near future and we are in the process of getting everything we need together.

One thing I was wondering, do I need to send my documents to her, and if so, do I need to supply originals or are copies / scans acceptable?

I understand I need to supply things like proof of age and income as well as some info from my passport. I'm not very keen on sending originals of passport, birth certificate and P60 through the post and hoping they come back!

Is there anywhere in the UK I can submit these, or are copies OK?

Can anyone point to or give me a definitive list of what I will need to supply? For reference, she is Taiwanese, I am a British citizen (since birth). I rent my house but currently also own a house which I am looking to rent out. I am currently in the probationary period of a job having been made redundant after 15 years at my previous employment.

I don' t know if it confuses things but I also run a small business in my spare time. This doesn't make a lot of money so is it worth even mentioning it? I'm well over the income requirement from my paid job.

One thing that is mentioned is proof of eligibility to marry. I've never been married (or engaged) before, she hasn't been married either, so how do we prove this?

Lastly, does anyone know the current visa processing time for Taiwan? The UKBA website throws and error when you try and access this at the moment...

[menwall]

Hi,

Your payslips, bank statements and most documents need to be originals. Regarding passport: it's advised to send a certified copy of your passport photo page for her application - you should keep your passport. You can get a copy certified by most solicitors. You could do the same with your birth certificate.

P60 is not completely necessary for the application I don't think (because some people who have only been working over 6 but less than 12 months may not have P60 depending on when they started the job) but if you have one, its a good idea to send the original (WITH photocopies for them to keep).

Regarding eligibility to marry, they will assume that neither of you have been married if you don't provide any proof - you may want to mention it in an introductory letter with your application evidence though just to be on the safe side.

I'm not too sure on the other stuff, but I hope that gets you off in the right direction.

[sghughes42]

Thanks. Do you think a certified copy of the P60 would be acceptable? I need the original for my accounts for the self employment and you can't get copies. If the documents go missing it could be a big problem for me.

Any idea on the approximate costs of getting documentation certified?

[sghughes42]

Oh, also, while I think of it, do I need anything from my current employer? Other than my contract, do I need a letter confirming I'm employed there? There is space on the form for employer details so I wonder if they will just contact them direct?