I am writing this letter in support of my wife, XXXX's UK settlement visa application, for which I am acting as sponsor.
I am thirty-seven years old and currently reside in XXXX, China, a country in which I have been living since 2003. I have been employed as the Director and Senior Teacher at XXXX in XXXX since July 2014. I have no previous marriages, nor do I have any dependent children from any previous relationships.
I first met my wife, XXXX, in 2008. I first moved to XXXX in 2006, and started work for a language training centre called XXXX at that time. My wife started work at the company in May 2008; we soon initiated a close friendship, and started spending a great deal of time together. We officially became a couple on July 25th 2008, and have remained in a committed, loving relationship since that date. During our relationship, I have spent extensive time with her family, and have also taken her to spend time with my family in the UK in December 2013 and March 2016, as well as a trip to Hong Kong with my sister, brother-in-law, and family, in December 2011. We became engaged on July 25th 2015, signed our marriage certificate on July 25th 2016, and held our wedding ceremony on August 27th 2016 in XXXX, China.
In support of her application, we have supplied all original documentation wherever possible, and scanned copies of documents when not. I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the following areas of importance with regards to the documentation in the folder:-
My financial status – I have worked full-time for my current employer, XXXX, since July 2014. My salary is RMB 300,000 per annum before tax and deductions, plus occasional bonuses paid intermittently throughout the year (roughly an equivalent of GBP 34,500 per annum). In order to provide evidence for this, I have enclosed pay slips and bank statements for the previous eight months, a letter from my employer confirming my employment status and salary, a letter from the HR Manager at XXXX attesting that all the documents are genuine, a copy of my employer’s business licence, and a copy of my latest contract. In addition to this, I have also enclosed bank statements for my wife’s bank account which acts as our joint savings account, which shows a balance to the equivalent of around GBP 12,000, which will be transferred to the UK upon issue of the visa. Please note that my salary for January 2017 is slightly lower than usual due to a three week vacation which I took to the UK at that time. My salary deposited in February 2017 is also slightly reduced due to an RMB 2400 cash advance I received. These reductions are both noted on the payslips for those respective months.
In January 2017, I undertook, and was successful in, an interview for XXXX, for the position of business operations assistant. I will start my employment with them on 1st August 2017, and my salary will be GBP 20,500 per annum (gross). I have enclosed a letter from XXXX as proof of this employment and salary agreement. I will be leaving for the UK in the middle of July 2017 in order to acclimatize and prepare for the role prior to its commencement.
Accommodation – My wife and I will be residing with my parents at their address upon arrival in the UK. The property is a three-bedroom semi-detached house located at XXXX, a photograph of which can be found in the accommodation section of our supporting documents. My parents have provided proof of ownership in the form of copies of their mortgage closing statement and land registry certificate as they have recently repaid their mortgage in full, council tax bills for the past 12 months, a copy of the statement showing the last 12 months of water bill payments, copies of 12 months of bank statements, as well as copies of both my mother and father’s driving licenses. I have also enclosed a letter from my father supporting his sponsorship of accommodation for my wife and myself during the entirety of our time in the UK. My wife and myself will be cohabiting with my parents at this property.
Evidence of relationship - In this section we have enclosed photographs encompassing the entirety of our relationship, including trips to XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, and the United Kingdom, as well as photographs from our engagement, signing of marriage certificate, and wedding. We have also enclosed some general photographs of the two of us together, and with family and friends, taken over the past nine years of our relationship. We have also enclosed phone records, a sample of our daily communication via WeChat, which is a Chinese social media platform, and copies of our Chinese marriage certificates. Please note that the WeChat text logs only date back to September 2016 due to the fact that my wife and I purchased new phones at that time and have no access to prior messages. I have also enclosed a full copy of my current and previous 10-year passports, which shows all of the residence permits for my time in China during those ten years.
As husband and wife, we have discussed extensively the benefits of living together in a stable environment where we can build a stable future together. After much consideration, the fact that I am a UK citizen, with extensive experience in management and HR, a consistent full-time employment history, and with skills in Mandarin Chinese, we both feel that my wife joining me in the UK offers the best opportunity for us to build that future.
I strongly feel that the documentation and evidence which we have supplied in support of my wife’s application is sufficient and detailed enough to satisfy all of the requirements of the family of a settled person visa. However, should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me on XXXX. From July 15th onwards, I can be reached at my UK telephone number which is XXXX.