Document sending

[Incy]

Hi all

We are nearly at the end of our application process, all forms etc are ready to go, all documents in place. However, we are still a little bit concerned around the sending of the documents.
My partner is applying from Malaysia, but I have all the supporting documents, employment and financial stuff etc. here in the UK.
Our solicitors have said that it is fine for me to send all the supporting evidence from here in the UK and my partner to just go to the appointment in Malaysia with his Passport, photos, IELTs and TB test results, and send these to Sheffield after the appointment.
I have had a search on here for similar post but failed to find anything.
If anyone has any experience on how it works with the sponsor sending the supporting documents separately to Sheffield, or point me to a thread, it will be most appreciated.

[Londoner007]

Applicant attends the biometrics appointment to submit finger prints and passport ONLY.

For Bio-metrics appointment they only take following docs:

- Appointment letter
- Passport
- 2x passport copies
- Printed online application to only show

Your spouse should then send all documents their support docs from Malaysia ike TB certificate, appendix 2 etc to you in UK, then you add your stuff like payslips etc then send the whole file directly to Sheffield from within UK.

[Incy]

Thank you for your reply.
Initially what you have said is what we were going to do, but then we were advised that when he goes to the application centre they 'might' ask to see copies of the documents, so I have emailed him everything to print off and take .... just in case they do ask.
So when it came down to what he actually needs to take to the application it was basically take everything, just in case.

[Londoner007]

Don't do it, these guys at VFS centers are clueless. They may end up scanning few documents and submit it to Sheffield, leaving the sponsors docs out. So, when you send your docs to Sheffield they will not accept it.

Up to you, but you have been warned.

[Incy]

We aren't using VFS.

[Londoner007]

What are you using?

[deemo]

Hi All,

I have a similar situation.
My wife is in India & I am in UK (British Citizen).
Are spouse visa appointment & Biometric appointments are same?
I am so confused, there is contradicting information from many sources while googling.
Does the spouse submit all including my documents at VFS (Delhi, India) or she submit only application, IHS fee & application fee & provide the biometrics, then I take the documents to include my documents , to be sent to Sheffield?

Appreciate the replies, please

Deemo

[Incy]

What are you using?

I meant we weren't using VFS to get everything ready, but obviously my partner will be going to the VAC in Malaysia.

[seagul]

Hi All,

I have a similar situation.
My wife is in India & I am in UK (British Citizen).
Are spouse visa appointment & Biometric appointments are same?
I am so confused, there is contradicting information from many sources while googling.
Does the spouse submit all including my documents at VFS (Delhi, India) or she submit only application, IHS fee & application fee & provide the biometrics, then I take the documents to include my documents , to be sent to Sheffield?

Appreciate the replies, please

Deemo

There is no appointment for spouse visa rather it is submitted online followed by biometrics enrolment with appointment. Applicant only need to bring with her application form print out, application & IHS payment receipt and passport to local vfs office at the time of biometrics. The sponsor submits all documents straight to Sheffield.

[Incy]

After reading all the advice, I thought for belts and braces I will get my partner to ring the VFS place in Kuala Lumpur and ask what they would want to see wen he goes to the appointment. Absolute waste of time, my partner started to explain our situation but as soon as he said I will be sending documents from UK, the lady on the other end of the phone stopped him talking and said "We only do Australia here, not UK, you will have to ring the UK" and gave him a phone number based in London.

So, I am just going to go with what you guys on here and on other places I have been looking at.

Get him to send me the test results and signed copy of the application form etc.
When he goes to appointment he will take the things he has to take and also take copies of the rest just in case they ask to see.

[Incy]

Ok, I am still a bit confused by this last part.

I have spoken with VFS centre in London, asking about whether the application centre in Malaysia will want to see the original TB and IELTS test results, or can my partner send them to me and take copies. They aren't 100% what the application centre in Malaysia will ask to see, but they think that it will be ok to take copies.
The reason for all this is because of the time it takes for post to get here from Malaysia, it could be at least a week and as we only have ten days to get everything to Sheffield once the appointment is booked, I am concerned that if there are any delays in the post I won't get the documents from him on time.

So, I have told my partner to send me the test results, when they get to me we will then go online and complete the application, book the appointment etc. Get all the stuff we need to print from that so he can take it to the appointment and I will also print it and add it to the document pack.

However, I have read that you can only submit everything to Sheffield once, and obviously I won't be submitting his passport, or the original application form, so how does that work?

[CR001]

However, I have read that you can only submit everything to Sheffield once, and obviously I won't be submitting his passport, so how does that work?

The applicant submits their passport at the centre in the country where they apply. It does NOT go to Sheffield with the supporting documents.

[Incy]

The applicant submits their passport at the centre in the country where they apply. It does NOT go to Sheffield with the supporting documents.

Ok, thank you.
So, when I send the pack do I need to include a letter detailing that my partner is applying in Malaysia and I am sending the documents?
Do I include a photocopy of his passport?

[CR001]

The online application process will tell you what to send where and it will give you the application reference number and likely the barcode separator type stuff for the supporting documents.

Please follow the online instructions for the application. You can only send the supporting documents AFTER the online application and possibly after biometrics have been done in Malaysia.

[Edwardo]

Like you we were getting conflicting advice so ended up doing this:

My wife had her biometrics done in her home country, she then sent (DHL) the TB test and IELTS certificates (and the important VAF appendix which your spouse must sign) to me and I sent them with all my supporting documents to Sheffield. DHL took only 3 days and was about $50.

The one massive advantage with this is you are in control and able to be sure all the necessary documents are sent to Sheffield and, using the Post Office registered service, able to KNOW they got them all.

Yes, it adds $50 to the cost but this visa is so horribly expensive anyhow and really not a process you want to go through again.


For peace of mind, well worth it! (Remember to send a large SAE too so they can send your docs back - for us that was the very first we heard from them, about 5 weeks into the application)

[Incy]

Like you we were getting conflicting advice so ended up doing this:

My wife had her biometrics done in her home country, she then sent (DHL) the TB test and IELTS certificates (and the important VAF appendix which your spouse must sign) to me and I sent them with all my supporting documents to Sheffield. DHL took only 3 days and was about $50.

The one massive advantage with this is you are in control and able to be sure all the necessary documents are sent to Sheffield and, using the Post Office registered service, able to KNOW they got them all.

Yes, it adds $50 to the cost but this visa is so horribly expensive anyhow and really not a process you want to go through again.


For peace of mind, well worth it! (Remember to send a large SAE too so they can send your docs back - for us that was the very first we heard from them, about 5 weeks into the application)

Thank you for the advice.
It is something we have looked into, but we are a bit concerned about the delivery times, my partner lives in Miri, Sarawak, which is East Malaysia, it usually takes about 2 days to get anything from there to West Malaysia. there are no direct flights into East Malaysia, it has to go to Kuala Lumpur in West Malaysia and then get sent from there, so it is usually a week.
As an example, a package sent via Royal Mail on express delivery to Miri was posted on 17/10/18, TNT ended up being the courier and when it got to Kuala Lumpur it was then transferred to an internal courier company and sat in KL for 2 days, it arrived at my partners address on 23/10/18. Which I know doesn't seem long, but given that we only have ten days to get everything to Sheffield, any delay in sending from Malaysia to here could easily mean it will be too late.
I have looked at DHL and TNT and they are both quoting around £40 with a 5 day delivery time from Miri, but I am not sure how guaranteed that delivery time is.

[Incy]

Having posted all that, I have had a thought.
He has to go to Kuala Lumpur for the appointment, so when he has finished at the VAC he could go to a DHL branch, there is one 20 minutes away according to google maps, and get the documents sent from there. Quote is £32 and 3 days to deliver.
I have found a contact number for the DHL place, so will ring them when they are open.

[Edwardo]

That is good Hopefully that will work well for you.

Another thing with DHL is if you have the item delivered to one of their offices (say you live in Ipswich and have it sent to an office there) then this can shave another day or two from the delivery ….but does of course mean you need to pick it up yourself from their office. (And mark with your contact phone number)

This is perhaps more helpful when sending documents to Asia if the recipient lives in a tricky area for packages to be delivered to.

[Incy]

That is good Hopefully that will work well for you.

Another thing with DHL is if you have the item delivered to one of their offices (say you live in Ipswich and have it sent to an office there) then this can shave another day or two from the delivery ….but does of course mean you need to pick it up yourself from their office. (And mark with your contact phone number)

This is perhaps more helpful when sending documents to Asia if the recipient lives in a tricky area for packages to be delivered to.

Thank you

If was having to send to him then it would be tricky, everything goes to KL first, then they use an internal courier to send across to Sarawak, they are in no rush to do this so most things end up sitting in KL for 2 days before they remember it needs to go on to Sarawak.