Hello everyone. Please I really need your help. I reapplied an eea family permit for my son on the 28th of February . Yesterday I got a decision has been made and passport ready for collection. So we got there today but to My surprise,they sent back the passport without the visa and there was no refusal letter in it. I'm so confused right now because I don't know if it was refused or not. I'll sent emails but no reply yet. Please has anyone experienced this before? Please can anyone help me out. Thanks

Funmijj3:
Hello everyone. Please I really need your help. I reapplied an eea family permit for my son on the 28th of February . Yesterday I got a decision has been made and passport ready for collection. So we got there today but to My surprise,they sent back the passport without the visa and there was no refusal letter in it. I'm so confused right now because I don't know if it was refused or not. I'll sent emails but no reply yet. Please has anyone experienced this before? Please can anyone help me out. Thanks

@justwise, @Lexusgs430 and others please help

Lexusgs430:


Thanks for checking in.......... I hear say una go soon trigger article 50 ? As una brexit, make una remember us too for 9ja O .........

Yes o, by May 29, 2017 article 50 will triggered.

I wont forget you guys.

GOD bless you with the good work you doing here

Hi all,

Well done to everyone that has contributed here. I've recently been following and have read through much of the history. I've also googled the site to learn from anyone who compiled their application in the way that I've done mine but didn't find anything, so I decided to tell my story, having now submitted my application. Here's what we did differently (and some questions, hoping you all can share some wisdom):

A. Relationship requirement.

My British spouse and I have lived together since our wedding two years ago. We have a daughter that was born in London and is British. We all live together in Lagos. We provided all the usual bits of evidence of our relationship: marriage certificate, numerous photos, invitations cards (trad & white), passport photocopies (wife and daughter) , including our lease agreement in Lagos and snippets (as in, not full 6-month) of my bank statements and hers to show joint contribution to rent. However, we did not submit any proof of correspondence, as from my understanding this only applies to couples that do not live together or are not married. It just didn't seem to make sense to me that a married couple that lives together would need to prove that they talk to each other.

B. Financial requirement.

My spouse works here in Lagos. The UKVI rules (section E-ECP 3.2(a) of appendix FM and paragraph 13(c) of appendix FM-SE) applicable to her require that she prove historical income (including salary) of £18,600 and a job offer in the UK which will commence within 3 months of arrival and paying at least £18,600. Meeting the job offer requirement was simple enough. But the historical income of £18,600 was trickier as her salary from her current job in Nigeria falls short of that. Fortunately, her future UK employer also offered her a stipend to support study for a professional qualification. The stipend alone exceeds £18,600 and is payable for 18 months, including a period of 12 months beyond the date of my application. Based on UKVI rules (paragraph 20(f) of appendix FM-SE), we are able to count this stipend as income earned in the 12-month period prior to the date of my application. Thus, she was able to meet the financial requirement in this manner. We provided all required items of the specified evidence.

C. Accommodation requirement.

As we live in Lagos, the only way we could prove that we have adequate accommodation in the UK is to lease a flat. We were able to negotiate a lease agreement for a 1-bed place commencing shortly after our planned date of arrival in the UK. The landlord put both our names and passport numbers (my Nigerian and her British) on the lease. As such, we did not get a letter from the landlord consenting to my stay in the flat, since the lease agreement explicitly and legally allows me to be resident there. We included the lease agreement and photographs of the flat in the application.

D - Some additional observations.

Teleperformance in VI no longer collect any supporting documents. They only accepted the front page of my application, my priority fee payment receipt, and photocopies of the pages of my previous passport (apparently you need to have these photocopies done before you arrive at the venue since they no longer collect previous passports for risk of loss). All other documents, including the TB certificate, were posted from Lagos in one pack.

E - Another comment.

I answered incorrectly to the question about my English language exemption — I put yes, instead of no because I misunderstood the question. By the time I caught this error, it was too late to correct it because I had already spent over £2200 on all the fees. I made a correction on the printed form and explained the error in my cover letter. I included my UK MSc certificate as evidence of meeting the this requirement. Hopefully, they don't make an issue of this. If they do, then lesson learned.


Questions:

1 - Do you guys think I should still go ahead and submit transcripts of correspondence?
2 - Should we still get a letter from the landlord and send to UKVI?
3 - Rereading paragraph (4) of appendix FM-SE (having submitted my application) confuses me a bit. One interpretation is that it is it asking for either of (i) a letter from the company mentioning all the necessary bits of info OR (ii) a letter from the company accompanied by a contract of employment. In this interpretation, a letter is required in either case. Another interpretation is that it is asking for either of (i) a letter from the company mentioning all the necessary bits of info OR (ii) a contract of employment. In this interpretation, the contract is an alternative to the letter. Our interpretation was the latter, so we sent only the contract, not the letter. Was our interpretation incorrect?
4 - Does UKVI accept additional documents sent subsequent to the initial pack already submitted (but still within the 2-week window)?
5 - I note that some people include evidence of the applicant's financial and professional competence, even though the rules do not require this. I had mentioned the line of work I am in and that I intend to continue this work in the UK, so I included my MBA certificate to support this. But I did not include my own bank statements (other than for the purpose of proving joint

For reference:

Appendix FM - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-family-members
Appendix FM-SE - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-se-family-members-specified-evidence

PS: apologies for the long post — just wanting to contribute something meaningful to this treasure trove.

Sorry, the last question was cut short. Here's the final bit of it...

But I did not include my own bank statements (other than for the purpose of proving joint contribution to rent, which should imply joint residence). Is this an issue?

Thanks to everyone.

Hmm...my post a bit too long-winded?

One final Q -

Do the passport photos need to have my name at the back? Their guidance states "unmarked on both sides". Is there anyone that didn't write their name and get refused for that reason?

Open tab at 805 for useful responses (in case no ginger)

SteelyMan:
Hi all,

Well done to everyone that has contributed here. I've recently been following and have read through much of the history. I've also googled the site to learn from anyone who compiled their application in the way that I've done mine but didn't find anything, so I decided to tell my story, having now submitted my application. Here's what we did differently (and some questions, hoping you all can share some wisdom):

A. Relationship requirement.

My British spouse and I have lived together since our wedding two years ago. We have a daughter that was born in London and is British. We all live together in Lagos. We provided all the usual bits of evidence of our relationship: marriage certificate, numerous photos, invitations cards (trad & white), passport photocopies (wife and daughter) , including our lease agreement in Lagos and snippets (as in, not full 6-month) of my bank statements and hers to show joint contribution to rent. However, we did not submit any proof of correspondence, as from my understanding this only applies to couples that do not live together or are not married. It just didn't seem to make sense to me that a married couple that lives together would need to prove that they talk to each other.

B. Financial requirement.

My spouse works here in Lagos. The UKVI rules (section E-ECP 3.2(a) of appendix FM and paragraph 13(c) of appendix FM-SE) applicable to her require that she prove historical income (including salary) of £18,600 and a job offer in the UK which will commence within 3 months of arrival and paying at least £18,600. Meeting the job offer requirement was simple enough. But the historical income of £18,600 was trickier as her salary from her current job in Nigeria falls short of that. Fortunately, her future UK employer also offered her a stipend to support study for a professional qualification. The stipend alone exceeds £18,600 and is payable for 18 months, including a period of 12 months beyond the date of my application. Based on UKVI rules (paragraph 20(f) of appendix FM-SE), we are able to count this stipend as income earned in the 12-month period prior to the date of my application. Thus, she was able to meet the financial requirement in this manner. We provided all required items of the specified evidence.

C. Accommodation requirement.

As we live in Lagos, the only way we could prove that we have adequate accommodation in the UK is to lease a flat. We were able to negotiate a lease agreement for a 1-bed place commencing shortly after our planned date of arrival in the UK. The landlord put both our names and passport numbers (my Nigerian and her British) on the lease. As such, we did not get a letter from the landlord consenting to my stay in the flat, since the lease agreement explicitly and legally allows me to be resident there. We included the lease agreement and photographs of the flat in the application.

D - Some additional observations.

Teleperformance in VI no longer collect any supporting documents. They only accepted the front page of my application, my priority fee payment receipt, and photocopies of the pages of my previous passport (apparently you need to have these photocopies done before you arrive at the venue since they no longer collect previous passports for risk of loss). All other documents, including the TB certificate, were posted from Lagos in one pack.

E - Another comment.

I answered incorrectly to the question about my English language exemption — I put yes, instead of no because I misunderstood the question. By the time I caught this error, it was too late to correct it because I had already spent over £2200 on all the fees. I made a correction on the printed form and explained the error in my cover letter. I included my UK MSc certificate as evidence of meeting the this requirement. Hopefully, they don't make an issue of this. If they do, then lesson learned.


Questions:

1 - Do you guys think I should still go ahead and submit transcripts of correspondence?
2 - Should we still get a letter from the landlord and send to UKVI?
3 - Rereading paragraph (4) of appendix FM-SE (having submitted my application) confuses me a bit. One interpretation is that it is it asking for either of (i) a letter from the company mentioning all the necessary bits of info OR (ii) a letter from the company accompanied by a contract of employment. In this interpretation, a letter is required in either case. Another interpretation is that it is asking for either of (i) a letter from the company mentioning all the necessary bits of info OR (ii) a contract of employment. In this interpretation, the contract is an alternative to the letter. Our interpretation was the latter, so we sent only the contract, not the letter. Was our interpretation incorrect?
4 - Does UKVI accept additional documents sent subsequent to the initial pack already submitted (but still within the 2-week window)?
5 - I note that some people include evidence of the applicant's financial and professional competence, even though the rules do not require this. I had mentioned the line of work I am in and that I intend to continue this work in the UK, so I included my MBA certificate to support this. But I did not include my own bank statements (other than for the purpose of proving joint

For reference:

Appendix FM - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-family-members
Appendix FM-SE - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-se-family-members-specified-evidence

PS: apologies for the long post — just wanting to contribute something meaningful to this treasure trove.

1. I don't think you need to but whatever personal additional info that strengthens your relationship shouldn't be a problem. Like your daughter birth certificate, photos of you and family with her at various events etc.

2. I don't think you need a letter from the landlord but make sure you use post it notes to show where your both details appear on the lease. Then who paid? Is it shared, maybe the receipt of payment may also help.

3. Are you working and earning money? Did you include your details in the package? May be helpful if you include as much info here because of all your details , its the evidence of meeting the financial requirements that worries me. Can you provide your own 6 months bank statement, salary slips etc. I included mine, my savings etc but my spouse was the sponsor.

4. Send as much as you can but items that can strengthen your case. Include your MSC certificate too.

5. Yes and write a cover letter addressing the points you want to raise, the additional information you are presenting and ensure you quote your GWF, passport number, IHS etc I'm the letter.

Best of luck

SteelyMan:
One final Q -

Do the passport photos need to have my name at the back? Their guidance states "unmarked on both sides". Is there anyone that didn't write their name and get refused for that reason?

Open tab at 805 for useful responses (in case no ginger)

I wrote my names on both side but I didn't read the rules as diligently as it seems you did. So may be helpful if you do not.

Thanks @fynebuoy. Sorry, just to clarify, I have already submitted my application and posted my supporting docs. So in Question 4 I was asking if they would consider additional supporting docs if I posted them now (having already posted the first batch).

Also, my wife is the sponsor, not me. Under (B) I was explaining how she meets the financial requirement. In Question 5 I was asking if I need to prove my own financial capacity. From what I understand, the burden of proof is on the sponsor, so I don't understand why other applicants include all their own financial history (pay slips, account statements, company docs, property deeds, etc) when their sponsor has already met the financial requirement.

hi house. does anyone know the best format to present whatsapp and facebook messages that will be acceptable

anyone that has done so please let me know. Also facebook video calls as this is how we communicate everyday

I didnt submit any document to prove that i was working or earning salary,i simply out self employed under the question of employment and didnt submit any document to show for it as i was the applicant and all documents of finances where the ones from my husband who was the sponsor so i dont think you need to.i got the visa.hope this helps

Tadelov:
I didnt submit any document to prove that i was working or earning salary,i simply out self employed under the question of employment and didnt submit any document to show for it as i was the applicant and all documents of finances where the ones from my husband who was the sponsor so i dont think you need to.i got the visa.hope this helps

Definitely does! Thank you.

Take a screenshot of your WhatsApp conversation. You can take a screenshot of maybe 2 pages per month or all your conversation if you want to.

You can also export all your WhatsApp chat to word and also add that.

Same thing for Facebook. Clt+Alt+printscreen will take a screenshot of your page on computer, you can now paste on word.

Chukky77:
hi house. does anyone know the best format to present whatsapp and facebook messages that will be acceptable

anyone that has done so please let me know. Also facebook video calls as this is how we communicate everyday

SteelyMan:
Thanks @fynebuoy. Sorry, just to clarify, I have already submitted my application and posted my supporting docs. So in Question 4 I was asking if they would consider additional supporting docs if I posted them now (having already posted the first batch).

Also, my wife is the sponsor, not me. Under (B) I was explaining how she meets the financial requirement. In Question 5 I was asking if I need to prove my own financial capacity. From what I understand, the burden of proof is on the sponsor, so I don't understand why other applicants include all their own financial history (pay slips, account statements, company docs, property deeds, etc) when their sponsor has already met the financial requirement.

I only gave responses based on My own experiences. You are expected to synthesize all information here and reach a conclusion which you think will best serve your purpose. I earn well so I provided my details. Did it help, I don't know but I was not rejected on financial grounds.

I was reject on the one area in which I didn't provide a lot of documentation and that was to prove genuiness of relationship. In my appeal, based on info gotten here, I went for an information over kill or overload and suffice to say the refusal was withdrawn and we didn't get to court.

My advice to anyone, provide as much documentation as you can in all areas.

And yes, send your additional additional documents as soon as you can.

hi everyone, please as regards charts or conversation printout, on my partners fb, she uses her names, though one of the names on fb is not on her passport (she shortened the name), will that be an issue? (how will they be able to tell if its same person? eg: fb name: ade mark. Name on passport: Alademi mark.
anticipating your response. thanks

Fynebouy:


I only gave responses based on My own experiences. You are expected to synthesize all information here and reach a conclusion which you think will best serve your purpose. I earn well so I provided my details. Did it help, I don't know but I was not rejected on financial grounds.

I was reject on the one area in which I didn't provide a lot of documentation and that was to prove genuiness of relationship. In my appeal, based on info gotten here, I went for an information over kill or overload and suffice to say the refusal was withdrawn and we didn't get to court.

My advice to anyone, provide as much documentation as you can in all areas.

And yes, send your additional additional documents as soon as you can.

Yeah I get you. Thanks!

Another question, for all that applied and received their visas, was your visa valid-from date based on your stated intended travel date?

I ask because I stated my travel date as 25 May. However, I applied on 17 March and paid for priority. If I get my passport back as early as late April, I would gladly up and leave long before 25 May.

Whah do you all think about this?

AdimO1:
hi everyone, please as regards charts or conversation printout, on my partners fb, she uses her names, though one of the names on fb is not on her passport (she shortened the name), will that be an issue? (how will they be able to tell if its same person? eg: fb name: ade mark. Name on passport: Alademi mark.
anticipating your response. thanks

Add it, you can make a summary of what you have written above on the first page e.g.

Please note Ade Mark refers to Adelami Mark.

SteelyMan:
Another question, for all that applied and received their visas, was your visa valid-from date based on your stated intended travel date?

I ask because I stated my travel date as 25 May. However, I applied on 17 March and paid for priority. If I get my passport back as early as late April, I would gladly up and leave long before 25 May.

Whah do you all think about this?

Visa is valid for 30 days from date of issuance. Best to assume visa will be valid once you get your passport back in that case, if all goes well, you should have to trAvel early April. But who knows how this people think. I got mine almost 3 weeks after visa had been issued, hence I had less than 2 weeks to trAvel.

Good morning house.plz which of the ielt exams do i register for,inorder to enable me join my hubby in d uk.thanks

I applied on the 15th of March, almost the same time as yours. Have you received any email with regards to Sheffield receiving your supporting documents?

I sent my supporting docs on Tuesday and it was delivered the next day by royal mail, I am yet to receive an email to confirm my documents have been received in Sheffield. I only got an email that my online application was received which was before I sent my documents.

SteelyMan:
Another question, for all that applied and received their visas, was your visa valid-from date based on your stated intended travel date?

I ask because I stated my travel date as 25 May. However, I applied on 17 March and paid for priority. If I get my passport back as early as late April, I would gladly up and leave long before 25 May.

Whah do you all think about this?

tosine:
I applied on the 15th of March, almost the same time as yours. Have you received any email with regards to Sheffield receiving your supporting documents?

I sent my supporting docs on Tuesday and it was delivered the next day by royal mail, I am yet to receive an email to confirm my documents have been received in Sheffield. I only got an email that my online application was received which was before I sent my documents.

17 March was actually my biometrics appointment date and I posted my docs the same day via DHL. I received an email confirming receipt of my online application on 20 March. I have received nothing else, but DHL tracking reveals that they have received my supporting docs. It appears they do not acknowledge receipt of anything beyond the biometrics.

]Good afternoon house.plz which of the ielt exams do i register for,cos i want to start my application process and dnt no ow to go abt it .thanks ,wat do i need to get ready for d process plz

I think some people do get an email confirming the receiving of supporting documents from Sheffield, I'm not too sure about that.
Anyways we shall rejoice over the good news of our settlement visa soonest. Amen.

SteelyMan:


17 March was actually my biometrics appointment date and I posted my docs the same day via DHL. I received an email confirming receipt of my online application on 20 March. I have received nothing else, but DHL tracking reveals that they have received my supporting docs. It appears they do not acknowledge receipt of anything beyond the biometrics.

Fynebouy:


Add it, you can make a summary of what you have written above on the first page e.g.

Please note Ade Mark refers to Adelami Mark.

Thanks

hello house. please my biometrics is in two days in VICTORIA ISLAND. what are the documents that will be taken from me?

passports
tb certificate
birth certificate
financial requirement form
and online form printed out

is this all?

ALSO WILL I HAVE AN INTERVIEW ON THE SPOT OR WILL IT BE LATER. PLEASE LET ME KNOW SOI'M WELL PREPARED

Just your current passport, 1st page of your online application form and photocopies of visas and stamps on your previous passport.
Other documents will be sent to Sheffield with your supporting documents.

No interview. If there is any need for Interview you will be contacted from Sheffield later.

Chukky77:
hello house.
please my biometrics is in two days in VICTORIA ISLAND. what are the documents that will be taken from me?

passports
tb certificate
birth certificate
financial requirement form
and online form printed out

is this all?

ALSO WILL I HAVE AN INTERVIEW ON THE SPOT OR WILL IT BE LATER. PLEASE LET ME KNOW SOI'M WELL PREPARED

.......

ada23:
Good morning everyone please I need urgent reply. I applied for UK dependent settlement visa to meet my mom and step-dad in the UK Feb 2016, by April 2016 I was denied with the right of appeal, the reason where
1.no prove my stepdad has parental rights over me.
2.no prove my mom is my biological mom.
3. No prove I don't contact my real dad.
we appealed may 2016 and till now the date hasn't been set. We received a letter last week dated august 2016 from the home office standing on the refusal. My mom has decided to do a DNA test to prove she's my mom,
*how can I prove my stepdad has parental rights over me,[there is more than enough prove that he sends money to me through the person I'm living with] what else do we need?
*how can I prove I don't have contact with my real dad? Because honestly I don't, I haven't seen him in a long time. Thank you

How old are you ?
(1) Have you been adopted by your stepdad ? Does he/you have proof of financial support(paying fees, buying clothes, hospital bills) etc etc etc ?
(2) Did you Mum not perform a DNA test for the application ?
(3) Question 3 - If you provided an adoption certificate, it would simply negate question 3. Agreeably its difficult to proof, but if you provided all the above aforementioned. It should proof beyond reasonable doubt the contrary....