Am married to a British citizen and we have been married for 6 month and few weeks,  we got married Cyprus and she had visit me couples of time.
JAN, 4DAYS
MARCH, 9DAYS
MAY, 6DAYS
JUN/JULY,  3WEEKS
SEP, 4DAYS,
And also she will be coming in oct for 6days. we have evidences for to show up for her visits(pictures and boarding pass , her passport wasn't stamped because she is traveling within the EU).
There are too things bothering my mind.
1: accommodation 2: concerning finance
                                                                    ACCOMMODATION
She lives with her dad for now and we have secured apartment she is going to move to in 1st of December or a little bit earlier but the arrangement before was to use her dad's 6 bedroom apartment which consist of her dad, her step mum and my spouse, everything went sour when her dad said he is no longer interested,   Am a little bit convince. If we have a house agreement starting from mid of Nov for a year(NEW APARTMENT), do you guys think it will be acceptable in BHC  ,  or if my spouse show evidence of electricity bill for the prove for address(her dad's house) do BHC do call the to confirm. 


Also she earns 1100 every month and 970 after tax, and her account balance always end up to 70 every month. she has 700 pound with her step mum which her step mum is going to open a saving account in her name and put the money inside,  Also her mum is writing us a supporting letter stating that she will support us financially .Also how long does it takes?
CAN SOMEBODY GIVE ME AN ADVICE ON THIS PLEASE. WHAT ARE MY CHANCES TO HAVE THE VISA? I WILL BE COMING TO NIGERIA NEXT MONTH TO APPLY AND WE SHALL BE TOGETHER FOR FEW DAYS AND I WILL BE LEAVING FOR NIGERIA 2 DAYS AFTER SHE LEFT. WE HAVE OTHER DOCUMENTS,

PLEASE I NEED GOOD AND MORE ADVICE

levos2007:

A married to a British citizen and we have been married for 6 month and few weeks,  we got married Cyprus and she had visit me couples of time.
JAN, 4DAYS
MARCH, 9DAYS
MAY, 6DAYS
JUN/JULY,  3WEEKS
SEP, 4DAYS,
And also she will be coming in oct for 6days. we have evidences for to show up for her visits(pictures and boarding pass , her passport wasn't stamped because she is traveling within the EU).
There are too things bothering my mind.
1: accommodation 2: concerning finance
                                                                    ACCOMMODATION
She lives with her dad for now and we have secured apartment she is going to move to in 1st of December or a little bit earlier but the arrangement before was to use her dad's 6 bedroom apartment which consist of her dad, her step mum and my spouse, everything went sour when her dad said he is no longer interested,   Am a little bit convince. If we have a house agreement starting from mid of Nov for a year(NEW APARTMENT), do you guys think it will be acceptable in BHC  ,  or if my spouse show evidence of electricity bill for the prove for address(her dad's house) do BHC do call the to confirm. 


Also she earns 1100 every month and 970 after tax, and her account balance always end up to 70 every month. she has 700 pound with her step mum which her step mum is going to open a saving account in her name and put the money inside,  Also her mum is writing us a supporting letter stating that she will support us financially .Also how long does it takes?
CAN SOMEBODY GIVE ME AN ADVICE ON THIS PLEASE. WHAT ARE MY CHANCES TO HAVE THE VISA? I WILL BE COMING TO NIGERIA NEXT MONTH TO APPLY AND WE SHALL BE TOGETHER FOR FEW DAYS AND I WILL BE LEAVING FOR NIGERIA 2 DAYS AFTER SHE LEFT. WE HAVE OTHER DOCUMENTS,

PLEASE I NEED GOOD AND MORE ADVICE

   First of all, given that you're planing to migrate to the UK as a settling spouse, it won't be an ideal to use her family house as a place of accommodation, your wife and you are expected to have your own independent accommodation: so, let her go and rent a suitable accommodation for the purpose.
   But i'm curious about why you would go to Nigeria to apply from there, are you not a legal resident in Cyprus? Well, Spouse Settlement Visa might take a longer time (in Nigeria) than a regular tourist visa, so, be prepared for the usual delay.
   As for your chances of success, you would have a high success chance if your documents and information are consistence, and if she is able to prove beyond doubt that she is capable of maintaining you and herself without resorting to public funds; ie social welfare: but now, the fact that "her Mum is writing You a supporting letter stating that she will support You financially" is bad enough to deny you the visa; that just shows that you couple are a high risk to Social Welfare and are very likely to become a liability to the state.
   Honestly, i doubt that your British wife is in employment. Now, you claim she is working and earning wages, but how come she can afford the time to travel and stay away from her country for weeks and (almost) in every months? Are you really sure you have enough knowledge of her situation and that she's not in Social Benefit/Allowance? You don't need to provide the answer to me, but be warned that this is what she may have to explain to your Visa Officer.
   My sincere advice is that you allow her to work and save money before making the application: meanwhile, maintain a regular and healthy correspondence with her until the due time to apply for the visa.

Thanks for your advice. but those moment of her in Cyprus is her hoilday which can be prove, mind you there are alot of Document needs too be shown like pay slip up to 6 month, employment contract, bank statement, tax return e.t.c ,  coming to Nigeria to apply is due to immigration law of Cyprus and UK embassy in Cyprus which say your wife must have live with you for 6 month before you are eligible to apply for UK ,  it was my idea to have a letter from her mum she don't have to do that again. how many month does it take cause am not allowed to spend more than 3 month outside the country,   
we have all documents ranging from 6 month pay slip, bank statement,  bank letter, and tax return also a letter can be shown from the manager to prove those paid hoilday,  just need advice base on what i stated earlier .THANKS

levos2007:

Thanks for your advice. but those moment of her in Cyprus is her hoilday which can be prove, mind you there are alot of Document needs too be shown like pay slip up to 6 month, employment contract, bank statement, tax return e.t.c ,  coming to Nigeria to apply is due to immigration law of Cyprus and UK embassy in Cyprus which say your wife must have live with you for 6 month before you are eligible to apply for UK ,  it was my idea to have a letter from her mum she don't have to do that again. how many month does it take cause am not allowed to spend more than 3 month outside the country,   
we have all documents ranging from 6 month pay slip, bank statement,  bank letter, and tax return also a letter can be shown from the manager to prove those paid hoilday,  just need advice base on what i stated earlier .THANKS

   Usually, a worker gets 2 weeks of paid holidays in 6 months of working, but from your narration, there is no way such  days off work in almost each month could be holiday. Well, i rest my argument with that.
   As for the "law" that makes you ineligible for visa application from Cyprus, that is strange because i am aware that an alien is eligible to apply for a visa in a country where s/he hold legal residency. Well, i also rest my argument on this as i have no idea of your claim.
   And as for how long it would take, be warned that it would take as long as it takes; and bear in mind that there are cases of people who waited for this category of visa for 3 years, hope yours won't be an example of such

Maybe i didn't explained properly, her main Holiday was march and jun/jul, the other months was day off with weekends, for example the hoilday she is having in Oct it should be 4 days but she is going to have extra 2 days unpaid,
Here in Cyprus you can't apply if you don't have a yellow slip, i know u will ask me what is a yellow slip, which its part of the document u will need to submit to the uk embassy. and she have to be here for 6 month b4 they can issue it. WHAT is the fastest respond you have heard(FROM BHC)

levos2007:

Maybe i didn't explained properly,  her main Holiday was march and jun/jul,  the other months was day off with weekends,   for example the hoilday she is having in Oct it should be 4 days but she is going to have extra 2 days unpaid, 
Here in Cyprus you can't apply if you don't have a yellow slip, i know u will ask me what is a yellow slip,  which its part of the document u will need to submit to the uk embassy. and she have to be here for 6 month b4 they can issue it. WHAT is the fastest respond you have heard(FROM BHC)

   I am aware that a regular (full time) employment can provide you with 2 days off-work each week, but how she manage to have 4 days (of holiday) in January, 9 days in March, 6 Days in May, 3 weeks in June/July, and 4 Days in September (all in a row) is a very suspect: remember that these are the days she spent in Cyprus, but what about the preparation time for the journeys and after returning to the UK? To be honest, i think it's impossible except she is self employed or she is an on-call contract worker; otherwise, there's something fishy here.
  Well, applying for a visa of this category is a waiting game, so, be advised that your proposed 3 months might not be enough. But, what prevent you from returning to your base after making the application in Nigeria? There should not be any issue raised if you decide to return to Cyprus while your application is pending; I don't think you are required to stay in Nigeria until your visa application is decided, are you?
   But, you need to worry about her financial circumstance, it isn't encouraging at all, what are you going to do to compensate for that?

your passport is among the document u will submit , so how can u travel without your pass.
what people said the most important is that the spouse is working and she is not relying on Govt benefit and also the spouse should have some sustainable amount in his or her account,

levos2007:

your passport is among the document u will submit ,  so how can u travel without your pass. 
what people said the most important is that the spouse is working and she is not relying on Govt benefit and also the spouse should have some sustainable amount in his or her account, 

   They don't need to have your passport in their custody, they would only make a copy and return the passport to you. But if however they are holding on to it (that is when they suppose you do not need it instantly), You can request for your passport and they will be oblige to return it to you.

No, it doesn't work like that, u need to submit your passport.

levos2007:

No, it doesn't work like that, u need to submit your passport.

I thought you could be more reasonable than this, but why did you come here to seek advice if you know all too well?
Now, this explains why you imagine that your "Spouse" is fully employed despite all the odds against the claim

because i came here for advise don't mean am ignorant of it, you don't have to be rude

hahaha na wa o, levo2007 you are getting the best advise so far from vicjustice and you should be very grateful to him and not rude

Levos2007 if you get ear you listen to vicjustice's advise and about getting your passport back from the BHC after submitting your application with it, you should make enquiries first at the bhc b4 submitting it

Vicjustice:

I thought you could be more reasonable than this, but why did you come here to seek advice if you know all too well?
Now, this explains why you imagine that your "Spouse" is fully employed despite all the odds against the claim

Levos2007 is right on that one, you submit your passport, where the visa will be inserted. Sorry he came out wrongly, but it's a known fact. There's no document to process without your international passport.

Dami what he said was they will just do the photocopy and i should collect the passport back,  which its very strange to me.
Asking a question doesn't mean you are ignorant but willingness to know more.

As far as I know, If application is going to take a long time you may request for your passports back while you application is being processed.
As for your spouse visa application, the important things are the financial situation of both of you (especially your spouse) and the employment status of your spouse. Since your application is going to be considered under UK immigration law and there is no automatic right to the spouse of British citizen in UK, therefore, your spouse need to prove that she/he will need to take care of your without any recourse to public fund.
However, you can always make an application; see what the result will and if refuse may appeal or reapply later. Also, it may be important if you can include any evidence of your chances of gaining employment as soon as you will be in UK.

thanks juzme

kenny33:

hahaha na wa o, levo2007 you are getting the best advise so far from vicjustice and you should be very grateful to him and not rude

kenny33:

Levos2007 if you get ear you listen to vicjustice's advise and about getting your passport back from the BHC after submitting your application with it, you should make enquiries first at the bhc b4 submitting it

Man, i appreciate your commendation, thank you.

damola1:

Levos2007  is right on that one, you submit your passport, where the visa will be inserted. Sorry he came out wrongly, but it's a known fact. There's no document to process without your international passport.

   It is not wise to give perception of a situation that you know nothing about, please, refer to what Juzme commented and get the facts right.

juzme:

As far as I know, If application is going to take a long time you may request for your passports back while you application is being processed.
As for your spouse visa application, the important things are the financial situation of both of you (especially your spouse) and the employment status of your spouse. Since your application is going to be considered under UK immigration law and there is no automatic right to the spouse of British citizen in UK, therefore, your spouse need to prove that she/he will need to take care of your without any recourse to public fund.
However, you can always make an application; see what the result will and if refuse may appeal or reapply later.  Also, it may be important if you can include any evidence of your chances of gaining employment as soon as you will be in UK.

@vic, just to point out, in as much as your advice is in order, I think in my candid opinion you need pedal softly when trying to gather facts from those seeking advice -Just an opinion -

While I grasp your perspective as per the holiday schedule, can I just point out that holidays taken unpaid is a matter of company policy. Some companies allow even upto 6months unpaid holiday.

Again you know typical brits, they can take holiday and then extend for a day or two unpaid and the HR barely say a word especially if the brit occupy non-essential roll. Going by the take home monthly pay off £1100 before tax as the poster stated, that alone shows the girl is in a job below NQF 4 -and I suspect she works in retails or check outs like B&Q, TESCO, ASDA,etc.
Like you already pointed out, I would raise concern as per earnings and ability for her to cope. Doing the sums for her monthly earnings/per year;
£1100 x 12months = £13200 which is way below national average of £16500 or there about.And if you then remove taxes and national insurance, i.e. Basic rate of £670L, maybe add on any tax credits you would see she almost can be classified to be on welfare!

@poster,if you want your application not to take months as is often the case with spousal settlement, then engage a solicitor FROM THE UK who would package and submit your application for you in Nigeria.

Again I have another concern, since you reside in Cyprus, how do you intend to prove you have lived in Nigeria for at least 6months? I mean all your documents would show Cyprus and a serious ECO would surely ask why you decided to apply in BHC Nigeria and not the one in Cyprus - that may cause an investigation to be opened on your case file.

As for the bank statement, monthly balance of £70 is really poor so you need to get her to save up for a few months while you also support the application with your bank statement if it is healthy also.

@poster, mind been honest to say if you know your would be partner job and what she actually do for a living? This may help us guide you with info that could be of help.
Ta!

Omo_Tier1:

While I grasp your perspective as per the holiday schedule, can I just point out that holidays taken unpaid is a matter of company policy. Some companies allow even upto 6months unpaid holiday.

Again you know typical brits, they can take holiday and then extend for a day or two unpaid and the HR barely say a word especially if the brit occupy non-essential roll. Going by the take home monthly pay off £1100 before tax as the poster stated, that alone shows the girl is in a job below NQF 4 -and I suspect she works in retails or check outs like B&Q, TESCO, ASDA,etc.

   I see you are a very generous one with the amount of the benefits of doubt that you've offered . Well i know what you meant and i'm aware of these circumstances hence i added this line earlier "i think it's impossible except she is self employed or she is an on-call contract worker; otherwise, there's something fishy here".
Your contributions make sense, and i think she is probably a PT worker in a retail company otherwise it would almost be impossible to make these trips.

Vicjustice:

   It is not wise to give perception of a situation that you know nothing about, please, refer to what Juzme commented and get the facts right.

I am put off by your comment ' a situation that you know nothing about' , , the little I know I have said, now that little got me into trouble earlier cos, I missed a US appointment cos I had my passport at the British embassy, now, as to all things in life, there' always something added, this is the very first time, I am informed about the possibility of getting your passport back, and as always, ' never say never ',

damola1:

I am put off by your comment '  a situation that you know nothing about' , ,  the little I know I have said,  now that little got me into trouble earlier cos, I missed a US appointment cos I had my passport at the British embassy, now, as to all things in life, there' always something added, this is the very first time, I am informed about the possibility of getting your passport back, and as always,  ' never say never ',

   A lot of people are not aware of the fact that their passports are not supposed to be held by any embassy for a lengthy period of time. Normally, you are required to present your original passport of which the embassy is supposed to make a photo-copy and return the original to you. If however you leave your passport with the embassy, they would not be blamed because, it is up to you to request for your passport or leave it in their care: and on no ground would the embassy be responsible for any misfortune or handicap that you suffer due to the absence of your travel document. What the embassy required is an officially made copy of your passport, but they would gladly accept your original passport for as long as it takes if you fail to request for its return.
Next time, request for your passport, and they will freely give it to you, that deos not at all affect your application: they will call for your passport when the visa is ready to be issued into it. Easy as that.

Thank you very much for this piece of information. cost me a lot of money and stress.

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Re: Spouse Visa/indefinate Leave To Remain(uk)
« #35 on: December 08, 2010, 06:12 AM »
Just a quick contribution to those that are wanting to apply for spouse visa, To the glory of God my husband got his spouse visa yesterday after just 2WEEKS of applying,

We applied 5days after our wedding at ikeja center . i went back to uk about 4days after the application. We were waiting for them to call him for an interview, i tracked his application online and it said his passport was ready to be collected. We were so scared that it wasnt good news cos from what i've read, it takes about 1month.

These r documents that were submitted.
1, Certified copy of my passport
2, original birth certificate
3,6months pay slip
4,6months bank statement(my account was even overdrawn each month BUT when i get paid its clears my overdraft) My balance at the time was just about £500
5, Saving account with just about £400
6, Phone bills(although i used a phone card so it doesnt ahshowis number but i explained this in the letter)
7,loads of emails (from 2005 when we met)
8, Wedding pictures and other pictures of us together as well as Nysc pictures (we met during NYSC)
9,Property details( i dont own my house, i live with my sister and pays her each month) she wrote a letter to say it was ok for us to live there for a while with mortgage statement,land registry,property description and council tax bill.
10,letter from myself
11,Letter from my employer
12, my flight tickets for 5yrs
13,p60

From hubby
4 months bank statement (with end balance of just under 100k)
letter from employer(started working 4months ago
birth cecertificate_
applied 23-11-2010
collected 07-12-2010


i have been worried sick that they would have a problem with our finances but it didnt even matter.i've heard i have to have at least 3k in my account and my hubby about 1million naira , but we didnt, If anyone has any questions,, i'll be happy to help if i can cos i know how it feels and what its like within this period

@levos - Did u use a lawyer or immigration consultant or just packaged the docs yourself.? Also can i e-mail you direct? i have some more questions.

@levos2007 congratulations I must say, I definitely know how it feels to come out triumphant. I am currently awaiting mine as well, i'm married n my wife is a british citizen, previous tried to apply in London, but it was voided as I had an on going appeal against them over a refusal decision following a tier 4 student visa application that took them (UKBA)10 months to decide, and they still refused it on maintenance grounds. But within that period(10 months wait for tier 4 visa), my wife and I got married in the church of England. Now i'm back to Nigeria to apply a fresh. I know that as long as God lives, I'll also rejoice real soon by God's grace. My major concern is the length of time it would take.