₦airaland Forum

dammylizzy: Good afternoon all, my spouse has received our documents from Sheffield and noticed that some of our documents were not returned even though photocopies were provided. Although I haven't received my passport here in Nigeria. Please could you advise on how to request for these documents? Thank you!

Has the status of your application changed online? If not, they could still be using the missing documents to process your application. It might also be worth sending Sheffield an email, listing your missing items and asking if these will be sent back to you separately.

Ikato3540: The road has been rough and very bumpy and the journey has indeed been steep and at the DYING moment, when I TRULY believed that ALL hope was LOST.....

HE came through for me.

Today 18th September 2014, I received a second email from Sheffield informing me that the decision to refuse my visa has been OVERTURNED.

House, I thank you all ever so much for EVERYTHING!!!!

I cannot write a list of people who have helped and advised me on NL.... To you all I am grateful..

Congratulations Ikato, so glad this is all finally sorted out for you and your family....happy days... PRAISE GOD!

shelair1: PLs does anyone know where d passport is returned to after visa is issued after appeal. most people in this forum said they colleted from lekki. I hope if you send your passport from abuja will it b returned to abuja

I would expect that it would be sent to the VAC in the state from which the application was made. It might be an idea just to drop Sheffield a quick email to confirm where your passport will be sent for pick up.

bassy10113: Please....am a lawyer...I applied for settlement visa in july...haven't heard anything since then...does it take this long....also I used my university certificate. and my law school certificate as an evidence for english language....hope it is sufficient.

Applications can take up to about 5 months to process for Spouse applications. Summer months are normally a busy period. If you haven't heard anything by the end of Oct, it might be worth sending an email to the Sheffield office for an update. Certificate from law school should be ok. As long as its from a recognised institution.

martinssheun: Got my passport back yesterday with the visa, thank you all..

Great news! So very happy for you guys. Safe flight.

DUNIQUE1: Yes I also think that they are the ones who will send the appeal documents to the judge, what I don't know is if we need to send our own evidences also to the judge if there will be anything new anyway which I doubt so. The home office may claim not to have seen the full documents submitted for the appeal, the things they claim was missing initially, so I think we will need to still go to the court with copies of those things in case they deny seeing them. But do I need to inform the court that my partner will be representing us and not an immigration lawyer? the problem with my case is that my wife is the quiet type and she said she wants a professional to go with her cause she won't want to take any chances.

You will have to notify the Tribunal office of a change in representation. I believe that there are documents sent to the rep for the court case that you will need forwarded to your spouse instead. I think your representative detailed on the appeal form was sent a copy of the bundle sent to the judge. If you can get a copy of that forwarded to you it will help with preparation. You can also ask them at the same time if there is an opportunity to submit additional documents or if they can be presented in court on the day. I'm not sure if there is anyone in this forum that has represented themselves in court maybe thre is someone out there that can provide you with some pointers.

DUNIQUE1: They haven't sent any document to the court, yes she has told me I am wasting time with the payment cause the person she is hiring is suppose to have enough time to study my case, I am kind of confused now because I don't even know if there is a dead line for them to send my document in for the judge to study also before the hearing date.

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If your not getting much joy from your lawyer id advise that you start looking in to having your spouse represent you in court. I've heard that its not as scary as it sounds. It's not the same set up as a criminal court. It's basically about presenting the documented evidence to the judge. As long as you are confident with the validity of your documents and that they all clearly show that the financial threshold was reached during that period then it should all be straight forward. I could be wrong but I thought it was the Leicester Tribubal office that sends the appeal documentations to the judge. It might be worth calling them to find out what your options are if u are not able to confirm lawyer representation in time.

@ Dijanbala

If your cousins situation in terms of employment or ties to Nigeria have not changed since the last application then I wouldn't think that it would be a good idea to submit another one. Any refusal will cause the ECO to scrutinise any future applications and since your cousin has now had five I would advise that she take a break. If she works on improving her establishment in Nigeria it will put her in a more favourable position for future applications.

martinssheun: My wife's job and accommodate situation changed (for the better) just after I applied for a settlement visa to meet her UK back in march. We are yet to receive a response and however not sure as to whether or not we need to communication the changes to the home office. All requirement were met at the time of the application. Can someone kindly advise on this...

They will only consider the status of job and accommodation prior to the submission of he application. The only way to submit the improved status would be to process a new application. Since you met the requirements before, you should be just fine.

shelair1: @ Hopefoallone and Ikato3540 wish you the best in your upcoming appeal . May God guide you thru it andd it will be successful all the way .

I am still waiting to be called. th confusing part is that the presenting officer unit in manchester said they arre the one in charge and they will send d determination directly to abuja while the ECM in BHCabuja says ukba in sheffield is i charge tho they dont have the determination yet. like Girlflo adviced I called the tribunal they cudnt help wit their email neithercud they resent it. am at lost on wat to d 8 weeks gone.

Ikato is right, I think you now need to focus your efforts with the Sheffield office. You've got a notice that the judge has ruled in your favour, 8 weeks and no response from the embassy is unacceptable. I would advise that you start sending an email to the Sheffield office. Attach a copy of he determination letter. Just keep repeating the same question until someone responds - As per the attached determination letter dated (give date), the judge has ruled in favour of my application. Could someone please let me know when I should expect to submit my passport for the visa to be awarded. In the subject heading write PASSPORT SUBMISSION - (your name, date of birth, appeal ref/determination ref). Every couple of days, if u don't get a response, re-send the same email and say that you have not had a response to the below question, could someone advise.

kellyemms: Hello! Im currently a student in the uk. I am married to a uk citizen. Please what are the documents i need for my spouse visa application

First thing u need to do is go on the UKBA website, print off the application form along with the guidelines. There may have been some changes but basically u need to provide documents that evidence your relationship - emails, photos etc, suitability of accommodation - rent/ownership etc, finance of the UK spouse - payslips, bank statements, etc, Identification - passports etc and the English language competency. Along with these you will need to write up a statement detailing how each submitted document supports your application.

Basically you need to need to approach this like its a job. First make sure you meet all the requirements and then gather your evidence to prove it.

shelair1: @Girlflo i ve emailed them twice an both times their reply says that they ve not received my determination, but the tribunal cnfirms that they ve sent it since july 4. what do i do i am goin unto the 7th week . thks

That's ridiculous, they should have received that by now. I think u should call the Tribunal office, when they confirm its been sent ask them if it can be re-sent since Sheffield have not received it. Take the name of the person you are speaking to and ask for their email address. Then send an email to Sheffield, copy in the Tribunal office and advise them that you've asked that the determination is re-sent. If you have the determination letter it might also be worth scanning it and attaching it to the email for their reference. Then keep chasing the Tribunal until they confirm that the letter has been re-sent and received by Sheffield.

bassy10113: Hello house..i applied for uk settlement visa on 2 of July and sent my supporting document on 7th of july..but till now..i haven't received any email from sheffield office acknowledging the receipt of the document....and my tracking status still reads...your visa application forwarded to BHC...plz house enlighten on what to do....and any one with email of sheffield office.....thanks

I don't believe the status update changes when they receive your documents, only when the application has been processed. As long as you have proof that the documents have been signed for by the tracking service you should be fine. You can send an email to visasheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk to confirm receipt but they may take a while to get back to you.

DUNIQUE1: They claimed to not see 2 months bank statement and 2 payslip, I used combined income which is self employed and employed, although our SA300/SA302 was there, they still said it wasn't, all that have been included in the appeal and also employer's contract letters with tax payment receipts, I just don't know what else they may say at the end of the day, if my wife paid close to 3000 pounds for tax calculated on 20000 pounds earning, then who are they to be condemning our paper works? everything was sorted by an accountant and we paid the professional too.

Since they are not questioning the validity of the documents, all u should have to do is present the documents they claim to have not seen to the judge. Do you have a copy of all the documents submitted for the appeal? They can't ask you to respond to anything outside of the refusal points noted in your determination letter.

DUNIQUE1: I have been here for 2 & half years, I wanted to ask if anyone knows from the previous court cases, if people have been favoured in court when clearing a financial requirement case. The SA300/SA302, contract letters, 1-2 payslips & a month bank statement is all that was missing and day wife and solicitor have submitted them with the appeal including tax receipts, from my bundle that was sent to my representative, they agreed that I and my wife were and are truly together but still maintained their decision on the financial requirement. I don't know what their point may be in court, that is why I am curious.

Did you supply 12 months of bank statements with the monthly incomes highlighted along with evidence of each of these incomes eg payslips or receipts? If your bank statements clearly show incomes totalling/exceeding the threshold then u may need to look in to validating the source. Letters from work/contractors on headed paper with contact details validating your supplied documents could help your case.

mandee8223: I have my leave letter from my employer, and I stated that the reason for my visit was to see my only sister whom I haven't seen in a long while and sightseeing. saying I'm far from having my reveiew come out successful is very ............. I think the only info not sent is the tenancy agreement, they live in a three bedroom with no kids or family member, I don't think accommodation should b the problem. for Gods sake I'm only going for two weeks just to give my kids a travelling experience, the oldest is barely 4 and the youngest barely 1. I really do not believe I haven't submitted sufficient documents.

You see, you can submit all the right paperwork but if its not packaged well the decision can sometimes not go in your favour. Remember you have to make it as easy as possible for them to say yes, they are not likely to go beyond what they see in front of their eyes so everything has to be clear and concise. Apart from the documents always attach a statement to your application. This statement should be split into the requirements of your visa eg finance, accommodation, ties to country of origin etc. Then in each section u need to list the documents you've submitted to prove your eligibility for that requirement, explaining how the document supports your application. It may seem obvious but doing this will make your suitability clearer to the ECO and also help you as the applicant identify which areas are light on evidence so that u can provide more information before submitting.

Peacock23: Hello,I was refused eea family permit today,the reason for the refusal was that they called my husbands place of work all to no avail,so they don't believe he works there or earns the income he said he claims. It was also stated that as such they are not sure he's residing in the United Kingdom. It was also stated that I am umemployed(which I am)and I didn't state how am being supported in nigeria,saving,lands or property and that no evidence of my husband sending me money. I don't need my husband to send me money cos I get money from my mom every month,so it wasn't necessary for my husband to send me money and I also put in my mom bank statement,when processing the application,I have the right of appeal,but I don't know if it's to appeal or re apply or simply do both.thanks

Sorry to hear about your news. Whether you go for the appeal or a fresh application, you will need to address each of the refusal points raised. You need to supply strong evidence on your husbands place of work, they need to be confident that you will be supported on your visit. Secondly you need strong enough ties to convince the ECO that u intend on returning home, right now you appear to have every reason to stay in the UK once you arrive. You may look into maybe waiting until your circumstances change and your ties to Nigeria improve before making an application. Or if your husband earns above the financial threshold and has adequate accommodation, maybe you can apply for a spouse visa.

beenut: pls i need some advice asap before i proceed. i applied for a settlement visa from nigeria, but unfortunately i was refused on the ground that i did not include my test of english result and the need more evidence that am truly married to my wife. i send them our marriage certificate,pictures and all relevant documents they might need. my wife is british and we have a daughter together and expecting another one in couple of weeks time, my wife has a very good job dat earns her atleast 60k per anum with reputable company and she has never recieved any help or benefit from the gov,pays her tax regularly. yesterday i just recieved the decision and was refused. pls what can i do next?

I'm assuming they've maintained the refusal and that your case is now going to court. Unfortunately they will only focus on the areas that are refused despite how strongly u may pass the other requirements. In this case it's the English test, which is easy enough to prove. It's a little bit more difficult with the relationship if u don't have enough evidence. The thing to do now is respond to the points raised in the determination letter, which should list the reasons why the refusal was maintained. Have u received this letter? If you've supplied all the phone bills, emails, photos, bank transfer details, cards, wedding memorabilia that you have then it might also be an idea to include statements from family/close friends that have been aware of your relationship pre/post wedding. Have you been awarded a court date?

vickkyy: Girlfio, thank so much for your advice. Is it proper to inform the home office that my husband is in Nigeria during the processing because they will want to call him like my last application Or notify the BHC that he is in Nigeria before the processing. Thank you for your kind advice.

It depends on how long he plans on being in Nigeria. If its a few weeks then I don't think you'd have to inform them. Just make sure your spouses can be contacted using the details provided email/mobile number. If its for an extended period of time then you'd probably need to let them know. Since all applications are now processed in the UK, he'd probably need to attend any interview in the UK. It's also worth baring in mind that they have heavily reduced the number of interviews in the UK unless there are particular circumstances that would warrant it.

vickkyy: Goodday everyone,
Sequel to your last advice on my application, I would like to inform you that my husband has gotten a lawyer to fill the appeal form for me and it has been sent already. Since appeal will take longer time before their decision, can I re-apply in September? becos my husband is planning to come to Nigeria for the processing and if they call me for interview he want to be there but all necessary document will be package well.
I also need your advice on this particular issue, in my formal application I stated that I met my husband in February, 2012 at Ibadan in a burial ceremony and our relationship started in June, 2012 which is through but I actually met him in February 2011, to which our relationship started in June 2012 and we have visa prove for his visit for those period (2011, 2013 and 2014 twice for wedding & visit) .
Hope they won't refer to my previous application, while filling a different year in fresh application.
Kindly advice me on what to do.
Thank you.

Yes, u can make a fresh application while your appeal is ongoing. You do however have to take in to account that any new application will be scrutinised as a result of the refusal so u have to make sure that any fresh application is well presented and over evidenced.

You can by all means change the date that you met but you will need to explain why you gave different dates in the first application. Since your previous application was refused based on your relationship status it's important that they r left with no doubt that your union is real.

You could very well find that your refusal is overturned before your new application is processed. With that in mind, just make sure u meet all the refusal points and provide all the evidence you can.

Hopeforallone: @ Lasmab - My brother what is the contrition letter, please I need your help.

I'm sure Lasmob will confirm but I think a contrition letter is a letter of apology for a crime committed. It's to show that you r remorseful and that you've made a commitment not to commit the same offence again.

Oloritunjino: to God be the glory...i have gotten my spouse visa today. I pray may we all have successful appeal like mine.

Congratulations, great news....... Happy Days!!

Oloritunjino: i sent a mail again asking if my passport has been sent to Lekki on monday. I got a response 30mins after that " Thank you for your email.

Your passport will be sent to Lekki. You should be notified shortly, if you have not already, that you documents are ready to collect.
So i am planning to go there tomorrow...will update the house on progress.

Good idea, it's likely your passport is already there ready for collection.

Lasmab: @girlfio
I have already had a determination letter of ECM and the Tribunal has booked the court date as well.
I need to know if Home Office normally send the bundle back to the representative or not, before the court date? Thank you.

Oh ok. I'm not sure what this bundle is then. Maybe someone else on the forum can advise. We didn't get any of the additional paperworks we submitted to support our appeal back after the decision was made to overturn the refusal. Maybe this bundle is sent back to the Tribunal to present to the judge for review prior to the court date.

Lasmab: Hello Justwise, girlfio and everyone,
The representative told my wife that the Home Office haven't send the bundle back. And the my court hearing date is in Sept. Please, can anyone tell me when the Home Office are normally send the bundle back? I'm so confused now.
Thank you.

I'm not sure how long it takes for the embassy to send the bundle to the Tribunal office. Basically once that is sent back you will then receive the determination letter which will detail why the ECM maintained the refusal. The court date has been booked so it should take a week or so to get the letter. Might be worth calling the Leicester office to ask when u should expect to get the determination letter from the ECM.

Oloritunjino: i have just gotten a mail from them"Thank you for your email, and I am sorry for the delay in responding to you.

Your visa has now been issued and will be sent out shortly. It will be sent to the VAC in Lekki in the next day or two. This office remains open until 31st July....when do u think i should visit lekki VAC next week

I would say if u don't get a phone call by next Thursday, just turn up at the Lekki VAC with a copy of the email as proof that it has been sent. They should have your passport ready for collection by then.

Oloritunjino: how long does it take sheffield to return passport...it was delivered on monday and i sent a mail on tuesday ...not heard anything from them ooo

They normally take about a week, I expect you should be able to collect your passport from the VAC at some point next week. If you don't get an email back by Monday, send another one to chase them up.

This whole process is so hard. It's difficult sometimes to give advise because they keep changing the goal posts. When we were going through the appeal process, as the UK based spouse I just had to fix in my mind to fight for my rights. The bottom line is, u are entitled to a family life and as long as u meet all of the requirements, you are well within your rights to pester them for answers, results and updates. Above all things, get close to God. He is the only one that will lead and guide you in to all truth. I could not have made it through without His favour, His Joy and His peace. Don't put your lives on hold because of these people. Gather your evidence, stay in contact with them and don't let up. Most importantly, take it to The Lord in prayer, put it in His hands, He will make ways were there appears to be none.....u will make it to the other side. Hebrews 13:6 reads "So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Stay strong my friends.

Oloritunjino: i hope i am safe ooo... I sent my passport and printed copy of email notfying me to send my passport only with no other attachment to sheffield. I hope thats okay

That should be fine, once you have confirmation of arrival from the tracking service that u used to send the passport. Just write an email to Sheffield with the tracking reference and the name of the person that signed receipt. Ask them for confirmation of when your passport will be sent back and to which VAC.

shelair1: @Girlflo pls can i have d email i shd sent the reminder to for my visa thnk u

I'm not sure if it will be the same office that deals with the processing of passports after a positive judge determination. It's still worth sending an email to the Sheffield office, visasheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk. It might be worth attaching a scanned copy of your determination letter. Ask them if someone can confirm that the embassy has not contested the judges decision. Ask when u should expect to submit your passport.

Oloritunjino: i am so happy right now as i have just posted my passport through DHL to sheffield. To prevent any mess up by VAC i slipped in my telephone nos and email in a piece of paper. I would like to be enlightened as to what to expect on my indefinite remain visa...2 or 5yrs.

. Indefinite leave to remain is indefinite, i.e there is no expiry date. If you are talking about a spouse visa then it's about 2.5 years.

Oloritunjino: Hi everyone,
I am new here but i got here after surfing the nets...i was refused my settlement visa last year but i won my appeal and i have been emailed to send my passport to sheffield. Do i need to buy return posts so it wud be sent back to nigeria or just send to sheffield and let them send through their post?

Just send your passport via a tracked mail service like DHL, don't bother sending a return envelope, they use their own service to send your passport back.