The wait is finally over!!!

I got my decision email and it’s a yes!

Online application: 10/09/2020
Biometrics: 28/09/2020
Received email from home office to submit additional documents: 05/10/2020 - I didn’t reply cause I never saw the email.
Received another email to submit additional documents: 24/10/2020 - sent the documents same day!
Received decision email: 10/11/2020 (easily one of the happiest days of my life lol)

Just want to say thank you to everyone here that helped me! You guys are all wonderful and doing a fantastic job!

Hi guys,

I applied for my visa recently and I was going through my application form and found out I made a mistake.

The form asked if I had left the UK recently and I said yes October 2019 to Nigeria. But my partner and I recently went away to Gibraltar in August 2020 and I forgot to include that.

Will this be a massive issue? Should I write up another cover letter and explain that it was a mistake? I haven’t had my biometrics yet so I can still upload additional documents.

Flexvilla:
I am not really sure that your aunt's name being on the property Inspection report matters as the objective of the report is to state the number of people living in the house in order to meet the space requirements. So I think you should be fine. However you might want to include in your cover letter that your aunty does not live in the house since her name is on the deed. Preferably, it should be written in your uncle's cover letter.

As regards exporting call logs that have wiped off, I am not sure about how to go about it however since you have other whatsapp chats, you can print just a few but it should cover different periods. I wasted so much money printing a lot of whatsapp chats and ended up only submitting three pages for 3 different years cos I used the assisted scanning service and they don't want unnecessary documents. However I also submitted emails for different years and Facebook chats too. please remember to download the pictures of the front-page of your hubby's face showing how you saved his name on your whatsapp and other apps too. See pg 463 where I wrote an exhaustive list of all I submitted and apply relevant info to your case. Please label every document well for clarity.

Wishing you success.

Thank you so much! We’ve finally submitted and whew what a relief! Now the waiting game begins. I included in the letter that they’ve been separated for 9 years but her name hasn’t been taken off.

As for WhatsApp chats, we have so much and since it’s self upload, I just decided to upload them all. I know it’s not needed but we don’t have any other source of communication so we gave them that! I’ll be back to update and thank you once again for your responses

Flexvilla:
Concerning the implication of your aunt’s name on the House documents, that I don’t know but what I know is that it will still be stated on the Property Inspectuon Report as the Professional who conducts the inspection will still carry out an online search of the deed anyways to determine the real owners of the property and will state it on the Property Inspection report as was done in my case. Also even if your aunt was still living in the house, based on space requirements, since it is a 3 bedroom house, you will still qualify living there with your spouse. Remember that the living room is also counted as a full room which makes it 4 bedroom and that can still accommodate more people.

So I do not think you should be worried. Your uncle may include it in his letter that your aunt does not live there at the moment and there is more than enough space to accommodate you guys. Anyways the surveyor would have included that in the Property inspection report( ie the number of people living in the house) so you guys will be fine.

Thanks for your response. Yeah I just got the property inspection report today in the mail and her name wasn’t included! The surveyor said he went by the details we gave him when we filled out the online form. I’m livid and he’s not replying our emails!! Should we just explain in the letter that my aunt lives up north and there’s enough space to accommodate us?

One more question, how do you export call logs? Cause the WhatsApp call logs automatically wipe off after a period of time.

Also if anyone can answer this silly question of mine, that would be great!

I saved a few screenshots last year and my husbands name on my phone was different then. I took screenshots this year and it’s a different name (basically from his name to a pet name) do you think it will make a difference when we submit the WhatsApp chats?

I’ve submitted my online application yesterday and I’ll be uploading my documents tomorrow, just want to make sure I’m on the right track.

Flexvilla:
Hi Lexusgs430,

Just wanted to do a quick correction on paying rent to a close family member providing accommodation like parents or uncles.

I remember I asked same question before I applied. It is important to know that the UK spouse does not have to pay rent to their uncle, aunt or parents. I applied without my souse paying any rent to her mum. Just like Miele's case, I only submitted letter from my spouse's parent, property inspection report and deed and got the visa without any issues whatsoever. While I understand Lexusgs430 concerns which is good advice, I just want to state that rental payments are not necessary once there is a strong provable bond of kinship.

Yeah I’ve seen cases where people stay with family members and don’t pay rent, so I don’t think that will be an issue.

I’ve just got the house title registry online and my aunts name is still there, will it be weird if I submit it without any mention of her on the property inspection report?

Lexusgs430:



Are you paying rent? Is he giving you a tenancy agreement?

The ex wife is still a legal owner of that property, removing her name without her consent, is an impossibility...... She is sitting pretty enjoying the value appreciation (but might demand her equity anytime)...........

No I’m not paying rent. Yet.. the plan was for me to get a full time job and help him out with the mortgage. Can’t get a full time job on my tier 4 so I’ll wait till I get my spouse one.

As for the ex wife, she already got her share of the house when they filed for the decree nisi 9 years ago. The only thing left is to send over some papers for her to sign and have her name taken off but my uncle is being so relaxed about it.

I’m wondering if my uncle can just write a letter and say he’s happy for me to stay there indefinitely? Without including the ex wife’s name?

Hi guys,

It’s me again! I hope you all can indulge me.

I’m applying for my spouse visa sometime this week and I need to make sure I’m on the right track.

So my husband and I are currently living in my uncles house. He’s writing us a letter to state that we are allowed to be there indefinitely but the problem is that his ex wife’s name is still on the land deed.

They separated nine years ago and she left, my uncle hasn’t gotten around to taking her name off the house yet. I’m submitting the letter from him, property inspection report and the land deed (which still has the wife’s name as co-owner)

It’s a three bedroom house and it meets the accommodation requirement. It’s just me, my partner and my uncle living here at the moment.

Will her name being on the deed mess my application up?

What do I do? Should I explain this in the cover letter?

Lexusgs430:




Look for someone in the registry, to make up last person standing.............

Wedding was cancelled cause of corona!
I’m just hoping we don’t have to give notice again when we have to reschedule!
I hope you all are staying safe

Hi guys,

I hope we are all okay and staying safe in this time.

I have got a quick question.

I’ve got my registry wedding this week and the current advise in UK is that only five people are required to be in the registry office - wedding officiant, bride, groom and two witnesses.

We planned on having a reception after that but plans have changed because of social distancing.

However, I still intend on submitting my application first week of April. My wedding pictures will only consist of bride, groom and two witnesses.

Would this count against me when I submit these pictures as evidence?

I’ve got other pictures of us hanging with friends to submit as evidence but I’m worried that the wedding pictures might look empty and raises questions of it being a real marriage or not?

Or am I being extremely paranoid?

chrysbees:


Hey,

I hope you are good.

You read it right, you can submit your online application once you have the marriage certificate and other supporting documents. Honestly keeping the documents (Eg: Pay slips, Letter from employer, Bank statement, Utility bills, property inspection report, etc) within the 28 days gives you a kind of peace of mind that you have made the necessary efforts.

For the mortgage documents you mentioned, it will go a long way to contribute to what convinces the ECO that you two are going to live in the place you are providing its document.

If you still feel that you are missing something, rewind back to see what others who got the spouse visa on first application did and maybe you can use it to compare with your excel spreadsheet.
Check out the following pages and see if it helps but bear in mind that every application is just as unique as yours: Pages 428, 446 and 457.
You may find something's irrelevant, so filter accordingly.

As for the property inspection report, if you are going to go for it, just check out : https://mclarenenvironmentalservices.co.uk and give them a call. The guy just drove to our place checked the building, measured just our room and printed 2 copies of the report for us. The service was sleek and fast for £120. Your location can affect the price, I guess.

Good morning.

Hi Chrysbees,

Thanks for your response.

And also thank you for the pages and link you provided, it’s been more than helpful.

I’ll check out the property inspection report and make price comparisons and take it from there.

Have a good weekend

Lexusgs430:



I am never knowingly undersold ................ I love mouthfuls.... Have you seen my weight ............

From this reply, he is the sponsor ?

Heavyweight champion?

Yeah he’s the sponsor. But I’m the one doing all the research so yay for teamwork

Thanks for your time and previous comments on this thread- it’s helped me and I’m sure plenty of others in the right track.

chrysbees:


Hello Miele,

I'm good, thank you.

It was really good reading that HO didn't go on with the interview. ( You, sure, must have a minimum of 15 months in your current BRP as anything less than 6 months raises an eyebrow and they will start delaying and dragging the process until you have less time to continue with the registry wedding in the UK.)

As you two will be staying in your uncle's place, you should make sure that you have the UK overcrowding policy not against your plans. Check this out when you have a minute to spare : https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1985/68/part/X/crossheading/definition-of-overcrowding
Although, your uncle will be supporting you guys with accommodation documents and letter, you may, as well, invest in House Inspection Report from a certified agent who will state specifically the conditions of the house and room both of you will be staying. (It shouldn't be more than £150, depending on the part of UK you are staying)

Do keep warm and have a good day.

Hey,

Yeah I was shocked when I got the letter from home office within 2 weeks as I was panicking that I might be called for an interview seeing how I gave notice with a new BRP at the time.

Yeah I do have a valid BRP till next year so that should keep me going till I’m able to switch (hopefully). I’m just waiting for my partners 6 months payslip and we will make the application. The wedding isn’t until March and I’ve read that I can put in my application anytime after the wedding as long as I’ve got all my documents.

Thanks for the link - we meet the requirements for the overcrowding act. Since the house is owned by my uncle, can I include his proof of mortgage amongst the property inspection report?

Also I’ll be making my application first week of April, can I get the letter now or does it have to be less than 28 days at the time of the application. I think I read somewhere that all documents must not be more than 28 days at the time of the application.

I’ve made an excel spreadsheet of all the documents I need to get, been on gov.uk and read this thread from beginning to end but I’m still worried that I’m missing something lol

Thanks for your time and breaking things down for me, I kindly appreciate.

Have a good day

Lexusgs430:



Is he on student visa or fiancé visa?....

Pictures of in-laws does help, not necessarily important. But confirms family approvals (they understand we run a family orientated system).......

But since his family is based in Nigeria, simply just drop a note in relevant sections.......

Hi Lexusgs430 (your name is a mouthful )

Thanks for your reply.

He’s British- never been to Nigeria so he’s got no family there or doesn’t know he has lol

My family is based in Nigeria - mum, dad etc

I’ve got pictures of us and friends so surely that should be enough.

chrysbees:


Hello Miele,

I hope you are doing great both with Uni stuffs and the weather.

What you are going to read from me is just based on an experience I think you can replicate.

I will answer your questions but will ask you few things to help you understand better/ cut off any myopic view of the situation.

1. That you and your partner are going to do the registry wedding in the UK come March 2020 means that:
a. you must have booked an appointment with your council of resident for Notice of foreign national marriage,
b. have probably gone for the Home Office Marriage interview for partnership investigation decision (Section 50 of the immigration act 2014). This interview can be a way to sweep you two off balance, so prepare all your documents as if you are submitting your application in the interview.
c. have waited for up to 70 days for response from Home Office (HO) for the approval of the wedding to take place in the UK. (But given that you returned to the UK ending of November 2019, if I'm right, you have not spent up to 70 days in the UK and that may imply that you have not sorted out everything with the HO or registry office yet.)
d. have heard from the registry office that your wedding can go on as planned.

2. If 1 (above) has YES as answers for 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d, you can submit the group registry wedding pictures with the 2 witnesses. Since you have a 2 years history together, backup your relationship with the other pictures where friends are present and not just both of you in the whole album.
You MUST not mention the absence of any of the family members (parents) in the cover letter as it will raise too much dust for you.

3. Another thing you may consider is the number of valid months you have in the UK.
If you have gone through 1 (above) successfully, you wouldn't have a lot to bother yourself with than a valid visa that can take you through the period after going for your spouse visa biometric capture.

My little questions:
a. Are your partner's parents in the UK?
b. If they we in the UK, have you tried to understand why they may not be attending the registry wedding?
c. Is any of your two witnesses going to come from your partner's family?


I hope you and anyone in this situation finds this helpful.

Thank you Chrysbees

I hope you are okay

This was more than helpful.

Yes I have given notice of marriage - received a letter from the home office after 14 days of giving notice and it stated they weren’t going to investigate. I used the same letter in booking a marriage date at my local council.

My partners mum is in the UK but will be on cruise at the time of our wedding. He is estranged from his dad so there’s no need asking him to come because he won’t. The wedding is only going to be me, partner, my cousin and one of our friends and they are both standing in for us as witnesses.

I live with my uncle who will be writing a letter of support for both of us so surely that counts as something?

We are going to be staying in his house for a short while so he will be writing us a letter alongside other documents that will show proof of accommodation.

Thanks for the information - I won’t be mentioning the absence of family.

Lexusgs430:



Before you feel it's a safe bet...........

How long have you been dating?
You got separate pictures of all inlaws, during traditional marriage?
How long are you spending in Nigeria, after registry marriage?
Any major age difference, between both parties?.....

Hi Lexus,

Thanks for your reply. You are doing a good job on here

We’ve been together for two years - I can back that up with pictures, whatsapp conversations, flight tickets for holidays we took together, spending holidays with each other’s family, birthday and Christmas cards over the years.

No pictures of in-laws - didn’t occur to me that I needed that. To be fair his family is quite mental so they’ve never been the one for pictures

I’m not doing the registry marriage in Nigeria. I’m doing it here in the UK. No traditional marriage yet.

There’s no major age differences - we are both in our 20s. I’m even older than him by a few months.

I know that the marriage certificate might be enough but I’m still worried the home office would scrutinise the application if pictures of in-laws are missing? My parents are in Nigeria and can’t come over for just registry so no parents on that day

MamaEEE:


No ? is silly... U r good 2go. But if u still wnt a lit3 bit of additn 2d photograph, u cn ask pipo around 2 join u in snaping. Wat dey really want is d certificate and 4u 2 prove ur union is genuie... My 3cent

Thank you
It’s only just the four of us on that day so it won’t be a big photo session. My parents are back in Nigeria so I’m just worried they would scrutinise my pictures and ask why no family member in sight.
We are planning on having the big wedding reception after my spouse visa is out.

Hello house,

First of all, everyone here is doing an amazing job and I’ve learnt a lot since reading this page.

I’ve got a question, my partner and I are doing a registry wedding this March and my family members can’t make it. The only people that will be in attendance are just the two witnesses required for the registry wedding.

Now my question is, can I submit just wedding pictures of my partner and I without no one else in attendance? Do I need to explain the reason why we didn’t have guests and enough wedding pictures in the cover letter?

This might be a silly question but I’m not using any legal representation so I’m trying to make sure I cross all the dots.

Thanks in advance

kode12:

You cannot enter earlier than a month to program start.

You can definitely enter the country more than a month prior to course start date, depending on the entry date that has been issued on your passport.

My uni starts on the 6th of January according to my CAS but I was granted leave of entry 29th of November and I came back into the UK same date and had no issues.

DMainMan:

Yes. You can book for the 29th

Thank you

Hi guys,

My visa is valid from the 29th of this month. Can I travel the same day I’ve been granted leave of entry or should I wait a day after?

I’m trying to book my flight and for some reason, the flights are more cheaper for the 29th and quite expensive from 30th onwards.

LagosismyHome:


PSW is not a new invention oooo and it was stopped just here in 2012. Before then there was PSW but it didnt open doors for everyone . I know loads of people who had to go back after the PSW as it didnt roll over to Tier 2 Visa. So that statement above is a myth . A big myth

That been said if UK doesnt have PSW I wont advice even my enemy to go near UK. Absolutely pointless and I discouraged everyone I knew

I was just coming to write this. PSW does not automatically guarantee anyone a job. It’s all based on luck and experience.

I finished my degree this summer and I got two job offers from two big 4 firms. This was only within the space of 4 months that was left on my visa after graduation. One rescinded their offer because they couldn’t sponsor my visa - stupid HR thought the quota system applied to me but it didn’t cause I was switching from Tier 4.
The other one came back to me with a start date and arrangements to start making my tier 2 application but I was already out of the country.

Even with the PSW, some companies/firms will still be reluctant in employing a candidate that would require sponsorship.

Experience, networking, making connections and applying for a thousands jobs a day will get you somewhere than banking on PSW but obviously with the PSW, you’ve got more time to send in applications.

justwise:


You can go with recent one, it will not harm your application

Okay. Thank you

obaxlove:


Please what is the earliest available date showing for Ikeja, Lagos?

Hey, I paid for the priority service and there were availability from tomorrow the 25th. Early times are available too.

justwise:


1. You don't have to submit the old passport but you need to add the passport number and you can also make photocopies of the data page and visa copies in that passport.

2. Add only what the space allows you to do then use the blank space in the form to add additional information.

Thank you. I submitted the application online today so fingers crossed.

The bank statement I submitted to my university before I was issued with a CAS was from August to 10th of this month. My appointment is next week and I was wondering if I should go with a more recent bank statement?

I called my school and they said I don’t need to provide a more recent statement as the one I sent them is fine.

Should I stick with my old statement or should I include more recent ones?

The money has been in my account since August so I’m covered on the 28 days rule.

justwise:


Yes you can do that.

Thank you!

One more question, I’m applying for the visa with a new passport cause my old one is expired. The old one has my travel history on it and I’ve started making my visa application and they are asking for all my travel history.

Do I need to submit my old passport when submitting all my documents?

Secondly, I went to the US two times last year but when filling out the travel history section, it’s only letting me input USA just once. Should I leave it like that or will I get a chance to explain it?

I’m just trying to eliminate any cause for refusal because I’ve seen cases of where people didn’t declare their whole travel history and got denied.

LaaJiblik:



Where you start filling the application form doesn’t matter.
Even if you are in Venus or Mars or Jupiter or in the Sun.
All you need is good internet connection.

Lol thank you

TrumpsWall:
Reading Page 1 will make u clueful

https://www.nairaland.com/2575449/uk-student-visa-tier-4

Thanks for your response but I’m very aware of all the documents that I need to submit which is what’s been written in page 1.

If you actually took the time to read what I wrote, you’d see that I asked a simple question. The question being if I should start making my online visa application while I’m still in the UK or wait till I come back to Nigeria?

I just wanted to know if it makes any difference time wise if I make an online application now or wait till I get back? I haven’t seen this discussed anywhere in this thread.

Or feel free to guide me to the page if it has been previously discussed :-)

Hello again everyone,

I’ve just received my CAS from my uni and I was wondering if it’s a good idea to start making my online application now or wait till I come back to Nigeria?

The last time I applied for a student visa was 4 years ago and a university representative helped me so I’m clueless as to how everything works now.

Secondly, I submitted my financial evidence to my university before they issued me with a CAS, can I include an up to date bank statement when applying for my visa or should I just give the statements that I sent to my university?

justwise:


Have you been given a CAS?

You need to call your school's attention to the info on UKBA website

No I haven’t been given a CAS. Should be receiving one this week.

I sent them an email with the info on the UKBA website and they insisted that I had to apply from my home country because the extension didn’t apply to me.

Zoey1:
Last time I checked that page too it was not like this but I tell you, UKVI changes rules alot.
And yes this means you can change within because its within 3months of course start.

Yeah the page has definitely been updated.

I’ve attached a screenshot of the recently updated tier 4 guidance.

S.78 clarifies things up a bit. So that means I can apply within the UK if I’m reading it right.

justwise:


Have you done any research regarding extending tie4 student visa within the U.K.? https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa/extend-your-visa

Maybe you just want to spend Xmas in Nigeria

This is new information to me.

The last time I called home office, they said I couldn’t extend my visa in the UK if my new course date is longer than 28 days. Which means I’d have to go back to my home country and apply for a new visa.

My current tier 4 expires on the 30th of this month and my course starts on the 6th of January. Does this mean I can extend within the UK then?

Zoey1:
1. If the account is in your parents name or yours. Yes, you can use it
2. You cannot apply within the UK.
3. The account statement submitted must not be older than 28days at your submission. It does not have to be printed that morning.
4. You can enter the UK 1 month before resumption if your course is more than 6months.

Yes the account is in my name so that’s fine.

Okay thank you cause I plan on returning back to the UK before Christmas.

Thank you.