[WestCoastCanadianGirl]

Hi everyone!

Have been lurking and reading and getting some good info about the whole fiancée visa process.

I am planning on submitting a Fiancée Visa in July, but have some questions about the process.

Here's a quick run down on our story.


Me: Applicant. Canadian born and raised. Currently employed as a Pharmacy Technician. Have previously lived in a British Overseas Territory (Cayman Islands) without incident. Clean record/passport.

Edward: Fiancé. British born and raised. Career Civil Servant. Owns home in London.

We met online on 24 September '11. Developed online romance 3 November '11. Met IRL 27 December. Engaged 1 January. Plan on being married 3 November '12

Due to financial considerations, have only been able to afford to travel to meet each other every 12 weeks

Here are my questions for you knowledgeable people:

1) I note on the application at 8.4.6 that it states "When did you last see your sponsor?" Ed will be in Vancouver when I intend to submit my biometrics. How do I note this on the application (which will be completed online approximately 1-3 weeks before his arrival) without sounding snotty and irreverent?

Can I put down an answer in the future - i.e. I complete app online on July 18 and put down "July 23, 2012" as my reply - assuming that this is the day that Ed and I go.. this would indeed be the date that I last saw him.

Can I pick the appointment date for submitting my application/biometrics and if so, how far in advance do I need to apply?

Is a 1-3 week delay between online completion and biometrics o.k.? Ed is bringing his original documents for the application with him when he visits, and due to the 8 hour time difference between London and Vancouver, we can only meet on the phone/Skype during a limited time window on any given day. We will be reviewing it/formulating our answers over the coming weeks (I've got extra copies in my w*rk bag) and could theoretically have it done the business day before our appointment (if they will let me pick the date).

2) Photos... I have a small stack of shots of myself and Ed that have been taken over the past 5 months. Should we send "photo shop" photos (i.e. the 4"x6" card shots one gets when one drops 35mm film off at Snappy Snaps/1 hour photo) or would a bunch of photos printed on A4/8.5"x11" paper suffice? While I'm leaning towards sending the 4x6's, I am also thinking about shipping costs, as I am still trying to plan my wedding and any savings can and will help (3 shots printed on A4 paper weighs less than 3 of the 4x6 cards).

3) Question 8.6.7 of the application asks if I intend to w*rk in the U.K. Simple answer, YES, I do. I can't let Ed carry the burden of support by himself in the future if we have children and I have permission to w*rk. That said, I have no intention of doing so until a w*rk visa is approved.

By virtue of the fact that my w*rk skills don't immediately translate to similar credentials in the U.K., I would be required to do some re-training and upgrading as prescribed by the UK Pharmacy Council, as they dictate that I need to be registered with them before I can practice as a technician.

Would it be in my best interests to say "Yes" to that question and acknowledge the fact that this can't happen before I get a w*rk visa? I would also advise that I have an employable skill and provide a CV and briefly detail the hoops I have to jump through to w*rk in my current profession.

4) Would it be helpful to include the sales receipt from the jeweler who sold Ed my engagement ring? It (the ring) was purchased before we were engaged but after we developed our relationship online.


Thank you all so very much (including the all knowing Joppa) for any and all help that you can offer. I know that realistically I have nothing to worry about with the application - Ed makes way more than >£26000 p.a., we see each other for at least a week every 3 months (I wish that we could afford more frequent visits, but I have limited annual leave at w*rk and with airfare being >£700/trip and the current world economic situation, it isn't feasible for me to take unpaid leaves), I come from a Commonwealth country (not that that has any influence on a decision) and I am a native English speaker - but until we get a decision, it's still a source of worry.

Kate

 

[2farapart]

2) Photos... I have a small stack of shots of myself and Ed that have been taken over the past 5 months. Should we send "photo shop" photos (i.e. the 4"x6" card shots one gets when one drops 35mm film off at Snappy Snaps/1 hour photo) or would a bunch of photos printed on A4/8.5"x11" paper suffice? While I'm leaning towards sending the 4x6's, I am also thinking about shipping costs, as I am still trying to plan my wedding and any savings can and will help (3 shots printed on A4 paper weighs less than 3 of the 4x6 cards).

We printed out our photos on A4 paper. We only had 4 but they showed us together. These were good enough for us.

 

[2farapart]

3) Question 8.6.7 of the application asks if I intend to w*rk in the U.K. Simple answer, YES, I do. I can't let Ed carry the burden of support by himself in the future if we have children and I have permission to w*rk. That said, I have no intention of doing so until a w*rk visa is approved.

By virtue of the fact that my w*rk skills don't immediately translate to similar credentials in the U.K., I would be required to do some re-training and upgrading as prescribed by the UK Pharmacy Council, as they dictate that I need to be registered with them before I can practice as a technician.

Would it be in my best interests to say "Yes" to that question and acknowledge the fact that this can't happen before I get a w*rk visa? I would also advise that I have an employable skill and provide a CV and briefly detail the hoops I have to jump through to w*rk in my current profession.

That is exactly what we did - again, our application was fine.

 

[JollyCynic]

1) I note on the application at 8.4.6 that it states "When did you last see your sponsor?" Ed will be in Vancouver when I intend to submit my biometrics. How do I note this on the application (which will be completed online approximately 1-3 weeks before his arrival) without sounding snotty and irreverent?

Your application will be read by human beings, so you don't have to restrict yourself to answering in numbers. You can reply with, for example, "Last met in Vancouver, BC on 1/4/2012, have tickets/plans to meet again 23/7/2012." I think they just care that you have a fairly current real-life relationship.

Can I pick the appointment date for submitting my application/biometrics and if so, how far in advance do I need to apply?

I didn't do the Canadian application, so hopefully someone who did can chime in on the exact process. For me, after I chose my biometrics location, a schedule of available appointments was listed. There were no appointments available for four days after my application was submitted, and had to choose one a week after (due to work constraints for the following Friday).

With the US process, Biometrics occurs separately from document submission, but you have to submit documents within two weeks of Biometrics. There was no restriction listed for time between online completion and Biometrics, I was just restricted by available appointments. I suspect (but don't know) that it's similar for the Canadian process: You'll probably have a list of Biometric/Document submission appointment times to select from. You'll probably want to complete the online form with him on Skype so he can check travel dates.

2) Photos...

Hopefully someone else will take this. I certainly have no earthly idea.

3) Question 8.6.7 of the application asks if I intend to w*rk in the U.K. Simple answer, YES, I do. I can't let Ed carry the burden of support by himself in the future if we have children and I have permission to w*rk. That said, I have no intention of doing so until a w*rk visa is approved.

Yes, as you suggest, you'll eventually have leave to work, so answer it forthrightly that you plan to be gainfully employed once you have permission to do so, but absolutely not before then.. (Side note, I'm a little shocked that my spell checker has "forthrightly" in it.)

4) Would it be helpful to include the sales receipt from the jeweler who sold Ed my engagement ring? It (the ring) was purchased before we were engaged but after we developed our relationship online.

More's better than less. I don't think this is actually necessary, but when I got a K1 Fiancee visa for my (now) wife to come to the States, I included the ring receipt. Then again, our relationship proof package weighed about 6 lbs. (Our UK visa package was an itsy-bitsy 2.4 lb bundle.)

As you say, you sound like a shoe-in for acceptance, but I understand the worry and nerves.

 

[2farapart]

4) Would it be helpful to include the sales receipt from the jeweler who sold Ed my engagement ring? It (the ring) was purchased before we were engaged but after we developed our relationship online.

I don't think it's essential, but we included a few non-essential things just to 'cover all bases'. What is more important is providing documentary proof of the length and nature of your relationship (like copies of chat records by Skype/instant messaging, call records, emails or letters) and proof that you've met in person (we only had Skype chats, video chat and 4 photos together but they were good enough). You don't need to go overboard on evidence, but try to provide enough to show the duration of your relationship, and enough to demonstrate that it IS genuine.

Also anything to show your intention to marry (for this we booked our ceremony and reception - together with booking the preliminary appointment at the 'Designated' Registry Office at which we were to show all our documents, plus hotel accommodation). If you do this too, only pay up front for anything that has a good cancellation policy! Our hotel was the most expensive outlay, but accepted cancellations right up to the last 24 hours.

 

[2farapart]

Thank you all so very much (including the all knowing Joppa) for any and all help that you can offer. I know that realistically I have nothing to worry about with the application - Ed makes way more than >£26000 p.a., we see each other for at least a week every 3 months (I wish that we could afford more frequent visits, but I have limited annual leave at w*rk and with airfare being >£700/trip and the current world economic situation, it isn't feasible for me to take unpaid leaves), I come from a Commonwealth country (not that that has any influence on a decision) and I am a native English speaker - but until we get a decision, it's still a source of worry.

Yes, it is! We remember it only too well. We apply for our FLR extension next week and, whilst not the same nervousness this time, we're still like cats on hot bricks again!

It sounds like you have nothing to worry about. I too am a civil servant earning more than the proposed increased threshold as sponsor, but unlike you, me and my partner were only able to have spend time together twice (due to her work in the US as an accountant and not being permitted any significant amount of time off). We probably spent in the region of 7-8 weeks in total together through 16 months, but, for us it was all still fine. Good luck!

 

[WestCoastCanadianGirl]

Thank you all for your input!

We will be including a copy of the event contract with the Marriott County Hall in London where we will be holding our reception in November. I should think that this would suffice in showing that we are genuine in our intent to get married (it's costing a small fortune for the reception alone!).

I'd love to include snail mail correspondence, but it's been mainly one-sided (i.e. I've only ever sent to him), and all of the letters and cards that have been sent have absolutely no inkprint on them (other than what came pre-printed on the card in the first place)... Ed was born blind and as such I've only ever carefully deconstructed the card as needed and brailled out the verse on the card and whatever message(s) I wanted to include by hand and then reconstructed the card before mailing (I "speak" Braille and have tried to get cards through t him as Free Matter for the Blind but Postes Canada sent most of them back to me because I'm not registered with them. ). Do you think that we should include a selection of these cards as well (and hope that they send it back to us?). I'm thinking "no," because they're in Braille only and the envelopes have long since been discarded.


Thanks again, everyone!

 

[2farapart]

I think a covering letter attached to your supporting evidence explaining this as you did here is fine - plus maybe a couple of the Braille cards (just so they can see them for real) - again, not essential but I certainly erred on the side of proving more than not enough. These and anything else that shows how you conducted your relationship whilst apart like call records if chatting on the phone (we mostly had Skype records showing the times we were online talking via video but did have a few typed conversations too). Most of our evidence was call logs which didn't say much about WHAT we discussed, but sure as heck showed we were online together for hours at a time daily!

They just want to be sure that your relationship is genuine and that there has indeed been a relationship during the dates you give. They'll recognise that a distant relationship has all sorts of problems like time zones, people having to work, having limited amounts of time or money to see each other etc - so just provide what you think best shows how you mostly kept in touch during your times apart. Remember that the UKBA only wants to be sure that your relationship is not a sham marriage, a forced marriage or other arrangement being staged to secure some kind of advantage for moving to Britain other than a relationship, and that you can of course support yourselves financially - this bigger picture being SO easy to forget during the panicky application stage! (we remember it well ourselves!!)