[micropaleo]

Hello all,

I searched the other threads and didn't find quite the answer I was looking for, so apologies if this has been answered elsewhere and I missed it.

I moved to the UK from the US in August on a 3-year Tier 2 visa with my wife and 2 children all on dependent visas. In December we had our third child. I am registering her with the US embassy later this month so we can get her SS number and tax reasons, etc. My question is two fold:

Does she have to get a visa to stay in the UK if we aren't planning on leaving before our visas expire?

Are the maintenance requirements the same for a dependent once you are already inside the UK?

We are getting by on my salary, but only just, and there is no way we meet the minimum maintenance requirements that we had to meet to get into the country. The move across the pond depleted our savings and it is going to take a while to build back up those funds. Which is also the reason we won't be taking any vacations out of the country anytime soon. So if we can avoid the £400 fee for her visa than that would be hugely helpful.

Thanks for your help guys!

 

[Joppa]

Hello all,

I searched the other threads and didn't find quite the answer I was looking for, so apologies if this has been answered elsewhere and I missed it.

I moved to the UK from the US in August on a 3-year Tier 2 visa with my wife and 2 children all on dependent visas. In December we had our third child. I am registering her with the US embassy later this month so we can get her SS number and tax reasons, etc. My question is two fold:

Does she have to get a visa to stay in the UK if we aren't planning on leaving before our visas expire?

No she doesn't. But you should get her US passport, just in case you need to return to US urgently.

Are the maintenance requirements the same for a dependent once you are already inside the UK?

As things stand, a couple with 3 children need £263.82 a week after tax, having paid for housing (rent or mortgage and council tax). But rules are supposed to change in June, but we have no details yet.

We are getting by on my salary, but only just, and there is no way we meet the minimum maintenance requirements that we had to meet to get into the country. The move across the pond depleted our savings and it is going to take a while to build back up those funds. Which is also the reason we won't be taking any vacations out of the country anytime soon. So if we can avoid the £400 fee for her visa than that would be hugely helpful.

If you are taking her out of UK, say, to vist US and then return, you have to apply for her dependant visa, preferably before leaving UK. The cost is now £561 by postal application, which can take 3-4 months. Or £867 by same-day premium service. Alternatively you can apply while you are back in US, but it can be more inconvenient as you need to take all supporting documents to US and wait until the visa is issued. You also need a residential address in US.