UK Visa ECO-Friendly - UK Spouse or Fiancee Visa - how to increase increase chances approval

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FUTURE MRS. CHARITY ECOT DAVIES!

2/17/2022

Twice, ate Charity Ecot applied for a UK Visit Visa and twice the applications were approved.

So twice she visited the love of her life Jeff Davies in the UK.

Now, finally, a UK Fiancee Visa has been approved and issued in favor of Ms. Charity, the future Mrs. Charity Ecot Davies!

Best wishes to Mr Jeff Davies and future wife ate Cha! Mabuhay ang bagong ikakasal!!!

Ate Cha (right) receives her Philippines passport with the UK Fiancee Visa vignette from Ms. Jaz. Congrats again ate Cha!!!

CONGRATULATIONS ATE MAE LYN AND KUYA MICHAL!

2/9/2022

NEW UK ARRIVAL RULES FROM 11 FEBRUARY 2022

1/26/2022

Congratulations to ECO client Mae Lyn Talagon for the approval her UK fiancée visa application. Photo shows her friend Joel accepting Mae's passport with the visa vignette from Ms. Jazmin Ceria

Good news for those applying for a UK Spouse Visa, UK Fiancée Visa or any other type of UK Settlement Visa!

The UK Home Office recently announced that starting 11 February 2022, fully vaccinated travelers entering England (including holders of the UK Spouse Visa and UK Fiancée Visa) will not be required to take a COVID-19 test anymore and will likewise not be obligated to quarantine themselves upon arrival.

ECO-Friendly would like to stress that this policy will be effective starting only on 4:00 am on 11th February 2021. This means that from today until 3:59am of February 11, the present rules shall still apply.

PRESENT RULES
Under the current rule (according to the UKVI website), the following rule applies:
Before you travel to England – fully vaccinated
Before you travel to England you must:
• book and pay for a COVID-19 test – to be taken after you arrive in England
• complete a passenger locator form – to be completed in the 48 hours before you arrive in England
You will need to enter the booking reference for your COVID-19 test in the UK passenger locator form.
If you’re in England for less than 2 days, you still need to book and pay for a COVID-19 test to take after you arrive.
When you arrive in England – fully vaccinated
You do not need to quarantine when you arrive in England.
You must take a COVID-19 test. This is the test that you booked before travel. You can book either a lateral flow test or a PCR test.
You can take the test any time after you arrive and before the end of day 2 at the latest. The day you arrive is day 0.
If your test result is positive, you must self-isolate.
If your lateral flow test result is positive, you must also take a PCR test.

Thus, if a UK Spouse Visa holder or a UK Fiancée Visa holder enters the UK from today until the 3:59 am of the 11th of February, the abovementioned steps (taken from the UKVI website) must be followed by the traveller from the Philippines.

But if the Filipina holder of the UK Spouse Visa or UK Fiancée Visa flies to and enters the UK from 4:00 am on the 11th of February, they shall not be required to book and pay for the COVID 19 test but merely need to complete the passenger locator form.

FOR THOSE NOT FULLY VACCINATED

The UK website added that for those not fully vaccinated, the traveler needs to, “show proof of a negative COVID-19 test – to be taken in the 2 days before you travel to England; and book and pay for a COVID-19 PCR test – to be taken after you arrive in England. The traveler will need to book the PCR test before you travel.”

The applicant need not quarantine, unless the PCR test result is positive.

In all of the above cases, whenever a UK Spouse Visa or UK Fiancée Visa enters the UK, they need to complete a passenger locator form.

According to the UK website, "The changes announced on 24 January 2022 mean that the UK has one of the most free-flowing borders across Europe in addition to having the most open economy and society.

"The simplification of travel rules comes just before half term, providing welcome news for families looking to travel abroad during the school holidays, as well as an extra boost for the tourism industry.

"Thanks to the success of the UK’s vaccine and booster rollout, the government is now able to reduce the number of travel restrictions, ensuring there is a more proportionate system in place for passengers. Before the end of February, eligible fully vaccinated travelers will only need to fill out the passenger locator form (PLF), which will be simplified, confirming their vaccination status, travel history and contact details, and people will have an extra day to fill it out before travelling," the website said.

BRP VALIDITY PERIOD – WHEN TO FILE FLR-M

1/2/2022

ECO client Cat with daughter Sundae at the airport. Cat arrived in the UK more than a year ahead of Sundae. When Cat's BRP expired after 2.5 years in the UK, Sundae's BRP also expired despite being in the UK for less than a year. Both had to file for their FLR-M at the same time. Congrats Cat and Sundae for a successful FLR-M application!

Manila, Philippines - When a UK Spouse Visa application is filed and approved here in the Philippines, the applicant is given 30 days to fly to the UK.

Some successful applicants worry upon seeing this 30-day validity period believing that this is the period for which they are allowed to stay in the UK and after the 30 days, they have to return to the Philippines.

ECO-Friendly however, would like to emphasize that this 30-day validity period printed in the UK spouse visa vignette and affixed in the passport is merely with respect to the amount of time the applicant from the Philippines is allowed to enter the UK from the Philippines. Therefore, if the successful applicant fails to fly to the UK within the 30-day period, they have to get another vignette stamped by the UKVI.

Once the applicant enters the UK, a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) in the form of an identification card shall be issued to the applicant which will serve as a confirmation that he or she is allowed to stay in the UK for a period of two and a half (2.5) years or 30 months or more.

During this time, the BRP holder is allowed to work, study and receive any other benefit entitled to a BRP cardholder.

The BRP indicates the following details of the applicant:

Name
Date and place of birth
Finger pints
Photo of face
Immigration status and conditions of the stay
Whether the holder can access public funds like benefits and other health services

If the main applicant who is a parent from the Philippines includes his or her child in the application and are both approved, they will both be given a BRP valid for 2.5 years and extendible for another 2.5 years.

Once the BRP holder completes five years stay in the UK, they are eligible to apply for an indefinite leave to remain (ILR) via the Five Year Route.

It is worthy to note, however, that if the parent applicant files ahead of the child and the application is approved, should the minor child decide to follow the parent and apply later, the child’s BRP shall only be valid for the remaining period as the parent’s BRP.

Thus, the validity of the BRP issued to the child shall follow the expiration date of the parent, the latter being the primary applicant. Let’s say for example that the mother has been living in the UK as a spouse visa holder for one year. She therefore only has one and a half year before her BRP expires.

At this moment, if the child’s application is successful and he or she is likewise issued a valid BRP, the validity period of said BRP will usually be the same as the mother’s remaining validity period as the latter is the primary applicant. Thus, the child shall be given only a period of 1.5 years instead of the original 2.5 years as this is the remaining period of lawful stay for the parent.

It is but logical that the secondary applicant’s stay shall only be valid as long as the stay of the primary applicant is valid. If this logic is not followed and the parent’s BRP is already expired, how can the child’s BRP continue to be held valid when the main applicant’s (parent) allowed stay in the UK has already expired?

Tony and Cat enjoying an after Christmas walk in the city.

It is therefore very important that the validity period of the daughter’s BRP be checked frequently to be sure that her stay in the UK is not interrupted and be held unlawful.

When the parent files for Further Leave to Remain (FLR-M) - an application for extension in order to stay in the UK for another 2.5 years to complete the required five (5) years, the child’s application must likewise be filed and included in the parent’s application.

Under the rules, the period to file the extension or the FLR-M, shall be within 30 days before the expiration date indicated on the BRP (this will be the subject of our next article).

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SHAM MARRIAGE

11/21/2021

Manila, Philippines - In filing for a UK Spouse Visa, the first thing that the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) must establish is the legality and legitimacy of the marriage between the applicant from the Philippines as well as the British sponsor.

In determining this, it must be ascertained and verified whether or not there is likelihood that the applicant is involved in a sham marriage.

The standard of proof used by the UKVI in determining the existence of a sham marriage is the balance of probabilities, which in layman’s term means, “it is more likely than not” (ECO-friendly will explain and delve more on this principle in a later article).

Under the Immigration Act of 1999, a sham marriage is a marriage or civil partnership between two parties where one of the following conditions is present:

One or both of the parties is not a relevant national
Either or both of the parties enter into the marriage or civil partnership for the purpose of circumventing UK immigration controls
There is no genuine relationship between the parties

And what, you may ask, is a relevant national? The Immigration Act of 2021 as amended enumerates a relevant national as the following:

a British citizen
an Irish citizen
a person with settled status or pre-settled status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
a person with a decision pending on an application for EUSS leave submitted before 1 July 2021

According to the Home Office, a caseworker, “…may refuse or cancel permission where, on a balance of probabilities, it is considered that the individual has knowingly entered, or attempted to enter, into a sham marriage or civil partnership, or has assisted another person to enter into, or attempt to enter into, a sham marriage or civil partnership (whether or not they were successful).”

It is therefore very important that at the outset of the application for the UK Spouse Visa or even for a UK Fiancée Visa or Civil Partnership the applicant gets and submits each and every document that will show that the marriage is legitimate and authentic so that the caseworker has all information and eventually decide in favour of the application.

In the case of a UK Fiancée Visa applicant, the Filipina applicant must show that a valid marriage is scheduled to be performed within six (6) months from her arrival in the UK. It is therefore very essential that the schedule for the impending marriage is attached with the application as part of the supporting documents.

But ECO-Friendly would like to emphasize that a valid scheduled marriage in the UK alone is not sufficient to prove that the wedding will be legal and authentic.

It is but natural that the ECO will need corroborative proof and so it must be coupled with other evidence of relationship which may be in the form of photos together, letters, emails and other forms of supporting documents showing relationship of the applicant with the British sponsor.

It must be stressed that the provisions on sham marriages also applies to applications for civil partnership.

In a news article which was published by The Guardian, it came out with an exclusive story detailing how, “Home Office investigators” demanded “intimate sexual details” as well as “halted genuine wedding” celebration in what the news agency called a sham marriage crackdown.

According to The Guardian news article, “…genuine couples are being prevented from getting married and are subjected to “insulting” and “gruelling” checks as part of a government crackdown on sham marriages.”

“Couples and lawyers described wedding ceremonies being interrupted so that the Home Office could question people about their sex lives, an official finding a nude picture on a person’s phone and showing it to others in the room, and dawn raids carried out to check if couples were sharing a bed,” the story disclosed.

The Guardian article added that, “…in one case, a couple were told their relationship could not be genuine because they were wearing pyjamas in bed. In others, people have been detained for months after being wrongly accused of entering into a sham marriage.”

For more details on how to avoid being tagged as involved in SHAM MARRIAGES please do not hesitate to contact ECO Immigration Consultancy.

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UK Graduate Route – Gateway for Eventual Settlement to the UK

8/19/2021

ECO client Marites Gaoiran and her family gives an emotional goodbye to a relative as they depart from the Philippines to the United Kingdom in 2019 (SCROLL BELOW TO SEE HOW THE GAOIRAN FAMILY IS DOING AT PRESENT IN THE UK)

Manila, Philippines – A new immigration route called the GRADUATE ROUTE has been created by the UK government for aspiring graduate students who wants to stay longer in the country and which could eventually lead to settlement.

At present, most applicants from the Philippines who want to settle in the UK file for the settlement visa like the UK spouse visa, UK fiancée visa or child dependent visa among others.

Now, the graduate route is made available by the UK government to give an opportunity for the best and brightest from all parts of the world to stay and commence their career in the United Kingdom.

According to the UK website, “… the Graduate Route provides an opportunity for talented international graduates who have been awarded their degree from a UK university to stay in the UK and work, or look for work, at any skill level for at least 2 years.

“The new route, part of the points-based immigration system, will help attract the best talent from around the world and ensures that businesses can recruit the most highly qualified from across the globe to complement the skills already in the UK, helping drive the economy forwards as Britain builds back better from the pandemic.

“The Graduate route will work for all corners of the UK, ensuring that communities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can benefit from talented individuals who want to build their careers in the UK after their studies,” the UK government said.

ECO-Friendly stresses however, that as a general rule, the Graduate Route does not count towards settlement rights and the applicant therefore cannot apply for settlement after the expiration of their allowed stay, unlike the UK spouse visa, UK fiancée visa or other UK settlement visas where the applicants may file for an indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and eventually apply for citizenship after the required number of years stay in the UK.

Read until the end of this article to get information on how the Graduate Route may lead to settlement rights in the UK.

According to the rules, the applicant for the Graduate Route must first complete a course from a UK higher education provider. This means that the applicant must have been a UK student visa (Tier 4) holder and finished his or her course with the said university.

But unlike the Tier 4 requirements where the applicant for the student visa needs to show financial capacity, job offers in the UK, minimum salary requirement, the Graduate Route is unsponsored meaning the applicant for the Graduate Route shall be qualified regardless of whether or not they possess the requirement mentioned above.

Here are some of the policies and regulations in the implementation of the Graduate Route:

The applicant can apply to the Graduate route once their university (where they studied on a Tier 4 visa) has sent them their final course results, but not before this.
The university also needs to tell the applicant that they have successfully completed their course before they can consider the application (the applicant, in turn will forward this information to the UKVI).
The applicant, however, does not have to wait until they have graduated to apply for the Graduate Route.
The applicant is allowed to take up extra study, but they cannot study with a student sponsor on a course which would meet the requirements of a Student visa
Applicants cannot study at a state school.
Applicants are not allowed to bring new dependants, but dependants already in the UK as a Student dependant may apply as a dependant of a Graduate at the same time the Graduate applies to the route
The Graduate route is non-extendable and does not count towards settlement.
However, if they find suitable employment, they will be able to switch into various work routes from the Graduate route

From the Graduate route, applicants may be able to switch to the Skilled Worker route if they comply with the requirements which allow them to stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer for a maximum of five years.
And this five year period as a Skilled Worker contributes to SETTLEMENT RIGHTS which means they may apply to live permanently in the UK after five years.

For more information regarding the Graduate Route, please do not hesitate to contact our firm at these numbers:
+63 2 85465440 / + 63 9175273009

Or just click the contact box below to go directly to our contact page:

NOVEMBER 2019: Gaoiran family headed by their padre de pamilya Mr. Jeffrey Gaoiran arrives at the UK airport

PRESENT TIME: Years later, the happy Gaoiran family visits a castle at Arundel, West Sussex

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FURTHER LEAVE TO REMAIN - FLR(M)

7/25/2021

In August 2016, Madonna Sandison filed and got her UK Spouse Visa with the help of ECO Immigration Consultancy. Now, five years later, she is set to file for an Indefinite Leave to Remain.

See John and Madonna's ECO post here five years ago.

Manila, Philippines - After receiving the UK Spouse Visa here in the Philippines and the Filipina wife is now in the UK, she is given an initial two and a half years to stay which is extendible to another two and a half years.

According to UKVI rules, a UK Spouse Visa holder who stays in the UK for a period of five (5) years shall be eligible to file for an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

After staying for another year, the ILR holder, should she opt to, may now file for British citizenship.

It is very important, therefore, that the Filipina spouse be acquainted with the important steps and basic procedures to take once she enters the UK.

What is FLR-M?
FLR-M stands for Further Leave to Remain. It is the next application which the UK Spouse Visa holder from the Philippines must apply for to lawfully continue staying in the UK after she initially enters on a UK Spouse Visa.

If she applies and the application is approved, she will then be given another two and a half years in order to comply with the five year residency in the UK and then file for the ILR.

For the applicant to be qualified to apply for FLR-M, The applicant partner must either be:

This year Mr. and Mrs. John and Madonna Sandison welcomes the newest member of their family baby Elias. Congrats John and Donna!!!

•a British citizen in the UK
•present and settled in the UK
•in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection

The applicant must also be inside the UK in order to be allowed to apply.

ECO-Friendly reminds that the applicant spouse may also include their children below 18 years of age before the filing. However, children over 18 years old are not permitted to file except if they were initially granted leave in the category at a time when they were under 18.

This application must likewise be filed before the expiration of the applicant’s allowed stay in the UK.

According to the UKVI website, in order to make sure that the application is valid, the applicant must:
• Apply on the current version of form FLR-M.
• Pay the specified fee by one of the methods specified in the payment guidance.
• Provide photographs of the applicant and her British partner and any children under 18 together. Said photos must be attached in the application form and must meet the mandatory format standards specified in the photograph guidance.
• Complete sections 1, 9 and 10 of the form as required and section 4 if the applicant and/or the sponsor have any dependent children in the UK.
• Make sure the relevant declarations in section 14 are signed by the applicant and the partner.
• Send the application by prepaid post to the Home Office or make it in person at a Premium Service Centre.
If the applicant fails to do any of these things, the application will be invalid and will be returned to the applicant. This could result in the loss of appeal rights if the permitted stay has run out by the time a valid application is made.

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS:
According to the UKVI rules, all documents attached to the application must be in the original form.

UKVI rules state that, “Copies of any kind are not acceptable unless there are valid reasons for not being able to provide the original document. In such circumstances, we may accept a copy certified by the body or authority which issued the original (for example, a copy of a savings book certified by the building society or bank), or by a notary.

“The reasons for not being able to provide the original document must be explained in a covering letter. We are unlikely to grant your application without the original document…Any documents which are not in English must be accompanied by a reliable English translation… Make sure passports or travel documents are signed.”

Tulog na baby. John with baby Elias

ECO client Madonna Sandison with hubby John in the UK. Five years later, Donna is set to file for her ILR. Click to see original online post of John and Donna here at ECO webpage.

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"MANDATORY" and "OTHER" Documents (Conclusion)

7/5/2021

After filing for a First British passport and UK Spouse Visa for Travis and Mrs. Jenelyn Carpenter, both are now in the UK with their loved one Mr. Trevor Carpenter. Congrats and stay safe to the Carpenter family!

In ascertaining the supporting documents which must be attached with the application for any type of UK Settlement Visa, the applicant usually turns to the internet to guide them in their search for a complete set of documentary evidence.

Apart from asking Google’s help, the applicant for the UK Spouse Visa or UK Fiancée Visa is also given a guide by the Home Office which provides the applicant a list of “Mandatory” and “Other” documents, which ECO-Friendly explained in the preceding blogs (See Part 1 and Part 2 of this 3-Part article).

And this was what applicant Amy did when she filed for the UK Spouse Visa here in Manila, Philippines. She consulted Google for the initial set of documents and the UKVI also provided her with a list of “Mandatory” and “Other” documents which she devotedly followed and attached to her application.

But these guides from Google and the UKVI were obviously not enough to obtain a positive decision as our former client Amy learned the hard way.

In our first two preceding blogs, we narrated that Amy relied heavily on her research online and the checklist provided by the UKVI, but still received a very tragic and disheartening result, prolonging her dream of settling in the UK with her British husband.

ECO-Friendly again would like to stress that whenever an applicant for a UK Spouse Visa, UK Fiancée Visa or any type of UK Settlement Visa is considering the supporting documents which should be attached with the application and filed with the Home Office, accuracy and keen focus should be given to the “answers in the application.”

Do not rely merely on the documents enumerated and obtained from the internet, as well as the checklist provided by the UKVI after filing online.

They merely serve as a guide and even if the applicant religiously follows this checklist, there is no guaranty of a positive decision.

ECO-Friendly always reminds our clients that the best way to determine the complete set of documents is to study and focus on each and every answer in the online application itself.

Always bear in mind that every question and corresponding answer of the applicant in the application is designed to determine the eligibility and qualification of the latter with respect to the visa he or she is applying for.

For instance, if the question pertains to the employment of the sponsor/spouse of the applicant, the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) will definitely want to establish the truthfulness and accuracy of this employment.

The applicant is therefore duty-bound to present all evidence that will show the legitimacy and genuineness of this employment, think of it as allegations in a court of law which must be proven by documentary evidence.

Thus, in order to prove the employment, all pertinent documents such as pay slips, employment contract, employment certificate, even the bank account statements of the employee where the wage is deposited must be submitted, even if any of these documents are not enumerated in the checklist or provided in the internet.

All other applicable proof should not be overlooked. If the sponsor/spouse/ has photos while at work, this may also be attached.

In the case of Amy, she attached proof of income from the PIP benefit of her husband since this was the only documentary evidence asked from her. The problem, in this case, was that she did not give enough proof to show that her husband was indeed receiving PIP from the government.

This was the main issue why her application was denied, lack of proof that he received the PIP benefits.

Had Amy likewise submitted proof that her husband was also self-employed as a teacher, as well as a professor in the local university, it would not have mattered that the PIP documents were insufficient since the income from the other employment were adequate enough to show that her husband was financially capable and thus compliant with the financial requirement of earning £18,600 a year.

When she filed a fresh application with ECO-Friendly assisting her, we presented proof of all the three (3) sources of income of her husband: (1) as a beneficiary of the PIP; (2) as a self-employed teacher; and (3) as an employed professor in their local university.

After less than two months, the UK Spouse Visa arrived and she is now living in the UK with her husband.

For any queries regarding your UK visa application, please do not hesitate to contact us by clicking the ECO-Friendly contact box below. Stay safe people!

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Congratulations to the Carpenter family!

Young Travis posing outside the Wallington Station. Always be a good boy Travis!

"MANDATORY" and "OTHER" Documents - Part 2

4/3/2021

Ate Jennessie getting ready for school in her new country the United Kingdom. Galingan mo ate Jennessie! ingat jan sa UK

Manila, Philippines - In our last blog, we discussed the case of Amy whose previous application before visiting our office was refused allegedly due to, “…insufficient documents relating to her financial requirements.”

In the same article, ECO-Friendly also mentioned that all applications for any type of UK visa includes a list of “MANDATORY” and “OTHER” DOCUMENTS via an official checklist, which the applicant receives after paying the online fee.

Amy filed for a UK Spouse Visa and a copy of this checklist of supporting documents is also listed at the last part of the application form and this serves as a guide for the applicant in gathering and obtaining the supporting documents which should be sent to the UKVI to prove his or her eligibility.

Since Amy’s husband/sponsor was a recipient of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the official checklist itemized, among others, proof of receipt of such PIP.

However, aside from being a PIP beneficiary, the husband/sponsor was likewise regularly employed in a local university. At the same time he was also self-employed as a private teacher.

So in effect, there are three sources of income at the time her application was filed:

The regular pension from PIP which he has been receiving since the 1990s
Self-employed as a teacher at his own limited company which is registered under his name
Fully employed as a teacher at the local university

All three sources of income were mentioned and indicated in the application.

We would like to explain that in a standard application for a UK Spouse Visa, UK Fiancée Visa or any other type of UK Settlement Visa, only one type of source of income is sufficient. In Amy's case her husband/sponsor has three source of income.

Now since the application was computer-generated, when the couple inputted the PIP as the first source of employment, they were asked some details about the PIP like when the husband started receiving the regular benefit from it, how much the husband regularly received, and other pertinent details.

Then they were asked about the details of his self-employment, including the amount of his annual income from this self-employment which is more than the required GBP18,600.

He started this limited company in 2014, the application was filed 2018 and so he has been engaged with this company more than four years before they filed the spouse visa application.

With regard to his full time employment as a teacher at a UK University, he was also asked details about this which were answered clearly, accurately and honestly.

The details of his employment were the last portion of the application and after this part, the Mandatory and Other Documents appeared, so naturally the applicant was of the impression that the documents listed in this checklist were all that was required for her to file.

Under the MANDATORY DOCUMENTS, it listed only two documents:

The passport/travel document of the applicant, and;
A copy of the bio data page of the passport of the husband/sponsor

Under the OTHER DOCUMENTS, it listed nine documents, two of which were with respect to the financial documents to prove that the husband/sponsor complied with the pecuniary aspect of the requirements.

The two documents which were enumerated in the checklist were only with respect to the income derived from the PIP.

On the other hand, proofs of revenue from the other two employments (limited company and employment as teacher at the university) were not listed.

The two PIP documents enumerated in the checklist were the following:

Bank statements to prove that the husband/sponsor received PIP, and;
Official documents from the Department for Work and Pensions or Veteran’s Agency confirming the husband/sponsor’s current entitlement and amount received for the PIP

These were the only two documents listed in the checklist, which she understood were required to prove that she complied with the financial requirement of her UK Spouse Visa application

Other documents required to be submitted were proof of relationship between the applicant and her husband/sponsor, proof of divorce of the husband from his former spouse as well as proof of dissolution of the former marriage of the applicant.

There was no mention of other documents to show the legitimacy of the two other sources of income (self-employment and actual work as university teacher) of her husband/sponsor.

So she only attached documents to show that her husband received the PIP and did not bother to attach documents to demonstrate the salaries from the other two livelihoods as they were not needed included in the checklist.

Less than two months later she received a refusal letter saying the application was refused because Amy did not meet the “eligibility financial requirement.”

According to the letter, Amy “did not provide evidence which shows that there will be adequate maintenance for yourself, your partner/sponsor and any dependants without further recourse to public funds.”

It seems the ECO did not take the other two sources of income of Amy’s husband/sponsor and only considered ADEQUATE MAINTENANCE as the manner by which the financial requirement may be met or complied with.

And this very important issue will be the topic of ECO-Friendly's next article. Until next time...

(To be concluded)

Jennessie arrived in the UK with her mother last January and is now a regular student

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"MANDATORY" and "OTHER" Documents

2/8/2021

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Jenneth Rayner hold the UK Settlement Visa issued to Jenneth and her daughter Jennessie. The Rayner family are now in the UK. Stay safe guys!

First of three parts

Manila, Philippines – Early last year, an applicant visited our office, ECO Immigration Consultancy almost in tears, questioning the result of her UK Spouse Visa application issued by the UKVI Home Office (HO).

Let’s call her Amy.

According to Amy, she worked on her application and lodged it at the visa application centre in Makati City before Christmas of 2019.

When our ECO immigration consultant interviewed her, Amy disclosed that all her answers to the online application were accurate and to the best of her knowledge, truthful. Amy was very confident she was qualified for the UK Spouse Visa applied for.

Amy then narrated to us that she gathered and collected all the documents that were specified and listed in the online application and sent it to the HO accordingly to prove her eligibility.

When she showed our immigration consultant the official checklist of supporting documents which the UKVI online application provided, and we compared it with the actual documents that she sent to the HO, we too were pretty sure that all the documents which were required and listed in the application were properly attached and sent to the HO.

Unfortunately, the 28-day appeal period had expired already and so there was no other option except to file a fresh application.

We then immediately began the process of lodging a new UK Spouse Visa application and started with a thorough deliberation as to the real culprit behind the negative decision.

After an exhaustive assessment of the rejected application, the study revealed a certain flaw in the decision.

First of all, ECO-Friendly would like to explain that in every application, whether for any type of settlement visa like the UK Spouse Visa, a UK Fiancée Visa or for a UK Visit Visa, a list always automatically appears in the lower part of the online application form and is always provided to serve as guide for the UK Visa applicant.

In the last part of Amy’s online application form, a checklist of the “mandatory documents” and “other documents” were provided, as in all the other online application.

According to the rules, the documents provided in this checklist must be sent to the HO by the applicant. These documents will then be used to determine whether the applicant is qualified for the visa.

Upon careful investigation, our staff discovered that in this checklist laid the culprit for the erroneous decision.

On our next blog, we will comprehensively explain the flaw in the decision.

(Click here for Part 2)

ECO client Cha Ecot receives her UK Visit Visa vignette from Jaz of ECO Immigration Consultancy. Congrats Cha!!!

ECO client Cha Ecot now in the UK having a stroll and enjoying the UK sites.

Cha having a wonderful time at Glyncastle Forest, UK

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