
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!