Hi all, Great site with lots of information. Just a few things I want to clarify being applying for the spouse visa next month. I see now that all the documents get sent to Sheffield to be processed, I'm in the UK now so am I right in thinking my wife can send me her documents e.g. our marriage contract, tb test, English test and passport photocopy etc and I can then arrange it all here and post to Sheffield? Then all she needs to take to her biometric appointment is her passport and printed and signed online application form? Also is it worth paying for the priority service? We are planning to apply first week of November and was hoping her and the kids (both uk passport holders) could make it for Christmas? Many thanks!
hi--welcome to the site. you send all your paperwork ( originals plus copies )---with the appendix 2---to sheffield. your wife books an appointment at VFS and takes all her paperwork--including vaf 4 printout signed--with her for her biometrics. its your call regarding priority service...but dont expect a decision within 60 working days.
They'll make it next Christmas for sure but not sure about this years' Christmas if you are applying first week of November. You are looking at perhaps late January or February for the decision.
Thanks for getting back to me guys. Looks like we will be in for a bit of a wait! Took 5 months to get my son's passport cos that's all done in Liverpool now compared to 3 weeks on my daughter's first one done in Manila before! So I'm guessing they will scan my wife's documents which she will need to pay for? And I then arrange mine with all these barcodes I've been reading about and include her application number and post to Sheffield once she's done her biometrics. Will I need to include a print out of my wife's passport biometric page with my documents which I read? Many thanks
If she sends all her docs to you via DHL it's usually with you in 4-5 days. Then submit them along with all your documents. Less chance of anything getting lost in the system when coming from you and VFS. That way she just needs confirmation appointment email and her passport and do biometrics. From the wait others have had the priority is not worth using. It's taking as long as standard or longer in some cases.
Hi, so if we did it that way she would send me the printed and signed VAF4A? There are no actually documents she has to have with her at the VFS apart from passport and appointment confirmation? Is it best to send documents to Sheffield after the biometrics or before? It's good to know we have some options with what to do with the documents, but I see what you mean about the possibility of things getting lost in the system if sent separately Thanks
You can sendvthe documents before or after the biometrics. We submitted ours to arrive in Sheffield on the same day of my fiancées biometrics and had no problems. She just had to have her appointment confirmation with receipt of payment and her passport. I have read of some sending docs from UK and partner using scanning service and some scanned docs getting lost. Which then delays the application.
Your wife should apply personally at VFS Philippines. You may have to send all your original docs to her via courier. I am a filipina married to an Englishman. I recently got my spouse visa, thankfully. I’m in England right now. I’ve applied last year in October and granted spouse visa in January this year. It took me almost 3 months of waiting. I submitted marriage cert, UKVI IELTS passed score, Tuberculosis test, 6mo payslips/employment cert showing 18600£ income as required, house council tax, bills and pictures, photos together, flight and hotels we went together, fb/chat convo, and reference letters from family and friends proving we’ve known each other for more than 2 years. I flew to the UK 2 weeks after visa was approved as it would expire after a month only. When I arrived in England, I claimed my BRP at local post office. Instructions and address was written in the letter along with granted visa.
Might be better to send all the documents from here then, at least I would know they are all together. Do I need to photocopy everything and send and arrange twice?
Congratulations on getting your visa, hope your enjoying the UK! 3 months is a long wait, might have to go back to Philippines for Christmas then. I think the process has changed now since last year and documents now get sent to Sheffield for processing
All right sounds good, think I'm about sorted to apply now. Wife's Tb test at the end of the month then we will get the ball rolling. Good to know the priority visa isn't really worth it, might as well use that money and spend Christmas in the sun instead!
I sent copies of everything although a lot of the stuff they didn't look at. I was maybe playing it Safer than I needed to but didn't want to take a risk on anything going wrong. Our application all went smoothly and got decision in 58 working days. Standard application.
