Letter to embassy advise please

Hi,

I am in the process of putting together the documents required for my fiancee to apply for a fiancee visa when she returns to the Philippines next month.

We have documents to prove accommodation, finances, proof of relationship but I am looking to also put a letter from me.

I am finding it a little difficult to word, as you will be aware this letter is very important so I was hoping for advice before i begin, i have seen similar letters from employers but this is the woman I love so do i go down this route or should I keep it professional, when i think about writing a professional letter is comes across as cold.

This will be the most important letter I have writen and I do not write to the embassy often so need guidance.

Also whom should I address the letter to, To whom it may concern or Dear Sir/Madam???

Please help

You could address it to Case Officer, to whom it may concern or indeed Dear Sir/Madam.

I think most of us here submitted a joint letter, summarising your relationship so far and your plans for the future, I personally used the letter to say I would be taking care of her needs and the like, I just wrote one page, packed everything in there that I wanted.
There is no guidance given as it is not a requirement of the UKVI to write one, a good idea as its the only time in the application process that you can come across as a human being

I think the letter is important whether its a requirement or not.

Entry Clearance Officer, that's how I addressed it, just looked, included both our addresses in the top right of the page and we both signed it.

thank you so much. Yes I wanted to write emotion rather than cold.

I think I will begin the letter as below.

I, ??????, do hereby state that I am legally able and willing to marry ????????, and intend to do so within 90 days of her arrival into the United Kingdom.

How about stating how you met, how you keep in touch, times you've had together in the UK and Philippines, the letter is a good chance to show how your relationship developed to where you are now, also a very good way of showing your relationship is subsisting, they already know you will be getting married in 6 months and that you are free to marry by the visa type and your divorce papers that you will have submitted with the application.

A little romance please

Here is what we have so far, and think we will visit a solicitor to ensure everything in oredr.

My finances - wage slips (6 months) EOY P60, bank statments, ISA statments.
Mortgage Anual statment, including overpayment statment
MY ID in form of Driving license, passport, birth certificate, utility bill.
Engagement ring receipt and certification
Lots of photographs in various places, castles, lakes etc.
We have a wedding package details, but due to visa processing times we cannot book anything for sure until the visa is granted, as they all look for a deposit.

Is there anything I am missing, apart from our joint letter???? My fiancee is here on a volunteer visa and is due to return March 15, so as she has been through similar process i think she knows what is required from her......

Have a look at Anne's thread Mark, in there you will find a list of documents;

http://www.british-filipino.com/index.php?threads/after-20-calendar-days.9294/

It will give you a good idea of what you have to submit.

You are missing lots of paperwork if the above is what you have collated, too many for me to address, that's why I have sent you the link to the thread.

Its a long thread, i will read through thank you Timmers

I might be wrong but I think Anne posted a list of documents that she submitted, it was over the top in true BF style but it gives you an idea of what to submit.

The financial stuff is the most important, letter from employer stating, how long you have worked for them, permanent position, salary and length of time you have been paid that salary for, it goes on and on.

A letter from my employer, isn't payslips and banking information sufficient??

If you read the guidance notes it specifically asks for a letter from your employer (company headed paper) stating length of service, pay, how long you have been paid that amount for and whether your position is permanent or temporary. I also had my payslips signed by the manager at the time.

Details of your house. How many rooms and so on, plus the size. Some people recommend getting a full survey done.

Deeds of home ownership.

With regards the letter, just write your story and feelings. I was told to do 2 to 3 sides of A4 by the agency I used.

Put how you met, places you've been together, stuff like that. My wife did one too. She said I was handsome. That was my favourite part!

Also send proof of continued correspondence once she returns home. Skype chat is good as it copies and pastes easy.

The more you can come up with, the better. We got refused once so I know from experience it's best not to take chances.

Does she ave your passport or a copy? If it's a copy then get it certified by a solicitor.

My then fiancé only wrote the letter. What I did was make the table of contents and add sticky notes in each part of the documents. In the 'additional information' box of the application form, I wrote/emphasized that I understand the UKVI rules about NOT working/seek public funds unless visa conditions allow me to do so.

These were the guidance notes given by VFS Manila in 2012, the reason we made such format in our application.
http://www.british-filipino.com/index.php?threads/after-20-calendar-days.9294/page-3

@JohnAsh also gave a sample of the list of requirements he and loved one submitted.

Please take note that the visa fees are paid online and not as stated in the 2012 guidance notes. VFS no longer entertains 'walk-in' enquiries like I did 3 years back.

I married my fiance in March this year, but we've had to delay the visa application as she failed the TB test.

Basically she'd had TB as a 17 year old which was ten years ago, so her X-ray showed up some slight spotting in her lungs.
This meant she had to take a sputum test which was four weeks ago now, and so we have another four weeks to go before she has the all-clear and can get her TB free certificate.
If her sputum sample contained TB we'd have been contacted within two weeks, so it's looking like a formality now, and she'll also be taking her English test in Manila whilst over there to pick the certificate up.

Question for now is a simple one; how long does it take for an A4 size envelope to arrive in the Philippines from the UK?

I'll be sending my bank statements, a letter (same as described further up this thread) and other documents for the visa application.

I'm a franchisee with an international company so am self-employed, which means I can't really get a letter from my employer (I have none) and can't supply wage slips.
I have been a franchisee with this company since 2008 however.

I will provide bank statements from 12 months though rather than the minimum 6 months, and these show an income well in excess of the £18,600 pa limit which 'should' mean I'm OK when it comes to proving I can provide for my wife.

Even so, the longer I can wait before sending my bank statements, the more I can earn in the meantime to increase the income even more.

PS: Is there any other company quicker/better value than the Post Office for such an A4 size package?