Totally confused with spouse visa application...help!

Thats good enough for me, worth paying a little extra in travel costs I think!

You're welcome .Everything will be ok @jims456

Followed your advice guys, inspector from Hussien&co attending on 13th Sept cost £150 (no VAT ). Will post here how that goes.
Feeling more positive now!

Just a question about your place you live in. If you rent a room and the landlord lives there, your tenancy can not be an assured short hold tenancy and they could argue that you could be kicked out with no notice. By law as a live in lodger you have allmost no rights to stay when they say leave. If your landlord has given you an assured shorthold tenancy, they would argue it's not valid as you are a live in Lodger. If your landord doesn't live there it it's a different story.
I personally was in the same boat and decided I wasnt going to take the risk and acquired an assured short hold tenancy. At the end of the day you have to prove you have suitable accomadation.

Thanks for this.
The inspector has just visited, according to him shared accommodation is ok. Not sure what to do now maybe I should just go for it as I cant really afford to rent a house outright at this time.

others have been successful while sharing accommodation with family or friends. so long as you get written consent from the home owner for all of you to live there--and proof of no overcrowding--which you now have.

Thanks Bigmac.
I think best to just go for it now. I get paid at the end of the month so funds permitting we will apply. One question, when you create an account to apply for a visa is it possible to enter information then save it and log out if, for example you need to research an answer then log back in and continue?
I have no idea what to expect so it would be useful if its possible to do it that way.

yes--create an account--remember your password. send the details to your mrs so she can log in too. the first page will include a travel date--this can be up to 3 months ahead. but dont worry--you wont be held to it--in fact its highly likely ukvi wont process your app by then anyway.

open the application and read through it. as you enter details--some other boxes open. you can chop and change--alter or delete as much as you like. remember to save as you go. your mrs can see all this----and add change delete as well.

if you make a complete cock up of it--cancel and start a fresh app. i did 3 times !

when you are BOTH completely happy with the complete form---you save and submit--and go through the payment stages. finally print hard copies and SHE SIGNS HERS.

i can guarantee you will be asking a lot more questions! remember--the only stupid question---was THE ONE YOU DIDNT ASK.

and the answer to a future question is--SETTLEMENT--SETTLEMENT / SPOUSE as youre married.

What would I do without British Filipino!
Advance warning "if you make a complete **** up of it" will apply to me!
If unsure I will ask, take your time and get it right seems to be the order of the day. When this stressful process is over my wife and I agree we will do our best to help others in the Forum, give something back.
Will keep everyone posted we want to be the next success story with a positive visa.

quite frankly--if you meet the financials and accommodation your home and dry.

I agree shared accom is fine with an assured short hold.

Maybe it will be fine, I just looked at my lodger tenancy agremment and seen that the evicition notice is two weeks and most people saying you need a tenancy of at least six months. I decided it was safer to get an AST. I wish you the best of luck anyway.

For me i am glad i moved into my own place, beacuse its working day 52 of our application, and I am happy I dont have to worry about if they are going to accept my tenancy agreement or not, its allready stressfull enough having to.wait so long. I paided for application on june 6th, biometrics on june 27th.

Good luck Richey

Day off work today have been going over everything I need to provide for the visa application.
Reading through other posts I see this:
• P60 (if this has been issued) and wage slips for the 6-month period prior to the application, or as appropriate, for the 12-month period prior to the application.

1. I have 12 months wage slips and a P60 do I need to submit 6 or 12?
2. I assume the matching number of bank statements have to be supplied and these need to be stamped by my bank as authentic?
3. I read somewhere I need to supply a copy of my birth certificate and this needs to be notarized?
4. Is the health charge paid at the same time we do our online application and what are payment methods (c.c. paypal etc)?
5. What else will I be sending to Sheffield I missed here?

Thanks guys!

6 months if you are salaried ( i.e same pay each month )

if online bank statements--see if you can get your branch to print off and stamp and sign them. mine did--nationwide. postal statements are fine as they are print copies yourself.

only the copy of your passport needs to be stamped and certified by a solicitor. not notarised. nor birth cert. send it plus photocopy.

IHS surcharge payable with application. you will be prompted by the online app.

your accommodation details.
letter from employer.
marriage certificate
evidence of " ongoing devotion " facebook / skype chat logs etc.

remember--its as if your wife is filling out the app form--so she will have to access it--print the complteted form--and sign it. IT does NOT look like the form on your screen--just a list of answers.

you--the sponsor--also need to print off a copy of appendix 2--and fill out by hand. she will need a copy too. you will need to confer.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270484/VAF4A-Appendix2.pdf

Thanks Bigmac
I am off to Nationwide now to sort the bank statements!
To clarify: only the copy of your passport needs to be stamped and certified by a solicitor. not notarised. nor birth cert. send it plus photocopy.
My passport needs to be photocopied and stamped/certified by a solicitor
My birth certificate needs to be photocopied only
I send originals and photocopies to Sheffield or only the photocopies?

Sorry I'm so clueless

send your original birth cert--plus a photocopy.--to sheffield.
a photocopy of every original document you want returned.

do NOT send your passport--get a solicitor to photo copy the bio page--and stamp and sign it stating it is a genuine copy.
usually £5---but mine didnt charge.

Ok more progress. Passport biometric page photocopied and stamped/signed by a Solicitor ( I also did the same with the pages that had stamps from Phils immigration to serve as extra evidence). Received housing report from Hussein&co (they were excellent) and I have started putting all my documents in a display folder. Bank statements obtained and stamped by my Bank.
Currently work in progress is a letter from my manager and my landlady, should have all we need by the end of Sept.
Next source of confusion is what documents get sent where, have I got this correct?

• We fill in our online application and download appendix 2 and complete
• My wife takes her documents to Manila for scanning and her Biometrics done.
• I send my documents to Sheffield

I have been told some applicants send their documents from UK to Phils for the wife to submit via scanning and some get their wife to send her documents to the UK and then mail everything to Sheffield.
What is the normal method of document submission?

Thank you

has your wife got her TB test done ? and IELTS ?

the current way is you send all your stuff to sheffield...she books an appointment and goes to VFS to do biometrics and deliver her documents and signed printed vaf app.

( used to be we all sent our stuff over to the philippines --not any more )