China Romance
All About China => Visas, Immigration and Emigration => Topic started by: UK Mark on March 14, 2010, 12:19:24 pm
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Well finally we are applying for the spouse visa , I have file over a inch thick with various documents .. appreciate any input as to if i have forgotten anything , ive tried to cover all angles going overboard in some cases
LETTERS
Introduction / Invitation Letter
Letter of supportnfrom Sissi's mum
Letter of support from my mum
EMPLOYMENT
Company statement about my employment
Payslips 6 months
P60
Own business bank statements
OWN HOME
estate agent brochure
solicitor letter / land registry documents
mortgage statement
Letters from inland revenue, insurance and utility to show address
OTHER PROPERTY
solicitor address / land registry docs
mortgage statement
insuranace doc
FINANCE
experian credit report
bank statements own
bank statements business
IDENITY
Passport
birth cerfificate
credit card statement , council tax bill , utility bill
MARRAIGE
red book
cert of no impediment
stat dec
receipts for rings
CONTACT
passport pages with visa stamps
photographs
christmas / greeting cards
gift receipts various
Flighttickets / boarding passes various
Receipts from china inc hotel
INTERNET
a million pages of msn (1 in 10 )
Emails various dates
Skype various dates
Sissi wil of course have her passport , id card details etc
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That is quite a list Mark. Just make sure that you have a copy of everything that you send. It is really proving to me that I made the correct decision in wanting to live in China rather than UK. I could not face that much paperwork!!!!
If you have any large payments into any of your bank accounts make sure that you can account for them because if you cannot they may suspect you may have been paid to bring someone in!! As my friend had to answer questions on a small insurance payout he received.
With that lot there should not be any problem in getting your spouse's visa to the UK. It may only be on be a two year one to start with.
I do not know what the age gap between you is but my friend had a 20 year gap in their ages hence the need for the three years rather than the two before applying for naturalisation and they also had to have an interview in Sheffield so it took 3 and a half years to get her UK passport.
Willy
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That is quite a list Mark. Just make sure that you have a copy of everything that you send. It is really proving to me that I made the correct decision in wanting to live in China rather than UK. I could not face that much paperwork!!!!
If you have any large payments into any of your bank accounts make sure that you can account for them because if you cannot they may suspect you may have been paid to bring someone in!! As my friend had to answer questions on a small insurance payout he received.
With that lot there should not be any problem in getting your spouse's visa to the UK. It may only be on be a two year one to start with.
I do not know what the age gap between you is but my friend had a 20 year gap in their ages hence the need for the three years rather than the two before applying for naturalisation and they also had to have an interview in Sheffield so it took 3 and a half years to get her UK passport.
Willy
Thanks for the info Willy .. the gap is 17 years so i will bear in mind the 3 year wait , im sure any interview in the uk will be fair so im not worried about that at all
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If it comes to an interview in Sheffield, (Sheffield is the only place in the UK where they hold them) then it is straight forward. They just want to find out if you are in fact together as a married couple.
I was given a copy of my friends interview sheets and it soon got down to questions that a married couple would know the answerto like -'what colour are the walls in your bedroom'. 'where is the alarm clock' ' where is the gas meter and is it prepay or credit' and 'What day are the dustbins emptied'
Takes about an hour for both of you not because there are a lot of questions just that the interviewer has to write anything down what is asked and answered.
Willy
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very good list Mark as it does look like it covers
just about everything you might need in uk and other members
from the uk could use it as a guide for them
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Well Form submitted .. The whole process was fairly painless ..
Going into the UK visa application centre in Shanghai reminded me of a large post office .. ticket machine near the door to get your 'number' .. desk with 'student visa' signs on one wall next to a electronic photo booth .(18yuan)
Two manned desks where you go when your number is called , all they do is check through your application form and then mark off on their checklist the supporting documents you supply , the guy seemed surprised at out inch thick wedge of documents , he then puts them all in a folder and you head off to the long counter with several manned stations , bit like a bank or post office , here is where the 6435 yuan is taken off you (CASH ONLY) for the application fee .. then in the corner you wait again to go into the biometrics office (digital fingerprints taken)
the entire centre of the office is full of rows of chairs like a waiting room , NO COFFEE MACHINE grrrrrrrr
The centre has a translation service if you need it and just outside is a bank of cash machines
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6435 RMB? Do they sponsor the plane ticket?
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Frank.
Hahaha, ALL embassy's are basically money making machines!! Apart from that, your just an inconvienience to them....
David....
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a fraction of the cost compared to the USA
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:icon_cheesygrin: SPOUSE VISA APPLICATION SUCCESFUL :icon_cheesygrin:
Applied on the 26th March at the Visa Application Centre in Shanghai
British Embassy received the application on 29th March
Visa Approved today 9th April
Only 8 business days to process .. needless to say i am delighted
anyone from the UK who wants to check recent procssing times for their region can do so at this site
http://www.vfs-uk-cn.com/Processing.aspx
Beijing seems fast also , Shenzhen & Guangzhou a little slower . but still usually processed within 60 days
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Super news Mark, congratulations, delighted for you :D
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woooooooooooooow thats terrific Mark
congrats on the speedy process
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Thanks guys to say im delighted is an understatement .. I hope the UK govt as well as the other Western Govts can process other members applications so quick ..
Two people in love should never be kept apart
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Mark WOW congradulations.Ive never seen a visa app. move that fast.
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Good News Mark,
Maybe rushed it along so they would not have to read that inch thick file you submitted with it!!!!
It seems to have worked - either that or you had everything they could have ever needed within it.
But we are in a General Election period and yours may be the deciding vote!!!!!
Willy
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Maybe I should stand as an independant .. in a hung parliment i could negotiate on immigration issues for the brotherhood :icon_cheesygrin:
Good News Mark,
Maybe rushed it along so they would not have to read that inch thick file you submitted with it!!!!
It seems to have worked - either that or you had everything they could have ever needed within it.
But we are in a General Election period and yours may be the deciding vote!!!!!
Willy
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Maybe I should stand as an independant .. in a hung parliment i could negotiate on immigration issues for the brotherhood :icon_cheesygrin:
It will be interesting to see the result of the election. Only in the interest of this forum though -NOT POLITICAL- it is just that a member of the opposite who is a shadow minister has married a Chinese lady late last year. Maybe we will find if he was able to take a short cut to get her to UK or not.
Maybe get my own MP to ask a question if his party gets into power.
Willy
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Thats very interesting Willy .. i think i will start an UK election thread , nothing to do with general politics .. just immigration issues that arise
Maybe I should stand as an independant .. in a hung parliment i could negotiate on immigration issues for the brotherhood :icon_cheesygrin:
It will be interesting to see the result of the election. Only in the interest of this forum though -NOT POLITICAL- it is just that a member of the opposite who is a shadow minister has married a Chinese lady late last year. Maybe we will find if he was able to take a short cut to get her to UK or not.
Maybe get my own MP to ask a question if his party gets into power.
Willy
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Willy,
Come on Willy, ....Your MP is now Mr Sum Ting Wong, and his party is the same one that's in power now.
I doubt very much he'll have any sway over any government in UK, or in China come to that!!! ...hahaha!!!
David......
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Sissi went to the visa application centre today to collect her passport and visa and my red book , Im glad to say they made an effort to return the original letters and birthday/christmas/valentines cards we had sent each other , we didnt expect to get them back ..
When we submitted the application the guy at the desk did ask if any original documents were required to be returned.
Its nice to get such precious items back , they will be reminders of the time we were apart ..
:icon_cheesygrin: i have nothing but praise for the way the UK govt handled my application
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Mark,
At least ONE Happy camper then!!! Just a few thousand more to go...lol!!!
David.....