Fiancee Visa Application: submission details, my experience

And so it begins, we are starting the FLR (M), would appreciate some answers to basic queries as I go along:
Why do I need to fill out a payment details form if I have to pay when I book an appointment?
Can I book an appointment on a Saturday?
Which name do I use for Tina? Married name or in her passport. Application form says full name as in her passport so that is clear, do I then put her married name in 1.5 box for surname? I will tick she is married so doesn't make sense to use her maiden name but that is what is in the passport.

Thanks

If you're going for the premium service you pay online as you are going through the process, you also pay the NHS surcharge at the same time.

Use the married name on the form, on the form you also use the AKA, the BRP will be in the name of the passport, when you change the passport you must then change the BRP to the married name.

You can book an appointment on Saturdays at some of the premium centres.

You can book 42 days in advance too if you wish.

If you are doing premium, you dont have to fill up the payment form. You will be asked to pay everything first (ihs and other fees) before you can select a time and date. Some premium centers have saturday appointment but check if you have to pay anything extra on top of the premium.

I have used all my passport details which means my unmarried details, just looking at that perspective.

Ok thanks, so I will get the IHS number then so I can put it on the form once I have booked the appointment.

I have put family name as her maiden name and then put married name in as also know as, thanks @Timmers

2.2 Is this the first time you have applied for a visa or extension of stay in one of the above categories (including previous leave granted as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner) with your current sponsor? Yes or No

This seems double dutch to me! We have been granted visa as a fiancee so that means it isn't our first time so the answer is NO? But we haven't applied for an FLR before so the answer is YES??

Yes that's confusing they shouldn't have enclosed the "previous leave granted as a fiance" but you can answer YES since it will be her first time applying as a spouse or applying for the FLR (M).

Ok thanks @Brom27
Just pulling the paperwork together, form is done. I only have a copy of the tenancy agreement, anything to do with the housing agency and they charge for letters et al. Is letters in joint names enough to prove address or do I need a letter from the agency stating I am the tenant and they are aware that Tina is at the address?

Hi Chris Tina. My fiancee called up the Council Tax to inform that the I, as another person is living under his accommodation and requested that my name will be included on the council letter. Letter came the next 3 days stating Mr. I. S and Ms C.E with our address. But, his council tax increased 20% than his normal rate ( from 93gbp to 120gbp ). I hope this could help as a proof.

a single occupant pays 75% of the council tax. 2 occupants pay the full 100%-----even if the 2nd person--the fiancee--isnt allowed to work & earn any money. even worse--if its the spouse--who doesnt work for whatever reason--she cant claim any benefits--including council tax benefit.. so the sponsor is liable for the full council tax for the next 5 years

Hi yes thanks I have also done that and am expecting the letter, I was already paying full tax as I was expecting Tina to arrive soon so didn't claim the discount but talking to them and they are now arranging a discount for a month so that is nice!

Is that enough for though? We are waiting for letters in joint names at the address for council tax, water utility bill, gas but it's prepayment so not a bill and shared bank account. So that is four pieces with joint names, so that mean the tenancy agreement isn't required? I will also provide photographs of the property to prove we are not overcrowding!

Dont worry too much about correspondence for your wife since they know she can only apply for certain stuff at this point. I only have morissons membership card, debenhams beauty card and a letter from NARIC and our application was approved. We applied two weeks after we were married so not enough time to gather anything else.

Exactly right, you just have to submit what you have, for the first FLR we submitted only two joint letters and for the second we did exactly the same, make up the lack of joint letters with letters addressed to the both of you.

I would like to think that common sense plays a part and the UKVI realises that joint letters especially are hard to come by given that the applicant has often only been in the country for a couple of months prior to applying for the first FLR.

Hi, been reading @ChrisTina 's post on the requirements they have prepared for fiancee visa. Is it okay if my sponsor's passport copy is not certified? If not, where should we have it certified, in the Philippines or in UK?

For the evidence or relationship, chat and call logs, emails, flight itineraries, photos together etc. We have accumulated lots as we have been together for 7 years. How much of these do you think should we submit? If we submit too much it could be overwhelming and unnecessary but too little might not prove the span of our relationship. Any thoughts please?

It only costs £5 or so to get the passport certified by a solicitor so if there is time there is no harm getting it done, its only a five minute job, your application is unlikely to be denied if you do not get it done but I think most people do just to be sure.

Submit a selection of chat logs throughout the seven year period, do not get too carried away, just spread them out evenly, submit pictures together, plane tickets, hotel receipts, emails and so on. Your relationship spans seven years so you have no worries proving your relationship is genuine.

Sounds daunting....how much did your immigration advisor cost

Your Sponsors passport HAS to be certified, you are not allowed to send the original and they will reject it if it is not a certified copy, as long as it is by a solicitor I doubt it matters in Philippines or UK. Get your pages with visa's on photocopied and certified at the same time it proves your travel to Philippines.

Evidence should span the whole relationship but don't go mad with it, sounds like you have a lot, I double sided the evidence and sent about 8 pages from the very first communication to the last prior to the application and random dates in between from Facebook and Viper chat logs. As long as your other evidence states both of your names same applies, random across the whole relationship time period.

IT is daunting! That was the reason for the post, I just didn't know anything, but it isn't that hard once you break it down but it does take time to gather the evidence. The agent fees vary wildly, they will all be happy to give a quote but make sure it's OISC registered, personally I would stay away from solicitors they make it very complicated and charge more. You can find local agents on the .gov website
http://home.oisc.gov.uk/adviser_finder/finder.aspx
The agent didn't actually do that much, just pointed me in the direction as I have written at the start of this post, I still did all the work, ours was a simple application, any complications and yes an agent, otherwise many complete themselves and succeed. The price of the agent is more than an airplane ticket back to the UK.

Thanks @ChrisTina , just to clarify, is it just the passport biopage that needs certifying (will attach pages with stamps of course)? Or the bio page and each page with stamp should be certified? My fiancee does have a lot of Philippine stamps on his passport.

A question from my fiance, does the ECO contact the landlord or the employer to verify the sponsor's tenancy and employment? Should we tell them to expect UKVI to contact them? We don't want them to be cause an alarm or make them nervous.

Our landlord was not contacted when we applied for the spouse visa.
The tenancy agreement had his signature, the letter from the letting agent was signed, as was the floorplan.
My employer was not contacted either.

The landlord to be contacted is unlikely but the employer is very much possible. In other forum, common reason for refusal is because of the employer not answering the calls from Home Office. Still, it depends on every circumstance. They might do, they might not.