[same sex marriage] Got my Visa Aprroved!

Hi @OrB , may I ask how did you arrange receipts, photos, small stuff etc? Did you staple it on A4 paper?
I'm still thinking how I will arrange those things.
What about Christmas cards, boarding pass, I'm afraid they will get lost while it's out for delivery to the Case Officer?

Regarding the photos you can put around four or six on a A4 sheet with captions as to where they were taken, better still if they are time stamped.

No point submitting Birthday/Christmas cards and the like as you could just buy them and write them yourself (not good evidence)

Receipts for hotels, flights and a copy of sponsors passport stamps are good evidence. Just make sure you arrange your documents in a way where nothing will fall out, bulldog clips are good, remember that files and folders will not be accepted, at the end of the day they just dump everything in a transit bag bound for the British Embassy when you submit at the VFS office.

I submitted my photos in a small 6x4 photo album which held 20 photos, and photocopies of them, 4 photos to an A4 sheet. That seemed to be accepted just fine. No captions, dates or time stamps, but they were arranged from earliest to most recent. In our case, because they were 5 years from the first ones to the last ones, it was pretty obvious we had known each other for a long time!

Bulldog clips are definitely the best way to keep your documents organised. We used fold back clips, as I couldn't get any bulldog clips, but they basically do the same job - all the bank statements in one clip, payslips and other work letters in another clip, boarding passes etc in another clip, and so on.

I stapled small stuff like receipts and boarding passes on A4 paper so everything is A4-sized and easier to stack. I used glue on the photos.

But I am not planning to quit my work until I secure a visa.

I quit my job after I got my visa.

I stated in the application I was still in employment and once granted, I'd quit so it's clear to them. At least 30 days notice where I used to work.

Same as mine. it's a 30-day turnover too. Thanks for the info. Will do the same.

the UKVI arent interested in the applicants current job--or income. only the sponsors side of the equation.

do bear in mind--with a settlement -marriage ( or "fiancee" ) visa-----it has a 6 month life from the date on the visa. so--if your going to delay your emigration for a while due to working any notice period--this will bite into your time in the UK. try to get the CFO sticker in that time frame.

once here--you have to live here 8 days before you can give notice to marry. the notice has to be given at a designated registry office---which may well NOT be your local one ( ours wasnt--it was a ferry journey away ). You may well have to wait a while to get an appointment--we waited 10 days. the notice period is 21 days--then you can get married.
so all the above will eat into your 6 month visa.

Lol. Thanks. This was in reply to previous posts of submitting the applicant's certificate of employment. I know they aren't interested but still, there is a section in the online application for the applicant's job details (employer, income, etc.) and you'll have to state them accordingly as well.

Planning is key here. You put the intended date of travel not only for the visa validity, but I guess it also helps the applicant and sponsor to have an idea how to schedule activities and carry out plans during the application and after the visa is secured.

Just to clarify this, if you intend to marry in England or Wales, you have to wait until you are both living here for 7 days and then the notice period you must give is at least 28 days (not 21 days) at a designated register office if you are marrying at a register office. I think it's different if you are planning a church wedding where it needs to be read out on three consecutive Sundays, so maybe that's where the 21 days comes from.....

https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships/foreign-national

it's something I'm researching right now, seeing as my fiancee will be arriving in the UK in 11 days time (hoping for a September wedding!)

yes--28 days is right--i wrote the previous post before i was fully awake

Now can somebody clarify to me and @Chicksisweetie about the IELTS? I am confused as she only took the speaking not the writing exam while I registered for both.
http://www.british-filipino.com/ind...culate-how-many-days.12955/page-2#post-121929

The IELTS Lifeskills A1 is only speaking and listening. A writing test is not part of the A1,

@OrB congratulations! i'm happy for you both, i can relate on how you felt before and after you opened the passport(the beat of your heart and shaking,then a big relief and thanking God----- taking a pic and send right away to your hubby. that's awesome Congrats!

Oh my...

hope this list clarifies it for you ..... there are lots of different IELTS tests available.

https://www.ielts.org/what-is-ielts...d-kingdom/ielts-used-for-uk-visa-applications

Hi Guys? Hope everyone is doing fine. My partner and I just got married in British Embassy Manila last September 13 and on the process of gathering documents for Spouse Visa. I am just wondering what is the Correct Category and Sub Category for a same sex married couple who is applying for Spouse visa 2) and how long the IELTS A1 certificate last?