# Should UK Sponsor (wife) mention she is pregnant?



## expecting1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Hello All

I'm in real eed of some candid advice


I’m a UK citizen and my husband is from a non-EU country (I’m being deliberately vague). 

I work as a contractor in UK and at this present time we meet financial requirements through category B as I have earned over £60,000 from two employers in the last 12 months.

I fell pregnant with my husband’s baby during my last visit to his country, which we’re both thrilled about. I’m now anxious to get him over to UK before the baby arrives (3.5 months from now) so he can be there at the birth and experience his early years. The fixed contract I’m on is timed to finish before the birth. 

If we wait to after the birth, I’ll no longer meet the financial requirement – I plan to take about 3-6 months off to look after the baby and then I’ll have to get a new job and work an extra 6 months to meet the requirement again. That’s one year of his child’s life he will miss.

As a contractor I am not entitled to statutory maternity leave but I’ve saved enough money to self-fund my maternity leave and support him over that period. I have no where near the £62,000 they ask for to rely on Category D Savings but on a practical, realistic level it’s more than enough to see us through my planned jobless period.

We both differ on the approach we should use to apply for the spouse visa. 

My husband thinks if we are honest and mention the pregnancy and the savings, it will strengthen our case and work in our favour: it strengthens the fact we have a genuine relationship and the ECO may be inclined to process the visa more quickly on compassionate grounds (so he can be there in time for the birth). 

I, however, am not so optimistic - I’m of the opinion that we SHOULD’NT volunteer the information that I am pregnant. It’s not asked for on the form and I have a niggling feeling that rather than help us it will be used against us. 

Maybe I’m being paranoid but I feel the ECO may refuse us simply on the basis that I’m pregnant – (s)he’ll make the assumption that (in future) I’ll either on maternity leave (thus no longer meeting the financial requirement) or could go on benefits –even though I do meet the salary requirement AT THIS PRESENT TIME. I think they’ll ignore the fact I have savings because it is not the level they have set in the rules.

I think we should keep it simple: DON’T mention I’m pregnant, apply using category B only and don’t include any info on my savings. Is this being deliberately deceptive or using common sense?

If I mention I’m pregnant I now have to introduce a new layer of complexity to an application that would be otherwise simple. Time is running out, I just want my husband in with me in UK and I think his is the most straightforward way to do it.


The thing is we are both in disagreement of this issue. I think we need some candid, objective third-party advice. I’m particularly interested in what Joppa and nyclon have to say on this issue.

Is it in our best interest to “keep mum” on this? Or should we disclose? Which would work more in our favour?



Thanks for any advice you can give.


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## AmyD (Jan 12, 2013)

Your pregnancy has absolutely nothing to do with the application. It is not relevant, and it will engender no sympathy from the UKBA and it will not spur them to act more quickly. It is completely neutral in the application process.


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

But as I understand it you can class as meeting the requirements when on maternity leave. Not sure of the full conditions for that. But just as other UK law you are still classed as in employment or self employment when on maternity for up to a year.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

If you go on maternity leave, it's your salary prior to going on leave that will count - so you will still meet the requirement.
It doesn't matter whether you mention pregnancy or not. It may be seen as evidence of a genuine relationship but otherwise it won't change your application in any way and they definitely won't speed up processing to suit your needs. You just have to wait like anyone else.


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