# UK spouse visa start date?



## Luckyladyinasia (Jun 6, 2014)

I would like to know how the start/valid from date for a UK spouse settlement visa is decided? We submitted the online application form on 2 June 2014, we did the biometrics appointment on 6 June 2014. Is the visa start date 3 months from the date of submission/date of biometrics appointment or on the date of approval from the authorities? We are a little confused and cannot find info on the websites. Someone from the visa centre told us we will have to be in the UK by 6 September 2014 (based on our submission on 6 June all of the supporting documents), if the visa is granted. Is this the case? What if our application is not processed until August, that would not give us much time to pack?

Also after we get the visa (if we do), can we enter UK after the start date, how long do we have?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

It mainly depends on the proposed travel date you put on the application. As you can apply up to 3 months before your planned travel date, if you put 2nd Sep, it will in all likelihood be made valid from that date. If you put anything earlier, again it will probably be made valid from that date. If you put something like 10th June, and visa is issued after that date, then it will be made valid from the date of issue. I said generally because sometimes regardless of your travel date, the visa is valid from the date of issue and there's nothing you can do about it and they won't reissue it with the 'correct' date.

While the visa is valid until the 'valid until' date, you should enter UK within the first 3 months of its validity (not necessarily the date of issue as I have explained), because this will leave you enough time to complete your 30 months in UK, necessary for you to renew your leave for further 30 months (2.5 years). If you arrive later than that, you may have to extend your current leave first at your expense before you can renew it. Your initial visa will be valid 33 months.


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## kecravi (Apr 7, 2014)

My visa was approved yesterday and the 'valid from' date is '30-MAY-2014'. I had entered '20-JUL-2014' as the proposed travel date in my application.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes, this can happen, and if you are coming in July, you will have lost about 2 months of the 3- month cushion. Still ok though.


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## Hertsfem (Jun 19, 2013)

Joppa my daughter in law may well want to get on the next plane out once her visa is issued (all being well) what length of time would be the safest to put in that respect?


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## bluetail14 (Jan 21, 2014)

ah, thats not so good.. if they take their time to issue me a spouse visa, it'll be too late for me to fly over to the uk for the birth in august, and then it'll take another 3 months ('at least 10 weeks') to get a baby's first passport. 
wish could contact them somehow - if they're likely to give me a visa in july, i'd rather ask them to delay it until september, to fit into the 3 month after the visa issue date. we did ask in my visa application if they could process it sooner..

just trying not to worry too much over the bureacracy.


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