# spouse visa UK



## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

Once you have the spouse /settlement visa in the passport, how long can you wait before entering the UK on it? 

Can you go in as a visitor before using the visa, even if you have the spouse visa?

How much money, at least, should you have in savings?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

voyagerbear said:


> Once you have the spouse /settlement visa in the passport, how long can you wait before entering the UK on it?
> 
> Can you go in as a visitor before using the visa, even if you have the spouse visa?
> 
> How much money, at least, should you have in savings?


Every visa has two dates on it, 'valid from' and 'valid until'. So you can enter UK at any time between the two dates. Spouse visa is usually for 27 months, but since you can apply for settlement after 2 years, you don't want to delay your arrival too much or it starts to cut into the 3 months' leeway.

If you want to go to UK before the 'valid from' date, you can enter as a visitor (if you aren't a visa national, i.e. don't need a pre-obtained visitor visa), but you need to meet the requirements as a visitor - return or onward travel ticket, enough funds, and no intention to work. As for how much you ought to have, it depends where you are going to stay, how much travelling you do and so on. If you are staying with your spouse and they are paying for everything, you need a letter from them offering free accommodation and to meet all your costs. If you are paying eveything yourself, maybe £50 a day, more in London?


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

Thank you, I have been reading through the forum posts and the answers given here are very informative. It is quite difficult to obtain information and to find it on here is very helpful. 

Do you know how much money you are required to show that you have on the spouse visa application?

Thanks again.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

voyagerbear said:


> Thank you, I have been reading through the forum posts and the answers given here are very informative. It is quite difficult to obtain information and to find it on here is very helpful.
> 
> Do you know how much money you are required to show that you have on the spouse visa application?


To get spouse visa, the minimum maintenance requirement is £105.95 per week after paying for housing cost - rent or mortgage and council tax. This can be in the form of UK sponsor's earnings, combined savings divided by 26 and external sponsor (such as UK sponsor's parents, other relatives or friends).

Remember the rules are being revised and the requirement is going to be raised substantially, up to £26k a year or £500 a week before tax with no external sponsors allowed. No details announced yet.


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

Thank you so much for this. My goodness the raise is substantial. Any idea when this will come into force?


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

I have noticed on the forum, that from certain countries, people have obtained their Spouse Visas very quickly by applying directly. As far as I know from Saudi one has to use VFS Global and complete the forms and physically hand them in and they deal with it for a substantial fee, plus it takes a long time. 

Can you advise if there is a more direct way of doing this.

Also, if the applicant is a Lebanese National but living in Saudi, could it be processed from Lebanon?

Thanks.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

voyagerbear said:


> Thank you so much for this. My goodness the raise is substantial. Any idea when this will come into force?


Changes generally occur in April and October.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

voyagerbear said:


> I have noticed on the forum, that from certain countries, people have obtained their Spouse Visas very quickly by applying directly. As far as I know from Saudi one has to use VFS Global and complete the forms and physically hand them in and they deal with it for a substantial fee, plus it takes a long time.
> 
> Can you advise if there is a more direct way of doing this.
> 
> Also, if the applicant is a Lebanese National but living in Saudi, could it be processed from Lebanon?


You need to check the UKBA site for the Lebanon at UK Border Agency | Visa application centres overseas, but normally you need to be a resident or at least have a residential address to apply in a country. Fees are about the same the world over, the sterling amount being converted to local currency. 
Latest processing time for settlement visa in Saudi Arabia is around 1-2 weeks, while in the Lebanon, it is around 3 to 6 weeks.


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

This is great to have such comprehensive answers, thank you so much, I really appreciate it.


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

This following was written by Joppa, I am not sure how to add this quote so I have just cut and pasted and added the quote tags:



> This raises an interesting question about the much-talked-about change in the rules for family migration. Will a similar, but not quite so long, delay in implementation be offered? The minimum sponsor's income of £26k may be phased in over, say, two years? And that those who are already on 2-year or 27-month spouse/partner visa will escape the new 5-year rule for settlement?
> We shall have to wait and see!


Can you please explain the new 5- year rule for settlement please. Many thanks


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

Hello again, 

I have another question. If a spouse applies for a husband visa at age 63,and is granted entry to UK, am I right that the actual settlement part can only be applied for 2 years later when he is 65? Is the English Test required at the beginning of the process or after the two year period? At 65 it is not required?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

voyagerbear said:


> Hello again,
> 
> I have another question. If a spouse applies for a husband visa at age 63,and is granted entry to UK, am I right that the actual settlement part can only be applied for 2 years later when he is 65? Is the English Test required at the beginning of the process or after the two year period? At 65 it is not required?


If he is already 65 when he comes to apply for settlement, then neither English test nor Life in the UK test will be required. Enclose his passport or birth certificate as proof of age.


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

Thanks for your reply but sorry, I am still not clear, does he have to be 65 when he first applies for his visa before arriving in UK or is after the two years of being there ?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

voyagerbear said:


> Thanks for your reply but sorry, I am still not clear, does he have to be 65 when he first applies for his visa before arriving in UK or is after the two years of being there ?


If he isn't from a majority English speaking country or hasn't a degree taught in English, he will need to meet the English language requirement prior to applying for his spouse visa at the age of 63. If he then reaches 65 before eligible for indefinite leave to remain, he won't need to pass Life in the UK test.


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

So if he is 65 when he applies for the spouse visa, will he have to meet the English language requirement ?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

voyagerbear said:


> So if he is 65 when he applies for the spouse visa, will he have to meet the English language requirement ?


No.


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

I have looked at the list of tests that one can take and there are many, can you advise one please and I will do some research. I am assuming that these are not too hard to pass? thanks


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

voyagerbear said:


> I have looked at the list of tests that one can take and there are many, can you advise one please and I will do some research. I am assuming that these are not too hard to pass? thanks


It all depends on how good your English is! For those who can speak English well, it shouldn't be difficult but for others, who knows?


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

Thanks for your help this evening Joppa, no doubt I will 'speak' to you again but for tonight, logging off.
Cheers!


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## Caroline66 (Jul 19, 2011)

I applied for a visa for my Egyptian husband to find it was turned down on a simple thing. I asked for 8 months instead of 6 months. I think most people have to apply for the visitors visa first and then move to the husband/spouce visa after. 
We have now re-applied for the visa and I will have to go to a hearing in Leicester. So far it has cost £275 for the first application and now an additional £140 for the hearing. We applied for the visa's online and I spent weeks getting all the paperwork ready. I also wrote and complained to my local MP who wrote back supporting our application. He has also written to the UK Border department requesting that they speed up aour application and sort it out quickly.
I am planning to move to Egypt full time in July so by the time the visa is sorted my husband will have limited time in England.... 
It is just one of those systems that costs too much money and takes forever.... so unfair when you hear of people coming to England and living on benefits. 
We are full husband and wife having married in Cairo at Christmas and we are both frustrated that we are now apart. 
Hope that helps....


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

Hi Caroline, I'm not sure what kind of visa you were turned down on. What was it? Was it just a visit? I think that if a spouse visa/settlement visa has to be applied for from the country of residence if you are not currently in UK and if you are leaving anyway to Egypt is it really worth it? Your husband has to spend time in England to be granted the right to remain and if you leave before the two years are up, it's lost anyway.

@Joppa, If a husband has a visit visa to UK, can he apply for settlement once he is there or does it have to be from outside UK. I have been told it has to be from outside.


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## voyagerbear (Mar 1, 2012)

Just wanted to add, we have been married for over 30 years, with a home in UK and 3 grown up British kids that live there, so I think we will be fine, it's just that I am a bit anal and like to know the ins and outs of things before I do anything.........can't help it! 

Should have done it long ago but life doesn't always fit does it?


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## Caroline66 (Jul 19, 2011)

voyagerbear said:


> Hi Caroline, I'm not sure what kind of visa you were turned down on. What was it? Was it just a visit? I think that if a spouse visa/settlement visa has to be applied for from the country of residence if you are not currently in UK and if you are leaving anyway to Egypt is it really worth it? Your husband has to spend time in England to be granted the right to remain and if you leave before the two years are up, it's lost anyway.
> 
> @Joppa, If a husband has a visit visa to UK, can he apply for settlement once he is there or does it have to be from outside UK. I have been told it has to be from outside.


Hiya,

Many thanks for your reply, its Caroline here by the way!!! Yes it was just a visit for my husband and at the time when we applied it was back in October and seemed like ages till I planned to move to Egypt full time the following July/August. 
It is important for my husband to experience life in England and not that either of us want to remain in England I wanted him to have the chance to see what life was like outside of Egypt. 
The months are slowly ticking by and it is frustrating that he is still in Egypt and we are waiting for the visa to come through. I am hoping it will be ready by the end of this month and at least he will have 5 months here. Saying that, if my house does not sell I am stuck in England anyway and my husband will come and stay with me here rather than in Egypt. 
Also I was thinking along the lines of if I was to have children and we wanted to come back to England if my husband has been granted a visa in the past, it might be easier the second time to get one rather than go through all this the first time round.
I will let you know when the visa is ready. I have to go to a hearing so I am hoping it will be this month as we seemed to be waiting for ages for this visa to come through.
x


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