# Unmarried Partner Visa Advice; about to submit app



## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

Hi All,
My British partner and I have the following documents together for our visa appointment next week…can anyone/everyone(!) take a look and let me know if there is ANYTHING at all I’m missing!

Application Documents;
Printed VAF4A Applicant Form
Application Payment Receipt (in email)
2 x Passport Photos (Name on back of each)
Passport
Old passport I have lost and so I’ve said this on the form and written a letter explaining. I have all the details of the passport tho ie number, expiry date etc
Introduction Letter from me (applicant) it’s pretty wordy to be honest but it’s to the point also. 
Timeline of our relationship so they get a snapshot.
Proposed Flight Itinerary

Sponsor;
Letter of support
Copy of passport- no point taking in his passport?!
Passport photo- do I only need 1?
VAF4 Appendix 2- the financial documents. All filled out.
Work Offer Letter- UK employer
Work Contract- UK employer
Work Contract- In Australia, showing salary, start date (of 2011) etc
Letter from employer stating start time and confirmed permanent employment.- UK employer
Payslips from last 6 months from employer in Aus. We’re applying under category A as my partner has been with his work for longer than 6 months.
Bank statements from 6 months (which match payslips)…is 6 months enough?

What about me, the applicant, I have included my payslips for the last 6 months but no bank statements, do I need to? I have also included potential jobs I could apply for in UK.

Is this all we need on his part for the financial?

Accommodation;
Our r/s started in May 2012 when we met through mutual friends but we didn’t start living together until Jan 2013.

In Jan 2013 I moved into the apartment he shared with his friend (male) and I lived there with them BUT I wasn’t on the lease so I have from 2013 to prove us living together;
Joint utility bills for my sponsor and I…how many should I include, they came quarterly? I’ve only included 2…
All my mail and his showing us at the same address. Plus bank statements showing financial transactions between us. I also got my sister (who I used to live with), and my dad who owned the property I previously lived at stating that I had moved out and was no longer paying rent at that property. I don’t have official documents as it was owned by my father.
A letter from the other tenant also at my sponsors stating me moving into the flat in Jan 2013.
I don’t have anything else just a STACK of mail of mine going to his property in the 2013 year that we shared the flat with his roommate. If anyone can think of ANY other way to prove this let me know. 
2014; we decided to move to another area of Melbourne and so myself and my sponsor are on the lease so I’m very confident for 2014 proof.

Accommodation in UK;
I have a letter from my sponsors father saying we can stay with them the whole time we’re in the UK. I have bothered with showing photos of house or proof they own the property…is this really necessary? If yes, what exactly should I ask my sponsors parents for? Council tax statement? Happy to provide just didn’t see necessary.

RELATIONSHIP
Spreadsheet detailing exact timeline of relationship and how long we have lived together
Tenancy agreements
Wedding invitations
LOADS of emails…how many do they want to see? Ive staggered them throughout the 3 years relationship.
Joint Bank Statements; we opened a joint account in 2013
Holiday E-mail Confirmations; sooooo many flights in both our names. Plus the one when I flew in dec 2013 to spend xmas with his family
Photos; around 8. I got them off Facebook so it shows the date the photo was taken just to be sure.
Money transfers
A letter from his superannuation showing me as beneficiary.
Letter from employers listing each other as case of emergency person
Statement from my insurance, car, listing him.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

gigisweden said:


> Hi All,
> My British partner and I have the following documents together for our visa appointment next week…can anyone/everyone(!) take a look and let me know if there is ANYTHING at all I’m missing!
> 
> Application Documents;
> ...


Your letter of introduction should be no more than the front and back of a sheet of A4 and it should be a timeline of your relationship so you don't need a timeline. Don't junk up your application with unnecessary documents.



> Sponsor;
> Letter of support
> Copy of passport- no point taking in his passport?!
> Passport photo- do I only need 1?
> ...


You only need a plain photo copy of the sponsor's passport. You do not need a passport photo of the sponsor. If you are applying under Category A you need 6 pay slips and the 6 bank statements which correspond to them only. You need a letter of employment from his current employer which states:

(b) A letter from the employer(s) who issued the payslips at paragraph 2(a) confirming:
(i) the person's employment and gross annual salary;
(ii) the length of their employment;
(iii) the period over which they have been or were paid the level of salary relied upon in
the application; and
(iv) the type of employment (permanent, fixed-term contract or agency).



> What about me, the applicant, I have included my payslips for the last 6 months but no bank statements, do I need to? I have also included potential jobs I could apply for in UK.


If you are currently working include 1 pay slip and 1 bank statement. They don't care about your possibilities for a job so leave that out.


> Is this all we need on his part for the financial?


The letter of employment is required.



> Accommodation;
> Our r/s started in May 2012 when we met through mutual friends but we didn’t start living together until Jan 2013.
> 
> In Jan 2013 I moved into the apartment he shared with his friend (male) and I lived there with them BUT I wasn’t on the lease so I have from 2013 to prove us living together;
> Joint utility bills for my sponsor and I…how many should I include, they came quarterly? I’ve only included 2…


You should show 6 things addressed to each of you from different sources either jointly of separately from across the 2 years So, 1 thing each every 4 months.



> All my mail and his showing us at the same address. Plus bank statements showing financial transactions between us.


Financial transactions between the 2 of your are unnecessary. Roommates have the same arrangement so it's not very convincing. You don't need all your mail. Things from official sources and 1 for every 4 months.



> I also got my sister (who I used to live with), and my dad who owned the property I previously lived at stating that I had moved out and was no longer paying rent at that property. I don’t have official documents as it was owned by my father.


Unnecessary. It doesn't prove that you lived with your sponsor and letters from friends and family are subjective and carry little if any weight.



> A letter from the other tenant also at my sponsors stating me moving into the flat in Jan 2013.


Unnecessary. Again, subjective.




> I don’t have anything else just a STACK of mail of mine going to his property in the 2013 year that we shared the flat with his roommate. If anyone can think of ANY other way to prove this let me know.


You need post from official sources like utilities, doctors, tax authority, driver's licence bureau - addressed to each of you so random post isn't going to suffice. 



> 2014; we decided to move to another area of Melbourne and so myself and my sponsor are on the lease so I’m very confident for 2014 proof.





> Accommodation in UK;
> I have a letter from my sponsors father saying we can stay with them the whole time we’re in the UK. I have bothered with showing photos of house or proof they own the property…is this really necessary? If yes, what exactly should I ask my sponsors parents for? Council tax statement? Happy to provide just didn’t see necessary.


Pictures are unnecessary. If they own you need the deed or land registry, a council tax or other bill, a letter of permission from them and a property inspection is recommended since you are sharing accommodation.

The deed or land registry proves that they own the property and can in fact offer you accommodation. The council tax bill proves that they actually live there.

If they rent, you need the tenancy agreement, council tax bill, letter of permission from the landlord and a property inspection.



> RELATIONSHIP
> Spreadsheet detailing exact timeline of relationship and how long we have lived together


Unnecessary. Your documents prove that you lived together, not a spreadsheet.



> Tenancy agreements
> Wedding invitations


Leave out wedding invitations.



> LOADS of emails…how many do they want to see? Ive staggered them throughout the 3 years relationship.


 None. If you are living together, they want to see proof of that. Emails are for couples who are applying for a fiance or spouse visa who have been in a long distance relationship to prove that they keep in touch. 



> Joint Bank Statements; we opened a joint account in 2013
> Holiday E-mail Confirmations; sooooo many flights in both our names. Plus the one when I flew in dec 2013 to spend xmas with his family


Same as above. Travelling together is important when you are in a long distance relationship. You need to focus on proving that you've lived together for the past 2 years.





> Photos; around 8. I got them off Facebook so it shows the date the photo was taken just to be sure.


No more than 15 photos from across your relationship. Printed on photo paper and attached to sheets of A4.




> Money transfers


Unnecessary.




> A letter from his superannuation showing me as beneficiary.
> Letter from employers listing each other as case of emergency person
> Statement from my insurance, car, listing him.


These are ok if they were posted to you at the addresses where you lived together.


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

THANKYOU so much for replying ere Nyclon! Really appreciate the time you've put in here. Its very funny reading some of your responses as some are word for word what my partner said when I was printing out all these emails proving our communication, hes like this doesn't prove anything. Tonight I will do a massive cull of everything deemed not necessary. All the documents ie mail sent to myself at my sponsors leased apartment is utility bills, bank statements , insurance letters etc so thats all fine. I am also getting my sponsors parents deed in the UK to prove they own the house. What I am querying though is that if we have missed a piece of evidence or they simply want more information will they contact us or will it be am immediate decline of the visa?
Again, thankyou.

ps...happy about the wedding invites, I wanted to keep all them for myself!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Depends. Sometimes they give you a chance to submit missing documents, other times they just reject. It depends on the details of the case and, dare I say, the whim of entry clearance officer.


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

OK, if I'm unsure whether to submit a document or not I'll just submit it in that case. Soooo many papers..........

My sponsor just got a letter confirming his employment (here in Australia at the moment), I'm submitting his original contract also, and of course his contract from his upcoming role in the UK.

Sorry, another question, I am writing a little description on the documents explaining what its for ie proof of address etc...hope this is OK?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

gigisweden said:


> OK, if I'm unsure whether to submit a document or not I'll just submit it in that case. Soooo many papers..........


Not a great idea. Throwing in a bunch of stuff just because you're unsure is not helpful. Cluttering your application with a lot of unnecessary papers means more things for the ECO to wade through to find what they are looking for and the risk is that they miss something that is actually important.



> My sponsor just got a letter confirming his employment (here in Australia at the moment), I'm submitting his original contract also, and of course his contract from his upcoming role in the UK.


Good.



> ]Sorry, another question, I am writing a little description on the documents explaining what its for ie proof of address etc...hope this is OK?


Not really. They are not stupid. They know what documents look like and they know what they are looking for. This isn't helpful. Instead concentrate on putting together the best set of documents to support your application.


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

Details of the accommodation that you 
and your sponsor intend to live in and 
permission for you to stay there along 
with evidence of any other occupants 
This could include:
 Land Registry documents
 mortgage statements
 rent book or tenancy agreement
 council tax statements
 property inspection report
 utilities bills
 accommodation details with a supporting letter from the occupant/ landlord 
confirming that you are able to stay there

Is what we need to provide as proof of our living arrangements in the UK. I just found dead out my partners parents left for holiday today and so can't get us these documents for 2 months! They have written us a letter outlining we can stay there for our time in the UK....will this suffice?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

No. You need evidence of their ownership - which you can pay for online and print out from Land Registry site (if their property is registered; not all are). You also need a council tax or utility bill to show they actually live there, and preferably a property inspection report to show there will be no overcrowding.


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

Right I see what they're trying to see. Ok, so, if I pay for priority will we definitely see a result of the visa within 10 working days?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

No. All priority does it put your application ahead of non-priority applications. There is no guarantee that it will be processed in a certain amount of time.


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

I have managed to acquire the deed from the UK land registry site and I have the letter, do i still need a council tax or utility bill? anyone know anyway to get this , or owner will have to supply......


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

OR , just thought, can i use a copy of their drivers licence showing with their address on them!?


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

hi,
just wondering if the drivers licence will work? it has the exact same address we will be staying at and it matches the deed registry also.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

No. You need a council tax or other utility bill.


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

Can I ask why a drivers licence doesn't suffice?


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

gigisweden said:


> Can I ask why a drivers licence doesn't suffice?


Current proof of address?

I have a Swiss drivers license with an address on it that I haven't lived at for 14 years.


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## annabelsre (Aug 13, 2015)

I have just counted up my proof of relationship evidence for my unmarried partner visa...

12 month tenancy agreement (both names)
9 month tenancy agreement (partner name only)
4 month proof of residency with parents (letter from parents and home owners contract)

I have 10 joint documents 
I have 19 documents spread over 24 month cohabitation for myself 
I have 17 documents spread over 24 months for partner

* Is this amount excessive? or should I just leave as is?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Over 40 documents? Yes it's excessive and ridiculous. You need 6 examples each-which was already pointed out to you in this thread-spread over the last 2 years.


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

Haha, it does seem like alot like Nyclon said. I had alot also but then before I submitted I sat down with my partner and he threw half of them out, hes like don't overwhelm them! We had 1 document for every 4 months ie an electricty bill, then a phone bill, then a joint bank statement, so different pieces of evidence but only 1 piece for each 4 months. But saying that I also included my car insurance with his name on it and my ambulance subscription. 
Goodluck! You paying for priority?


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## annabelsre (Aug 13, 2015)

Yes I thought that would be the case, thanks. I'd rather ask the ridiculous questions here than make a foolish mistake when applying.

I will go through and cull now... 

and yep I've paid for priority  so fingers crossed its all smooth...


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## gigisweden (Feb 21, 2015)

One thing I wasn't sure I needed so was pretty relaxed about it but ended up adding in and since I have read people were rejected on this basis were the accommodation requirements in the UK...I wasn't going to include a house layout (i.e. showing number of bedrooms etc) but did as my partner (again) saw the sense in the immigration reasoning behind this. Go through the documents with your partner as 2 sets of eyes is always better than one!


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## annabelsre (Aug 13, 2015)

Yeah totally, thank you!

Unfortunately my partner is in the UK about to start his new job so I'm going to have to find someone else to look through it with me haha literally counting down the days till this is over....!


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## balaku (Dec 7, 2015)

Question guys:

I have rent contracts covering a 3-year span, but I don't think I have too many letters (such as utility bills) with both our names, since my current landlady requested me not to change her name on the bills. Are the contracts sufficient evidence of living together (combined with photos), or do I indeed need to find correspondence for the both of us?


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## Kimi2490 (Nov 8, 2012)

balaku said:


> Question guys:
> 
> I have rent contracts covering a 3-year span, but I don't think I have too many letters (such as utility bills) with both our names, since my current landlady requested me not to change her name on the bills. Are the contracts sufficient evidence of living together (combined with photos), or do I indeed need to find correspondence for the both of us?



Hi Balaku,

You will need to find evidence of bills or other official correspondence addressed to one or both of you to your address.

The general rule is you either submit 6 pieces of evidence addressed to both of you jointly or 12 pieces where 6 are addressed to you and 6 to your partner.

I would suggest start looking for any documents you may have received in the past 2 /3 years. Doctor's appointment confirmations, bank statements, utilities etc.

Good luck!


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## chicgeek (Jan 4, 2013)

balaku said:


> Question guys:
> 
> I have rent contracts covering a 3-year span, but I don't think I have too many letters (such as utility bills) with both our names, since my current landlady requested me not to change her name on the bills. Are the contracts sufficient evidence of living together (combined with photos), or do I indeed need to find correspondence for the both of us?


There is a long list of things that qualify as correspondence:
- your tenancy agreement
- bank statements
- council tax bills
- letters from your GP or NHS
- HMRC letters
- tv licensing

You have three tenancy agreements - if they are in both your names you're partway done. You may only be able to use two of these as correspondence as the oldest will not span the two year period that the correspondence is meant to cover. If you have nothing else in joint names, you need to make up the numbers as Kimi suggests. Remember, you can have up to three letters from the same source which may help.

It is highly recommended that you do your best to meet this documentation requirement. If you are unable to, you can provide an explanation. The form states:


> Please give an explanation on a separate sheet if you cannot provide six items; if the items are not addressed to both of you; or if they do not cover the 2-year period.


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## michaelzero (Jun 28, 2015)

Where is everyone getting the information about photos as proof of your relationship? I'm worried I'm missing a form! 

We currently have 6 documents over 2 years addressed to us both. Plus a house purchase in both our names. 

Do I still need photos and a timeline etc?


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

michaelzero said:


> Where is everyone getting the information about photos as proof of your relationship? I'm worried I'm missing a form!
> 
> We currently have 6 documents over 2 years addressed to us both. Plus a house purchase in both our names.
> 
> Do I still need photos and a timeline etc?


What visa are you applying for?


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## michaelzero (Jun 28, 2015)

nyclon said:


> What visa are you applying for?


Family Settlement, VAH4A Unmarried Partner, Category B. 

I've found where I think people are getting the information through - "VAH4A Guide to supporting documents".


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