# UK Spouse Visa: Sponsor Letter Feedback Request



## BritbratJo2rd (Feb 9, 2018)

Hi everyone,

I was hoping that I could get some constructive feedback on the letter that I have composed in support of my husband's settlement visa? I have been thorough in explaining our relationship history and I was wondering whether I needed to trim it back a little. The total word count is 910 words. In addition, I have included a side paragraph that briefly explains my previous marriage and divorce. I am wondering whether I should just remove it completely and not even mention it. I will of course provide the divorce document with our application evidence.

Anyway, here is my letter. All feedback is greatly valued and appreciated...

To: Entry Clearance Officer
RE: Sponsorship of Spouse Visa Settlement Application

Dear Entry Clearance Officer,

This is a letter of sponsorship for my husband, ******, in his application for the United Kingdom settlement visa.

I am a British*Citizen and*have been living and working in the USA since October 2004.*When I first came to the USA, I lived and worked in New Mexico (NM) and then in July 2007*I moved to North Carolina (NC).

It was while*I was living in*NC (Raleigh)*that*I first*met ****** through mutual*friends at a "Friends-Giving" celebration held*on 25th November 2010. ****** also lived in NC (Wilson)*and over the next few months our friendship developed into a relationship that become official in*April 2011. We were physically located about 50 miles away from each other and would take it in turns to drive to see each other on a weekly basis. In May 2012******* moved into the apartment where I was living (Raleigh, NC); our relationship further continued and developed.

In January 2013 ****** was offered a*great*work opportunity in the state of*Georgia (GA)*and so he*moved there, by himself, to initiate his career in*graphic design. We both agreed that he would live and work there for*one year only,*and for us to continue our relationship on a long distance basis. During*that year we took it in turns to travel, and*visited*each other regularly. It was a very difficult time for us both, as we did not like to be apart, but through that experience we realized the importance of our relationship.

I moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland (MD) to further my career in May 2013, while ****** was living*in GA. Then in February 2014,******* joined me in MD*and we lived together again after being*one year apart.******* soon found work,*and in July 2014 we moved together into a new apartment that was more*conveniently located*(Rockville, MD)*for his*daily*commute.

In March 2015 ****** proposed to me and we were*married*on July *th*2016. Having both immediate*family*member's*present at our wedding was very*important to us. Unfortunately all of my grandparents have passed, so we made the decision to get married in ******'s hometown in Maine so that his grand parents could attend. By holding the wedding in July 2016 this gave us adequate time to plan the wedding and also gave our British*family/friends the opportunity to save and plan for a trip*to the USA. In May 2017, we also held a "Wedding Blessing" ceremony at a church*in my home town (********, England) that was attended by many of our British family/friends, as well as ******’s parents. 

****** and I are*presently living together*in Cambridge,*Massachusetts and have done so*since 1st March 2016.

Over*the course of our 7 year relationship******* and I have been actively involved with each other's family lives.*We*have*a healthy relationship and marriage and support each other in our life goals. We share similar opinions on lifestyle, the importance of*family,*ethics,*values and*political views. We both have and enjoy the British sense of humor, value British traditions and are attracted by the work life balance that living in the United Kingdom offers; something that we do not have in the USA. 

Throughout our relationship to date we have*visited England many times. During our visits, we always take the opportunity to meet with family and friends, explore the country and, being big football fans, we always strive to attend a premiership game. 

****** and I have always*talked about our future and the possibility of moving to and settling in the United*Kingdom. During the past couple of years, I have become very homesick and the feeling has become more evident following each UK visit that we have made. Thus, we made the decision together that we would make plans to settle in the UK and continue to build a life together. We want to be closer to my aging parents and spend quality time with them while they are still active and able. In addition, we are planning to start a family and we want my parents to be actively involved in that aspect of our life.

On a side note*I would like to clarify the situation*concerning my first marriage. I married **** (a British citizen) in **** 2007 while living in NM. Our*marriage failed due to ****'s infidelity and my*divorce from him*was finalized in **** 2009.

If our application is successful, our initial plan is to*live with my parents. We will then look to find a suitable*home of our own that is located nearby. We are hoping that if successful, the start date of ******’s settlement visa could be arranged for ?Month ?Date 2018. We are looking into the possibility of arriving in the UK aboard the Queen Mary 2 that departs New York City on ?Month ?Date 2018 and that arrives in Southampton one week later. We are both very much looking forward to our future together and are excited for the possibility to be able to call the United Kingdom our home.

I really*appreciate the time take on your part to review our application and look forward to receiving your decision.


Yours sincerely,
******


----------



## londoner007 (Feb 13, 2017)

I would get rid of "if our application is successful" and write. "Our plan.....


----------



## Trooper18 (Feb 27, 2018)

It's a well drafted letter . 

Do keep the paragraph relating to previous relationship as it's important that you appear starightforward. And you have kept it concise .

My letter was much longer and had.no issues with it at all so don't worry about your word count here


----------



## BritbratJo2rd (Feb 9, 2018)

Thank you both for your feedback and help ;0)


----------



## clever-octopus (May 17, 2015)

Just my candid opinion, but it's probably twice as long as it really needs to be. Just break it down to important events and highlights in your relationship and future plans. You don't need to detail every single time you moved or the fact that your own grandparents are no longer living. There's a lot of added detail like "...that was more*conveniently located*(Rockville, MD)*for his*daily*commute..." which doesn't add any value to the letter. The ECO is just looking to get the big picture.

You don't need statements like "I really*appreciate the time take on your part to review our application and look forward to receiving your decision."

The problem with the length is that you're dealing with someone who is busy and under pressure to make decisions quickly, you should cut it down to a more manageable length that encourages them to read rather than just skim it.

Aside: Isn't Maine wonderful?! My British spouse really fell in love with it when I brought him for our family wedding celebration.


----------



## BritbratJo2rd (Feb 9, 2018)

Hi Clever Octopus,

Sorry for the delay in responding to your posting - we have been busy this week gathering all our final documents in preparation for our Visa submission. We are just awaiting a statement from overseas and then we should be good to go to submit early next week! Whoop whoop!

Thank you for your feedback. After reviewing letters posted by others, I was wondering whether my sponsor letter was too long. I always work on the premise to add more content at the start, then it is always less effort to remove rather than add in. I will definitely shorten the letter and make it more concise!

Yes, Maine really is beautiful! Unfortunately I haven't had chance to explore the state as much as I would have liked. Every time we visit we always spend our time catching up with our family and friends and have never actually explored too much. I have heard great things about Camden and Booth Bay. Maybe we will make a special effort to explore before we (hopefully) move back to the UK ;0)


----------

