Ok, So Natasha got her passport with the Spouse Visa in it. Now we
needed to get her into the UK from Ukraine. We agreed a Saturday where I
would not have to take time off from work, for me to fly to Kiev where
she would be waiting for me. I took with me an empty suitcase which in
Kiev was to be filled up with Natasha’s clothes.
I landed in Kiev at about lunch time and met with Natasha at the airport. We were booked on a flight back to the UK, Gatwick a few hours later. We had something to eat, packed some of Natasha’s stuff in my empty suitcase and proceeded through the security gates.
At the passport control we approached the booth together and handed in both our passports. Me my British Passport and Natasha her Ukrainian Passport (the new blue international passport). The border officer looked at them, inspected the visa and stamped the passports and returned them back to us.
We then got on the plane to the UK. As we got nearer to Gatwick, the plane stewardess was handing over Landing Cards (bluefish cardboard piece of paper) for people to fill in that are not from the EU area or are subject to immigration control. So if you need a visa to enter the UK, I guess you need to fill one in. So we filled one in for Natasha on the plane.
When we landed at Gatwick, we both proceeded to the passport control. We went through the “All Other Passports” gates. There a UK Border Agency officer took both passports and the landing card. He inspected the passports, the visa, the landing card. Asked if it was the first time Natasha was entering the UK on that visa. We said yes. He asked a few more general questions about where we were going to live.
He asked a few friendly questions about how hard it was to obtain the visa. He was very friendly, but you could see a bit that the questions were searching in nature. He then kept the landing card and gave us the passports and wished as a pleasant onward journey. And that was it, Natasha was legally in the UK on the way to our flat in Poole.
On a second trip abroad, when we went to Moldova, upon our return to the UK, Natasha had to fill in the Landing Card again. I asked the passport control officer if she has to fill in those landing card every time. He said “Yes”, for as long as she is on her Spouse Visa, she has to fill in the Landing Card every time she re-enters the UK.
That is all for this post.
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I landed in Kiev at about lunch time and met with Natasha at the airport. We were booked on a flight back to the UK, Gatwick a few hours later. We had something to eat, packed some of Natasha’s stuff in my empty suitcase and proceeded through the security gates.
At the passport control we approached the booth together and handed in both our passports. Me my British Passport and Natasha her Ukrainian Passport (the new blue international passport). The border officer looked at them, inspected the visa and stamped the passports and returned them back to us.
We then got on the plane to the UK. As we got nearer to Gatwick, the plane stewardess was handing over Landing Cards (bluefish cardboard piece of paper) for people to fill in that are not from the EU area or are subject to immigration control. So if you need a visa to enter the UK, I guess you need to fill one in. So we filled one in for Natasha on the plane.
When we landed at Gatwick, we both proceeded to the passport control. We went through the “All Other Passports” gates. There a UK Border Agency officer took both passports and the landing card. He inspected the passports, the visa, the landing card. Asked if it was the first time Natasha was entering the UK on that visa. We said yes. He asked a few more general questions about where we were going to live.
He asked a few friendly questions about how hard it was to obtain the visa. He was very friendly, but you could see a bit that the questions were searching in nature. He then kept the landing card and gave us the passports and wished as a pleasant onward journey. And that was it, Natasha was legally in the UK on the way to our flat in Poole.
On a second trip abroad, when we went to Moldova, upon our return to the UK, Natasha had to fill in the Landing Card again. I asked the passport control officer if she has to fill in those landing card every time. He said “Yes”, for as long as she is on her Spouse Visa, she has to fill in the Landing Card every time she re-enters the UK.
That is all for this post.
If you find these articles useful, please like them on Facebook, Google+ or you can even tweet about them. Buttons are provided at the top of the page or below the comments. Thanks.
I am preparing to submit my girlfriends (Ukrainian, (Kharkov also)) first UK VISA. I want to apply for a Short Stay Tourist Visa of three months with multiple entry. I have several questions:
ReplyDelete1. Is this too ambitious for a 1st Visa (she intends to stay two months).
2. She is currently employed. However, she will be leaving her job to make this journey. I will be supporting her after she quits her job. On the application it says you may need to submit the employers permission to leave work. If she is leaving work will this create an issue? Will me nominating my self as a sponsor circumvent any issues?
3. We plan to have a weeks holiday in France during her UK stay so we will make a separate application for a Shengen Visa. Do you see this being a problem?
Many thanks in advance for your kind advice.
Hi Christian,
DeleteApplying for a General Visitor visa, is not that ambitious if all the paperwork is in place. Now, the process is quite paperwork-intensive so you will have to work hard.
Bad signs:
- Her loosing the job in order to travel. The Visa officer wants to see that she has some incentive to return.
- Her passport being completely blank with no decent visas in it (e.g. UK, EU, US visas)
As a sponsor you will have to provide at least 6 months worth of your financial affairs. You need to be earning at least £18,600.00pa as she will not be able to work. Even if you earn the minimum required, if you have other pressing commitments (i.e. loans, credit card debts, high bills) then that may be a problem. Also, as a sponsor you will have to issue her with an invitation letter.
Given your frequent trips to Ukraine and all the time that you have spent together (which you will have to provide ample proof for) then I would hope for a thread of compassion from the Visa officer, but I would not bet on it.
The visa is not as expensive so if you can afford to lose the money then you can try, but a refusal will not look good on her record. Have you thought of Travel Agents? As the first visa, that might be an idea. They will charge their fee, but you will get the advice as well to get the visa and check the paperwork. If you or her are not the paperwork type of people, then that might be a way to go.
In short, I think you have a chance of success, but you will need to provide most of the paperwork that I have listed in this post: http://emigratetotheuk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/paperwork-for-application.html
Also this link may help too: https://www.gov.uk/general-visit-visa/eligibility
Thank you for your kind reply. We plan to get married a month after the uk visit. We will be married in Ukraine. Would our wedding plans, my families flights, our hotel bookings etc... Be good evidence that she will return to the Ukraine
ReplyDeleteIf you can adecuately prove it, then it may just be. You will have to provide all the history up to now as well (photos, emails, chats, phone bills, tickets, etc). Statements from your parents, everything you can think off. I always like to go over the top with things like these. You cannot assume anything.
DeleteExcellent, I am going to start rounding that up in earnest. I read that its not possible to go in to Schengen from UK UNLESS you have three months left on the UK visa by the end of the Shengen visit. I guess this rules out nipping over to France during her visit :(
ReplyDeleteYes, unfortunately UK is not part of Schengen. And my understanding of Schengen Visa applications from the UK is that you need to have a residency permit in the UK to apply. A General Short Stay UK Visa is not clasified as a residency permit. Hence, it might be a bit hard. I would concentrate all efforts on getitng her UK Visa if you want to go this route and then with a UK visa in her passport, she will gain much credibility for whenever next you apply for a Visa of any kind. All the best Christian.
DeleteI understand that we need to make a choice that either my woman covers her own expenses or I sponsor her. If she covers her own expenses she must provide 6 months wages and bank statements. If I offer to sponsor then I must do this. The former is preferable as I have only been working three months. If she support herself how much would she need to have a day to prove she has enough to get by? I do try to find these answers but there seems to be nothing written anywhere :( do you have any ideas?
ReplyDeleteHi Christian, I heard from someone who was trying to get his wife to be into the country from the USA. He got his parents involved. The parents stated that they were going to cover all expenses and hence they provided the proof of means. I don't know if in your case that is an option, but definitely worth considering. Of course that means a bit of pain for the parents. As to how much she would need to be earning, I am not entirely sure of the exact figure but I know it is a bit more complicated than that. Basically she would have to prove that she can pay for everything. That means she would have to be on good money. Snce you are saying that she will lose her job by coming over, I think that is not in yoru favour.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reply.
ReplyDeleteI have the job and it pays above the threshold but I have only been in it 4/5 months at the time of application. Would 4/5 months payslips and bank statements suffice?
Christian, evertwhere I look, it says 6 months. I don't know if she will have an interview or the date when she will go to submit the paperwork, but maybe by that date you will have another 1 or 2 payslips???? We applied for the visa on the 1st of June I think, and had appointment to submit paperwork on the 23rd of June (I think). I am just looking if between applying on-line and actually submitting the papaerwork, you may get the chance to get another payslip or two. If you have any savings, that will help also. It is all about the visa officer being fully satisfied that you will be able to meet her living needs during her visit. Would love to give you good news, but I am just not sure if anything less would get you through.
DeleteHi Andrei,
ReplyDeleteI understand. What I need to do is understand the lead time between application and documents. I will look in to this and prepare 6 months documents.
Thank you again,
Yes, as you do the application online, at the end (when you submit it) it gives you a calendar with available dates to chose when you would like your appointment. That is where you may have some freedom to chose a later date. That is how we did it.
DeleteBrilliant thank you! :)
ReplyDelete