Got the visa! Yes!
It only took about three weeks to get an answer on my UK spouse visa application - and it’s all good. Whew!
Like I said to my husband a dozen times: there’s no reason it shouldn’t be fine, but you just never know… Providing all that financial information to prove we had enough savings to meet the requirements was unnerving, and some of the random questions about my travel history and using the NHS were confusing.
I submitted everything with my biometrics on Friday, February 28. By Monday I got some auto text messages and emails confirming that my application had been received. A couple of days later I got two really weird emails saying I needed to provide my paperwork within five days. It looked like an automated message, but there were two emails back-to-back that said nearly the same thing but were slightly different. After asking Google/Reddit (the holy grail of visa questions), it looked like other people had experienced the same thing and it was indeed automated. So after a moment of panic, I decided there was nothing else I could do and moved on with my day.
I got one other email a week later saying “we’re still working on it.” Then, last week I got an email saying my application had been processed and my passport was being mailed back to me. Infuriatingly, it didn’t actual say what the outcome was. Google said it was probably good news, but it definitely felt like symptom spotting when you’re trying to get pregnant. My passport arrived two days later with a visa in it and a letter saying it was successful. Hurray!
One thing I wasn’t aware of: the visa starts 90 days from approval. And you get a 90-day window to enter the country and “activate” your visa. So my entry clearance is June 14 to Sept 14. Luckily that fits with our current timeline, but for anyone planning to go the second they get their passport back (or wait more than three months), that is apparently not possible.
After you get the visa approved, there’s more bureaucratic fun with something called an eVisa. You have to follow the link in the email you received to register yourself with the government. Why they couldn’t do this when they processed the visa is one of life’s great mysteries. The best part is you have to download an app to scan your passport and confirm your identity. After a frantic morning of my passport not scanning (I even tried my husband’s phone thinking maybe mine was broken), I again turned to the wisdom of Reddit and found out that US passports have the best luck with the inside back cover (guess that’s where the bio chip is). One more desperate scan and it finally worked! Now I should be able to send anyone a link of my visa info and they can look up my resident status (bank accounts, landlords, etc).
I wrote in more detail about the application process here, but for anyone else looking to get a UK spouse visa through the cash savings route, here’s a quick list of what I provided and now know works:
-6 months of bank statements
-3 declaration letters from us stating that the funds are ours and liquid (one for each financial institution)
-letter from our financial advisor confirming balances and that accounts are liquid
-6 months of mortgage statements and water bills
-Annual property tax bill
-Closing statement on our house (just for more detail about where we got our money)
-UK spouse’s birth certificate and bio page of passport
-our marriage certificate
And even though it was an eyeroll moment, we did resize all documents to A4 as directed. Done! Onwards and upwards!
