URGENT! Self-Employed Finance Requirements

[TobyDavies]

I'm currently filling in a spouse/family Visa application for my Russian wife. Obviously a lot of the documents and certificates we're providing as proof of finance and proof of relationship are in Russian. I know that they all need translations, but I'm wondering if those translations MUST be stamped or validated officially, by a solicitor or similar? Or if we can just do it ourselves?

[CR001]

No, you cannot translate them your self. They must be officially translated with the translators details etc and verifiable by ukvi.

[TobyDavies]

No, you cannot translate them your self. They must be officially translated with the translators details etc and verifiable by ukvi.

Thanks for your quick reply CR001. Follow up question, who should we get to do the translations? Does it need to be someone like a solicitor or notary? Or just someone that isn't us?

[CR001]

It must be a certified translator.

https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/provide-information

You’ll need to provide:

a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh

https://www.gov.uk/certifying-a-document

Certifying a translation

If you need to certify a translation of a document that’s not written in English or Welsh, ask the translation company to confirm in writing on the translation:

that it’s a ‘true and accurate translation of the original document’
the date of the translation
the full name and contact details of the translator or a representative of the translation company

[TobyDavies]

It must be a certified translator.

https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/provide-information

You’ll need to provide:

a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh

https://www.gov.uk/certifying-a-document

Certifying a translation

If you need to certify a translation of a document that’s not written in English or Welsh, ask the translation company to confirm in writing on the translation:

that it’s a ‘true and accurate translation of the original document’
the date of the translation
the full name and contact details of the translator or a representative of the translation company

Ok thank you. Am I right in thinking that all documents submitted are now done as scans, submitted via the online form? Or do we need to also send the originals somewhere?

[cyrusgod]

My wife just successfully got her FLR (M) VISA and we used this company (https://www.lingoservice.com/)
They were quick to respond and the cheapest of three companies we contacted.
We needed Japanese to English but they seemed to be setup to handle most languages.
They provided email and hard copies (by post)

You need to upload the documents in PDF format when have completed the application form and paid the fees.
Good luck!

[TobyDavies]

My wife just successfully got her FLR (M) VISA and we used this company (https://www.lingoservice.com/)
They were quick to respond and the cheapest of three companies we contacted.
We needed Japanese to English but they seemed to be setup to handle most languages.
They provided email and hard copies (by post)

You need to upload the documents in PDF format when have completed the application form and paid the fees.
Good luck!

Thanks Cyrusgod, very useful! So at no point do we need to do anything with the hard copies?

[cyrusgod]

My wife said they checked all the documents we had uploaded previously via their computer system.

I had her loaded up with three folders worth of documents thinking they would verify them all but it turns out they were probably just needed if the scans were bad.. a very smooth process after months of worry!

[TobyDavies]

Well congratulations to you both and thanks again for your help! Any tips on the personal statement part....ie the 'How we got together / Our story so far' part? I don't know if it should be anecdotal, or just-the-facts bullet points!

[TobyDavies]

It must be a certified translator.

https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/provide-information

You’ll need to provide:

a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh

https://www.gov.uk/certifying-a-document

Certifying a translation

If you need to certify a translation of a document that’s not written in English or Welsh, ask the translation company to confirm in writing on the translation:

that it’s a ‘true and accurate translation of the original document’
the date of the translation
the full name and contact details of the translator or a representative of the translation company

Hi CR001 - is there a general check-list post for Spouse Visas on this forum? I've hunted through the FAQ's but not found anything specific to Spouses. I've seen the Gov.uk info, but it's a little vague and lacking in detail!

[TobyDavies]

I am sponsoring my Russian wife for her spouse visa. I am self-employed, but I am fulfilling the financial requirements with 100% savings, no income. What documents, if any, do I need to provide for proof of employment? I've read something about needing to provide full accounts for the previous year, signed off by a vetted accountant...but it's unclear if this is in ALL cases, or only if you are using self-employed income as part of your proof of finance. I'm in a real rush to get answers to this as we've already booked our visa appointment, and the clock is ticking! Please help if you can!

[Casa]

Not a requirement if you're qualifying with £62,500 in savings which have been held in an accessible account for a minimum of 6 months.

[TobyDavies]

Not a requirement if you're qualifying with £62,500 in savings which have been held in an accessible account for a minimum of 6 months.

Thank the gods! I thought I was in trouble for a moment there! Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. You helped us out of a panic there! So, do I need to upload ANY proof of self-employed status, or do I just tick the £62,500 savings option and it skips me past that section?

Also while I'm here, we read that when using the eDossier system to upload all your documents, you have to submit everything no later than 24 hours before your appointment time...any truth to that? We've actually booked a Flexi appointment, which makes the whole 24 hour deadline a little ambiguous by nature!