Travel to UK while pending application

[waleed205]

1- Applied for spouse visa regular service, was told about 12 weeks for decision. I carry Australian passport, can I travel to UK while pending decision? I can travel without visa, just need to bother for a few days.

2- If I am approved and I get vignette on my passport (spouse), can I use the ePassport lane to enter UK?

3- just realized after applying, there might be rule for overcrowding. We own a flat (2 bedroom), and we are husband, wife, and 2 teenage sons. Will that be an issue? I read in an earlier guidance in your blog that:
2 bedroom -- 3 people
3 bedrooms -- 5 people
no mentioned on 4 people..

[seagul]

1- Applied for spouse visa regular service, was told about 12 weeks for decision. I carry Australian passport, can I travel to UK while pending decision? I can travel without visa, just need to bother for a few days.

2- If I am approved and I get vignette on my passport (spouse), can I use the ePassport lane to enter UK?

3- just realized after applying, there might be rule for overcrowding. We own a flat (2 bedroom), and we are husband, wife, and 2 teenage sons. Will that be an issue? I read in an earlier guidance in your blog that:
2 bedroom -- 3 people
3 bedrooms -- 5 people
no mentioned on 4 people..

1. Yes if you can satisfy the airport immigration staff.

2. Yes there have been around 250 e-gates installed for certain nationality holders including Australians.

3. Living room can also be counted as bedroom. Which means you 3 rooms which are fit for up to 5 person.

Account is taken only of rooms with a floor area larger than 50 square feet and rooms of a type used either as a living room or bedroom

[CR001]

2. Please note that in e gates use, be mindful that when you collect your brp from the post office, they will expect to see your visa vignette stamped with an entry date. This date of entry is also crucial to your qualifying period for ilr as is listing all absences in the forms. My suggestion would be to not use the e gates on arrival with your spouse visa.

[seagul]

From summer 2019 nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea will be able to enter the UK using the eGate system at 15 major airports.

Entering via an eGate means that your visa will not be endorsed with an entry stamp as the port is unmanned by Border Force staff.

If you chose to use an eGate then you will be required to upload your boarding pass in place of an entry stamp as evidence of your arrival in the UK.

[DanaMarie]

From summer 2019 nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea will be able to enter the UK using the eGate system at 15 major airports.

Entering via an eGate means that your visa will not be endorsed with an entry stamp as the port is unmanned by Border Force staff.

If you chose to use an eGate then you will be required to upload your boarding pass in place of an entry stamp as evidence of your arrival in the UK.

Many recent vignette recipients (US applicants) have received a letter with their passport advising that they are required to see a border agent upon arrival.

[seagul]

From summer 2019 nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea will be able to enter the UK using the eGate system at 15 major airports.

Entering via an eGate means that your visa will not be endorsed with an entry stamp as the port is unmanned by Border Force staff.

If you chose to use an eGate then you will be required to upload your boarding pass in place of an entry stamp as evidence of your arrival in the UK.

Many recent vignette recipients (US applicants) have received a letter with their passport advising that they are required to see a border agent upon arrival.

Maybe because they kept coming in past as visitor/tourists and there is a need of some further clarification about them.

[waleed205]

Thanks all for the responses, very helpful.

In the years 2012 to 2015 I used to travel so much to U.K. for business, we used to manage project engineering from London, and I used to explain that to officers.

Since then, I travel to U.K. once or twice a year only to see family. I hope this will not be an issue.

Family wants to go there in Winter break if we don’t move be that time(I.e no decision by that time), that’s why I asked the question earlier, if I can travel during pending application. I had to pay vfs 75 dollars to keep my passport with me.


This brings me to another query, a perfect move will be during winter break to align with school admission in U.K. if I need to travel a week or two earlier than my wife(the sponsor) will that be an issue? Depending on when (hopefully) I get approved, i may need to go ahead of the family to renovate the flat and the rest of family can join later. If it is an issue with immigration, we all can move and stay in hotel for few days during renovation. I didn’t mention the possibility to stay in hotel in my application.

Sorry all for talking too much, just stressed out and you’re a great help. Thanks

[CR001]

You should travel with your spouse if you are all moving together as your visa will likely say "to accompany xyz (spouse/CP)".

School admission and start of year in the UK is September, not January/Feb/march.

[seagul]

How are you meeting the financial requirement? Is that through cash savings/rental income since your sponsor seems living outside the UK?

[DanaMarie]

From summer 2019 nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea will be able to enter the UK using the eGate system at 15 major airports.

Entering via an eGate means that your visa will not be endorsed with an entry stamp as the port is unmanned by Border Force staff.

If you chose to use an eGate then you will be required to upload your boarding pass in place of an entry stamp as evidence of your arrival in the UK.

Many recent vignette recipients (US applicants) have received a letter with their passport advising that they are required to see a border agent upon arrival.

Maybe because they kept coming in past as visitor/tourists and there is a need of some further clarification about them.

Nope. None of that. The letters have started coming with vignettes granted in the last couple of weeks so that may clarify the issue where there was previous question about whether or not first time spouse visa holders can use the egates regardless of holding a US passport. It would be entirely prudent to see a border agent to ask for a stamp while there is still a lack of clarity in the official UK guidance.

[waleed205]

How are you meeting the financial requirement? Is that through cash savings/rental income since your sponsor seems living outside the UK?

Yes cash savings.

[seagul]

How are you meeting the financial requirement? Is that through cash savings/rental income since your sponsor seems living outside the UK?

Yes cash savings.

Ok make sure that these are at least £62500 (if all other dependants are British) and held in your/your's partner account from 6 months.

[waleed205]

Thanks,
I put statements since 2/2/2019 and balance 70,000. I receive rents and it goes up to 75000. I move money for payments or transfer to other accounts but balance doesn’t drop below 70k

Yes all dependents are U.K. citizens.

[seagul]

Thanks,
I put statements since 2/2/2019 and balance 70,000. I receive rents and it goes up to 75000. I move money for payments or transfer to other accounts but balance doesn’t drop below 70k

Yes all dependents are U.K. citizens.

That's fine

[waleed205]

Thanks, I hope so.

I hope I did it right. I answered the questions on UKVI website (the new system) which was basically answering many Yes/No questions. If you answer yes, you explain. Few questions about wife and kids (wife is sponsor) and that’s it. The final page was required documents:
- marriage certificate
- bank statements since I used cash savings
- declaration on cash sources
- copy of sponsor passport.

That seems too little but I hope it’s enough. Did not ask for pictures or relationship proof other than marriage certificate. We’ve been married for 20+ years. I hope I did it right.

[waleed205]

OMG this is so much stress.. I just realized this:

When I was filling out the application on previous travels to "other countries", UKVI required the date of entry and exit. I was was looking through my tickets (online) and recorded these dates.

No I am flipping through my passport and I see I missed the dates by either one day earlier or later, it is regarding flying before midnight (on my ticket) but entry stamp is the following day arriving at destinations. So I am either off by one day earlier or one day later. Will that be an issue? This is related to 3 trips.

Luckily for the UK, USA, EU travels, they only required month and year and length of day, so no errors here.

I just need a decision to get it over with..

[seagul]

No I am flipping through my passport and I see I missed the dates by either one day earlier or later, it is regarding flying before midnight (on my ticket) but entry stamp is the following day arriving at destinations. So I am either off by one day earlier or one day later. Will that be an issue? This is related to 3 trips.

Luckily for the UK, USA, EU travels, they only required month and year and length of day, so no errors here.

yes your question and then answer is correct.