Future Wife from Belarus

[errol100]

Hi,

I am a very lost, very confused individual at the moment. I really do not know what to do...I have spoken to the UK home office, Belarussian UK Embassy and solicitors and approved bodies of immigration.

They all give different information, or point me to websites that make no sense....

I have therefore come to this board with a hope to find some clarification.

So here is my situation:-

I have been in a relationship with a lady in Belarus for a year, we met in Belarus, we had a holiday together in Turkey and she lived with me on a tourist visa for 4.5 months in 2009 in the UK.

During her stay in the UK, I asked her to marry me which she accepted.

She has returned home and I have been trying to make plans to go and marry her in Belarus.

I thought it was like this:

1. I get a certificate of non-impediment at the local registrar office (done)
2. I get this certifcate authorised at Milton Keynes (pending)
3. I apply for my tourist visa to Belarus with my tourist voucher
4. We book the registrars office
5. I take these documents along with my passport to Belarus
6. These documents get translated in Belarus
7. We get married
8. We get a visa for her to return
9. We leave Belarus

The UK immigration website is confusing, the Belarussian UK Embassy points you back to the UK home office website...when you speak to them, they just point fingers at each other and neither are willing to help.

Solicitors (who are regulated by the relevant government bodies) know nothing at all...they go on about housing documents, bank statements, wage slips..which is ok for a tourist visa, but I explained this is not a tourist visa.

The bottom line is, no one seems to know what to do and no one wants to help or take responsibility....so I am hoping there is someone here that can clarify.

One point of note on my situation, is that whilst I am currently renting - I am an undischarged bankrupt which was due to the ecomonic situation since the beginning of 2009. I am now recovering from this situation and am moving forward.

Please let me thank anyone in advance for helping me in this matter.

[Casa]

When you say legal advisors 'go on about accomodation' etc for a spouse application, they are absolutely correct.
Basically, you need to submit proof of the following:
Your relationship is genuine.
You have adequate accomodation in the UK, and if rented, a letter from the landlord agreeing to your wife joining you there.
You have sufficient finances to support yourselves without claiming Public Funds (benefits). The 'rule of thumb' is that you need to show you will have a minimum of £100.95 left weekly after rent or mortgage and council
tax have been paid.
You will have to submit bank or savings statements, preferably for the last 6 months, 3 months minimum, + pay slips (6 months) and your last P60 if you have one.
You must both be over the age of 21.
I don't know how long you intend to stay in Belarus, but the visa application could take anything up to 12 weeks for a decision to be made.
The fee for a spouse visa is £585 which will grant a 2 year spouse visa.
After 2 years (under present regulations) your wife would have to apply in the UK for a permanent visa. The current fee for this is £1020 if applied for in person.
Have a look at the form you'll need VAF4a on the visaforuk.fco.gov.uk
website.

[errol100]

Hi Casa,

Many thanks for your input as I say it is much appreciated.


When you say legal advisors 'go on about accomodation' etc for a spouse application, they are absolutely correct.

Would you be so kind as to expand on this. The solicitors talked about housing association documents and searches which I found rather odd.

Funnily enough though, my partners name is on the tenancy agreement although I refused to allow her to sign it. does this have a bearing ?

Basically, you need to submit proof of the following:
Your relationship is genuine.

Absolutely no problems

You have adequate accomodation in the UK, and if rented, a letter from the landlord agreeing to your wife joining you there.

Her name is on the tenancy agreement anyway

You have sufficient finances to support yourselves without claiming Public Funds (benefits). The 'rule of thumb' is that you need to show you will have a minimum of £100.95 left weekly after rent or mortgage and council
tax have been paid.

I think I can show this now

You will have to submit bank or savings statements, preferably for the last 6 months, 3 months minimum, + pay slips (6 months) and your last P60 if you have one.

This might be difficult due to my financial circumstances at the start of the year

You must both be over the age of 21.

Yes

I don't know how long you intend to stay in Belarus, but the visa application could take anything up to 12 weeks for a decision to be made.

I understand this decision could take anywhere up to year X, this is what they told me. But they said in general it takes up to 48 hours and the statistics for decisions show that most are decided within this time. 2 weeks I will stay

The fee for a spouse visa is £585 which will grant a 2 year spouse visa.
After 2 years (under present regulations) your wife would have to apply in the UK for a permanent visa. The current fee for this is £1020 if applied for in person.

Yes I thought so, I am going to have to go to Belarus and sort the Visa there and it is going to be complete chance. I guess I better gather paperwork.

Have a look at the form you'll need VAF4a on the visaforuk.fco.gov.uk

Ok thanks will do

[Casa]

When you've been advised about housing reports etc, it's to show that the accomodation is adequate for you both...no overcrowding. So you need to show how many rooms the property has and what size. Some councils offer this as a service for a fee.
48 hours or even 2 weeks would be amazingly quick for Belarus. Who advised the timescale? Hopefully, one of the other members will have direct experience of applying there.
I understand the problem with Bank statements due to your situation, but are you employed at present, and if so, where is your salary paid into?
The ECO in Belarus will be looking for evidence of your income and how you manage that on a regular basis.

[errol100]

Hi Casa,

Thank you once again for taking the time to help me with this situation as I appreciate that you do not have to...

When you've been advised about housing reports etc, it's to show that the accomodation is adequate for you both...no overcrowding.
So you need to show how many rooms the property has and what size. Some councils offer this as a service for a fee.

Yes, I can see this with the forms you provided me with. It 'could' possibly tell me this on the tenancy agreement I have (which like I say has her name on it). It also corresponds within the timeframes of her visa, so essentially it shows that she lived at this address for just over 3 months before returning home. What do you think ? Would this be adequate ?

48 hours or even 2 weeks would be amazingly quick for Belarus. Who advised the timescale? Hopefully, one of the other members will have direct experience of applying there.

The advisor at the UK embassy in Belarus said it would likely be overnight, without committing 100% to this timescale, or any timescale

I understand the problem with Bank statements due to your situation, but are you employed at present, and if so, where is your salary paid into?
The ECO in Belarus will be looking for evidence of your income and how you manage that on a regular basis.

I am employed at the moment but the economic crisis hit me like a sledge hammer. My partner was with me during this time, but we managed to survive until she returned home.

I have only just opened a bank account again (and thats where my money is going now) and like I say am in the process of re-building. This is something that is difficult to document i.e. the last 6 months of my life, but I can provide wage slips during this time. I can only think that honesty is key here.

[Casa]

The ECO won't be interested in your past credit history...just in how your finances look at present.
The tenancy agreement if it shows how many rooms should be fine.
I hope it goes through smoothly and quickly for you. The fact that your fiance was with you in the UK and is shown on the rental agreement and didn't overstay her visitor visa should strengthen the application.

[errol100]

Thank you again Casa.

To be honest, it is something that I do not have a great deal of experience in and from your reaction, it is obviously highlighted the financial documentation will be my main issue.

Other than this, everything else seems quite positive right ?

I have a few friends who are married to women outside of the EU - one is an older chap and she is from Thailand. One of my other friends is married to a woman from Mongolia.

Is there any real reason why they marry outside of their own countries ?

[errol100]

Also this information might be of use. Visa processing times, I found the document I was looking for:

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/processingtimes

[Wanderer]

Also check the marriage requirements in Belarus, a pound to a penny they follow the old Soviet system like the Russians.

If they do, u need residency in BEL for 32 days before marrying in ZAGS (the registry office) but u can only get a visit visa for a maximum 31 days.

So you need either;

1. Two visit visas one after the other, exit and re-enter.

2. A business visa (russian ones are £300 as an example and last 3/12 months - might have changed tho)

3. A note from a Doc saying u need to be in UK cos of urgent medical treatment, either ur own, translated and notarised, or one from BEL, ur partner will have to use 'blat'' for that - ask her about 'po blatu'

Hopefully BEL will have abandoned this Soviet-style nonsense but as arguably the most 'traditional' of the FSU Republics I wouldn't hold my breath, they still have a KGB!

Udachi vam!

[errol100]

Also check the marriage requirements in Belarus, a pound to a penny they follow the old Soviet system like the Russians.

If they do, u need residency in BEL for 32 days before marrying in ZAGS (the registry office) but u can only get a visit visa for a maximum 31 days.

So you need either;

1. Two visit visas one after the other, exit and re-enter.

2. A business visa (russian ones are £300 as an example and last 3/12 months - might have changed tho)

3. A note from a Doc saying u need to be in UK cos of urgent medical treatment, either ur own, translated and notarised, or one from BEL, ur partner will have to use 'blat'' for that - ask her about 'po blatu'

Hopefully BEL will have abandoned this Soviet-style nonsense but as arguably the most 'traditional' of the FSU Republics I wouldn't hold my breath, they still have a KGB!

I am going to look into this open-ended. Luckily (unbelievably luckily) I have a contact who is so helpful within the Belarussian Embassy. The last time I was due to travel to Belarus her service was absolutely spot-on, like nothing I have experienced from a government office.

Hopefully she is still there...Will keep you posted for a knowledge base.

[errol100]

KNOWLEDGE BASE:-

For your information, Belarus still operates the ZAGS system. You need to personally go and see the registrar and then wait for around 21 days before you can get married (but no later than 90 days).

You are only allowed to leave the country during this time in exceptional circumstances.

RECOMMENDATION:-

It is costly. But I recommend you travel to the country and obtain a fiancee visa from the British Embassy which they only accept in US dollars payment (wierd I know!!!).

You then come back to the UK, obtain a Certificate of Non Impendency from an international registrar (usually the big city in your area) and advise them of your intent to get married, where and when. You then wait 30 days during which time they put up a notice in the Town Hall.

You then have your marriage ceremony whereever. You must then make an appointment to amend the fiancee visa to a spouse / marriage visa.

This is at a cost identical to that of the marriage visa.

It is a little more time consuming, a little more costly but ultimately less frustrating.

[skyepark]

i don't know what stage you have got to. But I married in Belarus, I got a visitors visa for 3 months I could have got just a month, My husband booked an appointment there for the registry we registered everything at the zags, I took my certificate of non impediment had everything translated and notarized and had a ceremony, he had to give 21 days notice which his mother registered on his behalf. all went through. Cant help you with vaf4a though if you can proved funds accommodation and job possibilities for your wife you should be ok.