Financial Test - 6months statements necessary???

[RPatanakar]

Hi There,

I am UK citizen recently married in India to Indian citizen. not
Met Nov, married Dec in religious ceremony, only managed to get legal registration March (lot of new rules in India caused delay).

i am now back in Scotland, one week into new £20k job. Please would you advise on following:

1) Financial test guidlelines suggest 6 months back statements and P60. I didn't work whilst in india and bank balance a little in the red (£800), but first months salary forthcoming. (£1267) I know they 6 months bank statements as guidelines...... but having weighed things careful we don't want to wait 6 full months before applying. As long as all my other evidence is strong, can we apply more or less straight away and be hopefully about passing financial test according to your experience?

2) any special rules for Scotland? Assume all UK is same, but if not where to find them?

3)can they view the relatively short length of our relationship egatively? do you think the delay of marriage in dec and registered legal marraige in March will go against us? (we had to have bans displayed 30 days etc, then office closures, blah blah new rules in india)

4)Husband has never had a copy of his birth cert and doesn't know where to start to get one. Is this a vital doc?

5) Just realised been chatting free on voicechat over the net since returning and no phonebills available to substantiate calls. Will emails suffice (they are a bit few and far between as we chat online or voicetalk on net)


Any advice most gratefully received.

With thanks!

Rachel[/i][/b]

[BG101]

1) Financial test guidlelines suggest 6 months back statements and P60. I didn't work whilst in india and bank balance a little in the red (£800), but first months salary forthcoming. (£1267) I know they 6 months bank statements as guidelines...... but having weighed things careful we don't want to wait 6 full months before applying. As long as all my other evidence is strong, can we apply more or less straight away and be hopefully about passing financial test according to your experience?

6 months proof of income are required. What proof do you have that you will still be in this job in 6 months?

Providing ANY statements in support of an application showing an overdrawn balance without supporting evidence that future income guarantees self sufficiency is seen as financial insolvency (inability to maintain yourself and your spouse without recourse to public funds) and will usually result in refusal.

2) any special rules for Scotland? Assume all UK is same, but if not where to find them?

Rules are the same for UK.

3)can they view the relatively short length of our relationship egatively? do you think the delay of marriage in dec and registered legal marraige in March will go against us? (we had to have bans displayed 30 days etc, then office closures, blah blah new rules in india)

You need to provide evidence that your marriage is subsisting.

4)Husband has never had a copy of his birth cert and doesn't know where to start to get one. Is this a vital doc?

Yes, unless he has other suitable PROOF of his identity and nationality.

5) Just realised been chatting free on voicechat over the net since returning and no phonebills available to substantiate calls. Will emails suffice (they are a bit few and far between as we chat online or voicetalk on net)

Insufficient proof of contact will result in refusal. In my case, despite having provided 12 months' worth of contact evidence, including hundreds of hours' worth of phone calls, thousands of text messages and numerous emails during the year following our marriage (having been kept apart following previous refusal) we were refused on the grounds of a "non-subsisting" marriage because "although you provided evidence of contact since your marriage, you did not provide evidence prior to this" (reason being we used calling cards before I found out about availability of international calls using access numbers but they weren't interested in this, even when I provided scans of the calling cards as proof)


Unless you pass EVERY test you will be refused. Sorry but that is my experience


BG

[badboyz]

You can use www.18185.co.uk and http://www.voipdiscount.com/en/index.html to record your call history and print it out.

[RPatanakar]

Hi There,

Sincere thanks for your most helpful advice. We have been to see the IAS and that has helped give us an anchor. They feel our case is strong. I am in my first months work now, and they recommend that I give at least 3-4 bank statements showing a positive bank balance. It will take me another month to get out of the red (we're only talking about £1K). We feel strongly about not wanting to risk it going to appeals, and know that means feeling confident we can satisfy the requirements, but everything else in our case is very strong, especially accommodation and contact as I spent 4 months out in india before getting married it's only the financial aspect. How risky do you think submitting 2 statements in the red and four in the black is? Alternatively will submitting ONLY 3/4 positive statements automatically arouse suspicions about my previous finances (because I have chosen to give only 4 instead of 6). Am I being too cautious, or not cautious enough, in your good opinion? I know I will have to make my own decision, but your advice is helpful!!!

Sincerely,

Rachel

[BG101]

I've been thinking about this one and believe you would be better sending all 6 statements, with a cover note explaining the reason for the overdrawn balance on the first two is due to your stay in India.

It will be obvious (hopefully) to the ECO that you have sufficient income now not only to recover from the drbt but to build up some money in the future, sufficient to fund your married life here.


Hope this helps

BG