Unmarried partner visa

[krs133]

Hello,

I am a UK national whose partner is currently here on Tier 2 and will qualify for an unmarried partner visa from March 2012. We are currently in the process of getting things together for the application. I think our application is fairly straightforward but there are a few things I could do with clarity on.

- We have the following supporting documents:

1. Joint tenancy agreement, for March 2010-11 and March 2011-12. We will also renew our tenancy next year so it will be ongoing at the time of application.

2. Joint bank account statements, starting from around two weeks after we moved in, covering the whole period we have lived together and which will also continue through the time of application.

3. Council tax bills in both our names - these are only sent annually so we have two of these.

4. Joint gas and electricity bills - also a small number as I foolishly switched to 'paper free billing' (which I have since turned off)

5. Various items of individual correspondence.

6. Payslips and individual bank statements to confirm maintenance.

Is the above going to be enough? My main concern is that the only joint documents which cover every month for the two years are the joint bank statements, while the other documents are sporadic or are items of individual correspondence. From searching this forum people have said they get asked to produce documents from a random month, and after a while get told (e.g.) "no more bank statements" - I'm a bit worried that for most months the only joint evidence we have is the bank statement (as well as the tenancy covering the full year), and that if they say "no more bank statements" we won't have anything else to show for a given month...

- My partner spoke to immigration solicitors yesterday who said that on top of the required information we would also need to provide supplementary evidence of being in a committed relationship such as emails, SMS, etc. But having looked at this forum and some others, the impression is that this is not necessary unless there has been a break in our living together or similar (which there hasn't been in our case) - am I right in thinking this, and if so is there any point in our gathering such evidence?

- If we apply in person but submit an online application in advance, is the date of the application the appointment date, or the date we submitted the application?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give

[Casa]

In the same way as with a married couple's application you will need to submit evidence that the relationship is genuine and 'akin to marriage'. I.e that you're not just 'boyfriend and girlfriend' or two people who share the home rental. Photos...holidays together?
Is your partner exempt from the A1 English test?

[krs133]

Thanks - that is helpful, but also a little confusing because the advisory documents at UKBA make no reference to needing such supplementary information (beyond the 6 items of correspondence from at least 3 sources, which we have). I assumed that the evidence of, for example, joint bank account would be enough to demonstrate a 'marriage-like relationship' and photos, evidence of holidays etc would be unnecessary. Am I wrong? It's not that we can't get this evidence, it's just whether there's any need to if it won't be asked for.

Yes, she is exempt from English language requirement as she is from an English speaking country.

[Casa]

Your solicitor was right. An application as an Unmarried Partner comes under a great deal of scrutiny.
As this is your first application under this visa category, it would be unwise not to submit evidence showing the contact you have had during the relationship (photos etc)...apart from joint finances.
List these under the section: additional documents
How long as your partner been in the UK on a Tier 2 visa and when will it expire?

[krs133]

Thanks. She has been on a Tier 2 since January 2010 and it is due for renewal in January 2013.

[Dabby]

We applied for an unmarried partner visa. We've been living together four years and had more joint bill evidence than you are proving, yet we still got refused. We are currently appealing and providing everything from msn conversations and emails to dinner receipts, hotel stays and letters from friends and family. They said that whilst they acknowledge we were living together on the balance of probabilities they don't believe it was in "a relationship akin to marriage". My advice is provide every shred of evidence that not only were you living together, but it was in a relationship akin to marriage. Or face a now costly appeal and a hell of a lengthy wait as we are now going through. It's horrible. It's seems like a lot of waste of time getting together all this evidence which to you seems like a waste of time but believe me, you will need it and appreciate the effort it takes finding all those bits of evidence from your life. They won't be happy until they know everything about your life. I wish I had just taped us in the act as I don't know what more evidence I can give them besides every piece of evidence from our lives together! I hope they overturn their ridiculous assumptions in the appeal.... Seriously, give them everything you have and look at it from their point of view. They look at the balance of probabilities rather than real life which isn't always the ideal balance of probabilities they seek.

[krs133]

Hi Dabby. I'm sorry you have had that experience but thank you for telling me about it - I will make sure we gather everything we can find, and good luck with your appeal.

[potcakes]

We have just successfully got our unmarried spousal visa. We put in all the things you mentioned, plus
A bank reference letter
Joint wills
Photos of us, family members together.
Phone contracts
Every scrap of envelopes that showed us living together
Joint Gym membership

It was a lot of stuff, and a lot of frustration but it was worth it.


Dont give up.

[Dabby]

potcakes - congratulations! How long were you waiting? Where did you apply from?

krs133 - no problem. If I can spare someone else the unnecessary hell we're going through that's good. I wish I'd known we should have provided all the extra things in the first place. I'll keep you posted on how it all goes. We applied in August, got refused end of September, Appealed in October and are now waiting for the appeal process to laze about and make up it's mind. In the meantime my partner in stuck in India (he had to go back to apply apparently) and I'm trying to manage our joint bills alone as well as being alone. It's so hard.

I hope all goes well for you. Best of Luck to you.