Timing of Bank Statements - Proof of Maintenance Funds

[MrBaboo]

Hi all,

I'm putting together my Tier 1 extension application but it won't happen before 29th June when the transitional rules on maintenance funds finish.

The guidelines state you need to show maintenance funds for the 3 months immediately prior to your application.

My question to everyone is how is this possible given there's almost always going to be a delay between bank statements arriving and the last day of the monthly period they cover.

Put another way, unless I march down to the bank, get a letter confirming funds for the last 3 months and then post my application the very same day I'm never going to be able to satisfy this requirement.

Any practical ideas or experience would help!

[geriatrix]

The answer is simple - get your bank to issue you a out-of-turn bank statement. That is how applicants in India are managing to satisfy this requirement. (a gap of 2-5 working days between issue date and application is acceptable to BHC in India)

But then you will say that it is either (almost) impossible or (exhorbitantly) expensive to arrange an out-of-turn bank statement in UK. My reply to that is again simple - you are applying from within UK but you are following guidelines applicable to applications in India. Means you haven't bothered to read the relevant guidance / check UKBA website at all .

Read the transitional arrangements for maintenance funds in the Tier 1 policy guidance available on UKBA wesbite or check the information published on UKBA website, both of which clearly state the following for in-country applications:

For example, if you apply under Tier 1 (General) on 12 June, a single bank statement with a closing balance of £800 dated between 12 May and 12 June will meet the maintenance requirements. A bank statement dated before 12 May will not be acceptable.

regards

[MrBaboo]

I thank you for your response, my friend, but it seems you're the one who has not properly read or understood my message (and I've been reading the UKBA site and guidance notes all day and frequently over the last two months BTW).

I will by applying after 29th June so the transitional rules will no longer apply. The sentence you quote below is taken directly from the transitional section of the guidance notes hence there are no guarantees its logic can be applied when the full maintenance fund requirements come into force.

Common sense says that the UKBA has to accept some reasonable delay with maintenance documents and I'm trying to work out what that is in practice (besides, common sense is not something UKBA shows a lot of).

I'm encouraged to hear an out-of-turn statement with a 2-5 day delay is being accepted in India.

Read the transitional arrangements for maintenance funds in the Tier 1 policy guidance available on UKBA wesbite or check the information published on UKBA website, both of which clearly state the following for in-country applications:

For example, if you apply under Tier 1 (General) on 12 June, a single bank statement with a closing balance of £800 dated between 12 May and 12 June will meet the maintenance requirements. A bank statement dated before 12 May will not be acceptable.

[hussainkothari]

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/worki ... intenance/

The personal bank or building society statements should clearly show:
your name;
the account number;
the date of the statement;
the financial institution's name and logo;
transactions covering a three-month period;
that there are sufficient funds present in the account on a regular basis that meet our minimum level of maintenance (funds) requirement; and
the receipt of funds along with regular withdrawals from the account.
Internet statements are acceptable provided they have the above information.

You can submit the online bank stmts for maintainance funds. This is OK with the BIA. I had submitted online stmts and my application was approved. I had shown the bank stmts until a day priory to the day of application

Hope this resolves your issue.

-H

[MrBaboo]

I'm embarressed to admit I didn't see that line. The very stringent requirements for proof of salary w.r.t. bank statements somehow blinkered me, I suspect.

Hope this resolves your issue.

Yes! Many thanks!

[geriatrix]

I did miss noting that you are applying after 29-Jun, and not before. My apologies.


regards

[MrBaboo]

I did miss noting that you are applying after 29-Jun, and not before. My apologies.


regards

No problem, this forum quite often has a lot of people who don't do their own research so I understand the reaction.

I did appreciate your response anyway as you had some practical solutions for (what turned out to be) my imagined problem.

[purple2008]

My bank statement doesn't have a "date" of issue. It just details the period covered, for instance, it says May 24 to June 23 -- is the date of the statement considered May 24 or June 23?

If I applied on June 28, would this qualify for the one-month maintenance funds requirement?

[quote="sushdmehta"]The answer is simple - get your bank to issue you a out-of-turn bank statement. That is how applicants in India are managing to satisfy this requirement. (a gap of 2-5 working days between issue date and application is acceptable to BHC in India)

But then you will say that it is either (almost) impossible or (exhorbitantly) expensive to arrange an out-of-turn bank statement in UK. My reply to that is again simple - you are applying from within UK but you are following guidelines applicable to applications in India. Means you haven't bothered to read the relevant guidance / check UKBA website at all .

Read the transitional arrangements for maintenance funds in the Tier 1 policy guidance available on UKBA wesbite or check the information published on UKBA website, both of which clearly state the following for in-country applications:
[quote="[url=http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/siteco ... yguide.pdf]Tier 1 policy guidance[/url]"]For example, if you apply under Tier 1 (General) on 12 June, a single bank statement with a closing balance of £800 dated between 12 May and 12 June will meet the maintenance requirements. A bank statement dated before 12 May will not be acceptable. [/quote]


regards[/quote]

[MrBaboo]

My bank statement doesn't have a "date" of issue. It just details the period covered, for instance, it says May 24 to June 23 -- is the date of the statement considered May 24 or June 23?

If I applied on June 28, would this qualify for the one-month maintenance funds requirement?

I'm pretty sure it would. Your statement must have been produced on or after June 23 and it clearly shows the funds for at least one day in the preceding month.

[geriatrix]

Let's play with dates in this statement as per your application date and see if the statement then makes sense to you.

For example, if you apply under Tier 1 (General) on 28 June, a single bank statement with a closing balance of £800 dated between 28 May and 28 June will meet the maintenance requirements. A bank statement dated before 28 May will not be acceptable.

So, as long as your bank statement shows a closing balance of 800 pounds on any day between may 28 and june 28, it will be enough - irrespective of the date when the bank statement was issued to you. As I understand it, the date of issue of bank statement is not the point here, its the availability of maintenance funds during the 1 month prior to the application (closing balance in this case, under transitional arrangements).

You can't get a bank statement to show you a closing balance on a particular date, unless the date is upon you or has already passed. (e.g.- can you get a statement on June 22 to show a closing balance of 800 pounds on June 23?). Therefore, since your bank statement shows a closing balance of 800 pounds on June 23, it automatically means that it was issued to you either on or after June 23, which fulfils the requirement. Conversely, they don't want a statement dated before May 28 from you because any such statement would show closing balance only until May 27, which breaks the 1 month condition.

Getting the point, or have I managed to confuse you completely?

regards

[geriatrix]

206. This evidence must be original, on the official letter-headed paper or stationery of the organisation and bearing the official stamp of that organisation. It must have been issued by an authorised offi cial of that organisation.

For applications submitted outside of the UK, all evidence must be dated no more than 7 days before the application is submitted.

For applications submitted in the UK, all evidence must be dated no more than one month before the application is submitted.

regards

[vkm81]

Hi,
Please do not ignore! It is very important that some one gives me a reply. Please!

I am planning to apply for EC this week from India. I have maintained my funds in UK bank account (HSBC) for past 3 months. But I have a problem. I have ordered the bank statements on 22 June 2008, it took 4 days for the statements to reach UK address. My friend couriered the statements the same day and I am expecting them to reach India anytime soon. My statements will be atleast 11-12 days old by the time I apply for EC.Now BHC says that the statements should be no older than 7 days. After seeing in todays post for rejection of application for not complying the 7 days time line I am very worried.

What could I possibly do?????

Please suggest me as this would mean a refusal in my case.

All replies will be highly appreciated.

Regards
vkm81

[CoolestGuyC]

Hi,
Please do not ignore! It is very important that some one gives me a reply. Please!

I am planning to apply for EC this week from India. I have maintained my funds in UK bank account (HSBC) for past 3 months. But I have a problem. I have ordered the bank statements on 22 June 2008, it took 4 days for the statements to reach UK address. My friend couriered the statements the same day and I am expecting them to reach India anytime soon. My statements will be atleast 11-12 days old by the time I apply for EC.Now BHC says that the statements should be no older than 7 days. After seeing in todays post for rejection of application for not complying the 7 days time line I am very worried.

What could I possibly do?????

Please suggest me as this would mean a refusal in my case.

All replies will be highly appreciated.

Regards
vkm81

When people are not replying, it means that they don't know the solution!! Anyways, how about trying following alternative ideas:

1. Try and contact HSBC India and ask them for providing UK Bank account statement after explaining the situation here.

2. Call UK HSBC and ask them directly to post the statement in India. Ask them if they have Express Courier facilities for sending statements overseas, explaining that you need this statement within 3-4 days in India and if required you will pay for the express courier service.
BTW, there is "Message" facility in HSBC online account, where you can send them message and they usually reply within 1-2 days. Alternatively you can call them on their customer care numbers.
(FYI: Currently HSBC gives last 12 months duplicate account statement free by post in UK address for certain type of accounts)

3. Alternatively, after HSBC statement arrives at your/ friend's address, ask your friend to "Exress Courier" it to you from UK. I am sure there should be "Overnight courier" facilities available somewhere in UK(I know there was a facility in Blue Dart to send courier "overnight" from Bangalore to London within 18-20 hours, and their charge would be something like 2700 INR). Find some company in UK which can do the same. This way you can definitely get your statement in max 6 days (4 days POST in UK +1-2 days courier to INDIA)

All above ideas are either messy or costly, and require significant effort, and I sure do feel sorry for this discomfort caused to you