Proving relationship status

Piggles12345

Pee wrote: »

I think this is a good case for getting married. Is that an option?

I have a very strong objection to marriage. I think that visa purposes are the only possible reason I would ever conceivably think about getting married.

So, it is a possibility... But rather like sawing off your own leg as a possibility for curing a shaving rash!

Mojisola

SkipE wrote: »

We are in the process of applying for a spouse visa and have been asked to supply things like dated photos, cards addressed to both of us ie thank you cards, wedding invites, things like travel documents etc.

Thing is we never kept any of this stuff not realising we would need to prove the relationship for the past 5 years we are struggling to put it all together.

This is so unrealistic. We don't keep any of these things either. We have photos but none of them are dated. Would they accept signed statements from people who have known you both for some years?

Soubrette

If you have lived together do you have a joint bank account - can you prove that two incomes were put regularly in the account over a number of years?

If you have been living in this country - can you ask the council to confirm who has been living at your address ie on the electoral roll?

Have you ever made a joint claim for benefits, loans or savings accounts?

Is one or the other a named driver on the others insurance?

Do you have any pictures of both of you at events such as weddings, if so can you ask the couple if they have any invitations or if they can write and confirm the date of the wedding or event enclosing a photocopy of any evidence they have such as their marriage cert to back that up.

Do friends have any dated photos? We don't have the date on our camera but some people do as a matter of course.

Can both your places of work confirm if you have gone to work events together?

I would hope that cumulative evidence would show you were a couple.

Sou

Soubrette

Another thought - if either of you have credit cards where the other person is a secondary card holder - could the credit card company confirm this and how long they have been a secondary card holder?

Do you have friends such as police officers, teachers, lawyers, GPs who for some reason are deemed more upstanding than the rest of us :rolleyes: who would be prepared to write and confirm the length of time they have known you and that you are a couple?

Sou

Soubrette

SkipE wrote: »

We are in the process of applying for a spouse visa and have been asked to supply things like dated photos, cards addressed to both of us ie thank you cards, wedding invites, things like travel documents etc.

Thing is we never kept any of this stuff not realising we would need to prove the relationship for the past 5 years we are struggling to put it all together.

SkipE - do you have passport stamps in your passports that show going away on the same dates?

Or have you both been living in different countries?

Sou

Piggles12345

Soubrette wrote: »

If you have lived together do you have a joint bank account - can you prove that two incomes were put regularly in the account over a number of years? Yes we have a joint back account, but we have only recently opened it (about 9 months ago).

If you have been living in this country - can you ask the council to confirm who has been living at your address ie on the electoral roll? We have been living in the UK and we have kept all of our council tax bills. Does this prove we are a couple? Or that we have just lived together (i.e. as housemates?).

Have you ever made a joint claim for benefits, loans or savings accounts? No we have never made a joint claim for anything like loans, benefits or savings.

Is one or the other a named driver on the others insurance? Neither of us drive.

Do you have any pictures of both of you at events such as weddings, if so can you ask the couple if they have any invitations or if they can write and confirm the date of the wedding or event enclosing a photocopy of any evidence they have such as their marriage cert to back that up. Ha ha! We avoid events like this at all costs! There are a lot of pictures of us at our various graduation ceremonies together.

Do friends have any dated photos? We don't have the date on our camera but some people do as a matter of course. No-one has ever taken a picture of us together; apart from our parents at our various graduation days!!

Can both your places of work confirm if you have gone to work events together? I'm sure they could! Although we tend to avoid work events at all costs as well!

I would hope that cumulative evidence would show you were a couple.

Sou

You would think that this sort of evidence would show that we are a couple and have been for a number of years but some work colleagues of mine have said that many immigration authorities can put a lot of your 'evidence' down to being housemates and friends and say that things like council tax bills don't prove that you are a couple.

Piggles12345

Soubrette wrote: »

Another thought - if either of you have credit cards where the other person is a secondary card holder - could the credit card company confirm this and how long they have been a secondary card holder?

Do you have friends such as police officers, teachers, lawyers, GPs who for some reason are deemed more upstanding than the rest of us :rolleyes: who would be prepared to write and confirm the length of time they have known you and that you are a couple?

Sou

Neither of us have credit cards. And yes, we know an awful lot of upstanding people!!

Soubrette

I think it's a cumulative thing - so yes housemates will both be on the electoral roll - but it is unlikely that they have moved from house to house together, although good friends might.

Housemates and friends might also go out to some events together but would they go out to all of them?

However, if all you can produce is a 9 month old bank account and council tax bills then you might find it difficult to convince immigration that you are a couple.

You have to be thinking - what do I have which someone who is fraudulently claiming wouldn't have?

How long ago were the graduations?

Also, how imminent do you want your move to be - British immigration seem to want 2 years worth of proof of coupledom - could you start collecting the kind of things they want now with a view to moving in 2 years (or 15 months if you use the bank account as a starting point)?

Sou

Soubrette

Piggles12345 wrote: »

Neither of us have credit cards. And yes, we know an awful lot of upstanding people!!

That might be a good start for you then - if these people will sign something official from a solicitor confirming you are a couple - better yet if they are people you know from different walks of life, rather than within the same group of friends.

Sou

seven-day-weekend

Piggles12345 wrote: »

You would think that this sort of evidence would show that we are a couple and have been for a number of years but some work colleagues of mine have said that many immigration authorities can put a lot of your 'evidence' down to being housemates and friends and say that things like council tax bills don't prove that you are a couple.

Yes, quite correct, my son and his lodger have CT bills in both their names. They are not and never have been a couple. When he had tweo lodgers, all three of them had the bill in their name.