Spouse Visa And Debt

Hello101

Hello

I am currently in a £15,000 debt which has gone into default over the last year. I have had a total of £20,000, but over the last 6 months, I have managed to bring it down to £15,000. I have just managed to get a job with an earning of £19,000 a year and I am currently paying that off in a monthly instalment plan. I have had one CCJ against my name, however, I have resolved that with the establishment that had made the claim against me and am waiting for it to come off my records.

I got married summer 2015 and would like to make a spouse visa application for my wife as she is about to finish her studies within the next 4-6 months. I am a British Citizen.

My question is: Will my bad financial records and the fact that I am still in quite a bit of debt have a negative effect on the spouse visa application?

I spoke to an immigration solicitor and I was informed they cannot answer my question unless I book a consultation which will cost me £350-£500 as they would need more information from me and that I needed to be their client if they were to give me such a detailed information.

At this moment, I want to avoid having to pay such a high amount as I could use it to repay my debt.

Looking forward to any helpful advise from anyone experienced.

Thanks in advance.

nkkingston

Citizens Advice has some advisers that specialise in immigration. Maybe check the opening hours of your local bureau, or try the webchat on their site?

tallyhoh

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Your solicitor sound a bit expensive. Most do 1/2 consultations free

MrsTinks

I would suggest this is far more of a visa query than a debt query - whilst we can certainly held advise you on how to get your debt down then what impact your past bad credit will have on a spousal application would probably need a very different advice. Have you looked up forums specifically around spousal visas and visas?

EssexHebridean

tallyhoh wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Your solicitor sound a bit expensive. Most do 1/2 consultations free

Not in that field. They *could* do this, but it's a field with good earning potential, so the majority won't give something for nothing when they know people will pay for their services.

Double_V

Hello101 wrote: »

Hello

I am currently in a £15,000 debt which has gone into default over the last year. I have had a total of £20,000, but over the last 6 months, I have managed to bring it down to £15,000. I have just managed to get a job with an earning of £19,000 a year and I am currently paying that off in a monthly instalment plan. I have had one CCJ against my name, however, I have resolved that with the establishment that had made the claim against me and am waiting for it to come off my records.

I got married summer 2015 and would like to make a spouse visa application for my wife as she is about to finish her studies within the next 4-6 months. I am a British Citizen.

My question is: Will my bad financial records and the fact that I am still in quite a bit of debt have a negative effect on the spouse visa application?

I spoke to an immigration solicitor and I was informed they cannot answer my question unless I book a consultation which will cost me £350-£500 as they would need more information from me and that I needed to be their client if they were to give me such a detailed information.

At this moment, I want to avoid having to pay such a high amount as I could use it to repay my debt.

Looking forward to any helpful advise from anyone experienced.

Thanks in advance.

Very frequently asked question.
You're better off on Immigration Board. http://www.immigrationboards.com/

They will help you out.

bamgbost

Another good website is
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/britain-expat-forum-expats-living-uk/


I used this a lot when going through the whole Spouse Visa thing.


Enjoy

user1168934

Double_V wrote: »

Very frequently asked question.
You're better off on Immigration Board. http://www.immigrationboards.com/

They will help you out.

+1 for the immigrationboards. I have used it many times over the years and always found it very useful. Don't pay a penny to your solicitor, he is a rip off.

The visa rules keep on changing but from memory I don't think having a bad credit history will matter but there was a financial requirement for spouse visa which requires you (as the sponsor) to have around £18000ish in savings to demonstrate that you are able to maintain the spouse without asking for public funds. If you are in 15K debt then clearly this will be a problem.
Post your question on immigrationboards and someone will give you the up to date details.

National_Debtline

Hi

I agree with the others that this is a question for someone who specialises in immigration, rather than debt issues.

Going to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau is a good suggestion, as are the immigration boards.

James
@natdebtline

MEM62

It is possible that your financial situation will have an impact on your application. When I went through the process some years ago I was required to demonstrate that I could support my wife. This was by means of an examination of my financial standing - income, savings, expenses & debts etc.

I also arrange the visas for our employees. These are usually ICT but occasionally we help with a spouses visa and it is still a requirement to show a solid financial standing to prove that you can support your wife/husband. Even if they have the entitlement to work you have to show that you have the means to show that you can support them for an initial period. This is usually achieved by having a certain level of savings.