SoulTax
Executive Member
This thread is for anyone that thinks they have an escape plan on hand if the **** hits the fan in SA. Many of your escape plans are not as quick as you would like to think. I will recount my exact situation in the hopes that it helps people in a similar stead.
First off I am a UK citizen by virtue of both parents being born in England. My Wife is a South African citizen. We intend to move to the UK now for family and personal reason, but the process is the same as it would be if the **** had hit the fan.
Applying for a 2 year settlement (Spousal) Visa to the UK, for your spouse is the first step to getting both of you there. This process has a few hoops to jump through, that the visa application agency is not very candid about.
There is a lot of support documentation that is required to accompany your application. In many cases it could take you up to a week or 2 to get hold of this information. Depending on who is going to be the sponsor on the application form, they will need to provide bank statements, payslips, rental agreements, bond applications, residential addresses and proof of their right to stay there, etc...
Assuming that this SHF (**** hit the fan), case would leave both of you in SA at the time that you apply. Unless you have got a few hundred thousand rands available in savings to support you while finding work over there. You will be stuck with requiring a family member, already settled in the UK, to put themselves down as a sponsor. If and only if the UK government believes that this person could financially support you while jobhunting, then they will approve the Visa application.
Time taken, 1 - 2 weeks gathering supporting documentation (Best case scenario). 2-3 weeks waiting for visa app to come through.
A total of 3-5 weeks in the best case scenario for getting that settlement visa.
3-5 weeks seems acceptable in some cases, the SHF case this is not very quick though.
Now for the major hurdle. They require proof that your spouse can speak English. The UK Visa Border Agency is not very forthcoming with the information on their website as to how this proof can be attained in the case that you dont have an exemption from the English language requirement. There are a few things that exempt you from the English language requirement. None of which apply to the standard SA citizen.
If you are not exempt then there are only a handful of things that will suffice in the UK's eyes. A full Bachelor's degree, shown to be taught in english, and fully recognised by the UK NARIC. If not recognised, it does not count.
Nothing less or more will suffice. Diplomas, certificates, matric, o-levels, A-levels, Honours, Masters and Doctrates do not apply. (Confusing I know).
If you do not have the above, then you must complete an english exam set up by the UK Border Agency. You may get fooled a little, as the UK Border Agency and the UK Visa Border Agency, seem to be the same thing. During the application process they do not clarify the difference. So you can very easily be fooled into thinking that your English test will be done on the day at the UK Visa Border Agency as part of the application. Dont be fooled, they are not the same thing, and you will have to chase them up, high and low to get hold of all the right information on where to apply for the test.
This Exam will cost you R1900 in 2011 and has on average a 6-8 week waiting list in JHB and PTA. The exam marks take around 3-4 weeks to come through once completed. So close on 3 months just for the english exam. And you cannot apply for your Visa without handing in these marks or you will be denied and lose the R9000 application fee for that Visa, you will have to try again, another R9000. Once you recieve the results, they will be usable for 2 years, after which they expire and you need to redo the exam.
So added to the other best case scenario and taking away the 1-2 weeks to find supporting docs as these will be done while waiting for your English results. You are looking at 3 - 3.5 months from the point of SHF to getting your Visa, if you are successful in your first application.
You cannot apply for the Visa and keep it in the Safe as it expires after 2 years, after which applying for another one is much harder as its a settlement visa, not a convenient, all access pass visa. If you did not make use of the first, they will be very unwilling to process a second.
My advice would be to get the english language test sorted out every 2 years if you really do intend to wait for the oh **** day, should it come. The test will be the biggest block you have.
We found all this out the hard way, especially the English Test. We found out that the test is done indipendant of the UK Visa Border Agency, almost by accident the day before going to the appointment where you hand in the documentation.
The rest of the info on the websites are quite helpful, just the english language test is a little ambiguous. The time taken may catch some people by surprise so take heed of the time this will take you for any future applications.
First off I am a UK citizen by virtue of both parents being born in England. My Wife is a South African citizen. We intend to move to the UK now for family and personal reason, but the process is the same as it would be if the **** had hit the fan.
Applying for a 2 year settlement (Spousal) Visa to the UK, for your spouse is the first step to getting both of you there. This process has a few hoops to jump through, that the visa application agency is not very candid about.
There is a lot of support documentation that is required to accompany your application. In many cases it could take you up to a week or 2 to get hold of this information. Depending on who is going to be the sponsor on the application form, they will need to provide bank statements, payslips, rental agreements, bond applications, residential addresses and proof of their right to stay there, etc...
Assuming that this SHF (**** hit the fan), case would leave both of you in SA at the time that you apply. Unless you have got a few hundred thousand rands available in savings to support you while finding work over there. You will be stuck with requiring a family member, already settled in the UK, to put themselves down as a sponsor. If and only if the UK government believes that this person could financially support you while jobhunting, then they will approve the Visa application.
Time taken, 1 - 2 weeks gathering supporting documentation (Best case scenario). 2-3 weeks waiting for visa app to come through.
A total of 3-5 weeks in the best case scenario for getting that settlement visa.
3-5 weeks seems acceptable in some cases, the SHF case this is not very quick though.
Now for the major hurdle. They require proof that your spouse can speak English. The UK Visa Border Agency is not very forthcoming with the information on their website as to how this proof can be attained in the case that you dont have an exemption from the English language requirement. There are a few things that exempt you from the English language requirement. None of which apply to the standard SA citizen.
If you are not exempt then there are only a handful of things that will suffice in the UK's eyes. A full Bachelor's degree, shown to be taught in english, and fully recognised by the UK NARIC. If not recognised, it does not count.
Nothing less or more will suffice. Diplomas, certificates, matric, o-levels, A-levels, Honours, Masters and Doctrates do not apply. (Confusing I know).
If you do not have the above, then you must complete an english exam set up by the UK Border Agency. You may get fooled a little, as the UK Border Agency and the UK Visa Border Agency, seem to be the same thing. During the application process they do not clarify the difference. So you can very easily be fooled into thinking that your English test will be done on the day at the UK Visa Border Agency as part of the application. Dont be fooled, they are not the same thing, and you will have to chase them up, high and low to get hold of all the right information on where to apply for the test.
This Exam will cost you R1900 in 2011 and has on average a 6-8 week waiting list in JHB and PTA. The exam marks take around 3-4 weeks to come through once completed. So close on 3 months just for the english exam. And you cannot apply for your Visa without handing in these marks or you will be denied and lose the R9000 application fee for that Visa, you will have to try again, another R9000. Once you recieve the results, they will be usable for 2 years, after which they expire and you need to redo the exam.
So added to the other best case scenario and taking away the 1-2 weeks to find supporting docs as these will be done while waiting for your English results. You are looking at 3 - 3.5 months from the point of SHF to getting your Visa, if you are successful in your first application.
You cannot apply for the Visa and keep it in the Safe as it expires after 2 years, after which applying for another one is much harder as its a settlement visa, not a convenient, all access pass visa. If you did not make use of the first, they will be very unwilling to process a second.
My advice would be to get the english language test sorted out every 2 years if you really do intend to wait for the oh **** day, should it come. The test will be the biggest block you have.
We found all this out the hard way, especially the English Test. We found out that the test is done indipendant of the UK Visa Border Agency, almost by accident the day before going to the appointment where you hand in the documentation.
The rest of the info on the websites are quite helpful, just the english language test is a little ambiguous. The time taken may catch some people by surprise so take heed of the time this will take you for any future applications.
