Hi folks,

I have been greatly blessed by your honest input to this forum and I must thank the administrators of the forum for a job well done.

Please I need your honest opinion on this matter. I just got an admission to do a PG programme in London. I am currently in London but will be coming back home late this month to apply for the student Visa as I am meant to start in Feb. My wife is currently a copper back home and I just want to ask if it is wise to apply together, that is with her as my dependent or if I should go first and then she will apply afterwards.


I know that I stand a good chance because I have been to the UK about 3 times in the past 4 years without over staying but you never know with these people.

Please I'd like your honest opinion on this esp if you have had thesame experience.

Thanks

Regards

Hi guys, still waiting to hear from you!!!!!,

if u are not fully loaded as in cash wise or if ur application states that ur being sponsored by someone other than ur self, then i think u shud apply for jst u, ur wife can always apply in the future. infact watever the case is i personally think u shud apply for yourself alone first esp. since its a student visa.

Ol'boy I been dey reply you before but I no know watin happen anyway!
Its easier having a child as dependent than husband/wife. When you dependent is a husband/wife they kind of believe you guys are going for good. Remember before your students visa was issued, you claimed to have some family ties to Nigeria which am sure your wife is one of those ties. This guys want you to study in their country, pay the 3 times international students fee compare to citizens/residence and go back to your home country at the conclusion of your study eventhough they know very well that 99% of us want to stay/live there after our studies. I'm not too sure what the sponsorship requirement for UK is (check their state department web) but here in the U.S its about $15,150.00. So, for anyone to qualify to sponsor just you, that person need to make about $30,300 a year. If your sponsor is married, his household income is automatically $30,300 + $15,150.00 so their total income has to be atleast $45,450.00 a year to be eligible to sponsor just you. If they have to sponsor both you and your wife, their income has to be atleast $60,600 a year to be eligible to sponsor both of you. If they have kids/children, add extra $4,150.00 per child. You didn't mention how you're paying your tuition/fee? 9 out of 10 times, sponsors don't pay the school fees for the student. They kind of sign those forms and letters to just help you gain your admission once you get here its OYO (on your own) remember students visa does not permit you to work and when you can its only about 20hours a week unless you find a job under the table (illegally). Also remember that its very hard for anyone to accommodate you and your wife together so their must be some kind of accommodation plan if you guys are going together. Do you have enough pay to take care of the two of you till your study finish? Remember that students visa becomes a STATUS when you're there! inother word, you might have 2yrs students visa but once you miss a semester (Fall or Spring) you automatically become an illegal immigrant. In U.S you need another i.20 from a school to reinstate that status and if you're unlucky, they'll tell you you have to go back to your home of origin to get another visa! I'm sure you know what that mean! How do you plan to change your students visa status? Do you have any company that will file for a residence visa for you? if not my guy e go hard with your wife around Oh! cux if your last bet na to marry Oyibo, you go first divorce your wife before you marry anybody same thing goes to her. Anyway, if anyone here tell you its not doable, they're lying to you and if anyone say its easy, they lying too but trust you'll be fine! Good luck!

word

@post
I advice you apply for yours and if yours is successful, you can then tell your wife to submit hers. Travelling to the uk three times in the last four years is ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEE that you will be given a visa nor you stand a better chance than someone who has never stepped a foot outside nigeria. I know so many people that have been visiting the uk all their lives, have 5years visiting visas on their passports and they were still effortlessly refused student study visas by BHC.

Spot on Funky

Thanks guys and girls for everything. I live in the South West (though currently am still in the UK) and I am beginning to wonder if I should apply through Abuja or Lagos since lagos BHC is so paranoid. The school international office here in the UK called BHC and they said that it takes about 2weeks to get the Visas as I will be applying early January with the hope of travelling early Feb. I am now worried but I still hope to apply early January. I guess I may have to apply alone 1st of all but I am really wondering how easy it will be for my wife to join me afterwards, more sugggestions brothers and sisters, more suggestions,

@poster
You intend applying for student visa first week in january and you are still in uk visiting as at now. I doubt if bhc will like the date of the entry stamp on your passport. They might probably assume that you have been in uk hussling for school fees money and now that you've raised small dough, you have come back to naija and you want to quickly apply for student visa. Look,rather than asking for suggestions upon suggestions, just come back to naija, prepare all the necessary documents and apply. Student visas require proper preparation. At the moment, you are still debating on whether to apply alone or with your wife. Applying in victoria island, oregun, ibadan or abuja makes no difference. Its proper planning and submitting the right documents backed up with prayers and fasting is all that matters.

@post
Dont worry about your wife. Sort yourself out first. Once you can do that and find your feet in uk(financially and accommodation wise), your wife already has her one leg in london. Worst case scenario,she can start by applying for visiting, then later apply through the dependant route.

Good day to all the folks in the house. It's been a while and good to be back here.

@kidonig
I'm hoping you might be able to draw a thing or two from my personal experience. At the time i'd wanted to put in my application i was faced with the same predicament as yours,  Whether to apply alone in the first instance or with my dependents at the same time. My situation was quite challenging then and needed critical consideration as my depenedents included wife and kid. And to make matters worse, term start time coincided with my yearly house rent which would mean having to shell out some odd 800k for this if my dependants would stay behind. Wife had quit her job the previous year for full time homemaking (another challenge on intent to return). Anyway cutting the long story short, after much deliberation, i decided to bite the bullet and put in a family application for all of us. Personally for me, i couldn't stand being away from my wife and kid for that long and even with them being able to visit regularly won't do especially as i needed that bonding with my kid at his formative stage. Long distance phone calls won't help much for us at that stage. It was either we were all granted together or in the worst case refused and stay put in nigeria. I wrote a personal statement to buttress the reasons why i needed my family there with me during my studies and the rest is now history.

My case might have been an exception rather than the rule and I just might have been downright lucky. I'll say as others have advised earlier, it might make more sense to apply for yours first and let your dependent join you later. However narration of my experience is just to highlight the fact that you'll really have to assess your situation critically in determining what's appropriate for you. You might want to bear in mind the followiing:

How long you've been married.

Your employment situation in Nigeria.

If you're self sponsored or being sponsored (personally i think it's more difficult to make a case for a sponsor paying for both yourself and dependent).

The strength of your evidence of intent to return. In my own case, the evidence had to cover myself and dependents as well.  (however if i could recall, i think in one of the immigration documents i'd perused some time ago, refusal cannot be made solely on the basis of the applicant not being able to provide evidence of intention to return after course of study as students are now allowed to stay back a year - or now two with psw after studies.).

If your wife would join you later, bear in mind that she would still have to satisfy the same conditions of intent to return, adequate accomodation, financial capabilities etc, same as you would have to do when putting in a joint application. I think the differentiating factor is the evidence of the amount of funds needed which would be greater in case of a joint application.



I think the mistake some regular travellers (even with current visitor's visa) make with student visa application is in getting complacent about performing appropriate due diligence with their application and  donning the attitude of "I've been to the UK several times, that should be good enough for the bhc guys". Prepare your application like you've never been issued a visa before and your previous visa(s) might favourably complement your current application. Just my personal take. Regards

@ poster, u'v gota sort yourself out first, besides as a student all the other rights follow, as long as you are genuinely studying in the U.K & u can show evidence of financial support for yur partner, screw me if i'm wrong, but with your student visa you have the right to invite anyone else, it's some right every student in the U.K has.i'm in the U.K as well, so u gota sort yourself out then ypour partner afterwards

Paribus and f6:

Thanks a lot for the heart felt reply. My special thanks goes to Paribus. I think he actually feels me as he hit the nail in the head in a number of ways. I felt rather encougared by the post and I am now inclined to pursue my application first of all because having my wife in Nigeria is tie to the country. I actually have a sponsor but taking Paribus' opinion, it may not be very good if it were someone else sponsoring and you want to bring your spouse into it.

Anyway, thanks once again. I still will like to hear any other suggestions that will help me.

Merry Christmas all.

Hello everyone,
I am pleased to inform you that I have gotten the Student Visa though after some stress by the BHC. I am now faced with applying for my wife as a dependent.

I will like someone who is experienced in this to tell me how to go about it as I wan her to get in here ASAP.

I know that among other things, one needs to get a tenancy agreement. I am about to move into a shared house. is the kind of accommodation that I need to get specific or should I just get a place?

Do I have to wait for 3months to get the 3months statement or should I send it like that.

Pls I need honest and experienced answers to help me out.

Thanks for everything

@Kidonig

Congrat but one step at a time.

This love thing na wa o.

kidonig:

Hello everyone,
I am pleased to inform you that I have gotten the Student Visa though after some stress by the BHC. I am now faced with applying for my wife as a dependent.

I will like someone who is experienced in this to tell me how to go about it as I wan her to get in here ASAP.

I know that among other things, one needs to get a tenancy agreement. I am about to move into a shared house. is the kind of accommodation that I need to get specific or should I just get a place?

Do I have to wait for 3months to get the 3months statement or should I send it like that.

Please I need honest and experienced answers to help me out.

Thanks for everything

Haba! Why the rush?

You just got in and you want to file an application so quickly for your wife. Please take your time to settle down. I am sure you already know visa application is not something you can just rush into like that.

Kindly keep to the requirements as demanded by BHC. 3 months bank statement to show how economically active you have been in the UK, will be needed as well some other supporting documents. So please settle down first, most importantly with your PG education, then all other things can follow.

If she applies now, I am certain it will be a refusal. Given the circumstance at which you the sponsor is in at the moment.

Good luck.

Hello friends,

Thanks for bothering to reply to my post. I must say that nairaland is a wonderful place to be in as you can voice your opinion without fear or favour. I am pleased to inform the house that my missus is now here. I didn't have to wait for 3 months to do the application and the BHC gave her the stuff in less than a week.

Thanks all and lets keep the love on,

congrats

congrats kidonig, at last some cheering news! I too, am trying to join my husband in the UK as his dependant. He left in Oct 2007 and if he had his way, I know he'd have wanted me in the next day!lol.
however, i'm writing bc we hav a similar prob like you once had, about the tenancy agreement, I'd really like to know just want they need to prove we have adequate accomodation. he has paid and got the tenancy agreement, but I read on some sites that we need to add landlord's letter of approval, also to state how many rooms in the house, size, who else lives there and how many rooms for our exclusive use etc,
pls, i'd appreciate advice from the house too and esp from kidonig bc you must hav done something right to get the visa for your wife, my hubby wants to leave his school-owned acc and move into the new place with me once i arrive, i just want to b sure what details the visa pple need to be convinced that we have adequate accomodation. Pls help another loving couple, 

Yeah, I am pleased to hear that my testimony is helping someone see the light at the end of the tunnel. I got all the info that I used for the application from Nairaland but I modified it to suit my own perculiar nature. My missus submitted the following:

letter from my school addressed to the BHC Lagos stating that I was fully enrolled as a full time student and that I am attending regularly.

A letter addressed to me stating the same info above (as my proof of address)

My international acceptance letter.

My British Telecom Bill (as my proof of address)

My mobile contract bill (as my proff of address although it is not as good as a utility eg BT, Gas, Water)

My 1 month bank statement (I only stayed for a month before I applied and so did not have up to 3 months that people say that they ask for. The amout in the account was over 1,000. It shows my ability to support her and also serves as proof of address.)

My own letter of support stating that I need her around to help make things easy!!

Photocopy of ID page of passport and the student Visa showing the stamp of arrival in the UK.

Tenancy aggreement for my flat. ( It is a shared flat and I was a bit scared that they may say something but it was enough for them, Please don't use school accommodation unless it is meant for a couple. it is cheaper to leave off camp!!).

Our marriage certificate and pix of the wedding and trad.

My missus work documents and her bank statement (Not very important as dy will still give her if she were unemployed if you meet the main requirements)

Apart from the above, I also submitted my sponsors documents as I did when I was applying for myself and d sponsor also said that he is willing to support the both of us. It is really important that you both use thesame sponsor. I just did not want them to start asking me about my work details here as it may add sand to my garri!!

Well, I guess all this will help you. I am open to more querries.

Goodluck

Thanx kidonig for the prompt reply. I guess i hav most of the documents you listed, and my husband also got a shared flat which we were scared too might not satisfy them, but it's a chance we may hav to take, like you said sch acc is dear and they won't like wives moving in permanently, so he's paid for a flat for my visa application purposes.
My next question is, since he hasn't moved in to the new place, how can we get proof of address, bc the statements of accounts he sent me last month mirror his sch accomodation address, does he hav to stay one month in the new flat and accumulate utility bills b4 i can apply, as I sed he left in Oct and time is short, I just want to know how he can get quick proof of add if its so important. He really doesnt want to move in without me as its to be our new home, should I explain that, bc his acc contract with the sch will soon expire anyway, hope I'm not bugging but I'd appreciate another quick response, greetings to ur wife,

maedan,

Getting a proof of address (bank statement,utility bills,telephone bills) is very easy.Your husband have to set the new address up with the service providers/bank.He must not necessary mean to be living in the house before doing that.
Wish u the best.

Hi,sorry I took some time.get ur husband to change his address in d school's intranet n dn let him request for a status letter afterwards from d school.Ds will serve as a proof of address for him.
2ndly,let him go to d bank n request for a change of address.for some banks, u can do ds online.wn it is confirmed, let him re-order d statement.it's free for some banks.Ds again is a good proof of address.
Frankly,drs nothing wrong wt using a shared flat as long as it is not a sch hostel.I know more dn 3 ppl dt did it n got d Kpali!
Finally,I did mine in 2 months so U have time.D main tn is to trust God as u apply.Dy usually give dependents easily compared to d student as my missus's own n others I know, came out wtin 1 wk.
Gods grace

Thanks again, Kidonig, I'll make sure I advise him accordingly. When I sed time was short, it's bc he left in Oct and now we want to apply we can't risk waiting a month or two. Like you sed, prayer is the key. Best regards, I'll keep you posted.

Brownbono, very grateful for your input, it's great when others who know share, thanks and Peace.

Good job everyone, pls this is my own state, I will be going with my hubby as my Dependant but leaving our two kids behind to come back for them after 6 months, pls is this possible and there any document to prepare for this. Will I declare the kids as Dependants too to come back for them at a latter date or not?

kidonig:
Hello everyone,
I am pleased to inform you that I have gotten the Student Visa though after some stress by the BHC. I am now faced with applying for my wife as a dependent.

I will like someone who is experienced in this to tell me how to go about it as I wan her to get in here ASAP.

I know that among other things, one needs to get a tenancy agreement. I am about to move into a shared house. is the kind of accommodation that I need to get specific or should I just get a place?

Do I have to wait for 3months to get the 3months statement or should I send it like that.

Pls I need honest and experienced answers to help me out.

Thanks for everything

JemmyJude:
Good job everyone, pls this is my own state, I will be going with my hubby as my Dependant but leaving our two kids behind to come back for them after 6 months, pls is this possible and there any document to prepare for this. Will I declare the kids as Dependants too to come back for them at a latter date or not?

Hello my people, thank you so much for the great input. God bless you all.

Please great minds I need your honest advice and contribution on this matter.
I had my credibility interview yesterday and during the session the interviewer asked if anyone was traveling with me and without reasoning I just replied yes. So she asked about my plans for accommodation and I could not convince her enough with my response. Though, my family will eventually join me but not immediately.

This was the mail I got after the session yesterday o.

Your honest input will be highly appreciated