How to get a visa to live / work in the UK

AngelKiri
CanuckAbroad Regular


Montrealer now living near Manchester

Joined: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 66
Location: North West England

Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 2:42 pm

 

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Thanks Hutch & your response to Canehdian1 is spot on. In my case it was my fathers mother (my grandmother) who was born in Scotland. I had to pay the Scottish govt to get an original print of her birth certificate showing her birth in the early 1900's in Dundee. I also needed to provide an original birth certificate of my father listing his mothers full name DOB etc along with my own birth certificate listing my father on it. Basically you need original documents proving your heritage/ancestry link through to the current (your) generation for an Ancestry application.

As Hutch says though, that isn't the sole criteria but its probably the most distinguishing difference between a UK Ancestry & the other types of Visa's the UK embassy issues.

If you are not sure that any of the documents/prints you have ammased meet the criteria of what the UK embassy are asking for, call their office and speak to someone. yes it (might) be long distance but it is well worth it to be sure that you have everything you need (I personally prefer to exceed requirements rather then gamble at a rejection) prior to posting off your application pack to them. Make sure you send it recorded/signed for delivery so that you can obtain proof of sending & also can find out when it was recieved & who signed for it (just in case it gets 'lost') since loosing those original documents (including your own current Canadian passport) would cause no end of grief to replace.

Hope you get through it ok
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The The
New Member



Joined: 02 Jan 2007
Posts: 4
Location: Vancouver

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:02 pm

 

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Interesting that the High Commission gave you such strict requirements compared to my situation.

I certainly wasn't implying that you were giving bad advice, but I was surprised that you were made to submit so much evidence!

Granted, when I applied I did have a girlfriend in the U.K. who had entered on an ancestry visa a few months earlier. I also had more than enough money in my bank account, but other than that there was nothing about my application that the ECO would have preferred. I had no job lined up, nor did I have a job offer for that matter. I only had a printed email from my girlfriend's cousin saying I could stay at her house.

What's funny is that I was concerned my application was going to be refused because my father's birth certificate had a serious error on it. It listed his mother as being born in Vancouver, Canada, rather than Liverpool, England. And because it was a California certificate I had to apply to have it corrected, which wouldn't happen until after I was to enter the U.K. Luckily it went off without a hitch and I was granted my visa within two weeks.

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bangkok
New Member



Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 1
Location: bangkok

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 5:34 am

 

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hi gang,

first time poster with a quick & easy question to answer i hope.

i am a canadian born citizen, getting ready to send in my application for my british passport.

my mom & dad are both from the UK (born & raised) & came to canada after they married.

i have all the original docs i need i believe (both of my parents birth certificates, marrige certificate, my dad's parents marriage certificate & i believe my dad's dad's (grandfather :>) birth certificate).

so i think i am in good shape that way. but what my real question is do i have to submit my canadian passport along with the application for review?

Section 4 of C1 app form:


if you check yes it wants to know if the document is attached with the app form making it sound like your current passport (canadian passport for me) is required.

however reading the notes for this section i read the following that makes it sound as if they only want to know if you have had a previous passport. there is no mention in the notes section about subitting a current passport with the app.

Notes Section


so what is the suggestion? do i need to or should i submit my current canadian passport with my app or it is not required.

edit: btw, i am back in canada & will be applying there if that makes any difference.

thanks,
nap

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Stratus
New Member



Joined: 21 Jan 2006
Posts: 3
Location: London

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 6:18 am

 

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Just to relate my story. I'm a Calgarian, and I emigrated to the UK in 2000. I came on an ancestry visa - What Angelkiri said about having at least $3000 in the bank is correct.

Basically, An ancestry visa grants you leave to come and go as you please, and work, but with NO recourse to public funds. Soooo. if you run out of money before you get a job, you can't sign on to the dole, or get job seekers assistance, or welfare, or council housing etc. They want to make sure that you've got enough money to get you through and that you already have a place to live .

With me, my friend and I were dossing in our friend's lounge for 2 months.

After I had lived here on my Ancestry visa for 4 years, I applied for Indefinite right to remain, and got it. This was a permanent residency permit and I could have very happily kept that for ever as it DID entitle me to public funding (I think) -

At any rate, because I travel through the EU a lot, I decided to get British Nationality . Once you've lived continuously in the UK for 5 years, and after 1 of those years has been with indefinite right to remain, you can apply for British Nationality. To apply, you must not have been absent from the country for more than 90 days total within the past calendar year, you must be in the country on the day they receive your application, and you must have been in the country exactly 1 year prior to the day they receive your application.

I had to send them my university transcripts to prove I could speak English fluently, but I got in just under the gun with regards to the new tests you have to take (what's on them? "name the regular cast members of Eastenders", "which goes in first, the tea or the milk?" "describe the off-side rule in football")

Then it was off to the local office to pledge allegiance to the Queen and sing a rousing chorus of God Save the Queen.

This last bit seemed a bit funny to me. I mean. as a Canadian citizen my head of state has ALWAYS been the Queen. I was pledging allegiance to her when I was in brownies and girl guides and had to sing GSTQ in elementary school after Assemblies. so hilarious ! - they told me that they used to have a different ceremony for our sort, but that they didn't bother any more

cheers!

Stratus

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mari-mac
Senior Member



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 83
Location: U.K.

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:09 pm

 

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Stratus - I've just passed the Life in the UK test. If only the questions had some relevance to British life, like the ones you suggest! Instead you get questions on how often children receive an allowance, and what is the day after Christmas called. There wasn't a single question on the social relevance of Big Brother, or define "chav"

The good news is that the Life in the UK test now counts as proof of English. The bad news is it costs £36.
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petersm
New Member



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Ottawa

Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:31 am

 

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Hi All,

Does anyone know of a company which can assist me with getting a visa to go live & work in the UK?

Pete

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Tumbleweed
New Member



Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 5

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:25 am

 

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Hi All,

I have dual British/Canadian citizenship and am planning on moving to Scotland in November of 2007 with my boyfriend but he'll need a settlement visa. Here's my question:

I just noticed on the High Commission site (and I don't know if this is something new) that the sponsor needs to show proof of pay slips from the UK and since I'm not moving to the UK until November with my boyfriend I obviously won't have any pay slips. As well, since we have to send in the Visa application 3 months in advance I won't have a job set up in Scotland. We will be able to show that we have enough money to cover our costs 'til we find jobs so I'm hoping that's enough. I don't want to call our consulate in Canada because they charge $2.80/minute and won't answer emails. I am so frustrated! My questions are pretty straightforward but they make it so difficult to get in contact with anyone.

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feint
Junior Member



Joined: 17 Sep 2007
Posts: 13

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:24 am

 

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guys, apologies, this might be a question already answered but i must have missed it.
hasn't application for PR for a spouse been changed to 5 years waiting period now?

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