HUGE Compilation Of UK Ancestry VISA Information

Have spent the last couple hours going through this forum with a fine tooth comb and extracted all of the information I could find that was relevant towards the UK Ancestry Visa.

I have also broken down all of the information into separate categories

If you notice any of these facts are wrong please post to let everyone know, thx

Hope this will help you as much it will help me.

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B I R T H C E R T I F I C A T E S
you DON'T need marriage certificates but you do need Long form birth
certificate originals or notorized copies

Must mail the real thing NOT a copy

I also applied through my mother's father and no marriage certificates are required. Your mother's maiden name appears on your birth certificate, so that should be enough.

Anyone worried about sending original documents, don't be. they are sent via secure DHL and returned to you via canada post priority courier and require a signature.
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F I N A N C E S
You need to prove you have enough money to support yourself.

As far as funds, any and all are good. You need to have bank statements for the past 3 months, stamped by a bank teller.If you can get print offs of RRSP's, GIC's, etc and have them stamped as well. You need to prove that you can support yourselves without access to public funds for 2 months. i believe its the equivalent of 800 GBP per person..

a printout of my online banking for the past 3 months of both my chequing and savings accounts with the first page stamped and signed by the customer service person at my bank with their direct contact information. Each
subsequent page was signed, with their name printed, and their phone number.

I had $7000CAD available, but have read that as little as $3000CAD is
acceptable.

Online bank printouts don't work.
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B I O M E T R I C S
what does the biometrics consist of? Just was finger prints and MAYBE eye scan but I think was only finger prints.

Take all documents with you There

Once you've completed your online application you have 6 months to get your biometrics done.

Make sure you print your application (after you submit it) and also print the confirmation email showing you paid. If you dont print your application, they will charge you $140 plus printing fees to print it at your biometrics meetin).


What to Bring:
- Printed Application
- copy of confirmation email showing you paid
- All your old passports from the last 10 years if you have them.
- long form ORIGINAL copy of your grandparents's birth certificate, parents birth certificate,and your birth certificate.
- recent photos for the visa taken current within the month.you can get photos done anywhere that they do passport photos. they don't need to be digital. However, the pictures required are smaller than passport photos and need to be current within the month. A very specific photo with two copies.
- bank statements
- You also have to let them know what you plan to do for employment

Optional but will help your odds
- Signed Letter of Support from someone who lives in the UK saying they can provide you with accommodations and will support you until you can find a job.
- A letter from past employers
- Letter of Intent to find employment. I wrote a letter like this "To whom it may concern - I am writing this letter to express my full intention to find employment upon entering the UK.
- Additional random documents - (ie university/college transcripts)
- submitted your documents as a portfolio with a table of contents(in a binder in those plastic paper protectors that you can slide paper into). This way makes it easy for them to find what they needed.
- Family/friends write a letter saying they would sponsor you if you ran out of money
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T I M I N G

You need to know when you plan on going.

Once you've completed your online application you have 6 months to get your biometrics done. After 6 months your application won't be valid anymore and you'll lose your payment.

Once you have your bio apt. you only have like 10 days to mail in your
package so make sure you have everything before you book the apt.
specify on your application your Leaving date.

Keep in mind that the day that you want your application to be activated is on your visa - not that day that it is approved.

I am also wondering how long the wait is for the initial interview once you have applied online?
As for the processing times, it depends on the post but you can expect an answer within 1 to 2 months.

Went to get biometrics done on August 31
On September 9th, I received confirmation that they had recieved it, via email.On September 13th, I received confirmation that my visa had been issued.On September 14th, my visa was received by DHL, including all of my application documents with the exception of my photo and printed application.

I applied for my visa online on Wednesday March 20th, went for my biometrics on Thursday March 27th, got approved Thursday April 3rd and got my visa back the next day, Friday April 4th.

My friend applied online Saturday March 22, went with me for biometrics on March 27th, got approved Tuesday April 1st, got her passport back Thursday April 3rd.

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You don't have to get a new passport before applying. When your current passport expires in 2 years, you will be able to get a new one in London. When traveling afterward, you'll have the choice between carrying your old and your new passport or transfer your visa in your new passport.




Finally I have a couple questions myself I haven't been able to get answered yet, if anyone can answer these for me that would be awesome

Do the biometrics people supply me with a tamper-evident package for my application, biometrics, passport, and photo?

What is the exact size the photos need to be?

Before the biometrics or mailing my package do I need to book my ticket to get there and supply some form of proof that I have already paid for my way there?

Hi,

Good start on bringing this all together. A few changes:

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B I O M E T R I C S
what does the biometrics consist of? Just was finger prints and MAYBE eye scan but I think was only finger prints. They take a digital photo of your face and a scan of your fingerprints

Take all documents with you There

Once you've completed your online application you have 6 months to get your biometrics done. Online applications are only valid for 30 days. You must attend the biometrics appointment within 30 days of submission. The photos you submit must be no more the 6 months old.

Make sure you print your application (after you submit it) and also print the confirmation email showing you paid. If you dont print your application, they will charge you $140 plus printing fees to print it at your biometrics meetin).


What to Bring: You must provide a photo copy of all supporting documentation. The government will return your originals and keep the copies on file.
- Printed Application
- copy of confirmation email showing you paid
- All your old passports from the last 10 years if you have them.
- long form ORIGINAL copy of your grandparents's birth certificate, parents birth certificate,and your birth certificate.
- recent photos for the visa taken current within the month.you can get photos done anywhere that they do passport photos. they don't need to be digital. However, the pictures required are smaller than passport photos and need to be current within the month. A very specific photo with two copies. Only one photo is required and it has to been taken within 6 months of your application date. Details about the photo are at the bottom of this page.
- bank statements
- You also have to let them know what you plan to do for employment

Optional but will help your odds
- Signed Letter of Support from someone who lives in the UK saying they can provide you with accommodations and will support you until you can find a job.
- A letter from past employers
- Letter of Intent to find employment. I wrote a letter like this "To whom it may concern - I am writing this letter to express my full intention to find employment upon entering the UK.
- Additional random documents - (ie university/college transcripts)
- submitted your documents as a portfolio with a table of contents(in a binder in those plastic paper protectors that you can slide paper into). This way makes it easy for them to find what they needed.
- Family/friends write a letter saying they would sponsor you if you ran out of money
It is best submit a full range of documents that highlight your ability and qualifications for the Ancestry Visa.
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T I M I N G

You need to know when you plan on going.

Once you've completed your online application you have 6 months to get your biometrics done. After 6 months your application won't be valid anymore and you'll lose your payment. Again you must attend the biometrics within 30 days of submitting your application. Also, you can not apply for a visa more that 3 months in advance of your travel date.

Once you have your bio apt. you only have like 10 days to mail in your
package so make sure you have everything before you book the apt.
specify on your application your Leaving date. Shipping from Vancouver via DHL took one day to arrive in Ottawa.

Keep in mind that the day that you want your application to be activated is on your visa - not that day that it is approved. 3 months before your intended date of travel is all you can get.

I am also wondering how long the wait is for the initial interview once you have applied online?
As for the processing times, it depends on the post but you can expect an answer within 1 to 2 months.

Went to get biometrics done on August 31
On September 9th, I received confirmation that they had recieved it, via email.On September 13th, I received confirmation that my visa had been issued.On September 14th, my visa was received by DHL, including all of my application documents with the exception of my photo and printed application.

I applied for my visa online on Wednesday March 20th, went for my biometrics on Thursday March 27th, got approved Thursday April 3rd and got my visa back the next day, Friday April 4th.

My friend applied online Saturday March 22, went with me for biometrics on March 27th, got approved Tuesday April 1st, got her passport back Thursday April 3rd.
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Finally I have a couple questions myself I haven't been able to get answered yet, if anyone can answer these for me that would be awesome

Do the biometrics people supply me with a tamper-evident package for my application, biometrics, passport, and photo? The staff at Wordlbrige will place your application, current passport and photo in a tamper proof envelope which they seal. They will then ask if you want to provide any supporting documentation to be included. This will go inside your DHL package not in the tamper proof envelope. At no point will they look at your supporting documentation, comment on what you need to have or provide any advice.

What is the exact size the photos need to be? That information is listed on the application. It is also available on the Worldbridge website;

Photograph

Provide 1 recent photograph (not more than 6 months old). The photograph should be in colour or black and white and be:

* Taken against a light grey or cream background;
* Clear and of good quality;
* Printed on normal photographic paper;
* 45 mm high x 35 mm wide in size
* Taken with nothing covering the face, without sunglasses or tinted spectacles, or a head covering unless worn for religious or medical reasons. The subject should have their mouth closed (no grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows) and the applicant should be facing forwarding, looking straight ahead.

Before the biometrics or mailing my package do I need to book my ticket to get there and supply some form of proof that I have already paid for my way there?Do not purchase a non-refundable ticket. The government specifically advises that you do not purchase a ticket until you have received your visa.

Hope this helps.

Robert

-- Fri Nov 19, 2010 10:16 am --

Hello,

This is a follow up to my last post. My wife and I were approved for our Ancestry visa and Dependent visa

Timeline:

Wednesday, November 10th- Online application submitted
Monday, November 15th- Biometrics appointment.
Tuesday, November 16th- Visa app arrived in Ottawa.
Wednesday, November 17th- Email from UK immigration confirming that our visa was being reviewed.
Friday, November 19th- Email confirming that our visa was approved.

If all your documents are in order the process can be rather quick.

Cheers,

Robert

Thank you for the many corrections

you said
"The staff at Wordlbrige will place your application, current passport and photo in a tamper proof envelope which they seal. They will then ask if you want to provide any supporting documentation to be included. This will go inside your DHL package not in the tamper proof envelope. At no point will they look at your supporting documentation, comment on what you need to have or provide any advice."

With all of the time and work I have put JUST into figuring out what to and not to do and how much of a heartless 'don't give a damn' attitude worldbridge has. Is it only me that feels the ultimate goal of worldbridge is to bury you so deep into confusion that you fail to support something extremely important in turn having you get rejected so you have to pay them again to go through the whole process again increasing their profits.?

Hi,

The two ladies that work at the Vancouver office are rather nice and did their job very well. The issue is that the UK Border Agency pays them to fill in a checklist, take your photo and fingerprints and then seal the envelope. I suspect that the office staff would be fired if Worldbridge management and the Border Agency found out they were issuing any sort of immigration advice.

Searching the Wordbridge site and using their email question system was a waste of time though.

Robert

I've been responding to a couple other forums but a couple comments from my experience:

I did not need my grandparents marriage certificate but I did include a copy of my parents. Not sure if I needed this but I included it non the less.

In terms of banking statements, I included only a few originals but a majority of them were on line printed statements. I did not have a bank teller sign anything. I didn't have an issue but don't rely on this for your own submission - maybe I just fell through the cracks.

I submitted my paperwork through Woodbridge in Vancouver and did my Biometrics at the same time. My visa application was sent in on a Tuesday and I got my passport return to me by the Friday.

This is what I had when I did my application.

I went through my grandmother on my dad's side. I had to provide the following to prove linage.
- My gradmothers long form birth cert.
- My fathers long form B.C (which proved harder to get than what I thought becaseue he had passed)
- My long form B.C.
- My grandparents marriate cert.
- bank statements showing funds I had for my trip

They all had to be original. The first time I went I told her that I had only copies. She told me that they had to be original NOT copies. She brought out her supervisor who I had a chat with and told me that they had to be original.....and LONG FORM birth certs.

The second time I went I had all the right stuff and had my biometrics done at the same time that consisted of fingerprints and a photo. They sent it off and I heard back from the High Commission in about 3 days!

I don't know if that helps at all......

It took under a week to be approved for my UK Ancestry Visa. I applied on Friday, went for Biometrics Monday, and found out the Wed morning I was approved. They are not busy this time of year the lady at WorldBridge said.

Here is what I provided.

- My short and full BC
- My dad's full BC
- My parent's marriage certificate
- My Nana's BC
- Chang of Name Cirt (I changed my last name a couple years ago)

- *My Grandparent's Marriage certificate (this was sent to them the day after the courier arrived to them in Ottawa from WorldBride and their decision was made likely before they even received this additional doc)

Additional documents:
- Bank balace - I just printed it from an ATM and had it stamped by teller. It showed a balance in my savings account of $1400 CAD. I did not provide statements.
- Current Resume
- Pay stubs for the last 6 months
- Current job info
- Email correspondence with my Uncle in the UK who is helping me find work and a letter from him stating this. It also stated he would provide me a place to stay when I arrived.
- Unofficial university transcript (the kind you print yourself not the official one sent by the school)
- High School transcript

Hope this helps. After months and months of preparation and document gathering it proved to be quite painless.

Krys