Non-EU spouse financial requirements for UK

9POSTS

11 years ago

Hi guys, I'm a Brit, living in Albania with my Albanian husband of 2 years (we've lived together for 5). I'm desperate to move back to the UK, but the new financial laws for bringing a non-EU spouse are crazy. I don't earn enough money here in Albania to meet the 18600 annual income, that's almost impossible given the cost of living and average salary here and although I do have a little bit in savings it nowhere near enough.

Does anyone know of any LEGAL ways to bring my husband over without having to meet these requirements? I have searched high and low for answers, but all the information is conflicting.

Hypothetically speaking if I were to get a job in the UK for the 18600 threshold that started in the next couple of mths, would I be able to bring my husband then? Or would I have to be separated from him? (something I don't really want to do)

Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks

Victoria

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Lotfidz Member

17POSTS

11 years ago

hi there sorry but the law is you have to ear above 18600 pounds years and there are no other way to bring him over you must find a job that pays well otherweise you got no chance sorry i do understand the situation but this is the new uk law and lots of people dont agree with it i hope you will find a way to get together with your husband

rustygecko Contributor

197POSTS

11 years ago

Legal way of bringing your husband to the UK - get a job in the UK that is paying £19,000. You will be getting a job I assume, so what is the problem?

Victoria Zurakowski New member

9POSTS

11 years ago

Of course, I only want to be legal...and yes, I am a teacher so of course I am getting a job, however the problem is I read that i have to have been working in that job for 6 mths to be able to bring him! The visa is not cheap and I don't want screw this up...British Embassy are rubbish and have not replied at all!

rustygecko Contributor

197POSTS

11 years ago

Visas are very expensive - my wife cost several thousand pounds in visas - but there has been (and still is) such blatant abuse of the visa system that charging huge amounts is one way they are trying to restrict immigration I guess. Pre Blair these visas were free.
What you will have to do is come to the UK and get a job and apply after six months I guess. You might try writing to your MP to see if (s)he are prepared to help.
Maybe he can come across on a tourist visa (max stay 6 months) until you get the other visa. However you can easily get refused for that as your true intention is not "tourism".

riazcdki Serial expat

900POSTS

11 years ago

Hello Victoria, have a good day,

I agree with Rusty and Lotifidz in all respects.

You may find the British High Commission useless since they work with in the very close outlines drawn by the legislators and the Home Office and there is hardly much of a personal initiative they could exercise even when they know that your case is a genuine one.

I suggest you broaden your spectrum a little, there are reasonable number of openings in UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia where you could work as 'Native English Speaker' teacher or work at a 5 star hotel depending on your interest and the opportunities.

I do not know what skills your husband possesses , you alone must not ''pull' the complete responsibility to ensure that your marriage works, he must take it's major chunk.

You will have a strong case to take your husband to the UK once you have a steady job in the middle east.

If you apply for a 'visitor's' visa for your husband from Albania, it will almost certainly be refused. If he has a good job, business and property in Albania that may convince the visa officer that he will not have the intentions to stay permanently in the UK and a visitors visa may be granted.

laduqesa Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

riazcdki wrote:
I suggest you broaden your spectrum a little, there are reasonable number of openings in UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia where you could work as 'Native English Speaker' teacher or work at a 5 star hotel depending on your interest and the opportunities.

.

She states that she is "desperate" to return to the UK. I hardly think suggestions of working in the ME are going to help.

I'm afraid the OP simply has to bite the bullet and get a well paid job in the UK alone for 6 months. She does not mention whether her Albanian husband is working or what his income is. Indeed, we know little about him. What does he propose to do in the UK?

I will agree with one piece of advice mentioned above. If the OP is the one who is expected to do all the earning, this relationship will end in disaster.

Adi9626 Active member

74POSTS

11 years ago

I'm in the same sort of situation and if love some help. Ok, so I earn £19,000 and my wife is non-EU. Iv been here in the UK for a week. Iv been living with my wife abroad, we got married and we came here so I could get the job and then the EEA permit. However, they wouldn't let her visit. On the TV David Camron said that he wants to keep the 'family unit' together.

My options appear to be - have no wife for ten months to gain six months in my above £18,600 job and then wait three months of a decision. This is not for me!

Or

I go abroad, live with her in the EU under EC2004/38 (we have already done this and it worked). Now if we live in the EU I'll earn 12,000pa so if I apply from outside the UK I'll be £8,600 shy of the cash.

Basically, what I want to find out is, when a person gets to the UK and has the £18,600. How does one keep his family together? What legalities are in place to keep the family unit together? Do I keep wasting £2000 on approaching the boarder with her and getting denied again or do I go to the EU and apply for a permit with old payslips and references that promise that I can make the cash requirement?

How did everyone else make it because I certainly don't want to be apart from my love as I'm sure no one else has been during application?

rustygecko Contributor

197POSTS

11 years ago

I think you understand the situation well. The only thing that I think is wrong is the 3-4 months delay in the apication processing. In my experience of the authorities 2-3 weeks is more common.

Frankly the mistake you made was not getting married in the UK.

The cause of these laws is the huge amount of abuse.

What you could do is live with your wife in the EU until you can apply for their passport. EU citizens can import as many wives as they like without question.

The only thing you can do I think is come and work for six months. You may try writing to your MP and ask if he could do his bit with the BA. They could for example give you her six month tourist visa; but I believe she cannot get a residency visa from inside the UK and would have to go home to apply.

I would say that if you have bought her to the UK and been refused entry, this puts a red mark on the dossier. The airline would have been fined for that.

I would definitely make sure you can *document* your time living together: joint electric utility bills any proof you have of joint homes, photos etc.

Adi9626 Active member

74POSTS

11 years ago

#10

Well they have. Iv go through this twice. I don't get why they are rejecting. Were both young, iv just done uni, most my mates have kids and are buying houses. It's totally insane. The problem with the EU route is that when we buy stuff and settle I can't ship the stuff over so we would either stay in the EU or leave it which means there's no point in being in the EU as it's not a real way of settling if were in limbo. It's as if were being punished and persecuted for being in love.

The airlines won't have been fined twice, I had to pay the tickets and there wasn't a real reason for them to refuse. We both have no criminal records and iv a good work record. I don't see how it could go against us for trying to have a relationship, it's not a criminal offence despite the punishment of being parted.

rustygecko Contributor

197POSTS

11 years ago

#11

Did you arrive in the UK with a valid visa for your wife? If yes, which class of visa?
From which country did you arrive and of which country is she a citizen?
You say there wasn't a reason to refuse - I suspect you mean there wasn't a legitimate reason for them to refuse - so what reason did they give?

An observation: your grammar and spelling is such, that if you filled out the forms this fashion reduces your credibility.

imieliei New member

4POSTS

11 years ago

#12

I'm not sure if this might help, but I had to go through the exact same process in early 2013. I hold a German passport, my husband a South African Passport, and we wanted to move to the UK. I'm not sure why there is this information online about £18900, but both me and my husband had a very small salary while in South Africa. We got married in South Africa, and applied for the EEA Family permit afterwards. We have since moved to the UK with no problems whatsoever. All we had to do to obtain the EEA Family permit was to prove that our marriage was genuine, a few letters from both of us, and a few documents as proof of identity. This permit is valid for six months, but as soon as you get a job in the UK, you can immediately apply for a residence permit. I'm not sure about the laws surrounding Albania, but I can't imagine it's much different from South Africa's. Have a look at https://www.gov.uk/family-permit

imieliei New member

4POSTS

11 years ago

#13

Apologies, after searching further I noticed that this permit is only applicable for EU members, but excludes UK citizens! So basically what it implies is that if you from anywhere else in the EU, you and your spouse can easily move to the UK with no financial requirements, but this is not true for UK citizens?! It is very confusing indeed...

rustygecko Contributor

197POSTS

11 years ago

#14

I think you had an easy ride for two reasons:

EU citizenship give advantages of UK citizens eg your spouses get free visas, while we pay almost £1,000;

These laws about minimum salary are I think from memory post early 2013.

rustygecko Contributor

197POSTS

11 years ago

#15

Yes this is true. As I said you get free visas we pay. You get free education in Scotland and Wales - we pay. There are many other advantages of EU citizens in the UK over locals..... now you understand UKiP!

imieliei New member

4POSTS

11 years ago

#16

I was hardly trying to start a political debate, but merely sharing my experience as it might be useful for someone in the same situation.

Adi9626 Active member

74POSTS

11 years ago

#17

It's true about the EU citizen getting priority. I tried the EU route and it was ok until we started looking into having a baby and then got quoted €4000 for the birth at a scan. It was a scary figure so I did three months in the UK for the cash. I'm now a very proud dad. Can't figure out his UK passport application for the life of me so going to take his birth cert to the boarder and ask if later I can use it to get him in. Anyway. I'm a little confused about that thing rusty said about the cash requirement being a echo of 2013. From what iv read I can't do another 3 month. I have to start again with a full six month stint. Well I got £22k per annual now and my wife did the IELTS. I'm looking at getting a surveyor in too. Think after living here and in the EU my heart is at home and plus I want to settle my family. The EU limbo is a waste of cash that I should be spending on my son and on a home

mrsmagoos Active member

61POSTS

10 years ago

#18

The UK immigration laws are pathetic and an insult to us Brits who just so happen to be in love with anyone from a non EU country. My situation is similar. I'm English, he's Albanian. He's had to go back to there and we married there. But he has a criminal record in the UK and is therefore unlikely to get a spouse visa/entry clearance to the UK. The expense and separation is enough to drive us both crazy. The easy way id for me to go to Ireland, exercise my treaty rights by living and working there for 3 months then get an EEA family permit which will enable him to join me. However with a decent job, house and kids in the UK this is not a reality option for me.
So either we wait and then battle an appeal if unsuccessful or we give up! We have spent the last year separated. Its not good!
If I was Polish (for example) he could've married me in the UK and stayed here.
But no, I was born and bred here, worked all my life here paying extortionate taxes etc and have no right to marry the love of my life without huge stress and expense!

Evangyolo Member

1POSTS

7 years ago

#19

Hallo I am Greek and I just get married with an Albanian girl I live know in UK for 2 weeks I work and I get a home how can I take my wife what I need to do to take a visa for her?

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8103POSTS

7 years ago

#20

Evangyolo wrote:
Hallo I am Greek and I just get married with an Albanian girl I live know in UK for 2 weeks I work and I get a home how can I take my wife what I need to do to take a visa for her?

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

The requirements for a family visa for your wife are described on the UK Gov website; this link will take you there.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Blschool4u New member

5POSTS

6 years ago

#21

Hi send me ur contact WhatsApp

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8103POSTS

6 years ago

#22

Blschool4u wrote:
Hi send me ur contact WhatsApp

Hi,

If that is aimed at me, then no, I don't provide personal contact information to Forum members. If members do wish to contact another member privately, then I would encourage them to use the Direct Message system that is provided by clicking on the user's avatar you wish to send a message to, then selecting "Send a Message"; it protects your identity and personal information.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team