Tips on How to Apply for a UK Spouse Visa Under Category B With Less Than 12 Payslips and A Short Term Let 5/09/2024

Tips on How to Apply for a UK Spouse Visa Under Category B With Less Than 12 Payslips and A Short Term Let

Applying for a visa is a rigorous process. One must be meticulous with detail and do a lot of research to avoid mistakes and the chance of getting a visa refusal. Though it can be difficult, stressful, and time-consuming, it is still doable with a little patience. 

When applying for a UK spouse visa, you have to determine if you are applying under Category A, B, C, D, E, or F. The most common application is under Category A: Employment fr more than 6 months, or Category B: Employment for less than 6 months. Category A is more straightforward and easier than Category B, which is a little more complicated and needs thorough research, analyzation, and forethought. Since I applied under Category B, I will share here the process, documents I submitted, and tips on how I got my visa successfully without a solicitor or an agent's help. 

Case Scenario: My Experience on Applying for a UK Spouse Visa under Category B with only 8 Payslips and a 2-Month Accommodation Contract

My spouse is an Irish passport holder, and though he was born in London, he doesn't have a UK passport and he has lived in the Republic of Ireland since childhood. From late 2022 until June 2023, we were both living in my home country in the Philippines, and he was unemployed. 

In July 2023, he started working in the Republic of Ireland, and during that time, he received a job offer from the UK. On January 8, 2024, his contract in Ireland ended, and on the same day, his employment in the UK started. We applied for my spouse visa on the 27th of January, a day after he received his first payslip from his new employment and the last payslip from his last employment. We were apprehensive at first, as based on my research and according to people I've asked who applied under Category B, one has to submit a total of 12 payslips covering the 12 months of employment prior to application. However, we didn't wait to complete all 12 payslips from his old and new employment and only submitted 8 payslips (7 from the old employment and 1 from the new). From his old job, the payslips are from the months of July to December and the 8 days in January, and the payslip from his new employment covered the month of January. We decided to take a risk and submitted the application since when we applied, his total gross income from the old employment (converted from Euro to GBP at oanda.com) and new employment already exceeded the financial requirement, which was 18,600 at that time. We wrote a cover letter explaining our case, presented a calculation of his gross income in tabular form, quoted the two conditions stated in Appendix FM under Category B for visa applicants, and explained how we met them. 

Below is the sample of my cover letter quoting the condition in Appendix FM and explaining how we met the financial requirement.

Our other issue was accommodation. Since he just moved to the UK on January 9, he didn't have permanent accommodation yet. Upon his arrival, he had stayed in one of the student accommodation room provided by his employer with a 2-month contract up until the end of February. We asked his employer to provide a letter of consent that I could stay there when I arrived in the UK and submitted the accommodation contract and the payment receipt in my application. Once again, we explained our case in the cover letter, stating that we plan to look together for our permanent accommodation once I arrived in the country. 

Sample of the Accommodation Letter of Consent

I believe every application is different, and the visa case officer handles each of them with careful consideration. In our situation, we believed  we had a strong case, so we decided to take the risk.  On the other hand, if you are doubtful that you will successfully be granted a visa, there is always a cover letter to explain your situation transparently and in detail. 

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How to Go to Boracay from Caticlan Airport 4/04/2023

How to Go to Boracay from Caticlan Airport

Upon arrival at Caticlan Airport, take the walkway from the plane to the main building, go straight inside, follow the sign then turn left to the EXIT GATE. Before the Exit Gate, there are a couple of  booths offering various services on the left side - one of them is for tricycles that take passengers to the port. Head to that booth and ask for a ticket.  The staff will give you a ticket, put a sticker on your shirt and instruct you to go to the tricycle station which is just outside the airport main exit gate, about 100 meters across the road from the guard house. Follow the staff’s instructions and exit the airport. Once outside, there are a couple of buses and vans parked in front of the building.  Keep walking and  head to the exit gate on the left  side of the airport terminal with a security guard standing outside his booth.

From the airport gate, cross the road to the tricycle station. Give the ticket to the staff at the station and pay the fee (50.00 Php per passenger). The minimum passenger per tricycle is two people, if you are traveling alone, you could either wait for another passenger, ask other commuters if you could sit on the back of the tricycle, or pay for two tickets if you don’t mind paying extra. 

The tricycle will take five to ten minutes to reach the port. Once there, enter the building with a scanner in front. Proceed to the REGISTRATION and VERIFICATION COUNTER and present your ID and your hotel booking confirmation (confirmed accommodation address is required for registration).  Next, go to the ticketing booth and pay the TERMINAL FEE (regular: 150 Php; discounted: 120 Php), ENVIRONMENTAL FEE (foreign: 300 Php; local: 150 Php; discounted local: 120 Php), and the BOAT TICKET (50 Php).  

After paying all the necessary fees, follow the sign to the PUMP BOAT PASSENGER EXIT, give your ticket to the staff on the desk before the exit, then follow the other passengers going to the boat. 

Once the boat reaches the island, exit the port station and take an e-trike to your hotel. You can either ride on the trike with other passengers and pay 25 Php per person or pay 150 Php for the whole transport. Since motorized vehicles aren’t  allowed on the White Beach Path where Station 1,2, and 3 are located, the e-trike can’t  directly take you to your hotel. Instead, you could ask the driver to take you to D' Mall and you can walk from there to your accommodation. 

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