Locked between the snow peaks of the Himalayas and the seething Ganges plain, Nepal is home to a wealth of natural wonders, most notably, Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world. 

But as the saying goes, home is where the heart is. So, if you are a resident of Nepal but are now looking to settle in the UK where your partner resides, then our guide below will help you navigate the application processes. 

To start off, check out our series of webinars which take the viewers through the evidence required and the 10 steps involved in involved in completing the UK spouse Visa application form for your partner, spouse or fiancé. The series is available to watch here 

UK spouse Visa application form - stage one

The first stage is the submission of the actual UK spouse visa application form on the gov.uk website. This involves completing a lengthy form which asks detailed questions about your background and current circumstances. It is important to double check all information is consistent with a previous immigration application. 

Once you are content that details are factually correct, you would submit the application and proceed to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and the processing fee.  The payment marks the submission of the application. The website will allow you to download your submitted form and a checklist. You will be provided with an online link from which you will conduct the next stage of the process.

Visa application - stage two

Upon payment of the UK partner visa application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) to the Home Office, your After completing and submitting the UK spouse visa application form, the next stage consists of attending an appointment to enroll your facial image and fingerprints (known as biometrics) and arranging for your documents to be sent to the decision-makers. Both of these are done using the link provided on gov.uk.

Once you click on that link, you will be directed to the VFS Global website. VFS Global, for those who are unaware, is an outsourced service specialist company that the Home Office has hired to handle the administrative tasks related to visa processing. It is on this website that you will book your own appointment to enrol biometrics and select one of the four ways below to transmit supporting documents to the decision maker. 

1. Self-upload to the VFS Global website (free of cost)
   This is the most popular way of reigning control over the quality of your scans as you can see each document that is uploaded. The avoids reliance on a third party for scanning documents that you are unable to view. Under this option, the present process is to upload all documents ahead of booking the biometrics appointment but the processes are subject to change.  
   
   
2. Document Scanning Assistance Service at the Visa Application Centre in Kathmandu (additional NPR 1000)
   This option can be purchased ahead of time, with receipt brought to the biometrics appointment together with your original passport and appointment sheet. Alternatively, you can pay when you attend the centre. Either way, their part involves scanning everything whilst you are there and handing the documents back to you. The passport is retained by them until a decision is made.
   
   
3. Walk-in UK settlement scanning service in the UK (additional GBP 75)
   The UK based sponsor can walk into a designated centre in Birmingham, Edinburgh or London with all documents, pay the fee at the centre and have all documents scanned and sent to the decision maker.                                            
4. UK settlement scanning service by post  (additional GBP 100)
   This the same as above, except the documents are posted by the sponsor with a secure returns envelope enclosed for return of documents. 

The sole biometrics centre is presently located at 3rd Floor, Chhaya Complex Amrit Marga, Bhagwan Bahal Thamel-26, Kathmandu. 

After you have attended your biometric appointment and submitted your documents in one of the many ways allowed, you enter the waiting period for consideration. The general service standards for settlement application indicate that a decision will be made within 12 weeks from the date the biometrics are enrolled. However, if you wish to get a decision sooner, and meet the criteria, you can consider purchasing an expedited priority service which aims to make a decision within 30 working days from the date the biometrics are enrolled. Unsurprisingly, there is of course an additional cost, precisely NPR90193 payable online on the same VFS website up to 24 hours before the biometrics appointment.

Stage 4 - Decision and documents 

The making of a decision is conveyed through a cryptic email which informs you that a decision has been made but not the outcome. Following that email, the decision makers will either text or email you again to confirm that the passport and decision letter is ready for collection. The outcome is therefore only known following the collection.  

If your visa application has been granted, you will receive your passport back with an entry-clearance vignette stamp which will enable you to enter the UK. For spouse / partner visas this will be valid for 90 days.  After arrival in the UK you will then collect a card (it looks like an ID card) called a Biometric Residence Permit which sets out your full visa details and duration. This is normally collected from a post office closest to your residence in the UK or a different location, if you selected an alternative place when completing the online application form. Those granted fiancé visas will not collect a Biometric Residence Permit, rather, their whole 6 months will be endorsed on the vignette in the passport.

Last words of advice

Keeping a close eye on the website, instructions, prompts and confirmatory emails is crucial to success when completing a UK spouse Visa application form and the second stage of the process. Things do change rapidly with VFS and sometimes in contradiction with the information on gov.uk website and the Immigration Rules. In Nepal, the delivery mail following decision is slow so waiting is normal but signing up their SMS service has been reported to ease some anxiety.

If you are struggling or feeling overwhelmed with this process of filling out a UK spouse visa application form or preparing relevant documents, please do get in touch with us. Our family migration team has years of experience dealing with this type of work and will work with you to take as much of the stress and uncertainty out of the process as possible, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

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