Frontier Mole wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 4:46 pm
The caseworker looks at a range of points to assess that you are in a relationship akin to marriage for two years. This broadly breaks down to
Accommodation - are you are able to demonstrate a continuous period of two years where you have shared the same accommodation. From your information you would appear to be able to demonstrate that. This assumes both names were on the previous lease for the flat and on the current lodger agreement.
Financial - are you able to demonstrate joint finances, such as both names on utility bills, council tax, joint bank account, joint loans or financial commitments. I see this being the area you may have some difficulty. The lodger agreement will cover bills so you are probably not in a position to demonstrate utility or council tax bills. That leaves joint banking - do you have a joint bank accounts?
Family life - if you have children together that is pretty much a box ticked. As you do not have children then this is a harder point to prove. Pictures and text, WhatsApp social media help to a degree but the digital world evidence is not given a lot of weight. Do you have joint membership of any organisation, clubs or even a cinema membership, things that can independently identify you as functioning as a couple. Other things like have you ever visited your doctor as a couple? If you have a car are you jointly insured? This far from an exhaustive list, but I hope you get the idea.
The evidence and information is looked at in the round and if it meets the balance of probability threshold it will be granted. It is not an uncommon visa route and is well understood.
Firstly, thanks for the clear response.
To your point about Accommodation- Yes the previous tenancy was under both our names.
To your point about Financials (also accomm.)
1a. We're writing a covering letter attaching an email from then landlord (2.8 years ago) who complemented us as a couple and trusted us to reduce our deposit from 1000's to 100's after we'd paid it.
He's also writing a support reference letter for us. We both shared rent (both names) and bills (my name) which went through my account to track it all in one place. (Referring to our lack of knowledge about joint acc's then in the cover letter)
1b.Have a council tax letter with both our names from a month when my student status finished.
2. Her ex-landlord who's also become our friend through the years is providing us a support letter, highlighting her hosting us for Xmas dinner at the beginning of the relationship (3.7 years ago), before cohabiting.
A friend of mine is also writing us one as he's met us both and can attest that we've been living here. we are showing photos of us 3 going out together along with this.
3. my Partner paid for both our rent (11 mths) at current address until I found a job last year. I then started contributing 55% to rent and she's doing 45%. Referring to this through bank statements. Although we're not using my (terminated) employment as evidence of financial subsistence, only hers its quite a bit more than required.
To your point on Family life:
No kids, met her mum recently, did a day trip nationally. Screenshots of us chatting with her fam during Christmas / easter/ bdays.
We both travelled internationally recently and met my friends overseas, showing tickets and photos of that.
We visited our respective families twice last year, have video chat screenshots of us two from then.
What probability do these point to?
