Company has told me they can help sponsor my wife's visa

[Patsukiki1]

Hi there,
I apologise if I am posting this in the wrong section but after scouring the various forums, I can only imagine this topic has to be related to 'Employer Sponsored'.

Basically, I started working at an A Rating Sponsorship company (tier 2 and 5) around 3 months ago. I am
British Born, not here on a tier 2 nor 5. And I have a Japanese fiance (marrying in September this year). We already applied for the unmarried partner visa last year in September, however failed due to a small issue (her ielts was taken at a non-ukVI approved center).

So with that happening, we had to wait for my UNI graduation in May, and then for me to get a job in the uk earning above the 18600 a year requirement and then work a minimum of 6 months and also to marry later this year. And for the past 3 months, that is what we have been aiming towards.

However I had a meeting with my HR representative at work the other week and explained my situation and the documentation I will eventually require in the near future for a marriage visa application (Letter, contract, payslip stamping etc...)

She then tells me, "You don't need to worry about that visa, nor the 6 months waiting, so long as you are married and working for us, we can sponsor and vouch for your wife almost like a guarantor, so long as you (me-the british employee) are still employed with us" This came as a shock as I thought the only route was the 'Family / Married Visa'' and she said, we do this on a regular basis (they have many international employees). She also stated that it's a 'tier 2 visa'.

But as I am the vigilant type (researching visa options for the past 3 years of our relationship), I wanted to research this further, and when checking the GOV website, it seems very clear that the 'Tier 2' is only for employees who are NON-EU based nationals who are joining the company in the UK on their own temporary work visa and want to bring along a dependent 'wife/family' etc which of course, is not me.

1: So my burning question is, has my HR just made a ridiculous error of judgement or is there actually a path / route that allows an A Rating Sponsorship company to help sponsor the NON EU partner / wife of a UK Citizen in gaining a successful visa entry clearance?
If so, what is such a visa route called and where can I find out more about it, and does such a visa allow my (future) wife to work in the UK fully.

2: Secondary question regarding marriage. I am fairly certain it's ok, but can we marry in Japan and this will be fully accepted by the UKBA as proof of marriage?

Any help or clarification would much appreciated,
Many many thanks,

Patuskiki1

[CR001]

1. Your HR is confused. They cannot unfortunately 'vouch or guarantee' anything for your spouse as a dependent unless they sponsor her for her own Tier 2 General main visa holder application. There are a host of processes that must happen before they can sponsor her, if she even qualifies. As you don't hold a Tier 2 General visa, they cannot help you to sponsor your wife as a Tier 2 dependent.

2. No issue where you marry as long as it is legal.

The only visa route for you is the spouse settlement visa.

[Patsukiki1]

1. Your HR is confused. They cannot unfortunately 'vouch or guarantee' anything for your spouse as a dependent unless they sponsor her for her own Tier 2 General main visa holder application. There are a host of processes that must happen before they can sponsor her, if she even qualifies. As you don't hold a Tier 2 General visa, they cannot help you to sponsor your wife as a Tier 2 dependent.

2. No issue where you marry as long as it is legal.

The only visa route for you is the spouse settlement visa.

Hi CR001,

Many thanks for the quick and prompt reply. I have to admit I had serious doubts when she was explaining this to me, and sadly I fell for it. But I knew deep down it couldn't have been true, otherwise it would have come up in the countless forum threads and information I have read before.
Many thanks,
Oh and regarding the marriage certificate, thanks for clarifying that too.

Cheers,
Patsukiki1

[CR001]

No worries and good luck, not long to go then you can apply anyway. Post any questions on a spouse visa when you get to that point in the forum link below.

immigration-for-family-members/

[Patsukiki1]

Thank you, I will

I think this time though we're definitely going with an immigration lawyer. The last time we put all the documents together, we thought we had it nailed and it failed on such a small thing. This time though we want the application bullet proof

[Casa]

If you do decide to use the services of a immigration advisor, choose wisely. We have frequent reports on the forum of professional advice being seriously flawed, even on the simplest of application procedures.