[quote=“Lord Lucan”]It’s a pity they outsource this now as it used to be very straightforward.
I would press for more information from the BTCO. I would be surprised to hear entry clearance for settlement (which is what you are looking for, it’s not a “visa”) was outsourced as that used to always be referred to London. But who knows? With the state of the UK at the moment I wouldn’t be surprised if they had outsourced the entire government.
The two most useful resources I found when doing it (albeit in 1998) were the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (their handbook is excellent) and the IND’s own website. (The IND is now called The Border Agency or something similar to the American name, as befits England’s status as an American protectorate.)
The IND website: bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/
The JCWI: jcwi.org.uk/publications/
Handbook’s a horrendous price now, used to be 20 quid.[/quote]
Thanks LL. I emailed VFS, who handle the applications here for UK visas, and got a reply, and a link to a downloadable settlement application form - sometimes it’s referred to as a visa, sometimes as as settlement clearance, sometimes both, so there appears to be some confusion on that regard. The form wants proof of sufficient funds, which is fair enough, but doesn’t say just how much that might be. Or whether she specifically needs to show funds, or if I do. The email also said:
“Please note that UK does not recognise the Taiwanese marriage certificate, so you and your wife may need to register the marriage again in the UK”
which is something that’s cropped up here and there in these forums. If you take a close look at the wording, however, it says we may need to register again. ‘May’ doesn’t mean ‘definitely’, which seems more than a touch vague.
I’ll write to them again for more info.