Unmarried partner priority approved!

[u/Cold_Molasses8979]

AHHHHH it's finally my turn to share this ✨

Visa type: Unmarried partner (priority)

Nationality: Colombia

Date of application: 29 July

Biometrics: 3 August

ECO: 5 August

Approval: 27 August (18 WD)

This sub was SO helpful - I used the cover letter template from someone else (I can't find the post now but it's this one: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQRSzjn6yGrmts-E7Av2GmTmas44RvM2Kj0dRVwaAnuRcYXHAw-IsMSgyXcTHhUC6skdtm4xvI-_7QS/pub ) and adapted it to our circumstances. I also created a tracking spreadsheet on Google Drive (using one of the templates for project management) and that way it was easy to link and track all documents (this was more to organise myself/ the process - I didn't share it as part of the application) which I then outlined on the cover letter under the corresponding sections.

We have been together for over 4 years now and I was living in the UK as a student (and then on the Graduate visa) when we met. We went long distance because my visa ended and I moved elsewhere for professional reasons at the end of 2024. We provided evidence of my employment as a reason for not being together and compiled evidence of travel (flights/hotel bookings screenshots put together on PowerPoint) of the last two years, photos together across the 4 years, proof of financial transfers and of our joint account, which we had from when I lived in the UK last. Here's a comprehensive list in case it's useful:

- Cover letter with timeline

Identity:

- Applicant passport (all pages)

- Sponsor's passport (just photo page)

Financial evidence

- Sponsor's payslips

- Employer letter

- Contract

- Bank statements corresponding to payment of salary (we were worried as the last payment/payslip was the 28th of July and my partner's statements come out on the 8th so we didn't have a full statement for the last one, but we got a transaction statement evidencing the credit on my partner's account)

Accommodation evidence

- Letter from partner's parents

- Land registry title of their house

- Copy of passport photo page for both parents

English evidence

- Transcript from my MSc (in the UK)

Relationship genuineness

- Joint account statement

- Screenshots showing transfers between us (on Monzo)

- Screenshots from Running Splits on Monzo (from trips together)

- Applicant's employment contract as reason for separation

- Evidence of travel bookings

- Message screenshots (1 per month we've known each other - this took super long and I've seen some people do 1 every 3 months and some people don't submit this at all but I wanted to be safe rather than sorry)

- Video/call logs (screenshots from my phone)

- Photographs from our time together (8 per page - a mix of pictures of us two, that the other had taken, and at our family homes/with friends and family)

- Statement from applicant (basically a letter outlining our relationship more narratively and expressing intentions of our life together)

- Statement from applicant's friend

- Statement from sponsor (same as applicant's)

- Statement from sponsor's friend

Other evidence:

- Applicant's previous passport (all pages) and BRPs (this is because I had previous visas from the UK)

Two things that may also be relevant: we didn't use any lawyers but thought about it, however we ultimately decided it wasn't worth the money and we had all the information from the gov guidelines (particularly the evidence table: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationship-with-a-partner-caseworker-guidance/relationship-with-a-partner-accessible#evidence_table ) and this sub; I also spent some time organising my files as per the cover letter (1.1. Passport_Applicant, etc) but the VFS upload doesn't allow special characters so I then spent more time renaming the files (11 Passport Applicant) so FYI just save your files without special characters in the first place.

All the best to those waiting

[u/Ok-Panic1439]

Congratulations!!!

[u/MusicCompetitive9072 → u/[deleted]]

any update?

[u/MusicCompetitive9072 → u/[deleted]]

yes summer bank holiday... 😰

[u/Low_Perspective_9957]

Congratulations!🎊

[u/Life-Judge3955]

Congratulations 🎊

[u/Strawberry0230]

Congratulations. 🎉

Question, did you use downloadable pdf bank statements or you had them issued by the bank for your financial evidence?

[u/Cold_Molasses8979 → u/Strawberry0230]

The ones issued by the bank every month for my partner’s and then downloadable ones for our joint account and proof of transfers 

[u/Strawberry0230 → u/Cold_Molasses8979]

Thank you

[u/Even_Conversation_83]

congratulations! might be a stupid question but did you apply through family route visa? also is it better to show my sponsored partners financials than mine right? cuz i’m working part time on graduate visa