Key websites

The first step before starting the visa application is to do as much research as you can. You need to read, read, read all the information that is out there, so that you can ensure you submit a water tight application and provide the immigration officer with anything and everything to prove that your relationship is genuine and financially you can support your partner in the UK.

As as the sponsor I will have to provide 6 months' worth of payslips, my employment contract, bank and saving account statements, and will have to show that I have adequate accommodation for us to live in - even going as far as submitting floor plans of the property, mortgage deeds or lease terms. My husband will have to undertake an English literacy test in Cairo or Alexandria (it's only a basic level A1 CEFR) and provide biometric (fingerprint and facial photograph) information. He also has to show evidence of his finances, qualifications and work experience.

All sounds relatively straight forward? But if you miss out just one piece of the jigsaw puzzle, however irrelevant you may think it is, then your visa application can be refused.


Top websites to check out include:-

British Embassy

Visa Info Services - Worldbridge

UK Border Agency

Egyptian Consulate in the UK

Egyptian Embassy in London

UK visa and immigration

Biometric Information and booking an appointment at the visa centre

My husband will have to enrol his 'biometric information' - finger prints and facial photograph - as part of his visa application to the UK. To do this he will have to travel over 500 miles from Luxor to Cairo for an appointment at one of the Visa Application Centres.

Thankfully it looks like there is no extra fee, and that this is included in the visa application price, and is apparently quick and simple...

The appointment though can take place no more than 30 days after the completed application has been submitted online.

Visa Application Centres

What will happen when you attend your appointment?

When you attend your appointment, you will:

• need to arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before your appointment (if you are late you will need to reschedule);
• submit your printed copy of your visa application form and your supporting documents;
• submit proof of your online payment of the visa application fee; and
• enrol your biometric information. The Biometric information page describes the requirements for enrolling this information.

What should you bring with you?

When you attend your appointment, you should bring:

• a signed printout of your completed visa application form;
• your passport. You are not legally required to have 6 months' validity on your passport at the time you apply for your visa. But your passport must be valid at the time you apply and at the time you arrive in the UK;
• 1 recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm) colour photograph of your face, which meets the requirements in our - you can download this guidance from the right side of this page;
• proof of your online payment of the visa application fee;
• printed confirmation of your online appointment;
• any supporting documents that are relevant to your application and a phototcopy of each document (including English translations); and
• any previous passports which show evidence of foreign travel.

Your passport must contain at least 1 page that is blank on both sides, so that your visa vignette (sticker) can be inserted.

Paying your application fee

If you have not already paid online, you can pay your visa application fee in cash when you visit the visa application centre. Visa application fees are paid in Egyptian pounds only. There is no handling fee for paying in cash.

When will we return your passport?

We will retain your passport until we have made a decision on your visa application. You should remember this when you make your travel arrangements, particularly if you plan to visit other countries before going to the UK.

If you need to collect your passport before a visa decision has been made, your visa application will be withdrawn. Please note that the visa fee is non-refundable, and if you would like to reapply for a visa you will need to lodge another application, submit your biometric data, and pay the visa fee once again.

From Luxor to Luton!

I recently returned to the UK and having spent the last few weeks sorting out the flat that I rent out to tenants on the south coast am now beginning the important task of finding a job, so that I can be in a position to start the visa application for my husband to join me in the UK.

For the time being though I am basing myself in Luton, which is about 30 miles from London, living with my aunt who has a 4-bed house on the outskirts of the town, while I kick-start my job search in and around the capital and the midlands. 

For those of you that don't know anything about Luton let me introduce you! Luton is a multi-cultural town with a population of around 200,000 and is best known for its hat making industry, its international aiport,  the Hatters - Luton Town FC, the local football team - which in the 1980s was a successful First Division team but is now in the conference league, the motor industry and not forgetting one of its most notable supporters, the legendary comedian Eric Morecambe. 

The legendary Eric Morecambe with Glenda Jackson in an Egyptian themed comedy sketch!

So in the space of a few weeks I have swapped the Nile view, blue skies and 40 degree heat of Luxor for the autumnal Luton, in the heart of the county of Bedfordshire. Poles apart it would appear, but then not so as Luton has a diverse ethnic mix . Today as I did the washing up a woman in a full black burka and niqab face veil walked past the window, it made me feel just like being home in Luxor!!