Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
I got married in May of 2021 to my husband, who is a citizen of the United Kingdom. We met in the UK in November of 2018 and have been dating since. Still, getting a Visa for him to live in Malaysia was not very hard, but we found it to be a struggle when we tried to apply for my Visa to live in the UK as his spouse.
“Basically anything you ask [from the UK office] they’ll just tell you to wait. They don’t give updates whatsoever and it’s because they have a massive backlog since the Russia-Ukraine crisis”
They sort of have a guide on the UK government website on how to apply – and it’s the processing time that went on for extremely long.
[source: karoline gabrowska on pexels]
Still, we ended up being rejected on the basis that we did not meet the financial requirement and that in itself was a whole issue, to begin with.
The Issue With Tax Returns…
My husband works for his dad and the company had to submit their tax return forms to show proof of his wage.
The problem then was that the year’s tax was not out yet so they could only submit the tax return of the previous year when he was paid a lower salary. So the amount he was paid then is not enough to get approval for the marriage Visa.
[source: kindel media on pexels]
Now I Am Without A Visa, & Without A JOB
As we’re married, we’ve decided that the end goal is to live in the UK.
I actually quit my job before we applied for the visa thinking it would be a 6 months process at most, but it took them 11 months only to reject us.
Sure, people may think it’s easier to just live in Malaysia because of the whole marriage Visa ordeal, but then it’s harder for my husband to get a proper job since he has no qualifications.
I’m obviously upset about this, but there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
It’s mostly frustrating because I can’t work full-time in Malaysia because if I get my Visa, I’d need to move, and I can’t work in the UK because I don’t have a visa.
Source: felipe cespedes on pexels]
I’m aware it’s not entirely the UK government’s fault either. They could be focusing on asylum seekers from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. But I guess I just wasn’t expecting them to take 11 months to come to a decision and reject us.
Currently, we’re just saving up so we can apply again but that’s still going to take a while, and we’re going to have to wait all those months again.
I hope that this time, we will be able to fulfil our dreams of moving and living in the UK.
Do you know anyone with an interesting story to share? Drop us an email at hello@inreallife.my and we may feature the story.
For more stories like this, read:
I Woke Up at 5.30am to Renew My Passport Thru Walk-in at UTC, Here’s What You Need to Know
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