Forms, forms and more forms!

Right, now we’re down to the real nitty gritty!

The forms aren’t THAT bad, although I did find myself using the guidance notes and the British Expats forum fairly regularly as I went through them. You can download the forms from the website and fill most of them in directly on the PDF, but the text isn’t resizable, so I had to handwrite some of text when I needed to squeeze it in or to write PRESENT in date range boxes.

The Principal Applicant has to complete:

1. Application for Permanent Residence (form IMM 0008 GEN)
2. Schedule 1 (IMM 0008 1E)
3. Additional Family Information (IMM 5406E)
4. Spouse/Partner Questionnaire (IMM 5490E)

as well as signing the Sponsor’s Sponsorship Agreement (IMM 13344B).

I’ve also got additional pages for the Schedule 1 (to list my qualifications from school and more space for my personal history) and the Spouse/Partner Questionnaire (for all the details of our relationship – aww).

I need to include proof of our common-law relationship:

• I’m sending a bunch of photos from the whole time we’ve been together – all showing the two of us (obviously), but also ones with friends or family included too. I’ve added them to a Word document, with the date underneath and a line saying where the photo was taken and who with (e.g. August 2010 – Jane’s 30th birthday party at City Bar, with our friends Fred and Bob).
• I’m raiding our filing cabinet for relevant documents. I know we’ve got council tax bills, travel documents, and car insurance showing each other as an additional driver, but I’m also going to dig out a selection of bills showing that we live at the same address, even if we’re not both named on the same bill.

I’d like to get everything done this week and head off to the post office on Saturday morning, so I’m meeting the girls tomorrow to get the statutory declarations signed (and maybe have a wee glass of wine to celebrate them finally getting done!).