Guys, here's an interesting situation. Either my English comprehension skills are getting poorer by the day or I'm correct in thinking that the London Visa Office has crafted a very poor email.
I have gotten my CoPR. Just to recap a little bit, my wife is supposed to have her delivery around 30th June 2017 while my CoPR mentions my visa expiry date which is 15th May 2017 (medical expiry date). I know the problems associated with this dilemma if I choose to get baby delivered in my home country so I'm not going to go into that detail.
Before I submitted my passport to local VFS office, I emailed my London Visa Office and told them that my wife has an expected due date of 30th June 2017 as the PPR email mentioned that "Change in health circumstance" needs to be mentioned to London Visa Office. That is all I mentioned. I didn't request them to extend my landing date or anything of that sort. Just an intimation of my spouse delivering on 30th June 2017. I sent this email on 10th January 2017 and submitted my passport to local VFS office on 11th January 2017.
I received my CoPR on 12th January 2017 along with the passports with the visa counterfoil stamped in them. Today (16th January 2017), I receive an email from the London Visa Office which states:
1. If you and your spouse are choosing to land after your child is born:
a. You must advise us before the birth of your child or before your visa expires (whichever date comes earliest)
This is clear. In this case, IF you want to land after your wife delievers, then you must inform them accordingly. However, if your visa expires BEFORE your wife delievers (which is true in your case), you have to inform them that you would like to land at a later point in time AND you have to tell them this BEFORE your visa expires.
b. Your visa/COPR documents will be cancelled.
c. We will request various documents, including confirmation of medical examination, for your child.
d. If the requirements are satisfied, new visa/COPR documents will be issued.
Let's assume that I'm choosing to land AFTER my child is born. Based on the email I should be advising them that I will be landing after my child is born, before 15th May 2017 as that is the earlier of the two dates. Now if my understanding of their email is correct, they will then cancel my and my spouse's visa/COPR and then request additional documents. Then they will issue me new visa/COPR documents if everything is fine.
Now the problem which the London visa Office didn't recognize in this email (or I think they didn't recognize) was that my and my spouse's medicals will also expire before the birth of my child (meaning landing date will also expire). The understanding I am getting from their email is that they can put my status on hold if I tell them I'm having my baby delivered in my home country. What they will do is then request additional documents from me. Now what are these additional documents?
You would have to show additional proof of funds and submit medical results and passport for your baby.
Does this also include new medicals for me and my spouse?
If it is beyond the expiry of your medicals, then you might very likely be asked to submit a fresh copy of your medicals too.
If my understanding is correct, this completely contravenes the fact that Landing Dates cannot be extended at all. What the email has suggested is basically extending my landing date that has been issued, no??
Landing dates can be extended in certain demanding circumstances. Even though your new medical will be valid for one more year, the VO might specify a date before that for you and your family to land (This is only my opinion).
I thought that the email should've said this in point 1(a)
a. You must advise us after the birth of your child and before your visa expires.
The point they wanted to make is this.
What they mean by the sentence above is :
If your baby is born before you land, you have to inform us after the baby is born OR
If your baby is yet to be born BUT your visa is expiring before your baby could be born, then you have to inform us before the visa is expiring.
This would've cleared everything. Because then they would request new medicals of my child, cancel my existing visa/COPR and issue me a new visa/COPR.
I think they've assumed that the child is always born BEFORE the visa expires and therefore they just sent me a cookie-cutter email they send to everyone.
Please help me understand this email. I may very well be wrong in interpreting their email. Open to suggestions. By the way I do want to get my child delivered in my home country.