Hi,
I currently have around £16,500 in unsecured debt and am in full-time employment.
I have recently married my wife last December, in Thailand as she is a Thai national.
We are hoping to start the Visa application for her to come and live in the UK sometime next year and I am just concerned about how an IVA would affect us both.
I want to know if the IVA would affect the Visa application as I earn enough to cover the income threshold.
I am also wondering if I take an IVA I know it will mean that I can't get a mortgage for 5-6 years, but would I be able to rent ok?
Your IVA should have no adverse affect on her application -- but you should check this specifically with the government department concerned. You are correct in that you would not get a mortgage. Renting is not impossible, but not made easy. You will fail credit checks, but some agencies / landlords will accept higher deposits, advance rent and / or a guarantor to overcome this. The other alternative is to rent privately, direct from the landlord (i.e not through an agency) where a credit check might not be made.
My opinions are merely that .. opinions based on experience. Always seek professional advice.
IVA Completed 23rd July 2013 .... C.C. 10th January 2014
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk