Yes, I've done exactly the same thing earlier this year: http://www.easyexpat.com/forums/ftopic_7555.htm

With respect to the proof of communication between you and your wife, your job contract and photocopies of the relevant pages of your passport with entry and exit stamps to China should prove adequate.

In the case of living with parents, you simply need to prove that you have a room to yourselves - there need to be at least as many bedrooms as couples living in the house. Beyond that, if you have money and you're married, the visa's something of a formality.

 

With respect to the notarisation of passport, your best bet is to give the Consulate General in Shanghai a call on 021 6279 8130. If you're going to be there for some time, you may be able to avoid having to send notarised copies by applying in person and submitting the original. They can then make their own copies as required. They will advise you on how best to proceed.

In the UK, getting my passport and birth certificate copied set me back £70. This was for 15 minutes of the solicitor's time, rather than for the number of documents. I'm definitely in the wrong industry...

Per this FAQ you don't need to register your marriage in the UK.

 

You're not required to provide a letter at all as part of your application if you don't wish; however, it gives the Entry Clearance Officer a background on your relationship and your wife that is otherwise very hard to ascertain.

Exactly what you write is up to you, however what you are aiming to do is to tell the ECO that: your relationship is genuine, that you have adequate means to support her and that you have met. Everything else you write is useful for background information and to put your application into a positive light as well as to make their decision as easy as possible.

I wrote a rather detailed letter. In the course of writing this reply I've realised that I'm truly a geek


* The letter was a standard letter to a company - my address, date, recipient's address. Address the letter to The Entry Clearance Officer, c/o your wife (her address). Don't address it directly to the Embassy.

* Easy opening paragraph:
The following letter is in support of the visa application form for admission to the UK for my wife, <wife's name>, in which I aim to give some background information on our relationship, plans and future aspirations, as well as to provide some explanatory notes for the enclosed supporting material.

* I started by writing about why I was in China in the first place, how I met my wife and how our relationship developed. I went on to describe what happened when I left China, how we maintained contact and when and how long I was able to return to China. Last bit for this page was to talk about why we chose to marry when we did.

* Knowing that the UK government is obsessed with money, I went on to talking about my current status. I described the house in which I'm living, whether I'm owner, tenant or what (at the time I applied, I was sharing a house with 2 colleagues, and was part way through buying a house). I talked about my employment status, salary, future career development and prospects, and listed any outstanding loans and debts. I summarised this by stating whether or not I could support my wife without having to claim benefits (UK citizens can always claim benefits, but the government will be wary of sponsoring them to sponsor dependents).

EDIT:: Since you'll be looking for work when you get to the UK, you may need to stress your employability and whether or not you'll be claiming jobseeker's allowance or not.

* I then spoke about my wife's education, ability to speak, read and write English and employment prospects, as well as plans for further education. I mentioned any family plans, but didn't overstress this point.

* Last bit was to describe every item that I was putting in the envelope. It looked like:

 

i think you have to apply for entry clearance. the best bet is to get a solicitor to arrange all your papers for you.

 

Your visa is your entry clearance. My wife only had to present her passport upon arrival in the UK.

I gather that immigration from some countries require extra things - letters and what have you - but China is not one of those.

 

I asked about CDs, because I was going to supply all my messenger logs etc in searchable form, as well as all photos, movies etc. I'm told that the ECO will NOT accept electronic submissions - you'll have to take your jpegs to a photo booth and get them printed. Yeah, they lose the ability to examine the EXIF data, but since that can be faked, it's no real loss to them.

I'm not sure what additional information is required if your parents need to act as sponsors. You might be best off giving the Consulate a call again (or the FCO on 0845 010 5555 if you're back in the UK). Normally they're looking at your information, but if your parents are willing to help, I would assume that they would need to provide the same financial information (in the form of bank statements, pay slips and P60) that you do. Best to get the Consulate to clarify this.

 

My wife just went through the interview process a couple of weeks ago. They asked alot of questions pertaining to me and some questions about us as a couple. Nothing to worry about. When she goes for the interview tell her bring any further documentation ie photos, letters etc etc it all helps to make things go smoothly.

Good Luck