UK Visa for my filipino fiance

Hi James and welcome to the Forum.

The UK Government has become very restrictive with regards to Immigration into the UK; mainly because of marriages of convenience and people using these to get around the rules.  The end result of which are things like requiring a couple to have been together for 2-years prior to the grant of a family visa; this is directly aimed at stopping marriages of convenience as a means of entering the UK.

A non-EU citizen requires a visa to live and work in the UK; there are 2 types of visa, work visas (which are not permanent) and family visas which can be permanent, so you need a family visa for which there is a requirement for you to have lived together for 2 years prior to applying; there is no way we've found around that except for the "Surinder Singh" method; this link will take you to the UK Gov website that explains the process.  It would mean you both moving to another EU country before you get permission to come to live and work in the UK, so probably equally as bad, but at least you could be together.

I probably haven't helped you very much, but I wish you the best of luck in your journey.

Cynic
Expat Team

I've been given advice on another forum that suggests you're wrong. You don't need to have lived together for two years. This is his advice:

You need to apply for marriage settlement visa (commonly known as "fiance visa"). It doesn't require you to live together for at least 2 years (that visa is called unmarried partner visa). You need to have met at least once to apply for a fiance visa. You need to meet the financial requirement which is £18,600 pa and meet all other requirements.

Fiance visa will be valid for 6 months where you will need to marry within that time amd after marriage she can then apply for extension which will then be valid for 2.5 years where she will be allowed to work.

If you do decide to get married in the Philippines then she will have to apply for spouse visa from the Philippines.

-----

I then went to this government webpage:

https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/partner-spouse

It says:

You must be able to prove ONE of the following:

- you’re in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK

- you’ve been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply

- you are a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner and will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving

You also need to prove you:

have a good knowledge of English
can financially support yourself and your dependants

So, I only have to prove that she is my fiance, and that we will marry within 6 months of her arriving.

I'll visit her, get engaged and then prove we're going to get married.

But before that I'll make sure she passes the required English test.

I hope this helps someone else.

Hi and thanks for coming back; always good to get more information.  I've found what your other reference has said; so I apologise for my erroneous post earlier.

I still wish you the best of luck with your journey.

Very kind. It is so confusing!

It certainly is; I'd appreciate it if, at the end of your journey, you could come back and let us know how you got on.

Cynic
Expat Team

I will thanks.

guys can anyone help me i plan 3 month visit Philippines but cant be bothered with the hassle over paperwork for visas or extension can i go for 29 days leave country for 1 day return stay for 29 days and repeat the process

georgie188 wrote:

guys can anyone help me i plan 3 month visit Philippines but cant be bothered with the hassle over paperwork for visas or extension can i go for 29 days leave country for 1 day return stay for 29 days and repeat the process

Hi there and welcome to the Forum.

To be honest, I don't understand what your specific question is.  However, I can say that it's never a good idea to "not be bothered with the hassle over paperwork for visas or extension" etc.  If you are talking about trying to get around any countries Immigration rules, then you can be caught and then face the fact you will be fined, deported and excluded from further visits.

I know I've probably not helped very much, but I wish you the best of luck.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks
what i was trying to say as a UK citizen i can enter for 30 days without visa i have heard stories it takes hours and hours to get extension .I wanted to know if i left the country for 1/2 days say go Dubai for weekend can i return to Philippines and start 30 days again without visa ,thanks for reply anyway

Thanks

georgie188 wrote:

Thanks
what i was trying to say as a UK citizen i can enter for 30 days without visa i have heard stories it takes hours and hours to get extension .I wanted to know if i left the country for 1/2 days say go Dubai for weekend can i return to Philippines and start 30 days again without visa ,thanks for reply anyway

Thanks

Ah, that's a bit clearer; then you're asking your question in the wrong part of our Forum; you're probably better off asking in our Philippines forum; this link will take you there.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

I have travelled down this route. My Philippines girlfriend came to the U.K. for 6 months, we then returned to the Philippines and married there.

A few words of warning: Philippine culture is very different from U.K. culture. A Philippine woman has obligations to take care of siblings and some extended family matters. When married, you have to assume that responsibility. This can drain your finances quicker than you ever thought possible.

Yes, my marriage turned into a disaster. Rule one is Never marry in the Philippines, if it goes wrong down the line there is almost no way back without a lot of trouble for the foreigner. There is No Divorce in the Philippines, so keep yourself clear of that trap.

I thought everything would be roses until after one year I discovered a hidden Daughter an two gran children who then had expectation from me.

I was cheated on the purchase of a car. After paying for the sisters holidays with us she made an offer to get a good deal on a car for me. Behind my back my wife and sister negotiated a deal with the seller to give them a fat commission. So the rule here is that you cannot trust Philippine women. So make damm sure you really know your intended before getting into a permanent relationship.

My British friend is currently suffering a similar disaster. They married in the U.K. and all was well until the wife insisted on returning to the Philippines. Her son from an earlier relationship got married and the Bill was presented to him, shock horror. The family has sucked him dry and now he has run out, got a flat away from them and is faced with debts that will take him two years to clear  while he has to live on a pittance.

There are numerous stories about marriages to Filipina’s that have caused untold misery.

I do know of a few successful marriages. They are lucky and definitely not the norm.

Good luck to you. My advice to you is ‘take your time’ do not marry until you know the full family picture and what you could be letting yourself into.

I got a UK divorce that is still not automatically recognised in the Philippines. It will require a court case to give proof of process and due to court overload can easily take up to two years to see through.

In the mean time I am wanted by Philippine Police for taking a new girl friend on a case of Concubinage that carries a six year prison sentence. I got out of the Philippines before they could arrange a hold order!

BEWARE,  IT NOT ALWAYS MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES.

I am from Philippines and I am sorry it happened to you.  I could tell that you have married a very dependent Filipina. It is not true that Philippine women has to take all the obligations of their siblings or extended family, it is always her choice! No one could force her if she won't give any dime to her family.
Let's just not generalized women from Philippines. You are right, they need to take their time before they decide to marry.
All the best!

In order for you to get her a visa, easier and quicker, you need to go to Philippines first and meet her, take pictures of her together with you and family and places you will visit (application purposes). Philippine Immigration is very strict nowadays, and tourism leisure travel purposes is not allowed, until when? We can not tell,
She can not go to UK for meet up purpose. Tourist visa is restricted. Foreigners who have a long term visa only is allowed to enter to the country. Foreigners married to Filipina should carry their marriage certificate. We hope that you can visit her soon, but because of this pandemic, everybody's plan is crippled. In the future when you meet her, you can propose to her take lots of pics, bring your necessary original docs like divorce, employment, birth, p60s, and she can apply fiancee visa to the UK. Or get married in the Philippines. It can save you lots of money, if you do it all at once, as of now enjoy talking with her, get to know her more. Love is patient. Good luck .