Only met once, known each other for less than a year:/

Hi, me and my girlfriend where looking at applying for the fiancé visa, but I've come across some advice/stories that because we have only met once, they are likely to reject the visa because we can't prove the relationship is genuine and subsiding.

When I'm reading the requirements before, we meet everything. Financial, living, we have met etc

Our relationship is genuine; we are both happy and understand what we want. We have 100's of hours in calls/Skype, 10s of thousands of messages. Romantic pictures together, pictures with her family. Everything.

However, we have only met for 2 weeks last November

I understand the more time we have spent with each other, the better it will look to the embassy, but we both feel that we want to make the application soon.

Would it be foolish to apply having just met once?

Thanks for any advice

the visa requirements are that the couple must have met--face to face--once. so--provided you can show proof of that--you should be OK.

however----whether a relationship can be said to exist is another matter. just be aware you will have a five year settlement route in front of you--with at least £6000 in visa fees to pay. if the relationship doesnt work out--you will be well out of pocket--and she will be back where she started.

Thanks, and I totally understand the costs and risks involved

My question is can we get the visa? How strict are they nowadays on time spent together/length of the relationship. By the way, she is 21 and I'm 26.

We have talked that I'll go and meet her again in March if the visa is unlikely to succeed.

Thanks again

if you both meet all the criteria--you have nothing to lose. but if i were in your shoes i would go and meet again in march --then apply--if you both feel its the right thing.

If I understand this correctly, you've only met once, two months ago. How long have you been messaging each other online?

Whilst it is true that technically you only need to have met once, personally I suggest that you wait until after your next visit if you intend to visit March anyways.

Bear in mind that you will need to show evidence such as:
Engagement ring receipt.
Plans for a wedding.
Consistent communication logs (mobile phone records, chat logs, emails etc)
As well as the items you mentioned.

I don't believe there are hard and fast rules about length of the relationship, but clearly, if you've only known each other for 2 months its going to be much harder to provide convincing evidence of a genuine relationship than if you had known each other 2 years.

Yeh that's what I'm leaning towards, visiting her again in March.

Our visa application was going to be in April/May anyway. But we had planned not to meet again until she was here because primarily the expense. And we thought that we already met all of the requirements.

We have been messaging each other since last June.

Thanks

good luck with it all. and--i should have welcomed you to the site. let us know how it goes.

sounds like a plan. My only other advice would be that whatever funds you think you need, double it. If you're pushed for cash bear in mind you'll have to pay for the spouse visa shortly after the marriage visa. You might want to consider simply getting married in the Philippines. Not only does that provide more substantive proof of relationship, it's cheaper because you only have one visa fee and you're marrying in a cheaper place..

Thanks both for the advice. I'm sure I'll be using this site a lot for information and the occasional question haha.

I'm not pushed for cash right now, I'm just cautious in spending too much so I don't take as much of a hit later when applying for spouse visa etc. But I'll keep in mind what you said about doubling my expectations for the fees :/

And yeh, I guess that's an option also. Our preferred route would be the fiancé visa though. But perhaps we might look at that option more

Thanks

please feel free to ask anything on here--lots have members have got visas over the last few months----my fiancees application is in--so we are now waiting.

I agree with others have written, but also consider that there are proposed 25% increases in settlement visa fees which may well be introduced in April this year. Getting loved one into the UK is never going to get any easier.

Hello lonewanderer, welcome aboard British Filipino

Based solely on what you've shared I think your best option in to first get married in the Philippines then have your partner apply for a settlement as spouse.
There are lots of positives for getting wed in the Philippines and it certainly helps to overcome potential difficulties in trying to prove 'intentions' under fiance(e) status.

Food for thought
Good luck in your journey

There must be some luck involved as well as rules..... a friend of my wife from Philippines was here on visit visa early last year (2015) to see her (then) fiancee,... it didn't work out , she went home, ...met another guy from UK when she returned home ( although I suspect it was when she was here in UK ), got a quick marriage arranged for October,... only met once in Philippines , they applied for spouse visa which was approved and arrived this week. She flies back here end of month,..... sometimes its worth trying when the odds are stacked against you....

Possibly. But frankly I don't condone anyone arranging a quick marriage with someone they've known for less than a year and met in person once. You've heard the phrase "marry in haste, repent at leisure" (edit - I mistyped this 'revents at leisure' the first time around) and although individuals vary in their caution, personally I knew my wife for four years and did thirteen visits there before we married and she came here.

Thats a new one

oops. Using my phone and didn't see that. I'll correct it.

Im just gonna sit back and think about the best option for us. But we are considering all options including marriage in the Philippines.

I would really have liked to apply in a couple of months, but I don't want to be throwing money away, if the it's only going to be rejected because they don't believe our relationship is genuine.

Goodluck with your future application

Thank you

You've read the opinions and you should bear them in mind as guidance when preparing an application.
Just because you have met only once doesn't mean the application would be rejected. Depends on the evidence.
Of course the ECO needs to feel comfortable in believing the relationship is genuine and there's no hint of deception. The ball is in your court to submit evidence that cannot be denied.
Take a look at the UKVI document' Annex FM Section FM 2.0 Genuine and Subsisting Relationship' and decide if your evidence falls under 'Factors which may be associated with a genuine and subsisting relationship' or if your evidence falls under 'Factors which may be associated with a relationship which is not genuine and subsisting'
Here's the link:-
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263237/section-FM2.1.pdf

I still feel that in your specific case getting married in the Philippines would be the best option, but you should review the Immigration Rules requirement and make your own decision.

I feel the Immigration Rules will only get tougher and require more evidence to be compliant.
Cost-wise there are annual increases. We know the fees will jump 25% this year.