Can we get a visa longer than 6 months for the sister of my Filipino wife?

Hey there!

I've not posted on the forum for quite a while now (never got time - work...and 2 kids!) but I was wondering if anyone on here has done a similar thing to what I am looking to do...

My Filipino wife has been here (legally) since coming to the UK on a Fiance visa in January 2018 then getting that visa extended. We now have 2 kids together and she is really chomping at the bit to go back to her job at the local care home. She went on maternity 2 months before having our last kid back in May 2020, and obviously hasn't been able to go back to work yet. The trouble is, I work full-time as a HGV driver and I have to stay away, living in my truck from Monday to Saturday morning, so I don't really get the time to be able to look after the kids much on the weekend without being seriously deprived of my weekly rest (a dangerous thing when driving a 44 tonne truck all week!)

So, we were thinking if we could get a visa for her sister to come and stay with us to help look after our 2 kids. She is currently unemployed in The Philippines and would even like to work at the same care home my wife works at, as well as help us. In fact, that would be ideal...if both my wife and her sister could both work 3 or 4 nights a week each at different times then share the responsibility of looking after our kids.

However, I'm guessing that our only option though is for her to come here on a visitor visa only and be limited to just 6 months mainly because she is not a nurse or any other kind of professional like that.

Has anyone else on here done a similar thing, or looked into doing something similar? I'd be very interested to hear it.

Thanks,

Lee.

Hi Lee
In a nutshell no there isnt! As you say the only option is a visitor visa.

And no work permitted on a visit visa..even unpaid child care.

We are in exactly the same position, my wife would like a sister to visit.
We were told that the sister would need to show a reason to return home eg job, business, property, also prove how the trip was to be funded.
Unless the rules have changed recently it seems even a visitor visa is not easy.

Longer visit visas can be applied for. My wife's brother is a mechanical engineer in the muddle east. He has a Filipina girlfriend settled in the UK and he flies over to visit now and then to see her. He has a 5 year visit visa.

(no--it wasnt a spelling error )

They arent easy. It seems UKVI look for any valid reason to refuse--and there is no appeal. If the applicant can overcome the refusal reason--apply again. My wife did--back in 2013.

I'm assuming he was allowed a long visa because of his profession and could be useful to the country?

Thanks for all the replies guys! It's a pity there's no way isn't it? I mean, we could really do with the help of someone we know, rather than taking a chance on someone we don't know (if we employed someone) to look after our kids while we both worked. Not only that, our local care home just cannot get hold of (and keep) enough general workers. It seems crazy to me. I know most care homes are always looking for workers as they just cannot get them, or can't get them to stay if they do get them in the first place! Do the government want all these care homes around the country to go out of business? Imagine that! Then, how will their local councils look after the old people in need of care?

The reality of that situation is if it were legal to import "Care-givers" and an ad placed in the philippine press we would be innundated with high-calibre applicants like fully qualified nurses, that's how Er indoors mum got into Canada, nurse in the PI then applied as a care-giver into the land of maple leafs just to get her foot in the door, that loophole has now been closed I think?

he is not permitted to work here..so of no "use" to the country. He applied for a 5 year visa after proving he would go back after several 6 month visas issued over many years.

youve hit the nail on the head ! Immigration doesnt want more low skilled low paid workers--we had enough from eastern europe.
i agree with you about care staff--i should know--my wife is now the registered manager of a 20 bed home..after years of training and achieving nvq 5 and the registered manager award.