Bun in the Oven

Getting married in the philippines to the love of my life and are expecting a child in 7 months.
We plan to settle in england
My question,
Would you advise us to have the baby in england providing my future wife gets a spouse visa or wait until the bun comes out of the oven in the philippines then apply for spouse and baby visa.
Pros and cons?
Thanks in advance

The thing is if the baby is born in the UK then it will be British hence an easy application for a British passport. If born outside the UK to a British parent then the baby is British by descent. I would suggest if you can, get her to the UK ASAP on a spouse visa, she will be entitled access to the NHS so that's not a problem.

But don't stress your wife over the process of quickly getting married and then getting a visa, not good for the baby.

Others will have their take on this

thanks brom, exactly what i thought... but it is interesting to hear others opinions

If you decide on getting here before the baby is born don't forget the cut off time stipulated by the airline. It may also vary between airlines but here is an example from CP

https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_HK/travel-information/special-assistance/pregnant-women.html

Given the choice... 100% give birth in the UK. No-brainer.

Been there done that.

I also had one born in the Phils in 2015.

Better for financial reasons too....yep. thanks everyone.

Hi ...did you arrive in the UK whilst you was pregnant...if so, did you receive all the government social security benefits such as free prescriptions, maternity grant ect? i am presuming our situtions are similar...I am a uk citizen but as i have never done this before i have no idea. I could call the social security but i am in the philippines so it would be expensive.

Do you live in The Philippines? If you are in The Philippines you may have issues with the financial requirement for spouse visas.

Thanks for your reply...I am a uk citizen from birth and i am based full time in the uk....i am aware of the financial requirements . As i am classed as disabled i dont need x amount in the bank and earning x amount every year.

The (Filipina) mother of my eldest boy already had full NHS entitlements at that time, so no issues there. She did travel back to UK when 7 months pregnant.

So, check with the NHS for current state of play (should be on their website).
Also check with airline as per pregnancy time limits. Again... on their website. Easy stuff compared to when my first wife gave birth 23 years ago.

Oh, and my UK born son... first passport for him at 2 months. Straightforward. British birth certificate.

My Phils born son on the other hand... much more complex paperwork.
Current processing time for British passport... 1 year + !

I applied last July. Still patiently waiting.

Just a heads up! One of the requirements for the application is a tuberculosis test, an x-ray test which may negatively affect your partner's pregnancy. She can still take it if you guys really want to but it's risky and she will have to sign a waiver saying IOM (the testing centre) is not liable for any possible complications. Best of luck!

There's only one official testing centre (for UKVI applications) in the Philippines and that is the IOM, which gives x-ray tests. I don't think they give tuberculin or other tests. One newly pregnant lady in my group ended up not taking the test after she was asked to sign the waiver.

https://www.iom.int/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/activities/countries/docs/uktbdp_ghana.pdf

regarding the tb test for visa applicants who are pregnant.
a pregnant woman will be offered extra shielding or can have sputum tests...see link

https://www.iom.int/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/activities/countries/docs/uktbdp_ghana.pdf

Yes, that is the correct link for the IOM clinic which routinely uses X-Ray and then, if any abnormalities are visible, administers a sputum test.

Q: What about pregnant women? A: Pregnant women are offered the option of chest x-ray with abdominal shielding to protect the unborn children or, to produce their sputum for three (3) consecutive days for smears tests.