Do we have to be married/engaged to get a visa?

We have advised you as to the CFO and BoI requirements, the decision is up to you. Feel free to ignore them, if you so choose, but be prepared to be stopped at Immigration and prevented from flying by an Officer who is keen to enforce the regulations. The financial calculation is how much such a stoppage will cost you - in terms of rebooking fees, overnight accommodations, etc., etc - as against a Cebu Pacific roundtrip to either Cebu or Manila. Depending on which airline is flying you Europe, you may be able to get the sticker as soon as CFO opens on the day you depart.

Anne: It appears Lisa circumvented the system by not buying a ticket to the UK in the Philippines but travelled to Bangkok and from there booked her flight and flew to London. As she was not flying to the country for which she had a Visa (ie UK), Immigration obviously didn't check if there was a CFO sticker in her Passport.

Yeah, that's too much of a risk. Why not just go to CFO and get the sticker? Besides, one has no longer have to set an appointment and it will only take a few minutes provided that you presented all the necessary documentation. Got mine 3 days before my flight.

Anne, did you have to make an appointment or could you just turn up?

As long as you have the Guidance and Counselling Certificate, receipt, and of course the passport, yes, I was instructed to just show up anytime. That was September last year in Cebu.

By the way, the sticker will be attached to the passport on the day/ after the visa becomes valid.

Thanks Anne

Just a quickie.

I'm flying off to Manila on Weds and will (touch wood) be married to my Filipina fiancé on the 18th March.

On my return to the UK we'll apply for the 'Family of a settled person' visa, but before then my fiancé is confident that she can apply for a tourist visa which will allow her to follow me over the UK within weeks.

After doing her own research she's confident that so long as she can give a good reason for wanting to come over to the UK - this being my sister's upcoming 40th birthday and a general need to visit her new home and family.

Is this OK in principal, and can we apply for the 'Family of a settled person' visa when she's over here on a tourist visa?

hi christopher--welcome to the site

can we apply for the 'Family of a settled person' visa when she's over here on a tourist visa?

no--not possible------and--in any case---to get a " tourist" visa--your fiancee / wife will have to prove a clear and positive reason to return home----and i would think a UKVI case worker would take the view she was just trying to join you using a low-cost visa.

Welcome to the Forum and best wishes for your forthcoming nuptials.

For Visitor Visas, the emphasis is on convincing UKVI that the applicant has overwhelming reasons to return to the Philippines at the end of the visit; their reasons for visiting are largely irrelevant. I agree with BigMac's observation that UKVI will view this application as a low-cost option.

She has to apply for the settlement visa in the country of her habitual residence, ie the Philippines, it can not be made from within the UK.

Cheers

Cheers guys - I think the information she's been getting is from the friend of her Mum who's been to England 'lots of times' apparently, but whether she's actually the spouse of a resident or if she's visited England since the rules changed is anyone's guess.

Final questions then before my flight on Weds.

1) Once I return to the UK seven days after the wedding, is it me who applies for the ‘family of a settled person’ Visa on behalf of my new wife, or does she have to apply for this herself?

2) If it's me doing the application, I gather I'll have to prove I earn the required £18,600 per year by providing evidence of this level of income over the last six months (which I can do via bank statements).
Do I send this information during the Visa application, or is it asked for after I apply?

3) Does my wife need the verbal English language qualification before the Visa is applied for?

4) Basically, once we're married and I've returned home, is there anything I should be doing before/during the Visa application.

Best,
Chris.

1. She applies.

2. She needs to submit the evidence, provided by you. Six months pay slips, twelve months better, a P60 if you have one, a year;s bank statements, evidence that your home is big enough for the two of you and that you own it or have a secure rental agreement - if you can take all this with you for her to submit it will save cost of courier packages later

3. Yes.

4. Panicking

1) Once I return to the UK seven days after the wedding, is it me who applies for the ‘family of a settled person’ Visa on behalf of my new wife, or does she have to apply for this herself?

your wife applies

2) If it's me doing the application, I gather I'll have to prove I earn the required £18,600 per year by providing evidence of this level of income over the last six months (which I can do via bank statements).
Do I send this information during the Visa application, or is it asked for after I apply?

^ 6 months bank statements--showing the income-----plus payslips for the period. your wife applies online--pays the fee--gets an appointment--and needs all your docs before then--so--allow time to get it to her


you need to go online and thoroughly familiarse yourself with the visa application and criteria. ask on here for any clarification

4. Panicking

ha ha ha ha --yes--ive got all that to look forward to

Excellent - I'm actually convinced that the answers were posted before the questions!

I'll print off copies of my bank statements going back 12 months to take to Philly - can't provide any payslips as I'm self-employed with a franchise, but I can also provide details of the franchise and how long I've had it, and maybe details of the house and the fact it's paid for etc.

EDIT: I gather that for self-employed individuals, bank statements are more valued than Tax returns which are based on self-assessment.

Obviously, a guy intending to marry and bring his wife over to the UK could claim he'd earned far more than he actually had to qualify, whereas bank statements can't be fiddled.

1) Once I return to the UK seven days after the wedding, is it me who applies for the ‘family of a settled person’ Visa on behalf of my new wife, or does she have to apply for this herself?

-- Your wife should be the one to apply from outside the UK. The category is "Settlement" under "Spouse"

2) If it's me doing the application, I gather I'll have to prove I earn the required £18,600 per year by providing evidence of this level of income over the last six months (which I can do via bank statements).
Do I send this information during the Visa application, or is it asked for after I apply?

-- Proofs for financial requirements or other documents should be at hand during the application. She must create an account in https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/

3) Does my wife need the verbal English language qualification before the Visa is applied for?

-- Yes. The updated English tests can be found here
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...nglish_Language_Tests_from_6th_April_2015.pdf

4) Basically, once we're married and I've returned home, is there anything I should be doing before/during the Visa application.

-- Try to read and understand the UKVI rules as the documents to provide are mainly yours.

https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk

If you follow the steps, you will find links of forms to fill out (by the applicant).

Hope this helps.

Get your Bank to stamp the printed off statements.

Yes, you will need all of that.

Addendum: She should also provide proof that she's free from tuberculosis. Unfortunately, there's only one approved clinic which can be found here

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...pines/tuberculosis-testing-in-the-philippines

self employed is a lot more complicated--but read the online application first--to get a feel for it.

Good point.

It is in downtown Makati

Yes. And the results, along with other documents should be submitted to VFS Global (Manila or Cebu) before the expiry (the TB certificate is only valid for 6 months)