LONDON - "Once Filipinos become permanent residents or citizens of the United Kingdom (UK), they wish for none other than to bring their loved ones here, such as their spouses. The question is, can they fulfill or meet the requirements of the British Government especially at this time of tightening of the rules for bringing families to the UK? Let us look into the experiences of two Filipino families in the UK." Successful Application "Cora Canlas, a British citizen, first met her husband Dante Canlas at a social gathering. They quickly felt comfortable with each other, and their relationship developed rapidly until they started living together. Unfortunately Dante was undocumented, having arrived in the UK in 2007 with a tourist visa which he was unable to renew. His status became a big problem for the couple and they obviously wanted to sort it out. The couple approached an immigration lawyer to sort their papers out but the application to the Home Office was refused in view of his being an overstayer in the country. The refusal hit them hard especially when they realized that Dante might be forced to go back home. They were saddened by it and at the same time were afraid of what might happen. They transferred to another immigration consultant who advised them to just go back home and apply at the British Embassy there for entry clearance as a spouse. Cora Canlas recalled, “That became our decision, for him to go back home. It was truly a gamble as we did not know what would happen: would he be given a visa or would we need to be separated for a long time…” Although it was difficult for Cora and Dante, they carried out their decision, went back home and there got married. However in view of Dante not having a legal right to stay in the UK, he was unable to apply to return straight away and they were separated for one year. Then when they eventually applied, Cora’s full time income was insufficient to meet the salary requirement so Dante’s application was delayed. As Cora had a part time job which paid cash, she managed to persuade the part time employer to confirm this in writing and produce signed payslips. So when Cora was able to show that she could meet and exceed the British Embassy’s income requirement if she added her part time income to her full time salary, Dante swiftly received his Entry Clearance and was able to return to the UK. The couple is now building their life together in Ascot, Berkshire and working towards the future. Dante’s advice to compatriots in the same situation is for them to seek the assistance of a solicitor so they will know exactly what to do and what to expect and to get some protection if you get detained." READ MORE... http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/09/05/14/family-reunion-uk
Well John, rules are rules, we have abided by them and I expect everyone else to do the same. He overstayed, this is exactly why Filipinos have such a hard time getting a visit visa, people like him spoil it for genuine visitors, they should never have allowed him to stop, harsh but that's how I feel about it.
