I am new to this Forum and would greatly appreciate your advice. I have been in a relationship with a Pinoy (we met in Singapore) for over 2 years. We are thinking about marriage and settlement in the UK. What are the pros and cons of getting married in the Philippines and applying for a spousal settlement visa vs applying for a fiancée visa and getting married within six months? If we could follow either option, what would you recommend? BTW, she is employed in Singapore in a fairly good job. I am a consultant with a reasonable income. Many thanks in advance for any help, advice, opinion or insight offered. James
Hi! You are better off to get married then apply for a spouse visa rather than applying for fiance visa. Since you are both working abroad, after the wedding submit your marriage certificate at British embassy in Singapore/Philippines (wherever you decided to get married) to have it recorded.
hello--welcome to this site. by the way--you mean pinay. i had to read through your first post to reach that conclusion.
You're right Malcolm, but it should also be understood that the words Pinoy and Pinay are colloquial slang mostly originating from the American era of colonisation, the terms are mostly accepted by Filipinos and used in current language however some (a few) Filipinos see the terms as offensive as a result of their origin, mostly when the words are spoken by foreigners.
I had no idea the terms might be deemed offensive. Thanks for alerting me to the potential sensitivities.
Only a very few people would find them offensive these days it was however a point that I picked up on many years ago and I have always been careful not to use the terms just in case.
Hi James / JJL, Welcome here. Three reasons to get married in Phils: 1) The wife's family get to be part of the day and, IMO, it is more fun to get married there. 2) It is much cheaper to get married there. 3) Once the spousal visa is granted and the wife travels to the UK, she can get a job straight away.
Yes. I agree with the above post. And I do not know if it is still true but the visa fees and associated costs are cheaper in the longer term too if marrying in the Philippines.
true. if a couple marry in the UK..the wife needs 2 FLR's, whereas if married in the pinas then only one FLR--after 30 months in the UK--saving over £1000 visa fee.
For the people who want to marry in the Philippines, my wife arrived in the UK with her CFO and spousal visa in her passport then got her ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) when she was in the UK after doing the "Life in the UK" test.
