Hi everyone. First time caller. I'm looking for route one to getting my Filipina girlfriend here permanently. From what I can gather, the financial requirements for all the settlement visas are the same, as I am self employed they want to see bank statements from the previous financial year showing £18,600. my last years statements fall a bit short of that, so it looks like we can't apply for the visa ( not even sure what type of visa to apply for yet ) until april 2017. Long time.I was wondering if getting her here on a tourist visa in the meantime would in any way affect the application of the settlement visa. I notice that the main thing they want to see is proof of compelling reasons that she will return home ( proof of employment, bank statements, property etc ) . That's kind of the opposite to wanting to stay here permanently. Any pitfalls there? They are looking for 6 months bank statements from both of us,. how much is enough in my girlfriends bank? Another way may be the marriage visa, it seems to be the same rules as the tourist visa, perhaps more productive too ?Anyhow, looks like a have a sea of red tape to wade through before I see my girlfriend again and my friend who has been through all this before tells me this is the place to be for some sound advice, any help would be gratefully received. Cheery. Gordon.
Welcome to the forum Gordon, I think first of all you need to decide which of the routes of getting your loved one here you're going to take then you will be able to receive more help on the forum. If you were to take the Fiancée/Spouse visa route which most of us here did then you would be looking at an earning requirement of £18,600 per annum, is there any way that could be reflected in your self employment earnings? I ask the question because I am self employed and in theory I do not pay myself over £18,600 per annum. Which ever route you end up taking you will find a lot of information on this site, you can either just ask specific questions or search the forum, everything is covered here. Good luck
Hi Timmers Thanks for the reply. I will definitely be taking the Fiance/spouse route and I will be able to show the 18,600 over the next financial year. Was wondering if getting her here in the meantime on either a tourist visa or on the Marriage visa ( she will have to leave after 6 months on both these visas from what I can see,) is feasible. Thanks again. Gordon
Worth giving the visit visa a try, it isn't the easiest to secure but it is only cheap to apply for, the biggest thing about the application is to prove your loved one will adhere to the visa conditions and return home. Search the forum, there are many threads relating to gaining the visit visa and what paperwork to submit to give yourself a better chance of success.
Hi Timmers. I've been familiarising myself with the visa options for getting my girlfriend over to the U.K. It's quiet the minefield. Our plan is to apply for a fiancé visa in April 2017. and to hopefully arrange a tourist visa to get her here for a few months as soon as we can. So I have a couple of questions that I'm struggling to find the answers to . I should have asked you about the whole self employed thing when I first posted my questions but it was all a bit overwhelming at first. Anyway, I have to wait until the April this year and then begin to make sure my accounts meet the 18,600 by April 2017. Regarding expenses etc.I am a painter so there's usually 3 or 4 thousand worth of materials, vehicle expenses etc. are they looking to see 18,600 after all the expenses? Confused. Any advice regarding self employment rules would be appreciated . On the tourist visa issue.They are looking for 6 months bank statements from my girlfriend. She opened an account a couple of weeks ago and I want to send her some money,was wondering if it is ok to send it straight to her account or is this seen as bad in anyway in the eyes of the visa people? Thanks Timmers Gordon. .
@Maharg will give you some pointers regarding the application when you are self employed, I'm self employed now but wasn't at the time of the initial Fiancée visa and the following FLR. Wait to see what Maharg says, he's a pleasant chap, he is sure to give you some good advise.
The money they are looking at is the amount you declare on your tax return as earnings to be taxed on. So it is the earnings after expenses but before tax. You may have to hold back on some of your expenses and pay a bit extra tax to get over the 18600, but there's no other way if you are otherwise below the threshold.
Thanks guys. That's what I was looking for. How about putting money in my girlfriends' bank account. Will this affect her tourist visa? Is it supposed to look like she is making enough money even though I will be the sponser? Thanks again guys. Very helpful website Gordon
I'm afraid I can't help with tourist visas as we've never gone for one, although if she is submitting finances then they wil see that the money has come from you anyway.
Hi Gordon, Sending money to your g/f doesn't negatively impact her visit visa application. Many folks do that. As her sponsor you can help greatly by providing an invitation/supporting letter to confirm the support you'll be providing in terms of financial assistance and/or accommodation. If you intend to totally support the visit then here's a list of fairly typical supporting documents that should be provided:- - 6 months Bank statements - 6 months pay slips - Proof of address (eg utility bill, Council Tax etc) - Accommodation details (including owner's agreement / rental agreement) - Sponsors passport copy (Photo page, any relevant stamp pages) - The main reasons for wanting the applicant to travel at the specific time The absolute keys are going to be:- - Reasons for her to return home to Philippines that outweigh reasons to overstay in UK - Evidence showing she can financially maintain and accommodate herself in the UK with or without assistance from family/friends living there but without recourse to public funding or employment. The ECO will be looking to see if those aspects of her life that bind her to her home country outweigh those aspects that may cause her to be unwilling to return home and to attempt to change or extend her visa status. Reasons to return home and strong/complelling ties differ from country to country, city to city, individual to individual. Some of the most common and simplest examples of ties can be employment, a house, social and family relationships and a bank account. For some folks this just isn't the case, but that doesn't necessarily exclude them from securing a visit visa. Many successful applicants have relied heavily on aspects of their life that bind them to their your country such as unmarried children and social and family relationships and responsibilities. Also the strength of a good covering letter from the sponsor confirming the support they will be providing in terms of financial assistance and accommodation etc. including good reasons for requested the visit at this time. The costs involved and the speed of decision making suggest that making an application is always worthwhile. Good luck
Thanks Micawber. We should manage to put that lot together. If I'm to totally support her, do we still need 6 months of her bank statements and payslips? or are mine enough? she only recently opened a bank account so I was thinking we have to wait 6 months to apply. Thanks again. Gordon.
I can't really improve on @micawbers comprehensive response above. I have applied successfully for a spouse visa (similar in many respects to the marriage visa since both are settlement types) as a director of a company which is similar in some respects to a self employed application. I documented the process in a thread that I posted here if you are interested. http://www.british-filipino.com/ind...successful-category-f-visa-application.11096/
Documentary evidence is documentary evidence. Submit everything you have that supports the application. The cost is small the decision come fast. If it's a case of refusal she'll be given specific details why and these can be overcome in a subsequent application. In principle the ECO is looking for reasons to approve not reasons to deny. Contrary to popular opinion
Thamks Micawber I'll ponder that. Maybe I'll give it a whirl on the strength of my bank details, like you say it's cheap and fast for the outcome and hopefully no harm done in trying. Cheers. Gordon.
