need some advice pls

ok here is my situation and any advice on my next step will be greatly appreciated. I married my filipino gf last year in the Philippines. Next year i wish her and her child of 7 years (not my biological child) to visit me in the uk for at least a month. What do u think is the best visa to suit our situation and what sort of costs are involved? Does the child need a separate visa?
Like i say any help with this will be much appreciated

Hello reid and welcome to British Filipino, unfortunately UK visit visas for Filipinas are hard to come by but not impossible.

Better if your wife owns property and has compelling reasons to return to the Philippines after the visit, unfortunately Filipinos gained a reputation rightly or wrongly for overstaying in the UK.

I am not sure of the application fee but it is not expensive, that I do know, go for it, no harm in trying

Thank u timmers for yr help. Although doesn't fill me with much hope. I thought i could possibly sponsor them to come over as long as i can show i have enough money to support them during there stay.

Unfortunately it is all about them proving to the UKVI that they will return to the Philippines after the visit, the fact that you will be financing the trip does not impress them. My wife was turned down twice, second time I submitted my bank statements and the like but it didn't make any difference. Its all about showing compelling reasons why they are tied to the Philippines thus giving the UKVI less to worry about. Give it a try, but put a lot of effort into the application, if she gets a visa it will be a six month multiple entry as minimum.

Better that you know its not just a formality, this way it will not come as a complete surprise if the visa is declined.

The first time my wife's visa was turned down I was quite shocked, second time even more, I honestly thought it was as easy as me getting a visa for another country, not to be.

cheers mate, life just feels so unfair sometimes. i know i cant afford and im not in the position to get my wife and her child here permanently. But i just want them to come to the uk and see my life here and experience how i live.

I honestly believe it does not matter one little bit if you can support them while they are here or how much money you have in the bank, on the second attempt with my wifes visa I submitted a bank account equivalent to about 3 years salary and it made no difference of course. My wife was earning vast amounts of money in Dubai at the time too.

The biggest problem is when they know the Filipina is coming to the UK to meet her spouse, if I had my time over I would have had her go through a travel agent and kept me out of the picture. My mother in law, sister in law and my wife's friend had no problems at all getting a UK visa a couple of months back.

That is exactly what I wanted to do too, my wife had already visited the UK once to attend her friends wedding, the UKVI doesn't like it when they come to see a lover

Give it a go, you have little to lose, and you can use the application as evidence of a sustaining relationship once you bring her here permanently.

Its unfair, it really is, I feel for you.

Let us know how you get on, we love happy endings, you don't know until you have tried

It really is unfair, I'm still a little bitter about it, especially on the second refusal when I went to the British Consulate in Dubai and an Indian chap dealt with the application, not a British chap to be seen anywhere

A visit visa is £85 for less than 6 months, which is approximately a tenth the cost of a spouse visa, so is more affordable.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa.../419449/fees_table_for_website_2015_03_30.pdf

For 8400 pesos extra they will process the visit visa in 3 to 5 working days. In either Manila or Cebu ( so it says )

http://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/philippines/user_pay_services.html#11

going further on what timmers referred to---about who she is coming to visit. my girlfriend put on her visit visa app that she was sponsored and supported by her sister who is resident in the UK. no mention was made of me at all. it was her 2nd app--the first was turned down on a banking irregularity.

you have to put yourslf in the mind set of the case worker--if he/she sees the applicant is married to a brit--its an odds on certainty they will conclude she will overstay--or simply disappear here--with you.

Hi Reid there are other routes to getting your wife and child back they involve working in another European Country (they can join you for free) for 3-5 months (Ireland for example) and then bringing them back to the UK (also for free) and applying for 5 year residence cards under the Surinder Singh Route cost £65 each plus £20 ish for biometrics no English test No TB,no financial requirement and after five years they will get Permanent residence status and can apply for citizenship

https://www.freemovement.org.uk/surinder-singh-immigration-route/

Don't believe everything you read, the article below says that 90% of Filipino UK visit visa applications are successful;

https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/travel-to-the-uk-by-filipinos-grows-strongly

Certainly not 90% from what I have read on this forum

thanks everyone for your help i will take everything into consideration. Just seems so unfair if im the one always going over to phils and they cant come and experience life here and show them how i live day to day. Well im going over there again for 2 weeks in august so i will enjoy all the time i have over there and when i get back i will plan what im going to do next
.

Hi Reid, welcome the the forum!

Getting a visitor visa for a loved one is very difficult. The fact that she is your wife and you want her child to come too, would mean that it is probably impossible, especially as you don't have enough funds for a settlement visa.

Had you not been married and did not wish to bring your stepchild to the UK on a visitor visa it may have been granted; even then it may have only been possible if she came to the UK, not to meet you but to attend, say, a wedding of a family member or close friend. In that instance she need not mention you in the visa application but, as you are now married, I feel sure she would have to put that in her visa application.

If you want your wife and stepchild to settle here, you could look at KeithAngel's suggestions though.

Good luck with everything reid, when the time comes for you to apply for a settlement visa then we can certainly help you with that.

Good luck mate and enjoy the Philippines

Give it a shot. £85.00 isnt too much to lose.

Had you considered just your wife visiting? Is that a possibility?

Hi Reid,

I don't know whether this would help but when I sponsored my 2 children in the Philippines to come and visit us here in the UK last November 2013, I submitted every documents they required and I enclosed a sponsorship letter saying that "That we would like to emphasise that we are applying for family visit visa to enter the UK and that the time is not yet right for them to join us permanently in the UK. We are aware that any application for this in future will be made from their home country – which is in the Philippines".

Looking back now I guess I was lucky as they have more reason to decline their application as my children do not have any reason to go back to the Phils; they got me, their stepdad and their 2 brothers here and yet their visas were approved in 10 days. All I can say is it's worth a try but make sure you indicate on their application that this is just a visit and you are intending to apply for their settlement visa to join you when the time is right.

Good luck