GP Registration

[mavid]

Hi everyone again...has anyone had any problems when they registered in the GP while on a Fiance Visa? Because i went there today and i was told i can't register.

[Mrs.JMajor]

:yikes: What is thier reason ????????:doh
Hii Ems :Hellooo::Hellooo:

[mavid]

Hi Juliet...they said i need to get married first...but I know some members with a Fiance visa was able to register before getting married tho.

[Ann07]

Hi everyone again...has anyone had any problems when they registered in the GP while on a Fiance Visa? Because i went there today and i was told i can't register.

NEver had a problem MAvid when we registred for my gp while on a fiance visa.

[JudyHon]

Hi Emy,

They are talking rubbish. We went to my GP's surgery a week after Judy arrived and she registered no problem. They did seem a bit uncertain at first, but then took a copy of her passport, her personal details and assigned a GP and arranged a preliminary appointment. I am sure this the standard practice.

I recall some guidance on the internet, but cannot remember where. UKBA? NHS Direct? :Erm:

Good luck

[JudyHon]

Hi

This might help:xxgrinning--00xx3:

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1095.aspx?CategoryID=68&SubCategoryID=158

Perhaps they were full, but in that case they should have suggested an alternative. The requirement to be married to get a GP doesn't make any sense at all...

[Mrs.JMajor]

It shouldnt be a problem, I suppose, here is the NHS contact # 01493 335340, thier reason wasnt valid Ems, I will find the email add for you so you can enquire to them via email

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/Contact.aspx here it is, you can send your complain by emailing them

[mavid]

NEver had a problem MAvid when we registred for my gp while on a fiance visa.


Thank u Ann07. I just phoned CAB for an advice waiting for them to phone back.

I was a bit surprised too earlier when they told us we need to get married first then show them the marriage certificate & indefinite leave.

[IainBusby]

Thank u Ann07. I just phoned CAB for an advice waiting for them to phone back.

I was a bit surprised too earlier when they told us we need to get married first then show them the marriage certificate & indefinite leave.

Hi Mavid,
I suggest you go back again with your fiance and tell them they've made a mistake.
Iain.

[Ana_may365]

Hi Mavid,
I suggest you go back again with your fiance and tell them they've made a mistake.
Iain.

yes!mavid sis,ur fiancee should go with u when u comeback there so that he is the one who explain it to them.like my hubby did b4 when i reg. here in ferryhill.:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Bluebirdjones]

They are talking nonsense ...... the fiancee visa IS all the proof they need.
They just need to take a photo-copy & add it to her record.

(I do assume though, that you are registered at that surgery ?)


FYI ... Mrs B's NHS card arrived within 7 days of her registering

[xebec]

We had exactly the same problem. They needed a visa with at least 6 months left to run. I didnt find the Home Office or NHS sites very specific with advice.

I think the problem is that there is no rule in place and it is left to the discretion of each surgery. It may also be in part the jobsworth nature of some receptionists.

Once Daisy had her FLR there was no problem at all.

The definitive answer would come from your local Family Practicioner Committee.

[Ann07]

Thank u Ann07. I just phoned CAB for an advice waiting for them to phone back.

I was a bit surprised too earlier when they told us we need to get married first then show them the marriage certificate & indefinite leave.

It shouldnt be that way:doh
I was not actually in the surgery when my fiance now my husband registered me in his gp. He just ask for a form i fill it in and he returned it back. When i got my nhs card i changed my gp coz i prefered a woman gp and no hassle at all:)

Ask your chef fiancee hehehehe to be with you when you go back there.
Goodluck Mavid:)

Excess: I registered to my gp after few weeks of arriving.

[Alec&Davina]

when my wife arrived here we never had a problem registering her to our GP. btw, she's on fiancee visa as well.

they just check her passport and visa stamped with it.

Goodluck Mavid, hope u sorted it out asap.

[mavid]

Hello everyone...thank you for all the replies.

I did went with my fiance to the GP and he is also a new patient because he was told last week by his old Surgery/Clinic that he needs to change GP because he moved in a different area now and that went easy.

I phoned CAB(Citizens Advice Bureau) regarding it and when they phoned me back, she said because I am not from an EU country i'm not allowed to register just yet and I need to get married and apply for the 2 yrs Spouse Visa ( which is the FLR i assume)

Then I asked what should i bring then to register after the marriage, she said Marriage Certificate and I have to get an Immigration advice for the other requirements...And i was like? why do I need an immigration adviser for?

She then said that's what the Asian Resource Center told her because she had to phone them to double check. She said i can go and ask them about it which we did and they just told me basically what they told the lady in CAB. So i asked...How come other Filipinas with a Fiance Visa was able to register? Does the rule change by the county? He said NO it's a universal rule...so he just left us more confused.

Anyway one last option is to call NHS directly and if they say the same...guess got no option but to wait for FLR and look for a private practitioner for now(they don't seem to know any in the Surgery we went too!)

Thank you everyone again

[Alec&Davina]

oh dear, if it's a universal rule how come some of the pinays here who arrived on Fiancee visa managed to register with no problem?

[darren-b]

Try using the information from this link

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Entitlementsandcharges/OverseasVisitors/Browsable/DH_074376

"Am I entitled to access primary care services?
Any person living here lawfully and on a settled basis is regarded as resident in the UK and therefore entitled to free primary medical services. On taking up residence in the UK it is advisable to approach a GP practice and apply to register onto its list of NHS patients. The practice may choose to accept or decline your application. An application may be refused if the practice has reasonable grounds for doing so, such as if you are living outside their practice area. A practice would not be able to refuse your application on the grounds of race, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition."

A fiancee visa may only be for 6 months but it is a settlement visa and the holder is taking up residence in the UK.

[mavid]

oh dear, if it's a universal rule how come some of the pinays here who arrived on Fiancee visa managed to register with no problem?

exactly:NoNo:

[pennybarry]

Goodluck to your registration Mavid. I am not sure if fiance visa holder will reaceive a letter from NHS. When I arrived at airport, I had my medical there(NHS Airport) and after few days, I received a letter from them about my GP registration.

[mavid]

Goodluck to your registration Mavid. I am not sure if fiance visa holder will reaceive a letter from NHS. When I arrived at airport, I had my medical there(NHS Airport) and after few days, I received a letter from them about my GP registration.

Thank you Penny :)

[mavid]

It shouldnt be a problem, I suppose, here is the NHS contact # 01493 335340, thier reason wasnt valid Ems, I will find the email add for you so you can enquire to them via email

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/Contact.aspx here it is, you can send your complain by emailing them

Thank you for that Juliet..i will send them an email about it :)

[darren-b]

Thank you for that Juliet..i will send them an email about it :)

You may be better to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) run by your local Primary Care Trust (PCT). There are several PCTs each responsible for a part of Birmingham so I can't point you at the right link.

[mavid]

You may be better to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) run by your local Primary Care Trust (PCT). There are several PCTs each responsible for a part of Birmingham so I can't point you at the right link.

Thank you darren-b. I will look for the PCT for our area.

[Mrs.JMajor]

Sometimes confussing how the other places in UK, are not the same opinion or info they got, for example

when I arrived at heathrow, the Immigration officer told me after my 6 months fiancee visa I need to go

back to Philippines, and I am really had mixed feeling, confussed/shocks/scared/annoyed and I told him

"Isnt it after get married we will apply Further leave to Remain?? and he said with a big voice and surprise

of my reply "No, you need to go back and apply in your country a spouse visa" and he even ask his 4

colleague and they say the same, so I didnt argue with them lol they are immigration, and when I saw

hubby I told him of what they said and he quite confussed as well,



To make the story short,we get married after 1 1/2 months after I arrived in the UK, then I apply my FLR

in person at UKBA home office in London, and thats it, I got my ID after 5 days stating and valid until 2011

Just wondering that immigration officer didnt know the rules, shockssssssss and annoying some

times:doh:NoNo:

[mavid]

You may be better to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) run by your local Primary Care Trust (PCT). There are several PCTs each responsible for a part of Birmingham so I can't point you at the right link.

I just emailed them darren. Will post their reply once i get one.

[mavid]

Sometimes confussing how the other places in UK, are not the same opinion or info they got, for example

when I arrived at heathrow the Immigration officer told me after my 6 months fiancee visa I need to go

back to Philippines, and I am really had mixed feeling, confussed/shocks/scared/annoyed and I told him

"Isnt it after get married we will apply Further leave to Remain?? and he said with a big voice and surprise

of my reply "No, you need to go back and apply in your country a spouse visa" and he even ask his 4

colleague and they say the same, so I didnt argue with them lol they are immigration, and when I saw

hubby I told him of what they said and he quite confussed as well,



To make the story short,we get married after 1 1/2 months after I arrived in the UK, then I apply my FLR

in person at UKBA home office in London, and thats it, I got my ID after 5 days stating and valid until 2011

Just wondering that immigration officer didnt know the rules, shockssssssss and annoying some

times:doh:NoNo:

Makes me wonder too...because while at the Asian Resource Center earlier asking for advice...the man said I need to get Home Office Approval first before we can get married! Imagine my face! :doh I was like...what do you mean Home Office Approval? Or are you talking about the Notice of Marriage? then he went to ask the other lady...and said..Oh Yeah that's it! Notice of Marriage...:doh Hmmm they should be giving advice and not confusing people more lol

[IainBusby]

Makes me wonder too...because while at the Asian Resource Center earlier asking for advice...the man said I need to get Home Office Approval first before we can get married! Imagine my face! :doh I was like...what do you mean Home Office Approval? Or are you talking about the Notice of Marriage? then he went to ask the other lady...and said..Oh Yeah that's it! Notice of Marriage...:doh Hmmm they should be giving advice and not confusing people more lol

They're talking rubbish, Home Office Approval is for people who are here on a different kind of visa, like student etc. You have already been given permission to marry in the UK because you were issued with a fiancee visa, the purpose of which is to allow you to come here and get married. If I were you I would find out where your Local Area Health Authority office is and pay them a visit. Ask them if they can give you something in writing to show that you are legally entitled to register with a doctor here in the UK.
Iain.

[georyz]

some of the surgerys staff doesnt know what they are talking.

when my wife arrive here in uk we had trouble registering her with a GP. we went to my GP to register her but they said they dont accept non EU. so we look for another surgery near our place and ask to register and the staff there ask her colleague is philippines in EU? oh gosh they dont know the answer so i replied no its in asia and they said no she cant register as only EU they accept. so what i did was phone the number from the book Life in the UK under registering for a GP and ask how can i register my wife as the surgeries dont register her as she is non EU even if shes holding a spouse visa, so they get my wifes name and address and they send form to fill in after a week she got a letter that shes registered on this GP which is located near our place.

hope this help.

[mavid]

This is the reply i received today from Patient Advice & Liaison Service::NoNo:




Thank you for your email.

Either at the end of the term of your current visa or following your marriage, you may be granted a longer-term visa or indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Your status at that time will determine your entitlement (or otherwise) to the NHS. Until then, a doctor would be able to offer you consultations as a private patient.

If you have any further queries, please telephone our helpline on 0121 255 0707.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service
NHS Heart of Birmingham
0121 255 0707

[aug06_2006]

When I registered to my GP I didn't encountered a probem..my hubby just showed my passport to them and a week after they gave me a form to fill in. I was on fiancee visa also...Anyway, good luck!

[darren-b]

Just found this page http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Healthservicecirculars/DH_4004148 which says

"There is currently no specific guidance available replacing Health Service Circular 1999/018. The Department intends there to be a public consultation regarding access to the NHS by foreign nationals. We cannot be specific over the timing but anticipate publication in late winter/early spring 2009. Once the consultation process is complete appropriate guidance will be issued regarding the rules for eligibility for access to the NHS by foreign nationals.

In the interim, where a general practice believes that it needs advice before registering (or refusing to register) a patient under their contract they can approach their local PCT for assistance."

Hopefully when this comes out (should be very soon) it will make it clear whether someone on a fiancee visa is entitled to register as a NHS patient with a GP or not.

[mavid]

Just found this page http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Healthservicecirculars/DH_4004148 which says

"There is currently no specific guidance available replacing Health Service Circular 1999/018. The Department intends there to be a public consultation regarding access to the NHS by foreign nationals. We cannot be specific over the timing but anticipate publication in late winter/early spring 2009. Once the consultation process is complete appropriate guidance will be issued regarding the rules for eligibility for access to the NHS by foreign nationals.

In the interim, where a general practice believes that it needs advice before registering (or refusing to register) a patient under their contract they can approach their local PCT for assistance."

Hopefully when this comes out (should be very soon) it will make it clear whether someone on a fiancee visa is entitled to register as a NHS patient with a GP or not.

Thank you darren :)

[mavid]

An update

While we were looking for a private GP we came across Stockland Green Primary Care Centre. Fiance got forms and was told we can submit the forms any time unlike the first Surgery we went too where you can online submit Wednesday and Thursday after 1 pm.

So went back to give the forms (fiance & mines). Gave her our passports. She made copies of it and told us when I get an evidence of address just give it to her then. Told us we will get the medical card within the week and go back for our first appointment. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

That's sorted! I am now registered with a GP and don't know why the first Surgery we went too was that confused lol

[Ann07]

Thats more like it congrats Mavid:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[mavid]

Thats more like it congrats Mavid:xxgrinning--00xx3:

Thank You Ann:)