Any wise advice for Welshman Paul?

[surfpaul50]

Thanks for reading and any advice you can give..

I have a girlfriend - Irene - a filipino national living in Manila and working as a university lecturer. Irene has a passport and has travelled once to Japan.

I live in Wales, UK. Irene and I met through a Christian website last month. On average we spend two hours a day using webcam and phone - in many ways it is like being in the same room etc... Our strong and similar Christian faith and background is working well for us in building closeness. We both think it looks very good.

Can I ask your wisdom on the easiest and wisest route ahead? As a single parent I have two weeks in mid march when my son is with his mother that I could most easily travel to the Philipines. Irene then has the months of April and May free from University teaching.

We could begin to apply now for a tourist visa for Irene to visit Wales in April and May with me as her financial sponsor. We could also put together the paperwork for a fiance's visa application and I could take it out there and hand it in with Irene by hand during my visit there in March. Irene could then travel on the tourist visa and stay here through April / May. If the fiance's visa was granted without an interview and sent to her home we could get it forwarded here while Irene was already in the UK - and if it then seemed right apply in a registry office here and marry perhaps in May, with Irene not needing to return.

I could instead visit the Philipines earlier ( late Jan / early February ) although this would involve a more complicated arrangement for my son staying here in Wales, and start the fiance visa process earlier so that it was processed by April for Irene to travel here.

Am I missing something? Is the time scale too short for evidence of relationship?

Can you advice a wise use of time and resources - a wise route ahead?

Much appreciation in advance

Paul
PS - You can write direct to surfpaul50AThotmail.com (surfpaul50@hotmail.com) if you chose..

[walesrob]

Thanks for reading and any advice you can give..

I have a girlfriend - Irene - a filipino national living in Manila and working as a university lecturer. Irene has a passport and has travelled once to Japan.

I live in Wales, UK. Irene and I met through a Christian website last month. On average we spend two hours a day using webcam and phone - in many ways it is like being in the same room etc... Our strong and similar Christian faith and background is working well for us in building closeness. We both think it looks very good.

Can I ask your wisdom on the easiest and wisest route ahead? As a single parent I have two weeks in mid march when my son is with his mother that I could most easily travel to the Philipines. Irene then has the months of April and May free from University teaching.

We could begin to apply now for a tourist visa for Irene to visit Wales in April and May with me as her financial sponsor. We could also put together the paperwork for a fiance's visa application and I could take it out there and hand it in with Irene by hand during my visit there in March. Irene could then travel on the tourist visa and stay here through April / May. If the fiance's visa was granted without an interview and sent to her home we could get it forwarded here while Irene was already in the UK - and if it then seemed right apply in a registry office here and marry perhaps in May, with Irene not needing to return.

I could instead visit the Philipines earlier ( late Jan / early February ) although this would involve a more complicated arrangement for my son staying here in Wales, and start the fiance visa process earlier so that it was processed by April for Irene to travel here.

Am I missing something? Is the time scale too short for evidence of relationship?

Can you advice a wise use of time and resources - a wise route ahead?

Much appreciation in advance

Paul
PS - You can write direct to surfpaul50AThotmail.com (surfpaul50@hotmail.com) if you chose..

Hi Paul,

Welcome to FilipinoUK.

I've had to mask your email address as there are spambots around.

First thing - forget the Tourist Visa, the British Embassy just don't like handing these things out, as Pete (mod and author of http://www.british-filipino.com/ ) will tell you, the rejection rate is very high. I think you are really better off going out there a few times to visit her then maybe go down the Fiancee Visa route if you still think its the real deal.

Good luck. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[baboyako]

..last month..

:doh go see her in the new year, then start collecting evidence & apply later. I think if you have known her for 1 yr then you will have a :xxgrinning--00xx3: good chance to get the visa.

[surfpaul50]

Dear Rob, Thanks for your input. I have a friend here in the same town as myself who met his girlfriend around December 05 and visited her last March(06) for two weeks. He sponsored her tourist visa which was granted without interview and she arrived lat July and stayed for most of the summer. This experience conflicts with your advice about tourist visas... My girlfriend has two months free ( April and May ) and it seems an ideal time for her to visit - can you fill in a bit more why you think this is unlikely to work? I value your experience. Would it be possible to talk? You have my e-mail address and we live in the same country etc.... Again, thanks in anticipation.

Dear Baboyako - you don't mention which visa you think would be possible given more time... I'm all ears and on a sharp learning curve... Warmest thoughts. Paul

[baboyako]

I don't think anyone here has been successful with the tourist visa - even for family members when there is to be a wedding here :Erm:

I was talking about the fiancee visa.

[KeithD]

We'd say about 3% of Tourist visa's are successful, whereas if you follow the advice on hear, 99% of Fiancee visa's are successful.....now I'm not much of a gambler :rolleyes: .......but I know where the value is.

Did you know the SEARCH function works? http://filipinaroses.com/search.php?searchid=16354

[walesrob]

Dear Rob, Thanks for your input. I have a friend here in the same town as myself who met his girlfriend around December 05 and visited her last March(06) for two weeks. He sponsored her tourist visa which was granted without interview and she arrived lat July and stayed for most of the summer. This experience conflicts with your advice about tourist visas... My girlfriend has two months free ( April and May ) and it seems an ideal time for her to visit - can you fill in a bit more why you think this is unlikely to work? I value your experience. Would it be possible to talk? You have my e-mail address and we live in the same country etc.... Again, thanks in anticipation.


Hi Paul, as many other members of this forum will tell you, Tourist Visas are very hard to come by. Why do I say that? The Entry Clearance Officer at the Embassy in Manila must be satisfied that the applicant for the Tourist Visa will return to the Philippines at the expiry of the Tourist Visa. So, technically, if the applicant has a lot of money, a nice house, family in business, etc, this is quite clearly proof that there is a compelling reason for the applicant to return. While I'm not denying your friend's girl got the Tourist Visa, it is NOT the norm - I will say this again, and Keith and Pete wil back me up, the rejection rate for Tourist Visa is very high. On the day Elsa applied for her Spouse Visa, out of 50 interviewed at the Embassy that morning, only 2 were granted visas. Now, this was just 2 years ago, and maybe things have changed at the Embassy, maybe they have softened a bit, I dont know.

Paul, if you want to email me, my address is walesrob(AT)gawab.(DOT)com - remove the (AT) and (DOT) - those pesky spambots again.

[surfpaul50]

Thanks for the input - I see the picture and the percentages.

Would my girlfriend havng a lecturing post and being on two month paid leave during her University holiday increase the percentage likelihood of a tourist visa being granted do you think?

Taking the other route - how many visits to the Philipines and over what time period brings in the likelihood of a successful fiance visa application? Would my visiting in January and again in March give a reasonable likelihood of success?

Thanks again for the benefit of your knowledge.. invaluable..

Paul

[scotsfiancee]

Well twice visits is enough then for you to apply for a fiancee visa to her. Keep all the evidence you have in your meetings. And once again keep reading on this site and do the SEARCH FUNCTION.

[walesrob]

Well twice visit is enough then for you to apply for a fiancee visa to her. Keep all the evidence you have in your meetings. And once again keep reading on this site and do the SEARCH FUNCTION.

Scots is correct - I would also say 2 or 3 visits is ok, but make sure you collect plenty of evidence - emails, chat transcripts, letters, air tickets, pictures, hotel booking receipts, etc. The more evidence the better, so the ECO at the Embassy will see that you are a genuine couple and you will have proof to back this up.