My girlfriend to visit England.

[Marcus3]

Hello Everyone,

This is a first for me guys & gals, so be gentle.

May i start by saying this is probably a very very very typical request you all may have heard a thousand times before, If so i apologise now. However i do not know the answers to the dilemma i have, so that's why i'm here.

Background...
I met a women in the Philippines 3 years ago whilst on holiday, and i have been going back there ever since. When we meet we travel around the country together and reaaly enjoy each others company. When i am in England we do not let a week go past without chatting on the phone or the Internet. I have met all her family friends and they have accepted me as her boyfriend. She has 2 kids to a previous marriage to a Philippino man, but this relationship finished 6 years ago. Its taken me 2 years (4 trips) to convince her to come to England, (Not To Get Married) just for a holiday this time, and only now is she considering it.

So my question is?

What do i need to know, in regards her visiting me. I have know idea about visa/passport stuff, all i know is she has a Philippino passport. I know there have been some horror stories which have started probably just like this, hence, why i am here. However i believe she is a good woman, but i still have questions...

Questions like:

How long can she stay for?
What should i be looking out for?
Do i need to report this to anyone?
Cheap flights from Manila to London?
Any tips, tricks, concerns i should be aware of?
What does she need to do over there before she comes over here?

I mean, any help/information/websites/advice positive or negative will be gratefully received.

Many Many thanks in advance.

Marcus

[Florge]

please visit www.vfs-uk-ph.com.. your questions are answered on this website...

by the way, welcome to the forum!

[IainBusby]

How long can she stay for?
What should i be looking out for?
Do i need to report this to anyone?
Cheap flights from Manila to London?
Any tips, tricks, concerns i should be aware of?
What does she need to do over there before she comes over here?


Marcus

Hi Marcus and welcome to the forum. If you use the search function on here to look for "visit visa" or "tourist visa" you'll find lots of interesting threads on this subject, but to start with I'll answer two of your questions.

How long can she stay for? - If she can get a visit visa it will usually be for up to six months.
What does she need to do over there before she comes over here? - She has to apply to the British Embassy in Manila for a visit/tourist visa.

That makes it sounda lot easier than it really is because many apply and many are refused. The most common reason for refusal is the ECO (Entry Clearance Officer) has decided on the balance of probablities, that the applicant is unlikely to return to the Philippines before his or her visa expires.

The ECO's usually consider that property (a house or land) in the Philippines, well paid, regular employment in the Philippines and money in the bank in the Philippines would generally lend weight to the likelyhood of them returning home, so if she has all or any of these things, she has more chance of being granted a visa.

However, because of the unpredictability surrounding the granting of visit visas, many people seem to think that even with all these things in place, it's still a bit of a lottery and it depends on which ECO makes the decision and which side of the bed he or she got out of that morning.

Iain.

[Arthur Little]

:welcomex: Marcus. I shan't elaborate on what my friends have already mentioned ... suffice to say :iagree: with Iain's views as regards the prospects of your girlfriend being granted a Visitor's Visa. However, at an outlay of around £65, it's at least fairly affordable, should she be prepared to take a gamble! :REGamblMoney01HL1:

[Marcus3]

Thankyou all so much for comments and advise, i will now go away and do some homework.

Thanks

[Cebu]

Thankyou all so much for comments and advise, i will now go away and do some homework.

Thanks

Read, read and re read. Make sure you can supply all the documents that they request. Wage slips, bank statements etc. When you send them to the Philippines don't post them, use UPS, DHL or similar.

For flights try Dial A Flight. You will probably need a return flight for entry into UK. http://www.dialaflight.com/?referrer=google&gclid=CM3q_eK9oZ8CFUUwpAodUgKEIA

Your gf will need to go to the UK processing office in Manila.

Good luck and best wishes.