MarBell379
25th February 2010, 19:16
As I struggled to find all this while I was working on it, and had quite a few :NoNo: moments as I realised there was yet another step I hadnt foreseen, I thought it might be useful to put together a list of actions we needed to go through to get a fiancee Visa, get my fiancee here, and get the next steps of UK life out of the way.
This goes up to applying for a National Insurance number as, so far, thats where we're at.
1-Find a girl you want to marry (and who wants to marry you - tick both these boxes and the process will be easier)
2- Spend some time together! Take pictures and get to know each other. Spend time with her family and friends (They WILL be a factor in your relationship, in spite of anything you may be told otherwise)
3- Gather evidence of relationship over a long period of time (6Months MINIMUM I would suggest) Write letters and emails and KEEP COPIES. Save your online chat logs and print them out (You don't need the naughty ones, as long as they arent ALL naughty - if they are, you may need some correction fluid! Ooooh errrrr :doh)
4- Decide if you want to get married in Philippines or in England. There are reasons for and against both, and most are personal in the end. If you want to get married in Phils, stop here and go and read something else. Getting married in England, read on.
5- Complete application - This can be done online now, and is relatively simple, but does require each bit to be done in order. Hopefully by this time you've got all your paperwork to your fiancee - I found the biggest problem was confirming HER family details.
6 - Book the submission date - Once you've submitted a completed application, book your date. Make sure its a few days away, as you need to pay for it BEFORE you get there. (oh, and keep the receipt!)
7- Pay for application - BEFORE you go to Manila
8- Go submit your paperwork, get your retinas scanned and be prepared to have your nice neat stack of paperwork abused as they 'order' it into whatever format seems necessary to them on the day. (paper planes anyone?) Be prepared not to get this back! If you need it back, photocopy it first - once they've seen the originals, they will accept a photocopy in some cases so you dont have to leave your life in the hands of god knows who!
9- Go home and wait (ours took 5 weeks. Ive seen anything from a few days to more than 8 months. Whatever the period - its hard :bigcry: )
10- Get an email and text to collect passport. - Woohooooooo! (Cross your fingers though, as they don't actually say its been approved, just its ready to collect)
11 - Collect passport - head to CFO. - Varying experiences here. Be prepared for it to take longer than it says, for the pure fact that they will send you round the houses. The CFO website is one of the most misleading, contradictory, and incorrect Ive ever seen. It also seems to be a completely unnecessary requirement.
12- Pack up and leave Phils for sunny England - say your goodbyes, sell your furniture, whatever you need to do. This bit will be stressful for most, but you should be happy so keep smiling!
13- Arrive in the UK :) - Be prepared to smile a lot, and be all lovey dovey for a week or so before the reality of not being able to work on a fiancee visa kicks in
14- Get your heads down and arrange your marriage properly. Guys - This takes a LOT of work and your fiancee may not be able to give as much input as you'd like. Stick with it and arrange the best your finances/logistics can make it. Oh, and wear a barong. She'll love it, and you'll look good. Get barong and dress from Tagaytay in advance if you can, You'll save loads and look great.
15- Enjoy the day! - Hopefully it will be your only wedding (or at least your last one) Enjoy it. take a few minutes every hour or so just to smile, kiss and chill with each other!
16- Go on honeymoon (optional - avoid Somerset in January - its cold and even the Tourist Information places are shut!)
17- Apply for FLR - We did ours on the same day (postal is cheaper, but takes longer). Be prepared to be questioned by someone who speaks less English than your new wife. They will only issue FLR with the name thats in your wifes passport. If you want her married name in it, get the passport changed first. We didn't have time as we're going to Phils in April and will have to change names etc when we return.:doh
18- Apply for a bank account. (NB - Lloyds TSB apparently won't give a bank account to someone without a job. Seeya Lloyds. Cross the road and its easy at HSBC, and voila, you have formal paperwork with your wifes new name on it :xxgrinning--00xx3: of course you can get her name on your council tax just by calling the council if you like. They'll put anyone on cos they know you have to pay them more when you lose your 'sole adult' discount.
19- Make appointment with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for National Inusrance number. - Relatively straightforward here, bar the middle name change that no one seems to understand. In hindsight, it may have been better to get her passport changed to her new name first.
20- Start applying for jobs - CVs, cover letters etc will all need creating
Still to come - Receiving NI number and hoping for the name to be correct.
Getting a job
First paycheques and the disappointment of how much tax and NI is taken off.
Travelling back to Philippines with two names (1 in passport, and 1 married name)
Travelling back together for the first time
Changing passport to new name
Registering marriage at Philippines embassy
Applying for Driving licence, and the horror of lessons!:omg:
So there you have it. Written from experience and memory and not in depth study of the process, I'm likely to have people correct a few bits. I thought it might be useful anyway as when you start looking at this stuff all the info is so fragmented its almost impossible to see the end. Once youve got your FLR and a NI number, you can chill a bit - keep that paperwork though! You're going to need it in two years time!
Never surrender, never give up, Its just paperwork, and can be resolved.
Good luck!
One last tip - DON'T get your house remodeled while you're doing this!!!! :doh
This goes up to applying for a National Insurance number as, so far, thats where we're at.
1-Find a girl you want to marry (and who wants to marry you - tick both these boxes and the process will be easier)
2- Spend some time together! Take pictures and get to know each other. Spend time with her family and friends (They WILL be a factor in your relationship, in spite of anything you may be told otherwise)
3- Gather evidence of relationship over a long period of time (6Months MINIMUM I would suggest) Write letters and emails and KEEP COPIES. Save your online chat logs and print them out (You don't need the naughty ones, as long as they arent ALL naughty - if they are, you may need some correction fluid! Ooooh errrrr :doh)
4- Decide if you want to get married in Philippines or in England. There are reasons for and against both, and most are personal in the end. If you want to get married in Phils, stop here and go and read something else. Getting married in England, read on.
5- Complete application - This can be done online now, and is relatively simple, but does require each bit to be done in order. Hopefully by this time you've got all your paperwork to your fiancee - I found the biggest problem was confirming HER family details.
6 - Book the submission date - Once you've submitted a completed application, book your date. Make sure its a few days away, as you need to pay for it BEFORE you get there. (oh, and keep the receipt!)
7- Pay for application - BEFORE you go to Manila
8- Go submit your paperwork, get your retinas scanned and be prepared to have your nice neat stack of paperwork abused as they 'order' it into whatever format seems necessary to them on the day. (paper planes anyone?) Be prepared not to get this back! If you need it back, photocopy it first - once they've seen the originals, they will accept a photocopy in some cases so you dont have to leave your life in the hands of god knows who!
9- Go home and wait (ours took 5 weeks. Ive seen anything from a few days to more than 8 months. Whatever the period - its hard :bigcry: )
10- Get an email and text to collect passport. - Woohooooooo! (Cross your fingers though, as they don't actually say its been approved, just its ready to collect)
11 - Collect passport - head to CFO. - Varying experiences here. Be prepared for it to take longer than it says, for the pure fact that they will send you round the houses. The CFO website is one of the most misleading, contradictory, and incorrect Ive ever seen. It also seems to be a completely unnecessary requirement.
12- Pack up and leave Phils for sunny England - say your goodbyes, sell your furniture, whatever you need to do. This bit will be stressful for most, but you should be happy so keep smiling!
13- Arrive in the UK :) - Be prepared to smile a lot, and be all lovey dovey for a week or so before the reality of not being able to work on a fiancee visa kicks in
14- Get your heads down and arrange your marriage properly. Guys - This takes a LOT of work and your fiancee may not be able to give as much input as you'd like. Stick with it and arrange the best your finances/logistics can make it. Oh, and wear a barong. She'll love it, and you'll look good. Get barong and dress from Tagaytay in advance if you can, You'll save loads and look great.
15- Enjoy the day! - Hopefully it will be your only wedding (or at least your last one) Enjoy it. take a few minutes every hour or so just to smile, kiss and chill with each other!
16- Go on honeymoon (optional - avoid Somerset in January - its cold and even the Tourist Information places are shut!)
17- Apply for FLR - We did ours on the same day (postal is cheaper, but takes longer). Be prepared to be questioned by someone who speaks less English than your new wife. They will only issue FLR with the name thats in your wifes passport. If you want her married name in it, get the passport changed first. We didn't have time as we're going to Phils in April and will have to change names etc when we return.:doh
18- Apply for a bank account. (NB - Lloyds TSB apparently won't give a bank account to someone without a job. Seeya Lloyds. Cross the road and its easy at HSBC, and voila, you have formal paperwork with your wifes new name on it :xxgrinning--00xx3: of course you can get her name on your council tax just by calling the council if you like. They'll put anyone on cos they know you have to pay them more when you lose your 'sole adult' discount.
19- Make appointment with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for National Inusrance number. - Relatively straightforward here, bar the middle name change that no one seems to understand. In hindsight, it may have been better to get her passport changed to her new name first.
20- Start applying for jobs - CVs, cover letters etc will all need creating
Still to come - Receiving NI number and hoping for the name to be correct.
Getting a job
First paycheques and the disappointment of how much tax and NI is taken off.
Travelling back to Philippines with two names (1 in passport, and 1 married name)
Travelling back together for the first time
Changing passport to new name
Registering marriage at Philippines embassy
Applying for Driving licence, and the horror of lessons!:omg:
So there you have it. Written from experience and memory and not in depth study of the process, I'm likely to have people correct a few bits. I thought it might be useful anyway as when you start looking at this stuff all the info is so fragmented its almost impossible to see the end. Once youve got your FLR and a NI number, you can chill a bit - keep that paperwork though! You're going to need it in two years time!
Never surrender, never give up, Its just paperwork, and can be resolved.
Good luck!
One last tip - DON'T get your house remodeled while you're doing this!!!! :doh