Travel visa and Marriage???

[Marcus3]

Hello,



Please can you help me with some information in regards to bringing my Philippino girlfriend of 5 years, over to England for a Holiday/Vacation for 3 weeks this year? I have been to the Philippines 6 times now, and I would love to bring my girlfriend to England for a visit.


So we would like to know what EXACTLY is needed by me and by my girlfriend to proceed with an application. How long the process takes before a Visa is issued and the total cost of the whole application process. My girlfriend lives in the Philippines and I live in London.


We would also like to know, if we wanted to get married sometime in the future, and travel around the world, would it be easier for me to get married in the Philippines or bring her to England and get married here?



I do not know if you can give me all the answers I require from the information I have already given you, but any information regarding my enquiry will be most greatly received.



Many Thanks to you all

[RickyR]

Hi to answer your first question, you can obtain a visit visa for your girlfriend. With that application you will need to prove your relationship, provide your itinerary of the trip, write a letter designating that you will be the sponsor, you will need copies of all pages of your passport as well. I would highly recommend if at all possible that you take a trip across to Hong Kong or something together, having a stamp or two in your girlfriends passport goes down well. With all visa applications its a case of evidence, evidence, evidence.
Your girlfriend will apply via http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/ as the British Embassy do not take applications directly. VFS take the biometrics and process the paperwork, which is then handed over to the Embassy to review and make the decision. Normally if its a straightforward visit visa it takes around a week.

As for getting married in the Philippines or the UK, no real benefits either way, although doing it in the UK when you don't have an intention to live there is expensive because a fiance visa costs 800 quid.

[Terpe]

........We would also like to know, if we wanted to get married sometime in the future, and travel around the world, would it be easier for me to get married in the Philippines or bring her to England and get married here?

Hi Marcus, welcome to the forum.
When it comes to travelling around the world, you will discover that being the holder of a UK passport is really a benefit and allows easy troublefree entry to most countries. Unfortunately, being the holder of a Philippine passport is pretty much the complete opposite. It is often difficult, expensive and troublesome to make visa applications. Generally the applications need to be made in person at the Embassy/Consulate.
Timing is unpredicatable so picking up last minute bargains is almost out of the question.
Until such time as your wife will have a British Passport, you should probably concentrate on those countries that readily accept Phils passports.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade Marcus, and I'm sorry to mention this. But better
to be prepared and include in your plan.

[jhellymay]

hello marcus3, im done that a visit for my fiance, with in 6months valid, i got my visa with in 3 days only, and its cost 5000 something only, u have to give all the proof when u together,emails, chats, and the copy of when u visits in philippines, and specially your bank statement and payslips, and now im back again as a fiancee visa to get married here in uk and we settle here... goodluck both u!