Hello All!

[Breakfast]

Hello, I found my future fiancée on Youtube back in March 2009. We exchanged a few messages before I went into hospital for a minor operation in May 2009.

That minor operation turned out to be one major headache! Instead of being a day patient, I intended up in intensive care following three operations in 24 hours; at one point I had to be resuscitated after nearly bleeding to death. I was off work for a total of nine weeks.

Anyway, it got me into thinking it was time to find a wife! I contacted the friend I had made on Youtube and we quickly found we got on very well. I was absolutely flabbergasted to learn that she can speak eight languages: Cebuano, Waray, Tagalog, English, German, Japanese, Spanish + an other! For an Englishman that speaks English and no other, I feel a little inferior! I finally met her for Xmas 2009, in Cebu.

Romance quickly blossomed and we got engaged the day before I left Cebu. We still chat on the internet frequently (though she can only do this at work) and always send e-mails to each other. She works very hard in Cebu – 10 hours per day, 7 days a week, but for little reward in the Philippines.

She has a little boy (aged 5) and is still married but left her husband before I knew her. It is a tough job getting a marriage annulled in the Philippines, especially when my future wife does not tell me when she needs money for her case! Instead, she works off her little cotton socks just to raise the money. Anyway, I think we are nearly there now and hopeful that the judge will reach a decision soon.

So, I was anticipating the next battle, which I though was to apply for a Visa. Of course, we have just learned that she will have to take an English test! It does not matter one iota that she has a graduate degree in the Philippines, or that she taught English at a Filipino school, the UKBA state she must take the test! The problem is finding a suitable test provider in Cebu! There appear to be three options for this – wait for one college to offer the test (they are currently in hiatus mode); an approach to the British Council was meant with the response – you need to find out if our tests satisfy the A1 test requirements (why don’t the British Council know?); the third option is with a somewhat dubious test provider who says I can pay by Western Union!

As soon as my fiancée gets her annulment I will be ‘winging’ my way back to the Philippines for a very emotional reunion! After what I am sure will be a very passionate first night, we will then have to get down to the very serious business of that Visa application. I do really hope that they complete that within a month.

It will be two years plus after we first met on the internet before my fiancée finally arrives on what I am sure she now regards as the hallowed ground of England, but our resolves and love for each other are as strong as ever and I am certain that will overcome any obstacle. What a great preparation for our lives together!

[Sim11UK]

Welcome Breakfast :Wave:
Quite a story there, but nothing surprises me really reading some of the tales here...Most have one to tell.
...Never heard of anyone meeting on Youtube before :Erm: but again, nothing surprises me.
Anyway, keep us posted. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

...I'll have a full English please. :)

[Terpe]

:Hellooo: Hi Breakfast, welcome to the forum :Wave:

Plenty of good support here for you.

If you do a search I think you'll find quite a bit of information about The English Test.

If your fiancee has a degree that meets requirements, and it was taught in English, then she does not need to take the test, only provide the evidence in a certain way.

To help your search start here:-
http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/28245-English-Language-Test

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/28807-UK-A1-English-test-examples

[Rosie1958]

Welcome to the forum Breakfast, I hope that you and your fiance will be together again very soon. Wishing you the best of luck with the visa application

[Breakfast]

The one thing I would urge anyone one to do when bringing a loved one to the UK is to join a forum, such as Filipino UK, and read read read! Keep up-to-date with changes in UK immigration law otherwise you may find (like me) that you overlook one important detail, such as the new English Language test requirements!

Just to reply to your posts...

I know of no-one else meeting on Youtube either. In a roundabout way, if it was not for Simon Cowell, I would never have met my future wife. I was looking at Britain's Got Talent on YouTube and then discovered the American version. On there was a fantastic singing ventriloquist/impersonator called Terry Fator who won AGT a few years ago.

One of the songs Terry sang was 'I started a Joke' by the Bee Gees. I really fell in love with that song and searched for every version on Youtube! That is when I found her. When I met her for the first time (Xmas 2009) we had quite an Xmas party. The entire street was blocked off and a neighbour had his karaoke machine sitting outside his house. I was 'required' to sing that song to the whole neighbourhood and was pleasantly surprised when the Karaoke machine gave me 10/10 for my singing!

Unfortunately, my fiancee's degree, although taught in English, is only recognised as a Higher Diploma in the UK, so she has to take the test.

Thank you for your good wishes for the Visa application. Until 2005, I did not even know what a Visa was, as I had never been abroad, despite being 54 at the time. I am now 59 and never been married, so finding a wife from half way around the world on a website I had only just heard of, was quite a surprise for me!

[alanmf1]

Hi Breakfast:) Great story ...we all have one somewhere!:xxgrinning--00xx3:Welcome to the Forum:Wave:

[Dedworth]

Brilliant story:appl: at least Simon Cowell has shown he's of some use. I'm sure you will find answers to all your questions here. Good luck

[Tawi2]

I liked that tale :) 10/10 on a karaoke machine?Sounds like fun :)

[Sim11UK]

'I started a Joke' by the Bee Gees...I like that song :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Arthur Little]

It's a bit late for greeting you at breakfast time now ... but :welcomex: to the filipino/uk forum.

[Arthur Little]

Brilliant story:appl: at least Simon Cowell has shown he's of some use. I'm sure you will find answers to all your questions here. Good luck

:iagree: ... two "firsts" in my experience also ... meeting your wife-to-be on You-Tube ... and someone being "grateful" to Simon Cowell! :icon_lol:

[Arthur Little]

Unfortunately, my fiancee's degree, although taught in English, is only recognised as a Higher Diploma in the UK, so she has to take the test.

Yes :doh ... I can readily identify with how surprised you must've been when you discovered this daft anomaly ... since my own wife - a BSc in Agricultural Studies ... and a High School teacher for 22 years in the Phils - only learned of it on coming to Scotland a couple of years ago. :rolleyes:

[Breakfast]

It has been a very long road trying to get my fiancee to the UK. We have been engaged for 12 months but I have been supporting her financially for over 18 months and we are not even past the first hurdle yet - that is getting her marriage annuled. She has just heard that she should hear about the annulment by March 1st (that is 90 days after the most recent court hearing)

[Terpe]

It has been a very long road trying to get my fiancee to the UK. We have been engaged for 12 months but I have been supporting her financially for over 18 months and we are not even past the first hurdle yet - that is getting her marriage annuled. She has just heard that she should hear about the annulment by March 1st (that is 90 days after the most recent court hearing)

My heart and my respect go out to you Breakfast.
It seems you are now about to get over this hurdle. Well done, keep the faith.
There will still be hurdles to overcome, you will need to maintain your strength yet longer. But.... it WILL ALL be worth the effort when you see how love conquers yet again.

[stevewool]

a great story there breakfast, good luck for your future hope all goes well for you and your future wife :)

[Breakfast]

Yes :doh ... I can readily identify with how surprised you must've been when you discovered this daft anomaly ... since my own wife - a BSc in Agricultural Studies ... and a High School teacher for 22 years in the Phils - only learned of it on coming to Scotland a couple of years ago. :rolleyes:

It is all about trying to verify the standard of overseas qualifications; it must be a very difficult task. There is an agency in the UK that verifies qualifications (for a fee) but when I called them they checked my fiancee's qualifications over the phone for free!

[joebloggs]

naric i think if you pay the fee they put in writing what the phils qualification is eqivalent to in the UK.

[Breakfast]

My heart and my respect go out to you Breakfast.
It seems you are now about to get over this hurdle. Well done, keep the faith.
There will still be hurdles to overcome, you will need to maintain your strength yet longer. But.... it WILL ALL be worth the effort when you see how love conquers yet again.

I am sure other have had a tougher time. In our case everyone has co-operated, no arguments but the process is just so long-winded!

[Breakfast]

a great story there breakfast, good luck for your future hope all goes well for you and your future wife :)

I was planning to play "I started a Joke" at our wedding, but I think it could be at my funeral at the current rate of progress!

[Breakfast]

naric i think if you pay the fee they put in writing what the phils qualification is eqivalent to in the UK.

Yes, I think you are correct; I just thought it was decent of them to tell me over the phone for free!

[joebloggs]

Yes, I think you are correct; I just thought it was decent of them to tell me over the phone for free!

yes it was, but if your g/f wanted to use her qualification in the uk she would need the letter from naric.

as for the struggle, Per ardua ad astra (arthur will help here ) :rolleyes:

[Breakfast]

yes it was, but if your g/f wanted to use her qualification in the uk she would need the letter from naric.

Yes, that is a very valid point. I am sure she could apply to NARIC once she is in the country, so I had better tell her to bring her qualification certificates with her!

She has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from the Philippines. According to NARIC, that is equivalent to a Higher Diploma in the UK.

[joebloggs]

yes many degrees in the phils are equivalent to a Higher diploma, i think mainy due to the number of years/hours of study taken to gain the degree is less than what someone in the uk would study..

but it doesn't mean she has to give up studying in the uk (thou until she has had ILR i think its 1yr, she would have to pay international fees :NoNo:)

[Breakfast]

yes many degrees in the phils are equivalent to a Higher diploma, i think mainy due to the number of years/hours of study taken to gain the degree is less than what someone in the uk would study..

but it doesn't mean she has to give up studying in the uk (thou until she has had ILR i think its 1yr, she would have to pay international fees :NoNo:)

The information I am getting on here is really useful, so I just made a donation to this wonderful site!

[joebloggs]

The information I am getting on here is really useful, so I just made a donation to this wonderful site!

:yikes: you've donated money to a scouser :NoNo: at least he wil lnot have to steal anyones wheels tonight :rolleyes:

but i'm sure he will say thank you :icon_sorry:

:icon_lol:

[Breakfast]

:yikes: you've donated money to a scouser :NoNo: at least he wil lnot have to steal anyones wheels tonight :rolleyes:

but i'm sure he will say thank you :icon_sorry:

:icon_lol:


Yes, I already got a thank you e-mail.