UK Visa Worries

[nitrox]

First off, Hello to everyone on the forum!

I am currently in the process of putting together all my requirements for my UK visa for my wife and I have a couple of questions regarding the requirements that I hope someone could shed some light on.

Firstly a little background on my relationship with my wife. We have been married for almost 5 years and have one 4 year old daughter (her passport is under process). I have lived in the Philippines for the entire 5 years so proving my relationship as real will be no problem as I have thousands of photos with not only us but also pictures of when my parents have visited on multiple occasions, we are one big happy family!

My main question is the requirement of employment and finance. Currently I do not have work in the UK as I am still currently working for a US company based here in Phils. My salary is around 150,000 pesos per month which is paid to me in cash. I have no problem providing payslips for the past 4 years which state this amount along with a certificate of employment. As I get paid in cash I do not have a bank account here in Phils, will this be a problem or will employment documents be sufficient?

The next question is obviously I will be leaving my current job in the Philippines to find work when I return to the UK, how will this effect my application? My work are being very good by saying they could provide me with a work contract which would state that although I will be flying back to the UK I will continue to be employed by them with all my work being submitted by internet and being stored on the company server. Would that be OK?

I have no savings but my salary more than meets the finance requirements, also my parents have around 10K in savings which they can show evidence for.

Thanks for any help, this process is extremely worrying for me and my family.

Dan.

[Terpe]

Hello Dan, welcome here to the forum :welcomex:

As a first step may I suggest you review this forum thread - All New Guide - How to apply for a Spouse/Partner Visa (http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/39740-All-New-Guide-How-to-apply-for-a-Spouse-Partner-Visa)

Based solely on what your divulged I believe that in principle you have 2 options:-

1. You come to UK alone and seek suitable employment and accommodation then make visa application for your wife once you are able to satisfy UKBA requirements.
This will require a minimum of 6 months payslips at the appropriate level plus supporting documents from your employer.
Some folks here have very recently followed that path and are now living in UK with their family.

OR

2. You'll need to have a confirmed offer of employment to return to in the UK (starting within 3 months of the return date).
This employment must have a gross annual starting salary sufficient to meet the financial requirement, alone or in combination with any other sources.
(Third party financial support is not allowed, so parents cannot help financially. Savings must be only an amount above £16,000).

In addition to this confirmed offer of employment you must have received in the 12 months prior to the date of application the level of income required to meet the financial requirement (Look like you meet this already)

Hope that helps to fill in some of the gaps and to provide a basic outline of the options.

If you have any other question just fire away. Many helpful folks here. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[nitrox]

Hi Terpe,

Just a quick question.... Can I provide a list of all my things which are due to be sold here in the Philippines as evidence of finances? This would include a car worth around 8 grand alone as well as all my electronic equipment.

[Terpe]

Hi Terpe,

Just a quick question.... Can I provide a list of all my things which are due to be sold here in the Philippines as evidence of finances? This would include a car worth around 8 grand alone as well as all my electronic equipment.

Hi nitrox,
Sadly, the only evidence of finances that UKBA can accept are those of gross income (at the appropriate level) or savings ABOVE £16,000.
For the savings, those funds must have been held for a minimum of 6 months.

It's not really what you want to hear, I know.

[irishman12]

No savings from 3000 euro a month? God, it must be expensive living there!

[grahamw48]

No savings from 3000 euro a month? God, it must be expensive living there!

...and no bank account ? :Erm:

[nitrox]

If I wanted to live "the Filipino way" then things would be very cheap. However I continue to live to a western standard of living which is as you say, not cheap. Then on top of that I have private education to pay for for my daughter as I refuse to to have her go to a sub-standard school to receive a poor education.

Then take into account my rent of 30,000 Php a month and other outgoings yes it gets expensive. Actually my parents came over here recently and couldn't believe how much my bimonthly food shop costs me, even they commented it was more than they spend back home. This is because all decent branded food is imported and therefore more expensive.

I used to maintain an account at a BDO bank here with 200,000 in savings. I hadn't touched the account in over a year and a half and then when I went to enquire about why my out of date card had not been replaced they informed me that because the account had had no activity for a year, they closed it!

They refused to give me any of my money back. So forgive me if I'm less than happy about having anything to do with banks in this country.

[Iani]

Blimey, and they say banks in this country are bad! Hard luck there :cwm24:

[nitrox]

I should clarify that the 200,000 was in Peso not Pounds, but it was still a hit I was not willing to take.

[Michael Parnham]

Welcome to the forum Nitrox, regarding the banks In Philippines, when my wife and I returned to UK last June my Philippine Bank told me to keep my a/c activated at least every eleven months otherwise they close the a/c, so what we do is send a little money every three months via Internet banking to keep the a/c activated and at the same time we can use it whenever we visit Philippines! :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[blackcat22]

Hi Nitrox,

My situation is somewhat similar to yours

I'm an IT contractor with my own limited company working in UK and yearly gross at least £140,000

My wife was still refused spouse VISA on financial grounds even though I provided evidence that I own a 5 bedroom property in UK and supplied earnings and limited company accounts + signed declaration of my salary for 2013 of £60k from my accountant.

....and if they refuse your VISA, the silly .......s will charge you again for appeal which could take several months or a year.

I would advise you not to waste £900 applying for spouse ViSA and instead take an odd job temporarily in any EU country and use the Surinder Singh route which will cost you nothing in VISA fees.

[nitrox]

Hi nitrox,

My situation is somewhat similar to yours

I'm an IT contractor with my own limited company working in UK and yearly gross at least £140,000

My wife was still refused spouse VISA on financial grounds even though I provided evidence that I own a 5 bedroom property in UK and supplied earnings and limited company accounts + signed declaration of my salary for 2013 of £60k from my accountant.

....and if they refuse your VISA, the silly .......s will charge you again for appeal which could take several months or a year.

I would advise you not to waste £900 applying for spouse ViSA and instead take an odd job temporarily in any EU country and use the Surinder Singh route which will cost you nothing in VISA fees.

Hey Blackcat, I've never heard of this route before. What is the process and can my wife join me in the EU country under a travel visa or is it better for her to remain in the Phils during this time?

[jake]

Hey Blackcat, I've never heard of this route before. What is the process and can my wife join me in the EU country under a travel visa or is it better for her to remain in the Phils during this time?

Dan, if you follow this link it's explained here.

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/47388-has-anyone-used-the-Surinder-Singh-route?highlight=surrender+singh+route

[nitrox]

Dan, if you follow this link its is explained here.

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php/47388-has-anyone-used-the-Surinder-Singh-route?highlight=surrender+singh+route

Jake, many thanks.

[Terpe]

Nitrox, based solely on the information you've already divulged here in the forum your best option is to continue the 'normal' route with the employment offer you have and have your wife apply for visa.

That is unless you're confident you'll be able to secure employment and accommodation within EU (outside UK) for around 6 months then apply for a UK Family Permit.
Look before you leap.

Most folks following the EEA Route do so as a last resort in order to gain entry to UK with their loved ones.