Visit Visa to UK - advice please

[LisaUK]

I am in the UK, and have a friend who would like to visit me from the Philippines. I thought this would be easy until I have now read about how hard it is to get a Visit Visa. As we haven't met yet I assume this is the only Visa he can apply for? Can anyone advise on how we would have the best chance of getting it approved? I know there are agencies over there but I assume some of these would not be safe to use? So is it better for him to do a personal application?

Thanks in advance.

[LisaUK]

When I ask about the best way to get it approved, I mean, for example, it is better for him to be funding himself or to be sponsored? Etc.

[Steve.r]

Agencies can do no more that you can do yourself so why pay someone? For the visit visa the person must be able to prove that he will return to the Philippines, this is the most important area to cover. You of course can supply a sponsor letter and detail which will help, but the weight of documentation will be proving that your friend has reason to go home again before the visa expires.

[LisaUK]

How can he prove that though? He has his elderly father there, and other family who rely on him - is that enough? And how does it prove it?

[vernier caliper]

the person must be able to prove that he will return to the Philippines, this is the most important area to cover

Hi Liza.

To prove that he has the intention to return to the Philippines, your friend needs to provide evidence which include but shall not be limited to the following documents:
1. Employment Certificate
2. 6 months pay slip
3. 6 months bank statement
4. Records of savings
5. Records of Assets (i.e. house, lot, business, etc)
OTHERS
6. School records (if student)
7. Marriage certificate (if married)

Hope this helps.

[melovesengland]

There are a lot of threads in the forum about visit visas and yes one of the hradest visas you can ever get but if you both can prove that he needs to return back to the philippines on or before his visa replies, you as a sponsor or if he fund himself needs to make sure that you both can afford his visit to the UK then that'll be good.

https://www.gov.uk/general-visit-visa
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255357/vaf1-guidance.pdf

[LisaUK]

Hi Liza.

To prove that he has the intention to return to the Philippines, your friend needs to provide evidence which include but shall not be limited to the following documents:
1. Employment Certificate
2. 6 months pay slip
3. 6 months bank statement
4. Records of savings
5. Records of Assets (i.e. house, lot, business, etc)
OTHERS
6. School records (if student)
7. Marriage certificate (if married)

Hope this helps.

He is self-employed so he can't do the employment certificate or the pay slips. He can show bank statements. He has no assets, is not a student and is not married. Doesn't look good, does it? :bigcry:

[LisaUK]

But some people say it will be best if I sponsor him, others say he has to be able to fund himself as we haven't met yet. Does anyone know which is the best way to apply?

And I don't know how to show compelling evidence that he will return - it's just family ties - is that enough??

[raynaputi]

He is self-employed so he can't do the employment certificate or the pay slips. He can show bank statements. He has no assets, is not a student and is not married. Doesn't look good, does it? :bigcry:

If he is self-employed, can't he show documents and papers of his company or work and what he does? If you haven't met yet, I'm not really sure if sponsoring him will satisfy the ECO that he's going back to the Philippines. It's really hard to convince the ECO when it comes to ties to the Philippines. :NoNo:

[LisaUK]

If he is self-employed, can't he show documents and papers of his company or work and what he does? If you haven't met yet, I'm not really sure if sponsoring him will satisfy the ECO that he's going back to the Philippines. It's really hard to convince the ECO when it comes to ties to the Philippines. :NoNo:


He can show proof of work, yes. It's the part about reasons to go back that I'm most worried about now I guess.

[Terpe]

I am in the UK, and have a friend who would like to visit me from the Philippines. I thought this would be easy until I have now read about how hard it is to get a Visit Visa. As we haven't met yet I assume this is the only Visa he can apply for? Can anyone advise on how we would have the best chance of getting it approved? I know there are agencies over there but I assume some of these would not be safe to use? So is it better for him to do a personal application?

Thanks in advance.

Visit visa's are notoriously problematic for many reasons.
Not least because approval or refusal of the General Visitor (tourist) visa applications is principally based on the discretion of the ECO.(Entry Clearance Officer)
Basically there is no appeal process.

The major complication is always going to be the need by the applicant to demonstrate a non-immigrant intent. Always a difficult challenge to overcome the UKVI 'presumption'.
It's not really possible to prove an intention by the applicant does need to clearly present strong social, economic and family ties back home in the Philippines that, on the balance of probabilities, would compel them to leave the UK at the end of the temporary stay.
Or putting it another way, that the documented aspects of the applicants life that bind them to the Philippines do not outweigh those stronger aspects in UK that may cause them to be unwilling to return home.

In terms of 'Financials' then in principle it doesn't matter who is funding.As long as there's sufficient.
Can be either the applicants or friends.

Typical examples of the type of documents that could be supplied can be found in the UKVI document called Guide to Supporting Documents - Visiting the United Kingdom (UK) (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/294927/Visitor_Documents.pdf)

For the General Visitor the application should be supported with some of the following documents for a sucessful application:-

- if employed, a letter from your employer granting leave of absence from your job for a specified period - the letter should also say how long you have been employed by that employer, in what job(s), and when you are expected back at work
- if self-employed, evidence of your business activities and financial standing
- evidence of any property you owned in home country
- if a student, a letter from the school or college stating the course being studied, its start and finish dates, and the dates of the holiday period for intended visit to the United Kingdom
- evidence of any family or social ties and responsibilities to return home to
- evidence of any firm travel plans made
- bank statements going back over a period of several months
- evidence of savings/funds available during the stay
- evidence that the applicant can financially maintain and accommodate themselves in the UK with or without assistance from family/friends living in the UK but without resource to public funding or employment.

A sponsor can help greatly by providing an invitation/supporting letter to confirm the support they will be providing in terms of financial assistance and/or accommodation etc.

If the sponsor is intending to totally support the visit this is a listing of fairly typical supporting documents that should be provided:-

- 6 months Bank statements
- 6 months pay slips
- Proof of address (eg utility bill, Council Tax etc)
- Accommodation details (including owner's agreement / rental agreement)
- Sponsors passport copy (Photo page, any relevant stamp pages)
- The main reasons for wanting the applicant to travel at the specific time


The positive aspect of a visit visa application is that of it's very low cost. Just £83
So nothing to lose and everything to gain.

[Terpe]

Here's some ideas for your to consider if you wish to be the major sponsor.

As a sponsor (family or friend), you'll need to convince the ECO:-

- You're legally present in the UK
- You're both intending and able to provide support for the duration of the visitor’s stay.
- You have a genuine relationship with the applicant (briefly outline how and where you met, how communications are maintained and how often)
- Any previous history of sponsoring visitors.
- In terms of provision of accommodation for the visitor, outline that there is enough room for them
- That in provision of financial support for the visitor, that there is enough funds available to adequately support them.
- To help the ECO in assessing this you'll need to take account of your regular outgoings and demonstrate there are enough surplus funds.

[LisaUK]

Thank you Terpe.

I wonder exactly how he can prove "strong social, economic and family ties back home in the Philippines" though? I can only think of letters from his family saying he is needed there and a letter from one person he works for there (it's a small contract though - the rest of his work is just done for others on a freelance basis). Will these be enough? Is there anything else he can do?

My other question is whether he should have an invite from me or not? Others have advised not, on the basis that he might want to stay with me and not go back. They say the application should be purely about him being able to fund his visit and him having compelling reasons to go back home. But you said a sponsor helps greatly? So we are not sure which is the best route to take there.

[LisaUK]

I've looked here -

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/294927/Visitor_Documents.pdf

But it doesn't give suggestions for the part about compelling reasons to go back.

[Terpe]

I've looked here -

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/294927/Visitor_Documents.pdf

But it doesn't give suggestions for the part about compelling reasons to go back.

There's no list of specific reasons or specific documents.
As I mentioned before there is no specific documentary proof of an intention. Even a return ticket is not proof of intention to return.
The best that can be achieved is to present a credible case to the ECO that builds a picture of overall intentions of the applicant.

The ECO will make a discretionary decision based on the evidence submitted and linking to financial means, the applicants family, social and economic background and any other ties to their home country along with any previous immigration history and visits to the UK.

It's not possible to describe specific individual and unique strong ties as they differ from country to country, city to city and individual to individual.
Some examples of ties can be a job, a house, a family, unmarried children, a bank account, relatives who may need you to return.

Why not just do the best that can be done.......it's a very low cost visa. Any refusal will clearly state the reason(s) which will give you both a chance to counter in a subsequent application.

[Terpe]

My other question is whether he should have an invite from me or not? Others have advised not, on the basis that he might want to stay with me and not go back. They say the application should be purely about him being able to fund his visit and him having compelling reasons to go back home. But you said a sponsor helps greatly? So we are not sure which is the best route to take there.

You'll need to make your own decisions based on the facts not what other folks may or may not advise.
Read the UKVI webpages on Visitor Visa's (https://www.gov.uk/general-visit-visa).

If the ECO believes there is a deception about anything then the application will fall for refusal (Romantic connections included)
Plenty of folks have been open and honest about romatic relationships without refusals. Just depends how it's presented by the applicant and how it's received by the ECO/Caseworker.

If he decides to 'go it alone' so to speak he'll need to give a reason for the visit and for the timing requested. He'll also need to fully support the funding.....tourist activities in UK don't come cheap.

Get the application submitted and see what happens.
It's impossible for anyone to predict the outcome.

[LisaUK]

Thank you very much. You have been very helpful. We will put together the best application we can and hope for the best.

[Terpe]

...If the ECO believes there is a deception about anything then the application will fall for refusal (Romantic connections included)
Plenty of folks have been open and honest about romatic relationships without refusals. Just depends how it's presented by the applicant and how it's received by the ECO/Caseworker........

If you've never actually never met then it's going to be difficult to set yourself up as a credible 'sponsoring friend'.
Not totally impossible but a big challenge.

From my post #12


........As a sponsor (family or friend), you'll need to convince the ECO:-

- You have a genuine relationship with the applicant (briefly outline how and where you met, how communications are maintained and how often)
.

[Terpe]

........ As we haven't met yet I assume this is the only Visa he can apply for? .....

Don't take any offence please LisaUK as none is intended......but please don't send any money to your 'friend' to help with this visa application......

If he asks for money get back here fast.

[LisaUK]

:( Honestly it isn't like that.

I think it's best if he puts together an application with him staying in a hotel and able to completely self-fund, no sponsor, as we haven't yet met.

[Terpe]

:( Honestly it isn't like that.

I think it's best if he puts together an application with him staying in a hotel and able to completely self-fund, no sponsor, as we haven't yet met.

If your genders were reversed I might be suggesting you get on a flight to PH for a holiday.
Based solely on what you've shared I wouldn't.

[bigmac]

as you have never met--would it be feasible for you to go out to meet him over there--save a lot of bother. see what he says if you put the idea to him.

[LisaUK]

Is it possible to PM here? I can't view profiles.

It would be extremely difficult for me to go there but as a last resort I would try to find a way.

[bigmac]

i'm not suggesting you actually go--certainly not alone........but just put the suggestion to him---and gauge his reaction

[LisaUK]

He wants to meet me in whichever way is possible - either him come here, me go there or we meet in some other country. I was looking at Morocco as neither of us need a Visa for there - it's very expensive though and a 30+ hour journey for him. Alternatively I wonder if there are any countries between here and there that would be easier for him to get a Visa for?

[bigmac]

how did you first find each other ?

[LisaUK]

We met on a freelance site - he did some work on my website. That was 7 months ago and for the last 6 months we have spoken every day, at every opportunity - hours and hours, days, weeks and months of online chat.

[Terpe]

He wants to meet me in whichever way is possible - either him come here, me go there or we meet in some other country. I was looking at Morocco as neither of us need a Visa for there - it's very expensive though and a 30+ hour journey for him. Alternatively I wonder if there are any countries between here and there that would be easier for him to get a Visa for?

Well he might find it slightly easier to apply for a Schenghen Visa......although in principle similar requirements need to be met....... Food for thought anyway.

I'm not sure which member countries are easier than others........maybe do an internet search on that.

[LisaUK]

Is a Schenghen Visa easier to get then? Maybe he could apply for one of those if the UK one is denied?

Also, I don't think me sponsoring is sensible as we haven't met BUT should he be honest about the fact that there's someone here he will be meeting up with during his visit? Most posts say that honesty is the best policy, for future Visas if nothing else.

[melovesengland]

why dont try HK or SG? We filos dont need to secure or apply for a visa to go and visit these countries and so you do. They will only give visas in the airport upon your arrival. Its a quick journey as well for him but unfortunately long travel for you.

[Dedworth]

why dont try HK or SG? We filos dont need to secure or apply for a visa to go and visit these countries and so you do. They will only give visas in the airport upon your arrival. Its a quick journey as well for him but unfortunately long travel for you.

:gp:

[melovesengland]

:gp:

Thanks Ded! :xxgrinning--00xx3:

and oh! if you havent met him like what others said above then refrain from sending cash, if you can like sir peter said book a holiday to visit him or meet him somewhere.

if ever that'll happen, dont forget to take a lot of photographs of you with him for future visa application. that proves you met eachother and you spent time with eachother as well.

[tiger31]

kosovo is the nearest country to you he can get to without a visa.

[gWaPito]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jY0anO_lxp0

Looks like a fun place :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Dedworth]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jY0anO_lxp0

Looks like a fun place :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Filmed on location in the UK

[grahamw48]

Have they sorted out the mass graves yet ?

[gWaPito]

Have they sorted out the mass graves yet ?

Apparently so...They are the new camping and caravaning locations :cwm25:

[gWaPito]

Filmed on location in the UK
THat made me seriously laugh!!!

It's probably in a back garden in Windsor off the Dedworth Road :icon_lol::xxgrinning--00xx3: