Our Spouse visa application in detail to help others.

[cheekee]

We have just had the news that our spouse visa was granted.

So I wanted to share our experience and what we submitted to help others.

The pre requisites for our application was that I was working and earned over £18,600 and have a mortgage on my own place. We sorted the ielts first as it has two years validity and then TB test as it only has six months validity.

Documents submitted:

*Passport sized photo of applicant. (if you use the VIP service you get photos included)

*Visa online Application Form VAF4A - Personal Details

*Supporting Letters (both from sponsor and applicant)

*TB test Certificate – Applicant

*Marriage Certificate (NSO certified as married in the Philippines)

*IELTS Life Skills B1 Certificate –Applicant (A1 is good enough for spouse visa but we went for B1)

*VAF4A-Appendix2 financial requirement Form

*Sponsor - Bank Statements (6 Months minimum)

*Sponsor - Letter from Employer (Stating job title, Length of employment, Salary, Type of employment)

*Sponsor - Payslips/P60 (6 Months minimum)

*Sponsor - Accommodation details (Land registry document, Letter from Bank re mortgage, Council tax bill)

*Sponsor - Certified Passport pages (Bio page and stamps from Philippines)

*Sponsor - Copy of Birth Certificate

*Evidence of Relationship (photos, chat logs, skype calls, emails, Letters and cards) - Original photos printed on photo paper. Some photos of each visit with identifiable landmarks, some with family members. Some of pre nuptial shoot and wedding.

*Travel/receipts - E tickets, Boarding passes. Engagement ring receipt, Wedding ring receipt. Hotel receipts.

*World remit receipts - to show I had been supporting my wife.

*Applicant - Affidavit of loss of previous passport. My wife had lost her passport and on the Visa4uk application it asks about previous passports. The affidavit was required for my wife to get a new passport. We submitted this as proof of loss.

Originals sent in one folder and copies in another folder.


If sending documents from the UK please ensure you leave enough time to allow the documents to reach the Philippines before the visa appointment at the VAC. DHL usually take 3 working days. If applying in Cebu and using the paid service you cannot amend your appointment date if it is within five days of the appointment. You will lose your fee and have to use a free centre which would be Manila.

Please ensure you have your bank statements delivered to your home if you use Natwest or other banks that offer online statements. Natwest will not stamp or supply a letter of authenticity.

Timeline:

Visa application appointment at Cebu VFS - 8th September
Application sent to Manila - 9th September
Decision made - 12th October (24 working days)
Visa delivered 14th October (using VIP service that includes courier)

[Terpe]

Many thanks Phil for this :xxgrinning--00xx3:

I've made it a Sticky thread so it will be much more visible and easy to find.

This is just the type of information so many people ask about and I've no doubt it will be a significant help to others :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[grahamw48]

Very helpful Phil...thanks for posting. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Sorry I can't give more rep just yet.

[aaydogdu79]

thanks for clear and useful information

[Raven_Mystique]

Thank you for this very helpful info :) :grouphug:

[HannahMacdonald]

What documents did you get for you to me married here in the Philippines? If I read the website correctly, it stated there that you should be living in the Philippines for 21 days? Can you explain it to me as i'm trying to figure out which visa my partner and I should apply for. Thank you

[cheekee]

To get married in the Phillippines you need 3 to 4 weeks out there. It can be done in 3 weeks but its tight. We did. If your fiancée is under 25 she will need her parents permission.

To obtain a marriage licence you will need ten days.

You will need:

Affidavit to marry sworn at the embassy in manila. Book an appointment before you leave. Take your birth certificate, your divorce decree absolute/death certificate of previous spouse if needed and the written signed affidavit. You can make an appointment here:

https://britishembassymanila.clickbook.net/sub/britishembassymanila#.VqjLiJqLTDc

Print out affidvit from here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marriage-in-the-philippines

Before you travel to the Philippines get you're Fiancée to obtain a Cenomar for both of you. That is a certificate of no marriage entry in the Philippines. All she needs is the fees and your full names and addresses. You will need this to get the marriage licence.

You're fiancee will also need a NBI clearance for marriage purposes and either her voters ID or voters certificate. Please note these all need to be in the same address so if she has lived at different places and these ID's do not match she needs to get them changed all into the same address first. She should do this before you travel.

Once she has all these documents and both Cenomars. Book the embassy appointment when you know you are going to travel and make the appointment at the beginning of your stay. Its in Taguig Manila next to Makati. Best to arrive the night before and arrive there early due to traffic. You then obtain the Affivadit by showing your birth certificate and divorce papers if needed and paying the required fee. Please take the exact amount as they don't give change. You will swear on the bible or make a decree. It's your choice. The affidavit will be stamped. Keep it safe.

Then go to the local city registrar where your fiancee lives. and take the Affidavit and the cenomars and the other documents you have and request to book on the marriage counselling course. This is needed to get a marriage licence in many baranguays. Please let them know that you are only there for a short time so you get booked on one as soon as possible. You will need to make a few photocopies.

Once you have attended this you will be given the forms to apply for the marriage licence. You take all the forms you now have and go to the city registrar and pay the fee. Then you wait ten days and go and collect the licence. Then you are ready to marry.

After you marry don't forget to get the marriage licence endorsed by the NSO. the fastest way to do this is electronically which has a fee but the other method takes around six months. For spouse visa purposes you need a NSO certified copy.

Make sure there is a judge available or a pastor/priest who can marry you in the the time limits available.

Hope this helps.

[ssbib]

This is an awesome list, thank you. However I was wondering if you can advise me on a few points...I don't think I have any proof of travel anymore...I don't have receipts from airlines, hotels or boarding passes etc. do you think this will matter much?

Also, is it important to show that I have been supporting her? i send money every month through Western Union...I could send screenshots of that if it would help?

Lastly, I live with my parents and the plan is for the 2 of us to stay here for a short amount of time. For her visit visa she stayed here also, I provided a letter from my parents to say they owned the hosue and agreed to it and I also showed I am registerd living here by sending an official council letter showing the registered voted at the address. Will this be OK for this visa or do I need to show my parents own the house by sending a copy of the title deed...my friend seems to think I need to send this.

Thanks

[cheekee]

Proof of travel was important to me to show there was an ongoing existing relationship. Can you find online e tickets at least in email? I think this was important and many others here did this. I joined this forum at the very beginning of my journey dating a Filipina. I wanted to know if what I wanted to do was possible before I put my heart into it. Please don't take offence. I did a lot of study before I met sheina. The visa rules changed at least twice during our visa journey. Also my wifes cousin is already married to a British guy so I was able to get advice from him.

I sent proof I was supporting my wife to add as much evidence as possible. I would submit screenshots at least. It won't hurt.

As long as you have evidence that you and your wife have somewhere to live and evidence that you have permission for your wife and you to live there that should be ok.

Others have submitted a copy of the title deeds with a covering letter giving permission for you and wife to live there.

[ssbib]

Hi again. Hope you are well. I am sure I have asked you this somewhere on another thread but how did your wife find the B1 exam? Was it easy or hard. My wife has hers in 2 weeks and I am just nervous that we might have bitten off more than we should have. Her English is very good but I'm concerned that maybe some of the criteria might be a bit harsh and she can be a bit shy.

Also I am told you only get 1 copy of the B1 test certificate. If you hand that in for this visa application how can you get a copy for future visas? Is a photocopy of the certificate sufficient for this initial visa??

[cheekee]

She was nervous but she did well. I had confidence that she would pass, but obviously I was nervous also

In answer to your second question the certificate was returned when the spouse visa was granted. Your original paperwork will all be returned. They keep the copies

[ssbib]

Hi again. I've just made my wife's appointment to go to VFS in Manila. The appointment is on 1st June. I've read some interesting reports that those documents you hand in are then sent to SHEFFIELD!!!! Is that right? You weren't expected to send anything to Sheffield were you? Your wife submitted everything (including your documents) and then VFS sent them on to Sheffield on your behalf? I couldn't afford the VIP package or their "scan and send" service as the visa fees have gone up by £300 since April. We have just paid the standard visa fee.

[cheekee]

My wife submitted in Cebu city. I have never heard they are sent to Sheffield.

I'm sure they were sent to Manila for scrutiny.

[ssbib]

It's a new system apparently. Ridiculous if you ask me.