Fiance Visa / spouse visa

[Chris M]

Hi , this is my first post , so my apologies if its in the wrong place.

I intend to marry a beautiful Filipino girl from Tarlac , but who is currently in Mindanao.
I intend to visit her at christmas this year when we will get engaged,
The plan after that is for her to live with me in Belfast , Northern Ireland , where we can save as much money as we can for about 3 years , so we can both go to live in Mindanao in a house that will have been paid for already.
We only want to ise the UK as a kind of work-base to save .

Can anyone give me advice on what we have to do to make this plan a success ? what visas do we need to apply for ? Will my lady be able to work in the uk or is something extra required ?
When we both return to Mindanao , will i have to apply for a visa to live and work in the Philippines ?

Any help anyone can give would be really appreciated as the official sites are so unnecessarily convoluted , and advice from someone whos been here , done this is better.

Many thanks in advance !!!

[LadyJ]

If you want your lady to work here in UK when she comes here she will have to apply for spouse visa which you will have to marry her in Philippines before you bring her here..

YOu said you and your lady plans to save money within 3 years and move to Philippines, I guess that will give her enough time to apply for settlement and British Citizenship before you move to Philippines.

[LadyJ]

wait for some experienced members to answer your other questions.:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[KeithD]

Christmas!!! Can't you go before then? :Erm:

[Chris M]

Christmas!!! Can't you go before then? :Erm:


Believe me , i would love to , but i need to save the money to actually go , buy an engagement ring , and have money to spend for 3 weeks.
Christmas is better because it'll be easier to get time off work due to it being quiet business-wise , and she has suggested she'd like me there for my birthday on new years day.
Id be there yesterday if i could :bigcry:

[LadyJ]

btw, welcome to the forum Chris_M!

[LadyJ]

Believe me , i would love to , but i need to save the money to actually go , buy an engagement ring , and have money to spend for 3 weeks.
Christmas is better because it'll be easier to get time off work due to it being quiet business-wise , and she has suggested she'd like me there for my birthday on new years day.
Id be there yesterday if i could :bigcry:

:icon_lol:

Oh Chris_M our clowns here loves to make :icon_lol:a laugh:D

[kimmi]

welcome to the forum, Chris..:)

[Chris M]

Thanks for the welcome. I knew it would be nice here as the Filipinos are so extraordinarily friendly. I'd hope to make some friends here as the situation might be difficult at times

[Pepe n Pilar]

Welcome to the forum Chris

[kimmi]

you can always gain a lot of friend here..Cheers mate..

Goodluck on ur plans..:)

[telford]

when we both return to Mindanao , will i have to apply for a visa to live and work in the Philippines ?


My husband is living here with me in mindanao more than a year now...he didnt apply for any visa,he was granted to stay here 1year for free since he is married to me a filipina.then he anly apply for extention to stay here every 2 months. In 3 yrs time are u already a pentioner? coz to be frank with u ,its so impossible for u to get job here.its ok if u can have lots of savings by that time coz u can live with the interest of your money in savings account as what most of the foriegners do here.they invest there money, and there money will work for them,not that u will work for money. Think about it a million times before you make that decision.Lots of young foriegners here went home and have no money anymore.for me,only those pentioners are having a good life to stay here and for those foriegner that have lots of money. Here in Phils,its not expensive but not a good idea to live here if u have no income....THIS IS MY FRIENDLY HONEST SUGGESTION!!!

[KeithD]

Thanks for the welcome. I knew it would be nice here as the Filipinos are so extraordinarily friendly

Just watch out for those Mancs :rolleyes:

[kimmi]

and for Scousers..:Erm::Erm::icon_lol:

[KeithD]

and for Scousers..:Erm::Erm::icon_lol:

Here's hoping she doesn't notice that bone in the fish :D :rolleyes:

[lanstuart]

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the forum

Lanie and I got married in January

Here's how we achieved this in 4 weeks

Dec 21 – arrive Manila
Dec 27 – go to Embassy for local CONI ( you must get one in the UK first ) – pick up same day
Dec 28 – Fly to Mindanao
Jan 3 – Visit Mayor to ask him to marry us
Jan 4-6 – Arrange reception , cake , Lechon etc
Jan 7 – Marriage and reception
Jan 8 – Pick up Marriage certificate
Jan 9 – Return to Manila
Jan 10 – Pay 45000P to get Managers cheque from bank
Jan 11 – Submit application to UK visa centre
Jan 15 – Return to UK


You can ask the mayor ( as we did ) to waiver the 10 days between the issue of the wedding licence and the actual ceremony

Not sure what part of Mindanao your gf is from but we got married in Alaron.
Also we managed to get our marriage certificate next day after the ceremony

Good luck !!

[kimmi]

Here's hoping she doesn't notice that bone in the fish :D :rolleyes:

dont worry about the bone Boss, I am used to it..:omg::icon_lol::Rasp:

[Chris M]

are u already a pentioner? coz to be frank with u ,its so impossible for u to get job here................ Think about it a million times before you make that decision.Lots of young foriegners here went home and have no money anymore.

Thanks for your honesty , and i dont want to be negative about anything and start off on the wrong foot , but this is the only problem we have , and its something i was worried about.
I'm not rich , and im not a pensioner , and i worry about getting work in Mindanao.
Thing is......my intended is planning to buy a 3 bedroom hose there and her mum said she would lend her the money to buy it , so we could work in the uk after we're married and pay the house off quickly due to the higher exchange rate , so that part is perfect.
The only fly in the ointment is what i can do to bring in a wage as we plan to start a family at some stage too. Its worrying.

[joebloggs]

Just watch out for those Mancs :rolleyes:


:Hellooo:

yes us mancs are extraordinarily friendly :xxgrinning--00xx3: to everyone, except scousers :NoNo:

[KeithD]

yes us mancs are extraordinarily friendly :xxgrinning--00xx3:
VERY friendly :thorsten_rammler:

[joebloggs]

VERY friendly :thorsten_rammler:


:yikes:

not that friendly, not on a first date anyway, unlike scousers :doh

[Chris M]

Its all very funny , but what has all the talk about mancs and scousers got to do with the question i asked ?

If i wanted to know that , i would have registered at the mancs vs scousers forum or www.iknoweveryfootballstatisticever.com , where this topic happens daily. if you cant contribute in a helpful way , please say nothing as this is very important to me.

:doh

[LadyJ]

Its all very funny , but what has all the talk about mancs and scousers got to do with the question i asked ?

If i wanted to know that , i would have registered at the mancs vs scousers forum or www.iknoweveryfootballstatisticever.com , where this topic happens daily. if you cant contribute in a helpful way , please say nothing as this is very important to me.

:doh

Chris_M just ignore those two clowns, they love each other thats why they're always like that:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[joebloggs]

if you cant contribute in a helpful way , please say nothing as this is very important to me.

:doh

sorry :cwm24:

we've been told off scouser keith :yikes:

:xxparty-smiley-004:

if it's very important to you, you should check the offical sites, make some calls, and only use what people tell you on here as guidance, immigration law changes, and as stated at the top of the page "information supplied here may be out of date, or just personal knowledge, use at your own risk", i've never just gone off advice from a forum, always check and double check, and you will not go wrong :xxgrinning--00xx3:

but have you taken into account the cost of flights for you, then your g/f, the cost of visa's, your talking £1000's.

oh :doh gotta work..

[sam_althea]

yes chris! u are right! this is a very good forum, however some people are very nice to pinch in their :action-smiley-081:

[sam_althea]

oh chris, we are also moving to belfast, should your wife/gf needs someone to talk with, you or she can come to our place to eat adobo and paksiw.....

[tomoboyle2000]

welcome to the forum chris!!!

[Chris M]

sorry :cwm24:

we've been told off scouser keith :yikes:

:xxparty-smiley-004:

if it's very important to you, you should check the offical sites, make some calls, and only use what people tell you on here as guidance, immigration law changes, and as stated at the top of the page "information supplied here may be out of date, or just personal knowledge, use at your own risk", i've never just gone off advice from a forum, always check and double check, and you will not go wrong :xxgrinning--00xx3:

but have you taken into account the cost of flights for you, then your g/f, the cost of visa's, your talking £1000's.

oh :doh gotta work..

well , i shopped around and managed to find flights from belfast to manila dec / jan for only £549 so , considering its on the other side of the planet , thats very very reasonable i wouldve thought. Its maybe possible , with a bit more digging to find some even cheaper than that , although i dont fancy sitting on a wing the whole way to manila airport :cwm3:

[Chris M]

oh chris, we are also moving to belfast, should your wife/gf needs someone to talk with, you or she can come to our place to eat adobo and paksiw.....

thank you so much. we will most definitely take you up on that Sam. I've been told by a half-filipino that i need to look after her and help her to have other filipino friends , so she doesnt feel so withdrawn from her native country , so yeah , thats really helpful. thanks again.:)

[andypaul]

Its all very funny , but what has all the talk about mancs and scousers got to do with the question i asked ?

If i wanted to know that , i would have registered at the mancs vs scousers forum or www.iknoweveryfootballstatisticever.com (http://www.iknoweveryfootballstatisticever.com) , where this topic happens daily. if you cant contribute in a helpful way , please say nothing as this is very important to me.

:doh

So you want free advice but don't want people who give up their spare time to have a joke at the same time:Erm:

Chill Chris the humour is on here for a reason we all know how blooming stressful the process is and like all people we like to lark about.

Without a little humour and talking about nonsense i know the stress might have done me in and im sure others have looked back and found it useful.

One thing i would do is due to the bleak outlook over the next few years at least worldwide make sure you factor in the exchnage rate being far worse than it is now and the amount you earn not being as great as you planned.

In the three years make sure you get your wifes citzenship sorted would be my advice but remeber this is going to cost i would estimate at least 2 thousands pounds with uk test, ilr and citzenship fees. These may rise higher by the time you get there we just don't know.

Like others say the chances of you working in phill are slim unless you run the business or move over there with a western company.
Possibly you could find work in a neighbouring country but i guess it depends on your skillset and experience.

Good luck to the two of you:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Chris M]

So you want free advice but don't want people who give up their spare time to have a joke at the same time:Erm:

Chill Chris the humour is on here for a reason we all know how blooming stressful the process is and like all people we like to lark about.

Without a little humour and talking about nonsense i know the stress might have done me in and im sure others have looked back and found it useful.

One thing i would do is due to the bleak outlook over the next few years at least worldwide make sure you factor in the exchnage rate being far worse than it is now and the amount you earn not being as great as you planned.

In the three years make sure you get your wifes citzenship sorted would be my advice but remeber this is going to cost i would estimate at least 2 thousands pounds with uk test, ilr and citzenship fees. These may rise higher by the time you get there we just don't know.

Like others say the chances of you working in phill are slim unless you run the business or move over there with a western company.
Possibly you could find work in a neighbouring country but i guess it depends on your skillset and experience.

Good luck to the two of you:xxgrinning--00xx3:

we're deeply in love with each other. For sure we will have to find a compromise that suits us both. Maybe not as good as the orinal plan.....
I know love is no substitute for finance , but if our love is strong , then any hardship will be offset by the fact that we are together , while we build up the finances to get our dream put into action.
I dont want to be without her , and she feels the same for me.

[Sim11UK]

Hi Chris

When you familiarize yourself a little, with this forum, you will realize it runs & relies on humour.
Most of the posts, go wildly off topic, with humour, some of it hilarious never far from the fore.
It's just a bit of light relief :)

Many on here, my self included have all sorts of questions etc. that need answering, but if you can have a chuckle along the way, it's all for the good.

I would take your time & try not to suffer from information overload.

Anyway, all the very best to you, I'm sure everything will work it's self out. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Chris M]

Hi Sim -- as a musician , i frequent forums a lot. I ws admin of my own for a long time.
I just wanted answers to my question thats all.
thanks for the welcome.

Anyone got any success stories out of a similar situation to ours ? , cos the advice so far seems to be pretty negative

:ARsurrender:

[mhynne]

hello chris...
often people here in the forum really rely on humor.. it gets us by with all the pricey cost of visa fees i think :D hehehe but i tell you this is the best site to get information for visa applications.. :xxgrinning--00xx3: as i got mine through advises here..
to answer your question.. i suggest try to get a spousal visa instead of a fiancee as the approval rate of a spousal is higher than a fiancee visa... also with the spousal visa she can work outright here in the UK .. as a fiancee visa holder though she cant work under that visa unless she files for her extension FLR visa which will happen after 6 months.. correct me if im wrong...
my husband and i also intend to settle back in the philippines once we have saved up... we though are eyeing for 10 years instead... i suggest try to setup a house already in the phils whilst in the UK then estimate the cost of living per month.. would help also if you have money coming in when you retire there.. like a business or maybe just a house/flat to rent out...
as a husband of a filipina you can apply for a non quota immigrant visa to be able to stay permanently in the phils.. this kind of visa is only given to husbands of foreign nationals.. correct me if im wrong again... :D you can view the details of that visa under the philippine embassy, london webpage under visa information.
hope to have helped!

[Chris M]

hello chris...
often people here in the forum really rely on humor.. it gets us by with all the pricey cost of visa fees i think :D hehehe but i tell you this is the best site to get information for visa applications.. :xxgrinning--00xx3: as i got mine through advises here..
to answer your question.. i suggest try to get a spousal visa instead of a fiancee as the approval rate of a spousal is higher than a fiancee visa... also with the spousal visa she can work outright here in the UK .. as a fiancee visa holder though she cant work under that visa unless she files for her extension FLR visa which will happen after 6 months.. correct me if im wrong...
my husband and i also intend to settle back in the philippines once we have saved up... we though are eyeing for 10 years instead... i suggest try to setup a house already in the phils whilst in the UK then estimate the cost of living per month.. would help also if you have money coming in when you retire there.. like a business or maybe just a house/flat to rent out...
as a husband of a filipina you can apply for a non quota immigrant visa to be able to stay permanently in the phils.. this kind of visa is only given to husbands of foreign nationals.. correct me if im wrong again... :D you can view the details of that visa under the philippine embassy, london webpage under visa information.
hope to have helped!

Thanks MHynne
I was getting kinda negged out til you turned up. That gives me some hope. The visa bit is straightforward....its just what we do after that , that is the thorny issue.
We were thinking of maybe getting married at christmas , instead of getting engaged........but one of her friends said that would make it harder to get into the UK if we did that. Would that be the case ?

[LadyJ]

We were thinking of maybe getting married at christmas , instead of getting engaged........but one of her friends said that would make it harder to get into the UK if we did that. Would that be the case ?

If you can show to the British Embassy that you both have a genuine relationship and can provide all the requirements then she will have a big chance of getting a visa.

You must provide evidences
-that you have met each other ie. pictures or
-letters/emails, online chats, plane tickets to Philippines, copy of stamps on your passport that you have entered Philippines, hotel receipts etc.
- letter from employer that you have stable work, etc.
-your healthy bank account.
-accomodation for you and your partner, letter from the landlord (If renting) saying the landlord is allowing you to live your partner with you in the property.etc. etc.

[mhynne]

im not really sure about the changes that they will do with regards to the spousal visa.. as far as i know there will be changes but nothing has been set on stone yet.. the process might be harder, yes, but i dont think they can turn her back on her if you guys are already married.. ive heard though that they might interview all applicants in the future... but as i said nobody really knows what will happen next...
as ladyj says as long as you have a genuine relationship and you can support her, i dont think you would have any problem...

[mhynne]

oohh and try and start collecting evidences early... do snail mail if you can... gather as much emails, chat transcripts, etc as you can... and yess even receipts as per what ladyJ said :D

[KeithD]

If i wanted to know that , i would have registered at the mancs vs scousers forum or www.iknoweveryfootballstatisticever.com (http://www.iknoweveryfootballstatisticever.com) , where this topic happens daily. if you cant contribute in a helpful way , please say nothing as this is very important to me.

If you can't mix in with the happiness & humour in this forum, a forum that costs myself and others time & money, then go elsewhere.

[aromulus]

We were thinking of maybe getting married at christmas , instead of getting engaged........but one of her friends said that would make it harder to get into the UK if we did that. Would that be the case ?

I personally cannot see why it would make it harder for her to come into the UK.

What I can see is the obvious difficult idea of marrying around Christmas time.:NoNo:
Why don't you go and visit her first...?
You will be needing a couple of trips worth of proof, ie receipts, tickets, photos together... to be able to apply for the spouse visa.

Most of us on the site, have been there and done it, we have the t-shirt and hat, and read the book...what we try to do is share some what little we know and worked for us...

It is all down to money and what you can or cannot afford, because in the end it is going to cost thousands ££££.
Unless you change your nationality to Italian like, me, or Southern Irish, in which case won't cost you a farthing.:rolleyes:

The humour thing.........:D

Sorry mate, but we thrive on it. The banter is part and parcel of being here. The leg pulling, the sarcasm the irony.... We absolutely love it.:D

And Admin... Apart the sorry and sad fact that he is a Lillipud FC supporting scouser he is also the person that made this forum possible and free for us all to draw ideas, hints, knowledge, encouragement and strenght from.
If you search through the post in the forum, you will see many successful visa applicants, thanking him for all this..:xxgrinning--00xx3:
Lets face it......... IND can be a minefield, and without this site, dealing exclusively with Phil-Brit relationships, life could be much, much worse.

We call it home............:xxgrinning--00xx3:

How about a couple of green blobs, now Keith....???

[KeithD]

How about a couple of green blobs, now Keith....???
You'll have to wait for my nose to fill up again :rolleyes:

[andypaul]

When people write negative things its because it will be one of the toughest things, your be involved in. All of us had lots of plans but they change and alter as we go along. If your mahal becomes pregnat whats plan b? Some women love it so much they never want to return and many dont in back for various reasons. What if ilr or citzenship rules change as they will and it seems in a big way very shortly. Like all of us untill a few months ago i bet you had no idea of the Hoops you have to jump though to be together. Most of us have never met but the aim is to help and sometimes a good friend in the real or cyber world tells you the way it is.

[Pepe n Pilar]

This forum is really of great help. We get advises(may it be not acceptable for our views or whatever you may call it) but still it is free, so thanks for Mr. Keith. When i was sorting out my documents for a tourist visa i consulted a lawyer what is best to do like: how much should i have in my bank account etc etc and he didn't agree meeting up with me without any agreed amount. It's a pity i didn't know this forum way before that. So Chris if some of the members or the Admin makes jokes be thankful they are just making you at ease. Anyway, they will still give advises on their next post. With regards to your case, i may suggest you may come to the Phils and marry your gf and after getting married then she applies for a spouse visa submitting all the required documents as proof of your relationship. If you are concerned of the finances as you said you will be saving for at least 3 years before you settle in the Phils, under a fiancee visa she is not allowed to work within 6 months.
Best of luck to both of you.:)

[aromulus]

You'll have to wait for my nose to fill up again :rolleyes:

:vomit-smiley-011:

:xxangry-smiley-009:


:peepwall:

[Chris M]

trust me....i have a very healthy sense of humour , but in my rush to get some answers , i just thought it was some random trolls :D like ive witnessed on many many other forums.

Thanks for all the advice guys ( and gurlz )
Seems we will have to stay in belfast longer than we thought at first , to ensure we have a strong bedrock of finances for when we go to mindanao , or maybe somewhere else in the islands.
I told her last night that we may need to stay longer , possibly 10 years , and sge just said " as long as you are there , its ok "
I really have found myself a little diamond.

How much do a fiance visa and a spouse visa cost ?

[kimmi]

hi Chris,

for u to know the updated visa cost, i guess it would be better if u check the VFS website..http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Chris M]

hi Chris,

for u to know the updated visa cost, i guess it would be better if u check the VFS website..http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/:xxgrinning--00xx3:

sorry kimmi , but that link doesnt seem to want to work for me :cwm3:

[walesrob]

sorry kimmi , but that link doesnt seem to want to work for me :cwm3:

Try http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/

I think the smiley got itself caught in the URL

[andypaul]

trust me....i have a very healthy sense of humour , but in my rush to get some answers , i just thought it was some random trolls :D like ive witnessed on many many other forums.

Thanks for all the advice guys ( and gurlz )
Seems we will have to stay in belfast longer than we thought at first , to ensure we have a strong bedrock of finances for when we go to mindanao , or maybe somewhere else in the islands.
I told her last night that we may need to stay longer , possibly 10 years , and sge just said " as long as you are there , its ok "
I really have found myself a little diamond.

How much do a fiance visa and a spouse visa cost ?

I think most of us think (with the current state of the two countries) that while working its best to be in the UK save up and then move to phill and i think its good for your Girlfriend also to see where your from and see if its better for her?

My Wife since moving here has changed as a person for the better may i add, she is doing well in her career, met people from all over the world who she now calls friends. She is planing a weekend holiday to new york with some mates from a really different background to anyone she could have met in Phill.
When we chatted on the net or phone and on my first few trips over the wife was gonna study and we planned this and that. Well we are both happy but doing totally different things to what we planned partly as my Wife now has a different view on the things she can do in the Uk.

I can think of numerous phill people who would never return fulltime to Phil, but doesn't mean they don't love the country and people they just prefer the UK for one reason and another.

Its good to have a long term plan but why rush and then regret at leisure:Erm:

[KeithD]

I think the smiley got itself caught in the URL

Ouch...bit like the old zipper problem when you're psst :omg:

[andypaul]

Ouch...bit like the old zipper problem when you're psst :omg:

Get buttons on your jeans sir:D

[KeithD]

Get buttons on your jeans sir:D
Jeans.....I was talking about my socks :xxgrinning--00xx3: