Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Little View Post
I am merely a decent British citizen who fell in love with an equally respectable lady who, unfortunately, happened to be living at the opposite end of our planet.
Well, that is the user group at whom this site is targeted. The majority of contributors fall into this category.

so why should my good lady and myself be penalised when all I'm trying to do is give her the opportunity to sample the realities of life in either the UK
Penalised, maybe - but no more than any other members here. The reason for the apparent unfairness of 'the system' is that so many people have abused the privilege of immigration into the UK, making it difficult for the authorities to issue visas based on the face value of each application.

What is available on this site is the sum experience of of hundreds of people who are, or have been, in your situation. This experience tells us that Myrna is extremely unlikely to be granted a visit visa based on your current situation.

Having said that, we would all be very happy to be proved wrong, and find that Myrna's application is successful. However, even if that does happen, it is unlikely that you would gain permission to marry in the UK, and Myrna would still have to return to Philippines to apply for a fiancee visa, or, with you, to marry and then apply for a spouse visa.

What we do know is that if you were to marry in Philippines, and Myrna then make a well prepared application for a spouse visa, it is unlikely that she would be turned down.