Information sought

[exeterjohn]

Hello. I am hoping that someone can give me information or tell me where to find the right information.

I have a very good friend who is Filipina and she lives in the Philippines. I would like to invite her and her 7 year old daughter to come and spend some time with me in the UK. I would be happy to employ her as my housekeeper if that makes entry to the UK any easier. In time, if everything works well we might consider marriage but we are not quite at that stage yet. It seems to me that the immigration rules are an absolute minefield.

For clarity, may I say that she is not a stranger from an agency who is coming here just as an economic migrant. I have known her for several years and there is a strong personal rapport.

Can anyone suggest how we might go about arranging this so that we stay within the law?

Many thanks in advance for any helpful replies.

[IainBusby]

Hello. I am hoping that someone can give me information or tell me where to find the right information.

I have a very good friend who is Filipina and she lives in the Philippines. I would like to invite her and her 7 year old daughter to come and spend some time with me in the UK. I would be happy to employ her as my housekeeper if that makes entry to the UK any easier. In time, if everything works well we might consider marriage but we are not quite at that stage yet. It seems to me that the immigration rules are an absolute minefield.

For clarity, may I say that she is not a stranger from an agency who is coming here just as an economic migrant. I have known her for several years and there is a strong personal rapport.

Can anyone suggest how we might go about arranging this so that we stay within the law?

Many thanks in advance for any helpful replies.

Hi John and welcome to the forum,
First of all let me say that things are no where near as simple as you seem to think these days. You have absolutely no chance of bringing her here as your housekeeper unless she was already working for you as your housekeeper in the Philippines for a fixed period of time before you apply, four years I think it is, but I could be wrong, it might be less than this. The only way you could invite her here is as a visitor and the refusal rate for visitor visas is extremely high.

Can I ask, have you ever met this lady in person? If so and you have a romantic attachment to her, then I think the way forward for you is to apply for a fiancee visa. With this she can come here for 6 months and as long as you marry within those six months, she can then apply for FLR (Further Leave to Remain) and then ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) after 2 years.

If during the 6 months you decide not to get married then she would have to return to the Philippines before her visa expires.

Iain.

[exeterjohn]

Iain,

Thank you for the fast reply and thank you for the information you provided. From what you say, my enquiry is perhaps premature. It looks like the housekeeper route is out and the visitor visa route is likely to fail and we are not yet anywhere near the fiancee visa route although the attachment is romantic.

We have corresponded and chatted on the internet, seeing each other on our web cams, for more than 2 years and I feel that we have a very good knowledge of each other. I have read extensively about the Philippines culture and I am quite aware of how different life there is. I am at the stage of planning a visit to the Philippines to meet her in person and clearly nothing can be known about how things might progress until we have met.

My posting was really to brief myself on the immigration requirements for when she would come here. I appreciate your point about it not being simple.

I know four or five Filipinas who live here and they are all divorced. That is significant and shows just how difficult it can be to live permanently in a very different culture.

Do you have a Filipina wife who is living here with you? Is it working out well?

John

[darren-b]

Hi John and welcome to the forum,
First of all let me say that things are no where near as simple as you seem to think these days. You have absolutely no chance of bringing her here as your housekeeper unless she was already working for you as your housekeeper in the Philippines for a fixed period of time before you apply, four years I think it is, but I could be wrong, it might be less than this. The only way you could invite her here is as a visitor and the refusal rate for visitor visas is extremely high.

Can I ask, have you ever met this lady in person? If so and you have a romantic attachment to her, then I think the way forward for you is to apply for a fiancee visa. With this she can come here for 6 months and as long as you marry within those six months, she can then apply for FLR (Further Leave to Remain) and then ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) after 2 years.

If during the 6 months you decide not to get married then she would have to return to the Philippines before her visa expires.

Iain.

It's actually a minimum of a year, though unless you are willing to basically move to the Philippines for a while the exact amount of time is irrelevant.

[exeterjohn]

Darren,

Thanks. All information is useful information at this stage.

John

[girl england]

Hi John and welcome to the forum

[scott&ligaya]

If you are serious about getting her a visit visa then go and meet her in the Phils, take lots of photos etc and try to keep whatever evidence you already have like e-mails etc from the beginning of your relationship. You will then have a chance of at least a visitor visa for her. Do you think ashe could arrange her parents to look after the child? Would she agree to this?. Like I say go and see her and if all is good then start to think about the visit visa.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey, many here have travelled this path and most of us are delighted we did. I was one of the lucky ones who did not have to suffer the LDR having met my mahal in Hong Kong whilst I was basd there.

[exeterjohn]

Thank you all for such friendly and supportive replies. My enquiry was serious and I would welcome any further thoughts in due course.

John

[Eljohno]

Unless i read incorrectly it seems that you have never met this girl in person which means you really cannot think about bringing her to the uk unless you spend some time with her to see if this is the woman you want to spend your life with.

Cultural differences can make things a little harder but sometimes people make bad or quick choices that lead to divorce.

Although it seems you are not a guy to move quickly considering the length of time you have known her without actually making the flight over.

[PeterB]

Certainly, the chances of getting any sort of visa are very slim before you have actually met in person. I would guess that most Brits visit the Philippines at least twice before the visa application is submitted.

I met Ruby online in April 2007. I visited in May/June, and again in July, which is when we submitted the visa application.

Yes, the chances of being turned down for a visitor visa are very high - the important thing is that the embassy must find convincing evidence to show that the visitor will leave before the visa expires. The usual criteria are that the prospective visitor must have a good job, property, family and wealth in Philippines. The other evidence is if the applicant has a good travel record. When Ruby applied, she had no job, property or finances ... she had, however, visited Australia and other Asian countries in the past - her visit visa was granted in less than a week.

[scott&ligaya]

PeterB is spot on, I forgot to mention the connections to the Phils and the travel record. You might want to start by asking your lady to get a passport if she does not have one and try to take a couple of trips to places like Hong Kong or Singapore. Evidence of return after trips is an important factor.

[IainBusby]

Iain,

Thank you for the fast reply and thank you for the information you provided. From what you say, my enquiry is perhaps premature. It looks like the housekeeper route is out and the visitor visa route is likely to fail and we are not yet anywhere near the fiancee visa route although the attachment is romantic.

We have corresponded and chatted on the internet, seeing each other on our web cams, for more than 2 years and I feel that we have a very good knowledge of each other. I have read extensively about the Philippines culture and I am quite aware of how different life there is. I am at the stage of planning a visit to the Philippines to meet her in person and clearly nothing can be known about how things might progress until we have met.

My posting was really to brief myself on the immigration requirements for when she would come here. I appreciate your point about it not being simple.

I know four or five Filipinas who live here and they are all divorced. That is significant and shows just how difficult it can be to live permanently in a very different culture.

Do you have a Filipina wife who is living here with you? Is it working out well?

John

Yes my wife is here in the UK and has been for 2 years and 4 month now. Her daughter is also here in the UK and they both have residency visas ILR now and yes, things are working out very well thanks.
Iain.

[cheesewiz]

Iain,

I know four or five Filipinas who live here and they are all divorced. That is significant and shows just how difficult it can be to live permanently in a very different culture.

Do you have a Filipina wife who is living here with you? Is it working out well?

John

you have to realize that not all filipino-brit couple last that's the fact of life. But all the filipina i know married to brits are the happiest couple i've seen. Diffrent culture but its never been a hindrance at all...its LOVE that keeps them going and growing together.

[LizSteve]

Hello. I am hoping that someone can give me information or tell me where to find the right information.

I have a very good friend who is Filipina and she lives in the Philippines. I would like to invite her and her 7 year old daughter to come and spend some time with me in the UK. I would be happy to employ her as my housekeeper if that makes entry to the UK any easier. In time, if everything works well we might consider marriage but we are not quite at that stage yet. It seems to me that the immigration rules are an absolute minefield.

For clarity, may I say that she is not a stranger from an agency who is coming here just as an economic migrant. I have known her for several years and there is a strong personal rapport.

Can anyone suggest how we might go about arranging this so that we stay within the law?

Many thanks in advance for any helpful replies.

hello john,

If you have the feelings of liking this girl. I would like to suggest you to visit the Philippines and spend quality time with her.

You have to spend time together and for that, you need to have a few days vacation or leave from work. Its the only way to confirm to yourself that you really like this girl. There are cases that you might like the girl, you might love her and physically attracted to her. To know whether or not the feelings is strong enough to continue or have it grow, you need to feel it physically as well.

Some things change when you actually see the woman, and some of her interest to you might change if you meet each other, but hope this will not gonna happen but instead give thanks because you make the trip to the Philippines and that trip is worth enough not to waste or to wait for another time, because it is really the one that gives you happiness that makes different of your life.

Do not come to the Philippines just for her. Make it as a double package. Go to the Philippines like you want to have a vacation too. Enjoy the warm of the place and the beautiful sunlight.

If she lives somewhere in manila, know about manila. Read some of the news in Manila. Ask her advice and make sure she gonna pick you up at the airport. Don't try to look at any sexy girls in manila because there are really plenty and you don't know you gonna end up those scammers like. Just trust to her and to her only.

If the place is somehwere in Cebu or in CAgayan, good I could help you know the place, and where is the cheap but good and beautiful place to stay.

Spend and enjoy the beaches and the islands thats really near to the cities.

If you need someone to arrange your travel, just email me at ssp1409 at yahoo.com. Note I am not working in an agency, but just wanted to help. I am working in a law office before and study my law degree in the Philippines but got married to a man from Coventry, so I am here. He could not wait until I could finish my studies, so Im here for a while but then maybe after a year or two...i could go back philippines to continue and for him to stay philippines for a while.

Its hurting me and to all other Filipinas who are trying to be in marriage. We Filipina are committed to our husband. you could not believe taht in the PHilippines, we do not annul marriage, and we dont have that divorce. But the common and known story about Filipina_British marriage here is that the coming of Filipina to Uk by marriage and then divorce when they have that citizenship. But not all Filipina goes that way. I got married to my husband. And to be honest, I dont wanna come to this place because I dont like cold place, I have my studies in teh Philippines and I am doing so many things in the Philippines that gives me money. But then, due to marriage, I have to give up everything about my studies, about my work there, and for awhile I have to give up my greatest dreams. Which is sad. though I find it worth to stay here, although...seems that after applying several jobs, they all refuse me. And I could not understand why...when I could see myself, I am very able to take the job...

But despite all the news, the obstacles and the unsuccesful marriage, here we are, here you are, trying to take a chance for you. But you cannot find out whats really for you if you will not take the chnace. I did take my chance too and I have also to prove I could make my marriage succesful. and Im making a pact to my husband. we gonna make this marriage succesful John...

So goodluck? And enjoy the Philippines!!! If only you are going to CAgayand de Oro City, expect I am there to help you...

[Mrs.JMajor]

I am doing so many things in the Philippines that gives me money. But then, due to marriage, I have to give up everything

Just want to emphasize that Liz some marrying brits are not because of money but some are......... ---