Visa's ARE the tricky biy aren't they - lol
Unfortunately we have to work with the rules. Visitor Visas can be applied for, but they seem arbitrarily turned down sometimes. Going to visit her would seem to be the easier option, otherwise its a case of being committed (to each other ) and going for fiancee or spouse Visa.
Good luck.
When I met my gf she was in Israel, unfortunately her visa was linked to her employer and didnt last as long as was expected, so she's back in the Philippines which is a much longer journey and more expensive (I guess I had it easy at first though). The time difference is the big pain in the a$$ now, until we get our own fiancee visa application in.
