The final stages

[Gavanddal]

On the 22nd July my wife will have her British citizenship ceremony. Then we'll apply for her British passport and then re-apply for her Filipino citizenship so she has dual nationality.

Then after 5 years of paying out for visas etc, the process is over, no more expenses and she can settle down to her new life as a British/Filipino citizen.
I, like many British husbands have paid for the whole process and it's cost a lot of money. When you consider it all, it makes you realise that you've paid out all that money just because you fell in love with someone from another country. You've encountered officials trying to trip you up and prove that your wife is a scammer and that your relationship is a sham. No doubt they're just trying to keep the freeloaders out of our country but it a hard process when your relationship is totally genuine.

Once my wife gets her British passport she can enjoy the unhindered freedom of world travel that we Brits take for granted.
She will maintain her dual nationality so she can continue to own a little bit of her birth country which we and our kids can enjoy.

As soon as our beautiful 3 year old goes to school, my wife can start working and reap the benefits of this country. (assuming the recession is over by then and there are jobs about!).

I'm sure she doesn't regret the move to the UK although she does look forward to the trips back to see her family which I hope we can do once a year. It's been 2 years since she last went although I went without her last year. This November we'll have 3 weeks there with her as a fully fledged Brit.

[joebloggs]

i know what you mean, my misses is free now to go where she wants, without having to worry about visa's and their conditions any more.

the cost to me for visa's for her and the kids, more than £4k over 4 yrs , but its the end of the road. no more


freedom

[KeithD]

freedom

Especially if she dumps you and runs off with a scouser

[Mrs.JMajor]

Awww, Congratz to you and to your wife Gavanddal, well done

[Ana_may365]

congrats!to ur wife and also to u,no worrying aboutwish that someday i'll be the same like her

[estherboaz]

congratulations

[joebloggs]

Especially if she dumps you and runs off with a scouser

if I was so lucky and that happened , I would be the one running away

[Arthur Little]

On the 22nd July my wife will have her British citizenship ceremony. Then we'll apply for her British passport and then re-apply for her Filipino citizenship so she has dual nationality.

Then after 5 years of paying out for visas etc, the process is over, no more expenses and she can settle down to her new life as a British/Filipino citizen.
I, like many British husbands have paid for the whole process and it's cost a lot of money. When you consider it all, it makes you realise that you've paid out all that money just because you fell in love with someone from another country. You've encountered officials trying to trip you up and prove that your wife is a scammer and that your relationship is a sham. No doubt they're just trying to keep the freeloaders out of our country but it a hard process when your relationship is totally genuine.

Once my wife gets her British passport she can enjoy the unhindered freedom of world travel that we Brits take for granted.
She will maintain her dual nationality so she can continue to own a little bit of her birth country which we and our kids can enjoy.

As soon as our beautiful 3 year old goes to school, my wife can start working and reap the benefits of this country. (assuming the recession is over by then and there are jobs about!).

I'm sure she doesn't regret the move to the UK although she does look forward to the trips back to see her family which I hope we can do once a year. It's been 2 years since she last went although I went without her last year. This November we'll have 3 weeks there with her as a fully fledged Brit.

Yep, 5 expensive, anxiety-filled years ... and all because you happened to have fallen in love with a Filipina! Call me naive if you will, but never in my wildest dreams would I ever have expected all the paraphernalia involved simply to be able to bring MY chosen partner to the country where I was born and, moreover, had lived for upwards of six decades ... nearly five of them as a taxpayer.

But such is life! To be honest, even as recently as last January when MY wife applied for her spousal visa, I'd deludedly imagined that THAT would be the process complete. How mistaken I was! And, as she only came here in March, we've still to face the additional hurdles you've successfully crossed.

Congratulations. May the three of you enjoy all the benefits of your newly-found sense of "freedom" before your child is due to start school.

[Mrs Daddy]

congrats and goodluck!

[Arthur Little]

... the cost to me for visa's for her and the kids, more than £4k over 4 yrs , but its the end of the road. no more

Thankfully, WE didn't ... and WON'T have quite that much to fork out ... not on visa expenses for children, anyway! But, as I've mentioned here before, MY missus taught in the Phils for twenty-two years. And, if she wanted to resume her career here, she'd apparently need to undertake a prescribed course of study to bring her qualifications into line with those required by the General Teaching Council for Scotland! What a load of baloney!

Well YOU'LL be only too well-aware of this already, vis-a-vis your wife's medical training!

[pennybarry]

Congrats Congrats!!!! Job well done! I wish I can get mine soon.

[somebody]

Thankfully, WE didn't ... and WON'T have quite that much to fork out ... not on visa expenses for children, anyway! But, as I've mentioned here before, MY missus taught in the Phils for twenty-two years. And, if she wanted to resume her career here, she'd apparently need to undertake a prescribed course of study to bring her qualifications into line with those required by the General Teaching Council for Scotland! What a load of baloney!

Well YOU'LL be only too well-aware of this already, vis-a-vis your wife's medical training!

gotta keep all those people working in the quangos and wot not. If we got rid of all the red tape the dole queue would double at least


The Wife has her meet the mayor thingy soon then we got a trip up london once we have paid 72 quid. Then we have to pop into the phill embassy so she can be a pinay again


Then when we have sprogs we have to worry about what paperwork we need to ensure they are citzens of both countries or what options we do have at the time.

It never ends, but hey at least it keeps penpushers in jobs

[somebody]

On the 22nd July my wife will have her British citizenship ceremony. Then we'll apply for her British passport and then re-apply for her Filipino citizenship so she has dual nationality.

Then after 5 years of paying out for visas etc, the process is over, no more expenses and she can settle down to her new life as a British/Filipino citizen.
I, like many British husbands have paid for the whole process and it's cost a lot of money. When you consider it all, it makes you realise that you've paid out all that money just because you fell in love with someone from another country. You've encountered officials trying to trip you up and prove that your wife is a scammer and that your relationship is a sham. No doubt they're just trying to keep the freeloaders out of our country but it a hard process when your relationship is totally genuine.

Once my wife gets her British passport she can enjoy the unhindered freedom of world travel that we Brits take for granted.
She will maintain her dual nationality so she can continue to own a little bit of her birth country which we and our kids can enjoy.

As soon as our beautiful 3 year old goes to school, my wife can start working and reap the benefits of this country. (assuming the recession is over by then and there are jobs about!).

I'm sure she doesn't regret the move to the UK although she does look forward to the trips back to see her family which I hope we can do once a year. It's been 2 years since she last went although I went without her last year. This November we'll have 3 weeks there with her as a fully fledged Brit.

I hope you all have a good day out and well done on like you say putting up with all the grief along the way

[Jem]

On the 22nd July my wife will have her British citizenship ceremony. Then we'll apply for her British passport and then re-apply for her Filipino citizenship so she has dual nationality.

Then after 5 years of paying out for visas etc, the process is over, no more expenses and she can settle down to her new life as a British/Filipino citizen.
.

Oh wow 5 years!! I cant believe we are at the beginning of this journey you have just completed!!

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy your life together!

[vbkelly]

Oh wow 5 years!! I cant believe we are at the beginning of this journey you have just completed!!

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy your life together!

jem not 5 years if you are spouse and live in the uk for 3years you can apply a british citizenship.

[rayofLight]

congratulation

[darren-b]

jem not 5 years if you are spouse and live in the uk for 3years you can apply a british citizenship.

That's 3 years from when you arrive in the uk to the earliest you can apply for british citizenship. The waiting at the start and at the end for the various bits will add on at least a few months, and could even add on a year or more.

[joebloggs]

But, as I've mentioned here before, MY missus taught in the Phils for twenty-two years. And, if she wanted to resume her career here, she'd apparently need to undertake a prescribed course of study to bring her qualifications into line with those required by the General Teaching Council for Scotland! What a load of baloney!

Well YOU'LL be only too well-aware of this already, vis-a-vis your wife's medical training!

yes ,its cost about £2,600 upto now for exams here in the UK, rip off Britain

[MarBell379]

Good stuff Congratulations and good luck for the future.

[Jay&Zobel]

On the 22nd July my wife will have her British citizenship ceremony. Then we'll apply for her British passport and then re-apply for her Filipino citizenship so she has dual nationality.

Then after 5 years of paying out for visas etc, the process is over, no more expenses and she can settle down to her new life as a British/Filipino citizen.
I, like many British husbands have paid for the whole process and it's cost a lot of money. When you consider it all, it makes you realise that you've paid out all that money just because you fell in love with someone from another country. You've encountered officials trying to trip you up and prove that your wife is a scammer and that your relationship is a sham. No doubt they're just trying to keep the freeloaders out of our country but it a hard process when your relationship is totally genuine.

Once my wife gets her British passport she can enjoy the unhindered freedom of world travel that we Brits take for granted.
She will maintain her dual nationality so she can continue to own a little bit of her birth country which we and our kids can enjoy.

As soon as our beautiful 3 year old goes to school, my wife can start working and reap the benefits of this country. (assuming the recession is over by then and there are jobs about!).

I'm sure she doesn't regret the move to the UK although she does look forward to the trips back to see her family which I hope we can do once a year. It's been 2 years since she last went although I went without her last year. This November we'll have 3 weeks there with her as a fully fledged Brit.

Wow congratulations to you both! You well deserve it and all the best!

Anyway, what's the first country you both want to visit?

[Gavanddal]

Wow congratulations to you both! You well deserve it and all the best!

Anyway, what's the first country you both want to visit?

I've already taken her to Malta on a Maltese visa and France on a Schengen Visa.
Once she's got her GB passport we'll probably go and visit her friends in Holland and Finland then maybe one day my friends in the US and Australia.

[Ana_may365]

jem not 5 years if you are spouse and live in the uk for 3years you can apply a british citizenship.

really!r u sure???coz im 3 years and 5 months here in uk now,and just pass my 'life in uk test'last june 24/09 can i apply straight away for b.ctzen instead of ilr first?????

[ca143]

really!r u sure???coz im 3 years and 5 months here in uk now,and just pass my 'life in uk test'last june 24/09 can i apply straight away for b.ctzen instead of ilr first?????

I think ILR first,then citizenship just a guess

[Ann07]

really!r u sure???coz im 3 years and 5 months here in uk now,and just pass my 'life in uk test'last june 24/09 can i apply straight away for b.ctzen instead of ilr first?????

You need to get ILR first Ate before the citizenship. BTW, did you managed to phoned the HO?

Goodluck

[somebody]

really!r u sure???coz im 3 years and 5 months here in uk now,and just pass my 'life in uk test'last june 24/09 can i apply straight away for b.ctzen instead of ilr first?????

Ring up the UK visas people, as they say if you dont ask...

From one site it does seem you need permannt residence first but for the cost of a few phone calls
Mod Dom wondered and found out about the EU residency

You must have been living in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the three- year period; and
On the date that your application is received in the Home Office, you must have permanent residence/ ILR in the UK; and
During the three-year period you must not have been outside the UK for more than 270 days (approximately 9 months); and
During the last 12 months of the three-year period you must not have been outside the UK for more than 90 days; and
You must not have been in breach of any UK immigration rules at any time during this three-year period of residence in the UK.

[Ana_may365]

You need to get ILR first Ate before the citizenship. BTW, did you managed to phoned the HO?

Goodluck

thanks to ur reply ca143 & somebody,and also to ann07,ok then i thought makakalusot ako hehehe lol

its means i need to pay double

[vbkelly]

really!r u sure???coz im 3 years and 5 months here in uk now,and just pass my 'life in uk test'last june 24/09 can i apply straight away for b.ctzen instead of ilr first?????

i had spouse visa for 2years and 1year of ILR then exactly 3years i was applied british citizenship

[Ana_may365]

i had spouse visa for 2years and 1year of ILR then exactly 3years i was applied british citizenship

good to hear that sis!just askin if did u pay again when u apply for a citizenship?how long is it takes?

[vbkelly]

good to hear that sis!just askin if did u pay again when u apply for a citizenship?how long is it takes?

yes you need to pay again if you apply for citizenship it was £650 not including passport i think now is £700+

[DianaKevy]

Congratulations to you Gav and Daryl:-) I envy you guys but no worries I will be there in few years time. Cheers to you both!:-)