rules for my girlfriend

[joe3452]

thanks all for the advice you have given me and ive taken it all in....one more question if things are right and we do marry in manila...how long would it take for her to get a spouse visa....and can we apply for it once we have set the date to marry...or do we have to wait till we are married

[Arthur Little]

...one more question if things are right and we do marry in manila...how long would it take for her to get a spouse visa....and can we apply for it once we have set the date to marry...or do we have to wait till we are married

If I might answer those two questions in reverse order:

First, the wedding would require to take place BEFORE a Spouse Visa can be applied for. The original copy of your marriage certificate would then need to be electronically authenticated by the Philippines' National Statistics Office prior to it accompanying the other documents necessary for submission to the British Embassy.

Secondly, for some considerable time, applicants were being told to expect an average waiting period of [usually] up to 3 months for a Settlement Visa to be processed. Earlier this year however, the delay was prolonged due to Manila taking over additional responsibilities ... in handling all visa request from a number of other South East Asian countries. More recently, though, the Embassy appears to have been working "flat-out" to "deliver the goods" in record time (use 'Search' facility to read examples of this) although it would be unrealistic to simply assume that the current trend will continue.

Good Luck with your plans, Joe!