ATHENA - A newbie

[athena]

hi there, i'm new on this site, i hope anyone here can give me important advise regarding my application

i'd like to visit UK to spend time with a british friend i am writing for 5 yrs. though our relationship is very special ,it is much more like friends than lovers. he visited me here in the philippines last august 2009 for 10 days only,finally after 4 1/2 yrs we are writing each other. for the meantime, we have no plan of getting engaged yet, since we both want to spend much more time together to know if we are really compatible for a long term relationship.he's very much serious about spending a lot of time with me before getting into any relationship,at his age of 34 now, while i'm only 24. i still have all his emails since 2005 which merely shows that we are like bestfriends than lovers though we are also talking a lot about possibilities of relationship in the future,and future plans in case we can have a relationship.my question is will it affect my tourist application in case the immigration would know that i have a british male friend in the UK? he is not going to sponsor me because he is still a student and it is his final year of phd. i'm working as sales agent , entrepreneur(different sources of income)and i don't think it would be a strong ground to consider that i will return home(which i really intend to do) i just want to visit uk, at the same time spend more ti8me with him and with his family because his family knows me as well and her sister also visited me here in the philippines last nov.2009.

[athena]

i'm also considering a ground of refusal for my visa because i'm quite young to travel alone in the uk, and also because that would be my very first time to travel outside the country so i'm considering if my british friend can just send an invitation to tour me around(but there is no occassion that i have to attend to)it will be a visit,though i might stay longer than two weeks or for few months more before my visa expires,in case we will decide to have a relationship.but it worries me that my visa application might be refused because the immigration officer might consider i might overstay in the UK through the help of my british friend and his family.

[athena]

i have a british friend i am writing for five years, he visited me here in the philippines only last august 2009,we still have our emails since 2005,and i want to visit him and his family . we are much more like great friends than lovers, and we are not yet on the stage of planning any relationship,because we have to spend more time to know if we are compatible enough for a relationship .his sister also visited me last nov 2009.he will not sponsor my application considering that he doesn't have a proper job for the meantimne because of his phd,and of course, we've been together for only 10 days so it's not appropriate that he must have financial obligations over me. i m an entrepreneur/sales person(different sources of income)but i cannot declare any specific stable business that i have as proof that i have intention to return home,though i really do not have any plan to overstay in the UK,and the annual income shown on my bank stament is only half million pesos. and my shopw money would only be good enough for two weeks because i plan to stay for two weeks only unless my friend and i will get along very well. i'd like to ask if it will affect my application if my male friend will send me an invitation to tour me around uk,because the immigration officer might think i'm quite young to travel alone.my british friend is nine years older than me.age gap might also be considered

[Arthur Little]

... and , Athena.

You've been very upfront and honest about your situation ... and, in my eyes, are the kind of person who fully deserves to be granted a Tourist Visa. Sadly, even though YOU have every intention of returning to your homeland within the timescale of your visit, the British Embassy is less likely to be convinced of this ... due to the 'System' having been abused so many times in the past. In other words, these overstayers ... by flaunting the Immigration Rules ... have made things increasingly difficult for genuine people like yourself, for instance. And, of course, the fact that your friend is a student - and therefore *unable to support you financially in the UK - doesn't help matters!

But, having said *that, I'm wondering if your friend's family - e.g., his parents and/or **sister you mentioned [**and have already met] - might be able to offer sponsorship? It's something worth considering, don't you think?

So, rather than abandon all hope, I would suggest you stay tuned to this site, if only to elicit the responses of other members who might well come up with various alternatives to what I'VE suggested.

[Arthur Little]

Sorry ... I should've added that the nine-and-a-half years' age gap between you and your friend is of no consequence, since - at the ages of 34 and 24, respectively - you are both mature adults!! Good Luck in your joint efforts.

[South-east boy]

Hi! Welcome to the forum! That's a long time of writing and knowing each other before meeting! If only the girl who I was in contact with had waited for more than just a few months!

Like Arthur says, would your friends family be able to sponsor you, seeing that it will only be for a couple of weeks, it shouldn't be too much of a problem for them. Also mentioning that you have met his sister should help a little I would have thought. Good luck!

[sars_notd_virus]

i'm also considering a ground of refusal for my visa because i'm quite young to travel alone in the uk, and also because that would be my very first time to travel outside the country so i'm considering if my british friend can just send an invitation to tour me around(but there is no occassion that i have to attend to)it will be a visit,though i might stay longer than two weeks or for few months more before my visa expires,in case we will decide to have a relationship.

Welcome here ....sorry but this confuse me 5years is long enough to be just friends dear..and why the need to be in uk to determine if anyone of u decides to have a relationship?

[athena]

thanks : ), yes, 5 years is very long, but it's very important to him to know me personally , in some way, i agree

[aryM]

thanks : ), yes, 5 years is very long, but it's very important to him to know me personally , in some way, i agree

I agree with you Athena....me and my fiance also started as friends, and now even if we're lovers now, we still don't want to jump into marriage as we both want a long ans lasting relationship. I also did apply for a visit visa, and I'll be going there this April. The main purpose of the visit is to experience life in UK because of the big difference in culture, to meet his family, and to see if we are really meant for each other. You just need to supply proofs that you're coming back to the Philippines after your visit (proofs like business permits, bank statements, employment certificate, ownership titles of land and the like).