Fred: Yes that's exactly what I was referring to, two posts just never appeared having been told they needed to go via the moderator! Oh well, can't remember what I said exactly in both of them now.
I see some people here are painting the father as the aggrieved party here.... I'm not sure if it was clear in my original post but the father in question was (and still is) a married man when he started an affair with my g/f when she was just 18 (and he 38!), having told her that he was separated. He has 6 children with his legal wife.
The point is my g/f is living in a state of limbo caused by his insistence that she live where he tells her to, so that he can see his kids when he likes. She currently has friends and cousins taking turns to spend the night with her because she is so scared to be alone with him. So, I'm sorry but I'm afraid I personally don't have much sympathy for him, though I don't particularly have any desire to 'steal' his illegitimate children from him, they come as part of the package!
Going back to the original point of my post: My lovely g/f tonight suggested this possible solution which I can't see much fault with but any other opinion would be appreciated:
She suggests she visit me for a month or two next year as we originally planned (on a fiance visa) having left the kids in the care of her mother (not ideal I know but!). Assuming we then get married here in UK she then goes back to Philly and lives with the kids well away from 'him' (Mindanao as opposed to Manila) and having broken all contact and monetary support, for 6 months or so at which point we apply for the kids Visas and proving sole responsibility shouldn't be an issue then. (There is court precedence http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIAT/2006/00049.html that the actual period over which sole responsibility is demonstrated has no specified minimum, so the fact that 6 months previously she wasn't solely responsible should not matter).
Sounds like it should work to me, unless anyone can suggest a particular problem?
