Spouse visa update

[Rayjen]

Hi all, just to let you know that jen received her visa on 5/5/11. We submitted application on 24/3/11. I booked oneway flight from Cebu on cathey pacific (£530 ouch) & jen arrived this morning. Thanks everyone who's posted advice on this forum. Will register with gp tomorrow as jen is 29 weeks pregnant. Not sure to use her maiden name or married name? ( her passport is still in maiden name) any advice on what else we should do will be gratfully received.

[chinee]

Congratulations to you both Rayjen!

[alanp]

congrats have a long and happy life together
and welcome to the UK Jen

[alanmf1]

Congratulations & welcome to the UK Jen! Arlene Just arrived last Wednesday too

[Arthur Little]

Hi all, just to let you know that jen received her visa on 5/5/11. We submitted application on 24/3/11. I booked oneway flight from Cebu on cathey pacific (£530 ouch) & jen arrived this morning.

Please offer our congratulations to Jen; we extend a very warm welcome to her ... and for updating us on her arrival in

[Lancashirelad]

Congratulations to you both! and mabuhay to Jen for her arrival in the UK.
Im currently waiting on a fiancee visa decision for my Mahal, so i was interested to hear of the processing time of round 6 weeks.

[Arthur Little]

Will register with gp tomorrow as jen is 29 weeks pregnant. Not sure to use her maiden name or married name? ( her passport is still in maiden name) any advice on what else we should do will be gratfully received.

Yes ... very wise. And then you can both relax ... confident that the surgery staff will arrange all the ongoing care necessary for the remaining weeks of her gestation period. Apart from a list of specific medical requirements [if any] hitherto prescribed by her former practitioner, all she need take along is her passport ... and - even although it's in her maiden name - she's fully entitled to register in her married surname if she chooses to do so.

[Englishman2010]

Congratulations, wishing all 3 of you the very best for the future

[grahamw48]

Congratulations to you both.

My ex kept her maiden name in her Filipino passport until she got a British one, with no probs.
The main thing is, is that it has the settlement visa in it.

Probably best to take along the marriage cert as well if dealing with red tape stuff here (like getting NI number).

[exadore1]

HI There, my wife arrives on 27/05. As I understand it, under English law, you can register under your married name because the authorities are more concerned with the name she will be known by, but you can't mix and match, whatever you start with then you should carry on with that name in any future registrations. In short, it is not unreasonable for your wife to take your family name, no matter what her race is. hope this helps. Best wishes for the future

[Arthur Little]

Probably best to take along the marriage cert as well if dealing with red tape stuff here (like getting NI number).

, Graham ... that'd slipped my mind!

[grahamw48]

HI There, my wife arrives on 27/05. As I understand it, under English law, you can register under your married name because the authorities are more concerned with the name she will be known by, but you can't mix and match, whatever you start with then you should carry on with that name in any future registrations. In short, it is not unreasonable for your wife to take your family name, no matter what her race is. hope this helps. Best wishes for the future

I would agree with that.

Much better (in the UK) if the wife uses her married name from the off, and sticks with that.
- Hence producing marriage cert.
Everything else should then flow easily on from there.

[Rayjen]

Thanks everyone for all the congratulations & warm wellcome to jen. @ Arthur & graham thanks, yes I've been advised by secretary at doctors surgery to bring along wedding cert. @ Lancashire lad thanks, yes think around 26 weeks processing time. Maybe Easter & all the bank hols slowed it down a bit.Is there a list or sticky about other things we need to do? ie, council tax, get ni number, open bank account etc

[Rayjen]

@alanmfi, thanks & congratulations to you & arlene. How's arlene finding things? I know when jen first arrived she couldn't beleive it was still light at 10:00pm.

[purple]

Hi Rayjen,

You (she) only needs to present the passport. No need to bring the marriage certificate.
I'm still using my maiden name on my passport and when I registered with the GP here they were only asking for the passport and I did use my husband's last name.

Congratulations to you both.

[Rayjen]

Thanks purple, we went to gp surgery yesterday to register. We brought jens passport & our marriage cert. On arrival the elderly Indian lady doctors secretary was rather dismissive saying that without proof that jen was living at my addresse she would be unable to register. Now I know that doctors secretarys have a reputation for being gastapo trained & she was living up to this reputation. I politly but firmly informed the secretary that as it has my addresse on our marriage cert, that should suffice. Two phone calls later & she reluctantly allowed jen to fill out a registration form. I asked if we could now book an appointment as jen needs pre natel care but she said the form would have to be sent to the ptc for approval & to call back next week. All in all, not a very plesant experiance made worse having to repeat everything I said as this secretary seemed to have very poor English ( as well as a very poor attitude )

[grahamw48]

Unbelievable.

Actually yes....believable.

Put in a complaint. I would.

Racial discrimination too...has to be some irony there.

[Rayjen]

Hi graham! Yes sadly very believable! The frustrating part of it is that for the past 3 years I've been going on about how great our nhs system is to jen & this was her first experiance of it. Anyway Im sure things will improve once pre natel starts. Yesterday I got jens name put on the gas bill & phoned the job centre re ni number, there going to send out a pack & she could be randomly called for an interview. Still got to change council tax. Have I missed anything? Cheers!

[grahamw48]

In York we have a 'drop-in' type health centre in town where registration is not necessary.

Worth finding out if there is a similar place in your area (or at the local hospital) while you're waiting for the ptc.

[Rayjen]

Thanks graham, I'll bare that in mind if there'a problem. Luckly jen had a checkup just before leaving pp so is not due for checkup for another week . Cheers

[tone]

Ray
Your comments about the doctors receptionists are spot on, I would have pointed out that being a UK tax payer and having met all the immigration requirements who is this woman to say Jen cant register!
Theres a lot of irony there for sure but this sort of thing boils my blood, maybe when I have to do this I'll take along my P60 and point out how much tax I've paid to be treated with such disregard by a "public servant"!

Anyway after the fight you have no doubt had to be together this is just a blot in the grand scheme of things...

Congratulations!

Tone

[Rayjen]

Hi tone, thanks, don't worry it will take a lot more than a surly receptionist to wipe the smile from my face since jen arrived! Anyway,Phoned gp this morning & booked jen in for checkup & no problems. I've applied for ni number & changed council tax. Anything obvious I've missed? Cheers.

[Rayjen]

Hi exadore1, I see that your wifes due to arrive on Friday. Wishing you all the best for your future together.

[kate_th]

Thanks purple, we went to gp surgery yesterday to register. We brought jens passport & our marriage cert. On arrival the elderly Indian lady doctors secretary was rather dismissive saying that without proof that jen was living at my addresse she would be unable to register. Now I know that doctors secretarys have a reputation for being gastapo trained & she was living up to this reputation. I politly but firmly informed the secretary that as it has my addresse on our marriage cert, that should suffice. Two phone calls later & she reluctantly allowed jen to fill out a registration form. I asked if we could now book an appointment as jen needs pre natel care but she said the form would have to be sent to the ptc for approval & to call back next week. All in all, not a very plesant experiance made worse having to repeat everything I said as this secretary seemed to have very poor English ( as well as a very poor attitude )

can i ask you something??