Thanks for all the advice

[ccw71]

Hi everyone,

I actually came across this forum several years ago when applying for my GF's visitor visa. Since then we have gotten married and been living happily in PH.

We've now decided that as we've been married for 4 years, it is a good time to apply for her settlement visa. Well imagine our shock when a few days before our 4 year anniversary, the big immigration shake up occurred, doing away with the 4 year ruling

So we are currently pushing ahead, trying to make our application before the changes come online on July 9th.

All the advice I have received here over the years has been enormously useful and has helped us lot, so thank you to everyone who has ever posted on here.

[Iani]

Hi there, welcome and all that.

Yes, that must be a mammoth task getting together your evidence before the forthcoming deadline, but approach it like a project managed with utter urgency, know that you MUST get it all ready by that deadline, and you will be fine

Good luck in your application

[Terpe]

Hi everyone,

I actually came across this forum several years ago when applying for my GF's visitor visa. Since then we have gotten married and been living happily in PH.

We've now decided that as we've been married for 4 years, it is a good time to apply for her settlement visa. Well imagine our shock when a few days before our 4 year anniversary, the big immigration shake up occurred, doing away with the 4 year ruling

So we are currently pushing ahead, trying to make our application before the changes come online on July 9th.

All the advice I have received here over the years has been enormously useful and has helped us lot, so thank you to everyone who has ever posted on here.

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Good luck in getting the application prepared and in collating the needed documentation. Pay particular attention to your evidence of living together at the same address and I'm sure the rest will be OK

Just be informed that the deadline is actually July 8th for fully paid and submitted applications.
July 9th is day one of the new immigration rules.

[ccw71]

Hi, thanks for the welcome.

You are of course correct, the deadline is the 8th, but that's a Sunday!

We have an appointment booked for the last possible day which is Friday.

I notice on the UKBA website it states "The date of your application is the date the application fee is payed to us"
Does this mean so long as my payment is made before the 9th then my wife will be processed under the old rules?

Just a thought in case the Spoken Test results are delayed.

[Terpe]

That's right. As long as your application is made and paid on or before July 8th your wife will be treated under current settlement rules and a 2 year path to ILR.

Hope the results are made for her soon. Is there any way to expedite it?

[ccw71]

It would seem not.

I spoke to the staff at Hopkins, who were very helpful in obtaining an early test schedule for my wife. They are aware of our situation (though when I told them about the change in immigration rules it was the fist time they had heard about it) and said they can only "hope" that they get the result in time. They said it should arrive in time, but no promises and they will text us as soon as the result arrives in their office.

So all we can do is wait and concentrate on compiling the rest of our required documents.

[Terpe]

Lets just hope and pray that the result will make it on time.

[ccw71]

Thanks Terpe

[Arthur Little]

... we are currently pushing ahead, trying to make our application before the changes come online on July 9th.

RIGHTLY so! Good luck ... and to the friendly and informative filipino/uk community.

[ccw71]

Could this really be true....we got "the email" today after submitting my wifes application last Friday.

"Your visa will be dispatched shortly....." from MANILVisaInfo@fco.gov.uk

[Terpe]

Could this really be true....we got "the email" today after submitting my wifes application last Friday.

"Your visa will be dispatched shortly....." from MANILVisaInfo@fco.gov.uk

Great job well done
Sounds to me like it has all worked out perfectly for both.
Many sincere congratulations

Looks like there's been quite a few applications 'pushed' through fast recently.

[ccw71]

Once again Terpe you are the first replying. You put so much into this forum, I have no idea how you make time to reply and to genuinly care. You must have heard so many "visa application" tales!

Ours was so much more pressured than I could have imagined ( even having been through the visit visa 3 times). The details would take too long to write, but courier screw ups left us heading to Manila 2 days before our application with NO uk documents. But we got on the bus and made a lot of phone calls on the way, getting our "lost" documents returned to Manila the day before my wife's apointment. We pulled it all together by 10 pm the night before submision.

So anyone persuing their visa, whichever category, push on, be organised and prepare, prepare, prepare. We had so littte time, but with strict organisation and preparation I think we got there.

Update to follow