hello everyone.

[bigmac]

after lurking on here for a few days i thought i'd get on board--and ask for advice. apologies now if i'm posting in the wrong place.

i'm 64--not working--and living in my own home in the south of england. a year ago i met a mature student living nearby.

she returned home recently--her course completed--a day before her visa expired.

we would like to get married--and i'm now stuck in this immigration nightmare.

there is no way i can sponsor her--my income is way below the £18k ive read about.

will i still need to sponsor her if i go out there and marry?

is it possible for her to get another student visa--and get married here?

i'm sure lots have asked these sort of questions before--so a nudge in the right direction would be appreciated.

[grahamw48]

Welcome to the board.

Are you POSITIVE she's single...not separated ?

VERY VERY important.

There is no divorce in the Phils...only Annulment, a very protracted and expensive affair.

[Terpe]

Hello bigmac, welcome here to the forum.

May I kindly suggest you read this thread All New Guide - How to apply for a Spouse/Partner Visa

At least it will give you the basics of what's involved and what the costs are likely to be.

In principle it is correct that a sponsor needs to have a minimum income of £18600 (or very significant savings above £16000)
There are a number of ways to evidence the required amount and there are some specific exemptions.

It makes no difference where the marriage actually takes place the key requirements for any visa leading to settlement are the same.

She could apply for another student visa, but this could only be switched to settlement via the requirements indicated in the above linked thread.
At least this route would allow her to have limited employment, which when combined with any employment income you could also secure just might achieve the required minimum.
Unfortunately the income requirements need to be maintained and proven at visa application, then after a further 30 months at ILR (settlement)

One other option would be for you to consider moving to the Philippines.
I have to say that would be a huge decision for you to consider and one that would mean putting all your trust and faith in this lady.

Sometimes life throws us a curved ball.

Hope you'll stay around. Make new friends, and maybe see another great idea/opportunity.

BTW, Graham does make a very valid and important point.

[bigmac]

thank you for the replies--and warm welcome.
Are you POSITIVE she's single...not separated

she is married--but has filed for divorce in england (5 years separation).

i'm reading some of the links to earlier posts--very useful

[bigmac]

me moving over there is not an option--after all--one of the key reasons for her wanting to marry is to settle here.
hardly unusual i would have thought.
also she has family and friends settled here.

[bigmac]

more thoughts on this.
i get my state pension in 6 months. between now & then--her divorce hopefully will be over.

what if she came here then on a tourist visa--we could get married then--couldnt we? i know she cant work on a tourist visa--but i have savings to support her in that time.
but--if she cant work--and shes well qualified & could get a job in a flash---how can we show the required income?? she would need to earn about £11K--easy for her.
so--its a catch-22 situation.

come on guys--help me out here

[Terpe]

more thoughts on this.
i get my state pension in 6 months. between now & then--her divorce hopefully will be over.

what if she came here then on a tourist visa--we could get married then--couldnt we? i know she cant work on a tourist visa--but i have savings to support her in that time.
but--if she cant work--and shes well qualified & could get a job in a flash---how can we show the required income?? she would need to earn about £11K--easy for her.
so--its a catch-22 situation.

come on guys--help me out here

bigmac,
I'm not trying to be negative here, but did you read the link I provided on how to apply the visa? If you take some time to read and to follow the UKBA links contained with it, then you really will have a much clearer understanding and be in a position to ask specific questions relating to your own situation.
No offence, bigmac just trying to help you out.

Anyway, she cannot come here on a tourist visa and get married. It's just not allowed.
Additionally she is not allowed to work or seek work on a tourist visa. There are barriers and protections on that too. Again, illegal.

If she was able to somehow secure a promise of employment upon entry as a spouse, it would not help you in the Spouse Visa for entry to UK as her promised salary is not counted in the visa application only yours.

Familiarise yourself with the application process, and with UKBA rules and requirements and with the needed documentary evidence needed to be submitted.
That will really help you.

One option of course is to go live somewhere within the EU and bring her on a free visa then after a few months return to UK with her (free) and settle.

It's commonly known as the EEA route.
Do some research on that too. Plenty of good info here on the forum if you search.

Good luck happy researching

[bigmac]

thanks Terpe--i appreciate your reply. i must confess i find trawling through the UKBA site a confusing minefield....

another thought--with our age difference--22 years--could she be considered my carer?--she is qualified in that field.

[Steve.r]

Seems like a 'marriage of convienience' to me. I hope you have lots of evidence of your relationship.

[bigmac]

"Seems like a 'marriage of convienience' to me. I hope you have lots of evidence of your relationship."

course it is--i'm not totally daft. but--look what i get out of it--a lovely young woman any guy would be proud of. prob for her is--shes got to put up with me for 5 years.

[grahamw48]

The UKBA aren't daft either.

[Steve.r]

Well, I cannot condone what it looks like you are going to do. Specially when some of our members are currently struggling to get their wives here because of new rules that the UKBA have set.

And like Graham says, the UKBA, although we moan about them, are not too stupid to see through what you are proposing. They might even monitor 'our' post

[bigmac]

must be 1000's of us in the same position.

so--which EEU country do i have to move to--or will the BA plug that loophole too?

[grahamw48]

I realise you're joking about it bigmac, but the few thousand quid it's going to cost you will start to get serious after a while.

[bigmac]

" I cannot condone what it looks like you are going to do"

what--marry a woman ive lived with--and love---and bring to my home ?? whats so wrong with that?

all i'm on here for is to try to find how on earth i can do it

[bigmac]

"I realise you're joking about it bigmac, but the few thousand quid it's gong to cost you will start to get serious after a while."

i'm not joking--at all---just trying to get a bit of help here

[Terpe]

must be 1000's of us in the same position.

so--which EEU country do i have to move to--or will the BA plug that loophole too?

bigmac,
However much you hate trawling through the UKBA site you need to do some research.
The link I provided has UKBA links direct to the information you need so you don't waste any time getting lost.

Anyway on the EEA route, it's not a loophole, it's EEA law and cannot be plugged.
You could go to any EU country. Just need to comply with some simple regulations.
Depends if you can speak any other languages.
If not think about those countries that speak English.
Ireland, Malta, Cyprus Netherlands etc etc.

Do a search here

[bigmac]

helpful advice there Terpe--thankyou--food for thought.

the few thousand quid isnt relevant. i dont have enough income--but i do have a house i could equity-release if i want a few quid to make the impossible--possible. its all down to dosh--isnt it

[Terpe]

helpful advice there Terpe--thankyou--food for thought.

the few thousand quid isnt relevant. i dont have enough income--but i do have a house i could equity-release if i want a few quid to make the impossible--possible. its all down to dosh--isnt it

And lateral thinking.
If you rented out you property for a while there may be enough income to be officially self sufficient in EU with no need to be employed.
Lateral thinking

[bigmac]

terpe--
"officially self sufficient in EU "-

-hmmm--is a uk full state pension considered official enough?

[Terpe]

terpe--
"officially self sufficient in EU "-

-hmmm--is a uk full state pension considered official enough?

Well it might be. Depends if that would cover all your costs of being in your selected EU state for say 3months or more.
Can't be any more specific without knowing which country, how long for,accommodation costs etc etc.

[bigmac]

looks like the EEA route is the way to go.

has anyone on here now recently done it?--care to share any advice?

it would have to be an english speaking country. would my partner be allowed to work there? if we married there--how long would we have to stay before the UKBA would allow her entry?

i'm fortunate enough to have enough savings to cover things for a few months.

[karenkeith]

Hello bigmac, welcome here to the forum.

May I kindly suggest you read this thread All New Guide - How to apply for a Spouse/Partner Visa

At least it will give you the basics of what's involved and what the costs are likely to be.

In principle it is correct that a sponsor needs to have a minimum income of £18600 (or very significant savings above £16000)
There are a number of ways to evidence the required amount and there are some specific exemptions.

It makes no difference where the marriage actually takes place the key requirements for any visa leading to settlement are the same.

She could apply for another student visa, but this could only be switched to settlement via the requirements indicated in the above linked thread.
At least this route would allow her to have limited employment, which when combined with any employment income you could also secure just might achieve the required minimum.
Unfortunately the income requirements need to be maintained and proven at visa application, then after a further 30 months at ILR (settlement)

One other option would be for you to consider moving to the Philippines.
I have to say that would be a huge decision for you to consider and one that would mean putting all your trust and faith in this lady.

Sometimes life throws us a curved ball.

Hope you'll stay around. Make new friends, and maybe see another great idea/opportunity.

BTW, Graham does make a very valid and important point.

16000gbp?or above?..for just sponsor or the partner also>

[grahamw48]

Sponsor only.

The £16,000 is related to benefit rules.

That is the amount you're allowed to have in the bank before they reduce or disallow your benefits on account of savings.

[karenkeith]

Sponsor only.

The £16,000 is related to benefit rules.

That is the amount you're allowed to have in the bank before they reduce or disallow your benefits on account of savings.

i thought for the fiancee also so i think this is the only way so the wife could go to uk

[bigmac]

i beg to differ.

for pension credit--the savings threshold is £10,000---all above that starts to reduce benefits. ( but there is no upper limit to the savings )
above £16,000---i understand some benefits--such as oncome support--disappear.

[grahamw48]

Ok...it may vary for certain benefits.

I said it is RELATED to the rules.

This illustrates why people should consult the official website if they're seeking accurate and up to date information.

Google is your friend.

[bigmac]

hello again everyone.

ive been reading lots of other threads on here--and am now realising this whole visa business is a nightmare.

having established i cant sponsor my lady because of the income rule--i thought maybe she could come back for a while as a general visitor--after all--the visa fee is more realistic--& maybe 6 months together would be better than nothing.

looks like that will be yet another nightmare--got to prove she will go back!!----but do i still have to sponsor her?---or could she say shes coming to visit her sister--married to a UK guy--living near me?
for personal reasons its highly unlikely i could go out there for the foreseeable future.