UKBA Makes my head hurt

[deano1720]

Hi everyone , i am new here and the U.K.B.A. Website is doing my head in . All i want to do as a British citizen is marry my Filipino girlfriend and live here with her. But now i find i have too jump through hoops just to get a visa for her to come over for a holiday. I will use the search function but if anybody can suggest any tips i would love to hear from you. Thanks Dean

[joebloggs]

this should give you an idea..

http://www.londonelegance.com/transp...tionLetter.pdf

http://www.londonelegance.com/transp...-relationships

[stevewool]

doing your head in , wait till it does your wallet and bank account in too

[KeithD]

Make sure you have a few thousand in the bank to pay the visa fees

[Terpe]

Hi everyone , i am new here .......

Hello deano, welcome aboard Filipino UK

i find i have too jump through hoops just to get a visa for her to come over for a holiday. I will use the search function but if anybody can suggest any tips i would love to hear from you.

Securing a tourist visit visa is notoriously problematic for many reasons.
Not least because approval or refusal of General Visitor (tourist) visa applications is principally based on the discretion of the ECO.
Basically there is no appeal process.

The major complication is the need by the applicant to prove a non-immigrant intent. Applicants wishing to come to the UK under a tourist visit must clearly demonstrate that they do not intend to remain in the UK on a permanent basis. Immigration law places this burden of proof on the applicant.
In order to grant a temporary visa, the ECO must be satisfied that the applicant has strong social, economic and family ties abroad that would compel them to leave the UK at the end of the temporary stay.

Unfortunately, in most cases it becomes difficult to overcome this presumption.

The UKBA page specifically for UK Visit Visa's can be found here with additional detailed information which can be found here and also explains what you are allowed to do while you are in the UK as a visitor.
It's well worth taking a good look around and checking out all of the links provided in those pages.
Anyone coming to the UK as a visitor, will usually be granted a visa with a validity for up to 6 months stay.

Anyone 'sponsoring' a visitor to UK should also review the UKBA webpage Sponsoring a General Visitor

In principle, you must be able to show that:-

- you are 18 or over
- you intend to visit the UK for no more than 6 months
- you intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit
- you have enough money to support and accommodate yourself without working or help from public funds, or you and any dependants will be supported and accommodated by relatives or friends
- you can meet the cost of the return or onward journey
- you are not in transit to a country outside the 'Common Travel Area' (Ireland, the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands).
- you do not intend to take paid or unpaid employment, produce goods or provide services, including the selling of goods or services directly to members of the public
- you do not intend to do a course of study
- you do not intend to marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership
- you do not intend to carry out the activities of a business visitor, a sports visitor or an entertainer visitor
- you do not intend to receive private medical treatment


You can downdload the application form and guidance notes from this page

Understand how to apply by reviewing the page Applying for a UK visa in the Philippines

Concerning the actual documents you'll need to submit in evidence, it really does come down to your personal circumstance but generally must contain:-
- information about you
- information about your finances and employment
- your accommodation and travel details
- information about your visit to the UK

As examples of the type of documents that could be supplied Here is the UKBA Guide to Supporting Documents for visiting the UK

For the General Visitor the application should be supported with some of the following documents for a sucessful application:-

- if you are employed, a letter from your employer granting leave of absence from your job for a specified period - the letter should also say how long you have been employed by that employer, in what job(s), and when you are expected back at work
- if you are self-employed, evidence of your business activities and financial standing
- evidence of any property you own in your home country
- if you are a student, a letter from your school or college stating the course you are on, its start and finish dates, and the dates of the holiday period when you intend to visit the United Kingdom
- evidence of any family or social ties and responsibilities to return home to
- evidence of any firm travel plans you have made
- bank statements going back over a period of several months
- evidence of savings/funds available to you during your stay
- evidence you can financially maintain and accommodate yourself in the UK with or without assistance from family/friends living in the UK but without resource to public funding or employment.

Your sponsor can help greatly by providing an invitation/supporting letter to confirm the support they will be providing in terms of financial assistance and/or accommodation.

If the sponsor is intending to totally support the visit this is a listing of fairly typical supporting documents that should be provided:-

- 6 months Bank statements
- 6 months pay slips
- Proof of address (eg utility bill, Council Tax etc)
- Accommodation details (including owner's agreement / rental agreement)
- Sponsors passport copy (Photo page, any relevant stamp pages)
- P60 (if available)
- The main reasons for wanting the applicant to travel at the specific time

The first and foremost thing that you need to keep in mind when applying for a visa for UK, is that you should have an intention to return to your home country. Have a well thought out travel plan. Date of Travel, duration of stay and reasons for travelling.

The absolute keys are going to be:-

- Reasons to return home that outweigh reasons to stay
- Financials

Reasons to return home and strong/complelling ties differ from country to country, city to city, individual to individual.
Some examples of ties can be a job, a house, social and family relationships, a bank account, possessions etc
The ECO will be looking to see if the aspects of your life that bind you to your country outweigh those aspects that may cause you to be unwilling to return to your home country, or to attempt to change or extend your visa status.

The positive aspect of visit visa application is that of it's very low cost.
So nothing to lose and everything to gain. Get that application going asap

Good luck

[Terpe]

The other important thing I forget to add was that in the event that a visit visa is refused a fully detailed reason will be given. This can be very useful in making sure that the next application completely counters the original reasons thereby increasing the chance to have the visa granted. Subsequent application can be make at any time. There's no time limits applicable between applications.

[malditako]

with all these visa fees and documentation husband said if situation arises would never ever marry a foreigner ever again lol...that said if some filipina wants to steal my man...i would say no chance hahahha!!!!

[sheriel]

Filipinas are Loyal,trustworthy,and why would any one want to steal your man ?

[aprilovez]

lol indeed ... its money playing :(...

[aprilovez]

doing your head in , wait till it does your wallet and bank account in too

soo true

[FilipinaDiver]

One tip that I can suggest is to be OC with your docs preparation. I applied for UK visitor visa in Manila and got refused the first time, I was too confident that I have been in the US so I took for granted giving them screenshots of me and my bf's conversations and photos. I have moved in Egypt due to work and after 2 months of working here, I then again re-applied and this time I was granted with a multi-entry visa and it's about to expire this August and been to UK 5 times already in 6 months duration. It'll need a lot of money and hard work prepping the docs. I gave them pages and pages of screenshots of emails, texts, skype conversations, his flight bookings to visit me, a 5 inch thick photo album with captions on it, and also yes you need to prove that you will come back and not extend your stay in the UK (letter from your employer-if working, bank statements, land titles etc). Good luck!!

[Michael Parnham]

Also keep it simple!