LOOPHOLE? Bringing your spouse on a dependent visa or true?

[Lovemanila]

Hello

This is my friends experience. He married a filipina 7 or 8 years ago. He did not read forums, he did not seek any advise, he just left it up to his wife to apply. He submitted the marriage contract, some documents to the british embassy and the visa was granted. His wife knew a lawyer in the Philippines who organised it all.

His wife has a sister in the UK already just to give you a background information.

The visa was granted which I assumed was a spouse visa. My friend had very little involvement (he is a british national) in the visa process. He just provided her with the documents and she fixed it all with a lawyer there.

When she arrived into the UK she had in her passport DEPENDENT VISA and it had a validity period of 6 months in it. Close to the 6 months they went to the home office in Croydon then extended it for I think 2 years. She is now a UK citizen and has got the ILR and everything sorted.

Well he is insisting to me that there are 2 ways to bring your spouse to the UK. Either a SPOUSE VISA and we need to provide all the proof etc or a DEPENDENT VISA where you provide limited relationship evidence mainly financial documents and accomodation documents etc and bank statements but its similar to a tourist visa but also allowed to work.

From anyone's experience is the above true? If its not true do you think that his wife just got lucky and the British Embassy made a mistake? Lastly could it be she applied as a dependent visa through her sister even though my friend insists she applied with his details and because of him.

He is still insisting that I am wasting my time going for a spouse visa when I can easily get a dependent visa and its less hassle and less paperwork.

Any opinions would be welcomed! thanks

[grahamw48]

Who's 'dependent' will she be ?

[joebloggs]

i doubt very much her sister in the UK got her a dependent visa, very strict guidelines and if she mentioned she was married to a Brit i think her chances would be 0%.

you mention dependent visa and spouse visa, 6 months valid, extended you think 2 further years, and he insists there are 2 ways yet he had no involvement applying for her first visa.. I've no idea what visa she had because your not sure of the facts.

there are no loop holes you really think the money they make out of visas they would allow a loop hole

[Lovemanila]

He just gave her his papers and she arranged the visa through her lawyer. I know it sounds "FAR FETCHED" and FANTASY but I saw the visa in her passport and she came to the UK shortly after they got married. It could be a mistake or bribes i dont know. I just wanted to run it past others..

So this DEPENDEND VISA for a spouse does not exist? i'll speak to my friend. But I guarantee I did see that dependent visa in her passport with a validity of 6 months when she first arrived to the UK.

The only relatives she had in the UK was her husband, the brit she married and her sister.

How could this have happened ? Was she lucky and it was a mistake by the British Embassy in Manila?

I myself find it hard to believe but I seen this with my own eyes. Thanks

[Lovemanila]

According to my friend she was DEPENDENT on him as her husband. Ive read up on the internet and the only thing I could find is if there is already a skilled worker in the UK lets say a filipino doctor and he decides to bring his wife then she can come as a dependent.

Also you can bring an elderly parent if your settled her if they are filipino as a dependent. Also a child they can be dependent on you.

But can you bring your wife as being dependent on you when you have a regular job and you are not a skilled migrant and you are british?

VERY VERY STRANGE But I can guarantee I did see this DEPENDENT visa in her passport. He insists that its a normal process and he cannot unerstand others appying for a complicated spouse visa.

I think his wife was lucky and somehow they issued the wrong visa..

[joebloggs]

your right about the dependent visa for a spouse of someone on a work permit, or for an elderly relative.

but i think if your spouse is a British citizen it would be refused because its the wrong type of visa, you would have to meet the criteria for a dependent visa sponsor, also even if you did manage to get one there is no advantage i can see over a spouse visa

its possible the embassy issued her with the wrong visa, and this was corrected when i take it they applied for FLR(M) .

what you've posted doesn't make sense, but its always best to go by the rules, and like i said there are no loop holes.

[Lovemanila]

MYSTERY IS SOLVED!

My friend has lived in the UK for 15 years and had a passport from France and also a British one at the time of the application of his wife. But he was not officially a british citizen and only just had that ceremony a few years ago.

He told me he applied for spouse visa, but then got the dependent stamped, but I guess as he was not offically a british citizen but one from Europe they gave the dependent visa which they would give for somebody who is not British but european or a skilled migrant worker to bring their spouse.

Confusing but I believe this is what happened.. they got the dependent visa due to him being originally French and not having officially become British.

So you learn something new. If you are from an EC country or possibly even outside you can apply for a dependent visa for your filipino spouse and you do not have to apply for a Spouse visa!