This is my first and probably only posting here, but wanted to share with people some perhaps useful insights into the visa process. At first I thought we had a fairly thin application: we had met online late in the previous year, then in person in January and applied for the visa three days later. I work in an immigration related field and am fairly familiar with some processes and the people behind it. So here's what we did. We had decided that we were going to get married before we'd even met in person. It is very expensive to go to Philippines and a marriage/settlement visa straight out seemed the first best option although its also the most expensive. But add up the cost of a few flights, and it makes sense. For example, if you marry in the UK with your partner on a visitors visa your partner will still have to go back to the Philippines to apply from there. Marriage in the Philippines can be additionally bureaucratic and took longer than I was able to spend there. Therefore, I spent a few weeks getting my papers together which I took with my on first trip to Philippines. This save a lot of hassle: if you decide you don't want to marry then you can just bin the lot, but if you decide you do then it saves you further trips and sending documents by courier. However, this is not about what is right or wrong to do, just how the system works. I might add I've married a foreigner before so was familiar with the process.
The first thing to remember is that the person who assesses your application is a British bureaucrat. Exactly the same type of person that works in your local council offices or the civil service. Except these people work on a British government salary in the Philippines. Nice work if you can get it. This means that while as a person they may have their views, essentially they have to follow the rules as laid out in law and make a judgement on those rules. The last thing they want is a decision they have made on behalf of the British government to be overturned, nor equally do they wish the disapproval of their seniors. They operate dispassionately and according to the rules. Even better the rules are laid out here:
http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/pol...igrationrules/
These are the rules the Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) will be following. You can familiarise yourself with the relevant parts and think about how you will show adequate proof of parts you have to prove. In a sense what you want to do is to make the ECOs job exactly routine and matching exactly with the relevant parts of legislation and rules that they have to follow. Make it easy for them to say "Yes". An interesting point is that it is NOT the ECOs job to determine if you've found yourself a total scumbag, nor to decide how long people should know each other before getting engaged. It is simply to follow and interpret the rules.
For example, proving you have met: A photograph. Proving you've remained in contact: phone bills, letters, chat scripts, etc. One of the main things ECOs want to be sure of is that they are not letting people in who will rely on public funds. That is, they will require emergency benefits. Bizzare, given that most entrants to the UK legal and illegal want to work rather than get paltry state handouts, but that's it. So you've got to prove you've got a roof over your head (letter from mortgage company, assured tenancy agreement, letters from other parties in the household etc). And an income (payslips, accountants letter, bank statements).
Right, down to the specifics: Visa Applications in the Philippines are contracted out to a private company. This company are there to make sure the papers are in order, to deal with the people, and then to pass the application on to an ECO. That is their only role. Do not use any other intermediary. They will simply make you run an extra mile for a fee, and provide no advice of any value that is not publically availble. The company is called VFS global and they are at: http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/ You can even apply online, but one of the first things you have to do is pay (but wait until you've got your documents together). Settlement visas (marriage, fiancee, family reunion) cost £500 per applicant including children. Instructions on paying are on the VFS website. However VFS also provide a checklist of documents that you should provide for each application on their website. The Fiance checklist is here http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/images/Sett..._by_fiance.pdf
So here's what we put in:
- The visa fee
- The application form (a VAF4 for fiancees)
- My fiances's passport (including old one)
- The passport photograph
- A photocopy of my passport including all visas (make sure the Philippines stamp is there!)
- Letter from my Bank confirming they hold a mortgage in my name at my property
- Six months of my bank statements
- A letter from my accountant confirming my income (self employed)
- Letter of support. This detailed: Re: Applicant and DOB, Application for Settlement visa. What I do for work, and highlighting that I am able to support the applicant. A paragraph detailing the background to the relationship including steps we had taken to be together. A paragraph detailing how we keep in touch. Where I live, and how many rooms it has. Paragraph highlighting other relevant documentation. My contact details. Final paragraph stating that we hope the application is granted and we can get on with our lives.
- Letters and packages between us (including envelopes) - we had two.
- Print out of emails
- A full transcript of several months of messenger chat (this was six inches thick - and in the end they only took sample pages)
- Fiancée's Birth Certificate on NSO security paper (its yellow).
- Phone bills highlighting cheap access Philippines numbers (two months worth!)
- Mobile phone bills highlighting texts and calls to fiancées number (two months worth!)
- My decrees absolute (from my previous marriages !)
- A letter from NSO indicating that my fiancée had no record of being married
- A Certificate of No Impediment for myself (see below)
- Copies of papers indicating the tax credit and child benefit I receive
- Copies of court orders for my children (not sure if relevant but anyway)
- Copy of my tickets to the Philippines (additional proof of having met - boarding passes are NOT required!)
- Four photographs of us together.
- Provisional booking for wedding at local registry office.
If your fiancée is working, proof of her work and income and bank statements and savings if any will also help!
And a separate bundle with photocopies of all of the above.
The Certificate of No Impediment was because originally we discussed getting married in the Philippines (it is a requirement), until I discovered the rest of the bureaucracy involved. However, it may be worth having as it proves intention of getting married. A CFI costs £30 and is available from UK registry offices. Basically they put up details of the intended marriage for 21 days then give you the certificate. After I got the certificate I had a chat with the registrar and explained that I couldn't stay in Philippines for the time required to get married out there, so I asked her for a provisional booking for the wedding. They give you a form for this, which you can also submit. This has no charge. So in total it took about a month to get the papers together, and then we submitted the application.
We made the ECOs job easy, I hope. Visa was issued in 30 days, no interview. We now need the CFO certificates, to arrange a flight, and then arrange a marriage.
Incidentally, the visa process - if you read the documentation above - is pretty transparent. And most applications are granted. The statistics world wide for British Missions abroad are here:
http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Fr...=1006977150151
However, immigration law changes frequently these days thanks the idiots we have in charge of public opinion, and you should - if you are considering these things - make yourself fully aware of the latest rules and regulations.
Thanks for the advice and tips I read here with some interest.
TigeRRRR
