Spouse visa when pregnant - good? or bad?

[benb]

Folks,

I found so many useful threads on this website. Cool!

My wife applied for a spouse visa about 8 weeks ago and waiting. She is in the Philippines and I'm in the UK now. She has not been to the UK before. We got married in Mindanao early this year. She is 26.

She is almost 20 months pregnant now. I'm so excited and yet frustrated with the embassy.

I have not told the embassy about this. Will it help if I do inform them? or does it negatively effect the visa applicatiion.

She cannot travel generally after 30 weeks due to higher risk of complications.

Please advise. much appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

Cheers,
Ben B

[benb]

I meant 20 weeks. Silly me.

[joebloggs]

congrats

seeing you've been waiting 8wks already, and i don't think it will effect the outcome of her visa app, i wouldn't bother telling them.

only give information they asked for, don't make things more complicated, i don't know what your salary or savings are, if money will be tight, then might be another reason not to mention it..

seems everyone has been waiting 8wks or more for a reply, i cannot see you waiting another 10 wks thou..

[tomoboyle2000]

Folks,

I found so many useful threads on this website. Cool!

My wife applied for a spouse visa about 8 weeks ago and waiting. She is in the Philippines and I'm in the UK now. She has not been to the UK before. We got married in Mindanao early this year. She is 26.

She is almost 20 months pregnant now. I'm so excited and yet frustrated with the embassy.

I have not told the embassy about this. Will it help if I do inform them? or does it negatively effect the visa applicatiion.

She cannot travel generally after 30 weeks due to higher risk of complications.

Please advise. much appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

Cheers,
Ben B

Hi, my wife was pregnant when she applied for the visa and no body ask any question about it. And at 8 months she flew here to england, because she is nearly full term she had to have the medical at the airport, and she had the baby here. Good luck on your visa and Welcome to the forum!

[benb]

Folks, Thanks for your speedy replies! I can only dream if the embassy was as efficient.

My salary should be sufficient, currrently a higher tax rate payer and have some savings. However, she is currently not in a full time job and I assume this should not matter for a spouse visa. She has been rejected a tourist visa back in dec 07 as she did not have a stable job nor a bank account.

I've noticed that a few others are waiting for at least 9 weeks or more.

Cheers,
Ben B

[joebloggs]

she is currently not in a full time job and I assume this should not matter for a spouse visa. She has been rejected a tourist visa back in dec 07 as she did not have a stable job nor a bank account.

I've noticed that a few others are waiting for at least 9 weeks or more.

Cheers,
Ben B

no it doesn't make any difference if your wife has a job, and the rejected tourist visa should have no effect on her spouse visa app.

you just have to wait your turn in the queue, seems like its come to halt when processing apps, still many waiting more than 8 wks, must be a big back log of apps.

[benb]

That's a relieve. Thanks.

Nevertheless, its annoying that the Embassy let a queue build up given it is not even a free service.

A colleague of mine who applied for a spouse visa in Dubai last year took only 24hrs to get it approved. I've heard others taking a couple of days or perhaps a few weeks, but not in the Philippines. Given it is the same ~£500 for a similar type of application across all UK embassies around the world and low GDP especially in the Philippines, one would expect a much better service.

My wife told me that the application centre was packed, with long queues and frustrated people. Is the embassy trying to deter people from applying?

Perhaps the Embassy's relocation is to cater for expansion such as additional ECOs?

I new here and apologies if I'm iterating similar topics.

Cheers,
Ben B

[Eljohno]

She is almost 20 months pregnant now. I'm so excited and yet frustrated with the embassy.
Ben B

I was just about to contact the Guiness book of records before you replied again

[benb]

I was just about to contact the Guiness book of records before you replied again

I wonder what the record is!

[Piamed]

I wonder what the record is!

Arguably 17 months 11 days. There have been a few recorded at 52 weeks.

[benb]

Arguably 17 months 11 days. There have been a few recorded at 52 weeks.

Its good to be a man.

[IainBusby]

Folks,

I found so many useful threads on this website. Cool!

My wife applied for a spouse visa about 8 weeks ago and waiting. She is in the Philippines and I'm in the UK now. She has not been to the UK before. We got married in Mindanao early this year. She is 26.

She is almost 20 months pregnant now. I'm so excited and yet frustrated with the embassy.

I have not told the embassy about this. Will it help if I do inform them? or does it negatively effect the visa applicatiion.

She cannot travel generally after 30 weeks due to higher risk of complications.

Please advise. much appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

Cheers,
Ben B

Hi Ben,
You'll just have to make sure she gets a flight as soon as possible when she gets her visa, assuming she gets it in time, otherwise you'll get caught out with the 28 day rule when she eventually applies for ILR.

If she doesn't arrive in the UK within 28 days of the issue date of her visa, then when her spouse visa expires she will not have been living in the UK for the 2 year qualifying period for ILR and she will then have to apply for FLR first and then ILR later on. This can make an already expensive process even more expensive.

Cheers,

Iain.

[benb]

Hi Iain,

Thanks for the tip. I did not realize such a strict rule.

Over the weekend, a number of concerned friends have asked me to contact the embassy regarding my wife's application.

I'm planning to fax a letter to the embassy tomorrow to request to speed up her application on the basis that she is pregnant and being away from the husband especially for the first child, puts additional emotional strain in the relationship. Although she is in good hands (her parents), she still gets stressed, which is like an emotional roller-coaster. I really don't understand pregnant woman.

What do you think?

Regards,
Ben B

[vbkelly]

goodluck ben

[benb]

goodluck ben

Thank you!

[A_flyer]

She cannot travel generally after 30 weeks due to higher risk of complications.

I never recommand to be pregnant when applying for a visa as you never know when you will get it and when you will be able to travel.

The problem will surely be the possibility or not of travelling. The airline may request a certificate from their accredited doctor to confirm if she can travel. You can easily understand they don't like to declare an emergency and do a medical diversion during the flight. If she travel before giving birth, get a good travel insurance in case...

If she give birth in the Philippines, the problem will be the baby travel and papers. If I remember well, the Embassy require your appearence for recording of the birth (your Wife can't do it alone) for the baby to have a British citizenship and the British passport request for the baby.

[benb]

I never recommand to be pregnant when applying for a visa as you never know when you will get it and when you will be able to travel.

The problem will surely be the possibility or not of travelling. The airline may request a certificate from their accredited doctor to confirm if she can travel. You can easily understand they don't like to declare an emergency and do a medical diversion during the flight. If she travel before giving birth, get a good travel insurance in case...

If she give birth in the Philippines, the problem will be the baby travel and papers. If I remember well, the Embassy require your appearence for recording of the birth (your Wife can't do it alone) for the baby to have a British citizenship and the British passport request for the baby.

I do agree that it gets complicated towards the end and if the baby is born in the Philippines. According to the airline, one would need a medical certificate only if more than 35 weeks.
The medical certificate is to ensure that she won't go into labour during the flight.

My wife is currently ~20 weeks pregnant and her visa application is into its 10th week. I seriously don't think that it will take another 15 weeks for the embassy to reply. I've sent a formal letter to the embassy about my wife's pregnancy last week, which hopefully would not delay the application too much.

Also, its nice for her to spend time with her experienced parents as the first few months was very hard for her being sick. She is much better now after the first 3 months.

Ideally, it would be nice to plan everything in life, but sometimes you just can't.

[Piamed]

Ideally, it would be nice to plan everything in life, but sometimes you just can't.