I am about to apply for a fiance visa for my gf.
Supposing she gets this and then comes here in a few months. Her initial stay will be for six months in which time we have arranged to marry.
I believe another visa (marriage visa) is then required for her to remain here once her fiance visa has expired.
Is this the case and does this second visa cost the same as the fiance visa, approx. £500 ?? Will she apply for this here in the UK?
Regards
Joe
you have to be married within 6 months of the date the visa was issued, if your g/f is not coming straight away, you can ask the embassy when you apply to if they would start the visa at a later date ( i think you can delay it by up to 3 months)
after your married, she can apply for FLR from inside the UK, which last for 2 yrs
cost which is
Postal application: £465
Application in person at public enquiry office: £665
You must apply for FLR before her fiancee visa expires.Originally Posted by jasper99
And in case you didn't realise from joebloggs' message you will have to apply for a third visa two years later (and if new rules get implemented a forth one as well..)
darren
i didn't want to give him too much bad news in one go
Welcome, Joe. It's a matter of choice, really. And a great deal depends on how you're placed workwise. But you are perfectly correct in your assumption that, should your girlfriend be granted a Fiancee Visa, then this would entitle her to come to the UK for up to six months ... within which period, the wedding would require to take place. However, it's worth bearing in mind that, BEFORE you can even apply, you would be expected to prove to the British Embassy that the two of you have set at least a provisional date for the ceremony, and provide evidence of a reception being booked &c. In other words, proof of your serious intent to marry.
On the other hand, you might consider marrying in the Phils.This is what I did last year and, although there is divided opinion here, and consequently, some who would disagree with me, I generally recommend THIS approach ... IF, as I mentioned in my previous paragraph, you can afford sufficient time off work. Being retired, this issue was irrelevant in MY case. It is, by far, the least expensive option because, not only are most Filipino wedding receptions a helluva lot cheaper, but once married, you would only need to incur the cost of applying for a spousal visa ... thus bypassing the additional [more or less, equivalent] fees
needed for what's called 'Further Leave To Remain' if your fiancee were to come HERE [UK] to get married. Plus, a Settlement [spousal] visa would allow her to take a job in Britain straightaway, if she so-wished.
Of course, as I implied at the beginning of this post, the final decision rests with you and your girlfriend ... no-one else!
I wish people (especially those who took the spouse route) would stop giving incorrect information about fiancee visas. You do not need to have evidence of any bookings, and even a provisional date might be difficult if you don't know when the visa will be granted.
The ECOs know it is difficult if not impossible to make any real arrangemens for a wedding in the UK until both the bride and groom are actually in the UK. Also you could have the biggest wedding provisionally booked, but it doesn't actually mean you are going to get married.
I wish people (especially those who took the spouse route) would stop giving incorrect information about fiancee visas
The ECOs know it is difficult if not impossible to make any real arrangemens for a wedding in the UK until both the bride and groom are actually in the UK. Also you could have the biggest wedding provisionally booked, but it doesn't actually mean you are going to get married.
now im confused..so it means if youll be applying for a fiancee visa..it wouldnt really be necessary to have evidence of bookings and a provisional date?or it would still help the application somehow?thanks folks..
You don't have to provide any bookings - the guidance notes for ECOs has some comments about this because they know you can't make a confirmed booking without both people actually in the UK. We didn't provide any bookings at all or even a provisional date (only a month...) and I know others who did the same.
Really it's down to whether the ECO believes you with regards to your relationship or not. A provisional booking with a hotel that you could cancel anyway doesn't actually prove a wedding will take place.
Ouch, I was afraid that would be the case. I have to admit the getting married in Phil is becoming more attractive. I may apply her a visit visa in the meantime but don't expect she will get it eventhough we have met in Thailand before(she returned after visiting there).
Thanks for your replies!
Darren .... you are TOTALLY correct.
You merely have to say ..
"After xxxx has arrived in the United Kingdom, we intend to get married as
soon as practically possible" ..... end of.
This nonsence about sending details of church hall bookings, menu cards, ring
receipts is exactly that ..... NONSENCE.
... and before others "comment" .... we got our fiance visa in 4 weeks 2 days.
So if you can beat that, then I'll listen... otherwise not.
No man is an island, but Barry is
Being one of those who opted for the spousal route, I'm quite prepared to admit I am notI wish people (especially those who took the spouse route) would stop giving incorrect information about fiancee visas
The ECOs know it is difficult if not impossible to make any real arrangemens for a wedding in the UK until both the bride and groom are actually in the UK. Also you could have the biggest wedding provisionally booked, but it doesn't actually mean you are going to get married.100 per cent au fait with the PRECISE requirements for the fiance(e) alternative. In the light of Darren's reply, I decided, this morning, to do a bit more research and logged-on to the following website:
http://www.migrationexpert.co/uk/Vis...sa_fiancee.asp ... where there is a section which clearly states that "applicants for a fiancee visa will require to provide EVIDENCE of their intention to marry".
Not an official source of information though...
From an official source of information.... http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/ecg/settlement/fiancees
"SET1.18 What evidence is required of marriage arrangements?
The ECO needs to be satisfied that it is intended that a marriage in the UK will take place.
The law relating to marriage in England and Wales does not allow for any arrangements to be made with a Registrar until the foreign national has arrived in the UK. Of itself, a booking at a Register Office or church is not proof that a marriage will take place.
The ECO can reasonably expect the couple to have made some tentative plans for the wedding. Any evidence that may be available that wedding arrangements are in hand may help in this respect."
It does not state that you have to provide provisional bookings. The fact that many of us (including Bluebirdjones and myself) got fiancee visas easily without provisional bookings proves this. Our tentative 'plans' when we applied were that we going to get married in the UK in May.
Either way (fiancee or marriage) you will have to apply for an additional visa 2 years after arriving in the UK which is the expensive one (I think currently it is £820). Taking the marriage route saves you having to apply for FLR which is cheapest visa...
If the rules change with the spouse route you will have to apply for 3 visas (4 with the fiancee route) and I've no ideal what the cost will be.
Sure,I wish people (especially those who took the spouse route) would stop giving incorrect information about fiancee visas
The ECOs know it is difficult if not impossible to make any real arrangements for a wedding in the UK until both the bride and groom are actually in the UK. Also you could have the biggest wedding provisionally booked, but it doesn't actually mean you are going to get married.Entry Clearance Officers are bound to be well-aware of the difficulties involved in making any FIRM arrangements ... which is why I've always felt that *this was a rather daft
prerequisite. Nevertheless, I can assure you that it DOES exist. I mean what OTHER means of proof can an ECO possibly expect? ... apart from the sponsor being in a position to wholly bear the cost of supporting the applicant financially [and in terms of providing suitable accommodation] for the duration of the visa, up until the time when FLR is granted and the applicant [by then the married partner] is allowed to take up employment.
So ... no,
.... your comments & thoughts are ALWAYS appreciated, but on this one I think you should bow out gracefully
and leave it to the people who've ACTUALLY gone down the Fiancee route.
Yes, you are correct... the application form does say "will require to provide EVIDENCE of their intention to marry",
but this is a misnomer.
It is a Catch-22 situation..... you cannot do anything OFFICIAL until your lady arrives here.
Yes, you could book a hall, pre-book the Archbishop of Canterbury, order a cake, arrange to get your hair cut, etc etc .....
BUT all these things can be cancelled, or even better, set up by you on your John Bull printing set !
So, the "evidence" is not worth the paper it's written (or printed) on.
It's the total strength of your full application that will decide on the visa, not on the £8 per head or £50 per head
wedding breakfast menu !
No man is an island, but Barry is
Your words were "you would be expected to prove to the British Embassy that the two of you have set at least a provisional date for the ceremony, and provide evidence of a reception being booked " which is incorrect.Being one of those who opted for the spousal route, I'm quite prepared to admit I am not
http://www.migrationexpert.co/uk/Vis...sa_fiancee.asp ... where there is a section which clearly states that "applicants for a fiancee visa will require to provide *EVIDENCE of their intention to marry". Sure,
So ... no,
To me ~£400 was worth it to be able to spend the best part of 6 months living together in the UK. Also in the past spouse visas were only 2 years and I know many people who took the spouse route but because they delayed their journey by more than a month had to apply for FLR anyway.
Which is what my original post implied.
Understandable! Which, was WHY I said that I always thought that it was a daft pre-requisite to expect proof of this kind. Nonetheless, I have always been under the impression that it WAS needed.
What KIND of tentative plans?
Well, Marc (probably I've even spelt your name wrong!) certainly *one of the things you mention DOES amount to nonsense. Not sure about ring receipts, though ...
... at the risk of causing "annoyance" to the people still [impatiently - and rightly so!] awaiting the outcome of their visa applications, I have to say Myrna & I seem to have been extremely fortunate in that WE applied in person on January 20 and our Spousal Visa was granted on February 23. Mind you the Embassy was a lot quieter at that time of year and, above all, it was BEFORE Manila took over this ludicrous
Thank you for that, at least.
Alls.
John Bull printing sets ... ?I used to have one of THEM as a child! Did you know that there used to be a satirical magazine of the same name? Can't quite remember when it went out of publication, though ...
OOps ... I digress
Hello again, Michelle. I well-remember greeting you on your "arrival" on our forum, about 4 to 6 weeks ago.
I'm sorry you're feeling confused over whether to continue applying for a Fiancee Visa or opt for the Spousal alternative, instead.
If your mind is set on the former, then ... YES ... I'm of the opinion that ANYTHING at all that can boost your chances of success - and that CAN include provisional date(s)/evidence of booking(s) etc. - is likely to have a more positive outlook. But, from what two respondents [each of whom chose this route - with a fruitful outcome] have implied, it would seem you would not,
It has to be said that, *since my wife came here in March as the holder of a Spousal Visa - which DEFINITELY HAS the GREATER likelihood of a successful outcome - I tend to be biased in favour of the latter. And if you read my earlier posts again, you will see WHY.
In the circumstances, therefore, it would be unwise of me to advise you one way or the other - due to my *[unsurprisingly] not being fully acquaint with the Fiancee approach. All things considered, however, I would, once again, wish you and your fiance every success with your application.
Well, since your girlfriend returned from Thailand following her visit there, this would certainly be looked upon favourably ... although I must say, I didn't realise a visa would be needed for a Filipina to travel to a neighbouring country. I thought a valid passport would suffice. But yes, I know of one particular lady from the Philippines who worked in both Australia and Singapore prior to meeting her [now] British husband online. Whilst still at the courting stage (in the Phils) he wished to take her to the UK to meet his family, and a Tourist Visa was duly granted.
Now, all credit due to the young lady I'm referring to. She'd already proved her trustworthiness by returning to her homeland not just once - but TWICE - after working abroad. And there can be little doubt that this factor counted in her favour when applying for a tourist visa. But I suspect
Currently, as you are already aware, it is extremely difficult to obtain a short-term visitor's visa ... leaving you with basically two choices. Which is WHY, for the reasons put forward in my initial response last night, I suggested marrying in the Phils and going down the spousal route. In so-doing, I appear to have "put the cat among the pigeons" with other members who evidently diagree with me.
So, once again mate, you have MY opinion for what it's worth! Since you and your girlfriend intend getting married anyway, I STILL adhere to my belief that by tying-the-knot in the Philippines and applying for the spouse visa, you will, in the longer term, save yourselves a lot of money if YOU can spare the time off work. Sure, you'll EVENTUALLY need to apply for 'Indefinite Leave To Remain' (ILR) on your [by then] wife's behalf ... but that won't arise until another 27 months' down the line have elapsed ... and, as I've already pointed out, you'll have saved between £400-£600 on 'Further Leave To Remain' (FLR) in the process.
It's up to YOU ...
just for the fun of it..
from the refusals guidance...
2. LEAVE TO ENTER AS A FIANCÉ(E) OR PROPOSED CIVIL PARTNER OF A PERSON SETTLED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
The requirements to be met by a person seeking leave to enter as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner are contained in Paragraph 289A and 290 of HC 395 as amended by HC 538 and HC 582 and must be referred to when reading the following advice.
2.1. Key points
The main points on which the immigration officer needs to be satisfied are that:
2
November 08 CH8 SECT3 – FIANCE(E)S & PROPOSED CIVIL PARTNERS
- the passenger holds a valid entry clearance as the fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner of a person settled in the United Kingdom or being admitted at the same occasion for settlement; and
-
there is no reason to believe that false representations were made in order to obtain the entry clearance or that circumstances have changed since its issue
firstly i would always send as much relevant information/evidence you have if your applying for any sort of visa. people have been refused for not sending what evidence they were asked for or incomplete evidence.
i don't advise anyone to send less evidence than they should, i minimise any risks, your paying £500+ and waiting months, so sure, you maybe lucky and get your visa, but i don't deal in luck, just the facts.
i know many people who have sent evidence of their proposed wedding, sure you can say , you can cancel this and that, but at least your intentions are there, and from the refusal you can see (b) false representations were made or change of circumstances, for me if you don't supply some evidence of your intended wedding, then youre increasing your risk of refusal, because you done nothing about your proposed wedding, what size that risk is who knows.
also i can tell you most if not everyone on here, did supply some sort of evidence of their proposed wedding, and they all, but maybe one didn't get their visa, i don't remember anyone not sending any evidence at all of their proposed wedding ?? thou i maybe wrong, any more takers on this ???
can you tell me anyone who has been refused for sending evidence of their proposed wedding?. can i tell you who hasn't been refused for not sending some sort of evidence, no i can't because i think everyone did, the embassy do random checks, i know of one person at least on here, where the embassy contacted the person who was suppose to be making their wedding cake ( i think it was ady ?? ) and when they failed to, and that was one of the reasons for refusing the visa, thou i think it was overturned on appeal.
and as for getting your visa in 4wks and 2 days, good for you, but how long you wait is determined by luck and how busy the embassy is. that's why everyone has been waiting at least 6wks for a visa.
Err..... Neither Bluebirdjones or myself did provide any evidence of our proposed wedding. Searching round previous messages others who didn't provide any evidence includes DianaKevy, JudyHon, Ann07, and xebec. So that's six on here who definitely did not supply some sort of evidence of their proposed wedding and I am sure there are others on here who did not either.
The couple I think you are referring to is Philip/Frances who were not entirely truthfully with a visit visa, and hence the ECO was a bit suspicious of them. And when they checked their caterers because she was doing it cash-in-hand she denied all knowledge. Who knows if they hadn't provided any evidence they might not have been refused the first time.
The point Bluebirdjones and myself are trying to make is that you do not have to provide any proposed bookings. Back in the day when you had to have an interview the ECO wasn't at all worried that we didn't provide any and hence this is why I do not advise people to provide it.
true, but quoted from him..
It is a Catch-22 situation..... you cannot do anything OFFICIAL until your lady arrives here.
Yes, you could book a hall, pre-book the Archbishop of Canterbury, order a cake, arrange to get your hair cut, etc etc .....
BUT all these things can be cancelled, or even better, set up by you on your John Bull printing set !
So, the "evidence" is not worth the paper it's written (or printed) on.
i know many more than 6 who did send evidence that showed they intend to get wed, but if ive missed the point somewhere ?? sending some evidence is better than no evidence, thou i'm just being a...
can't check all he posted, as i've got to go to work now
I think you have missed the point... Just because someone sent evidence it does not mean they needed to send evidence. If you were planning to book your wedding prior to applying for the visa then send the bookings, but if you weren't then it's daft to get some proposed bookings just to add to your application (you are basically supplying false evidence...).true, but quoted from him..
It is a Catch-22 situation..... you cannot do anything OFFICIAL until your lady arrives here.
Yes, you could book a hall, pre-book the Archbishop of Canterbury, order a cake, arrange to get your hair cut, etc etc .....
BUT all these things can be cancelled, or even better, set up by you on your John Bull printing set !
So, the "evidence" is not worth the paper it's written (or printed) on.
i know many more than 6 who did send evidence that showed they intend to get wed, but if ive missed the point somewhere ?? sending some evidence is better than no evidence, thou i'm just being a
can't check all he posted, as i've got to go to work now
If you can show someone who was refused and the reason was that they did not provide any evidence or someone who was told that if they hadn't provided any evidence they would have been refused then I will change my opinion.
“but how long you wait is determined by luck and how busy the embassy is” –Jbloggs
I totally disagree. Granted the embassy is busy, and it now seems to take 6-8 weeks for your application to get to the top of the pile, but then the strength and quality of your application will shine through.
If you follow the rules & guidelines, and put yourself in the shoes of the ECO (and understand what he/she is going to be concerned about, need clarification of), then you are almost assured of a successful (timely) “YES” result.
The ECO does not need to wade through pages & pages of printed e-mails and messages saying “I love you”…. nor is gonna be impressed with a letter from your local Holy-Joe saying that you attend church every Sunday and he’ll be proud to conduct the wedding ceremony.
What WILL impress him is a concise statement of your finances…. not just a bank statement & pay slips, but long-term investments (ISA’s, shares, endowments etc etc), and an update on your future pension situation. This shows that you have thought about the consequences of marriage, it’s not some spur-of-the moment “let’s get married” affair, you have stability in your financial affairs, and are already thinking of how to provide for the future.
What will ALSO impress the ECO is if your future wife has already travelled outside the Philippines. Visas (and entry/exit stamps) from other countries in her passport are the equivalent of gold ! An itinerary of countries she has visited (dates of entry/exit, reason for trip) is a must. This shows the ECO that the applicant is very unlikely to be entering a “marriage of convenience”, or be an economic refugee, as she could have effectively already done that in countries she’s already visited.
So, NO, it’s not “luck”….. but by emphasising the good points, and presenting the information in a concise, readable, and relevant way, you are basically giving the ECO no option but to say “Yes”.
No man is an island, but Barry is
WHAT???
Are you joking??? We are currently waiting 17 WEEKS!!! and we are not alone - take a look at the threads Another batch of members waiting for their visa - part 1 and 2...
Jiri & Maricel
Apologies, no disrespect intended.
Was aware waiting times had moved on, but didn't realise THAT long !
.... but the point I was making, is that it's NOT a lottery or luck if your visa is
granted but depends on how it's prepared & presented.
A well thought-out & presented application is going to be less hassle to
approve.
It will "tick" all his boxes, so the ECO will not have to refer to higher command,
hence resulting in even longer delays.
Wish u all the best with your application.
No man is an island, but Barry is
Yeah I see your point and agree - definitely it is better to be well prepared and supply all they need and something on top of it as well as it costs considerable amount of money, lots of time, few gray hairs and damaged nerves anyway - so you can't afford to make any blunders
And - thank you very much- hope everything is going to be OK for us
Jiri & Maricel
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