online application for child visa

Hi all,
I'm in the midst of preparing a visa application for my wife's dependent child currently based in the Philippines. My wife arrived here in the UK on a spouse visa around 18 months ago. I was applying for the child via the same online Visa4UK website that I had previously used to submit my wife's application when I noticed that from March 7th this year it mentioned that some types of applications could be submitted via a new web service here:
https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-uk-visa
It seems it might be possible to submit this type of application under the Appendix FM Child category on this new service. Has anyone used this application portal for this kind of application? If so, is the basic process any different to using Visa4UK ie submit and pay application, do biometrics, submit original docs to Sheffield? I haven't gone far enough through the application yet, but it looks like it may be possible to submit some of the docs online using this new application portal maybe?
Thanks for any help,
Roderick

i cant answer your question because i'm not sure--but i would like to offer an opinion about the application: i have re-read your earlier thread about it.

i think UKVI will take a hard look and line with it. they will want to know why your wife didnt bring the child over with her--you have said the reason on here. you need to cover this in the application

who exactly has been looking after the child over the last 18 months ? is the person related to the father.?

why cant this arrangement continue ? especially in view of his age--nearly 18. alarm bells ringing at UKVI i think.

exactly what involvement does the father have with the child ? must be something as the father is willing to give written consent.

exactly what forms of evidence does your wife have of her "sole responsibility " for the child?

please dont think i'm being critical of your situation...my wife is in a very similar position--and her sons application was refused . partly my fault--because i thought the boys application was straightforward and a " done deal".. i hadnt read of any child applications being refused--i now know its far more complex compared to a spouse visa.

i suggest you read up @a8amg 's story---spouse visa granted and her 4 year old's refused! at the same time!

good luck.

Hi, thanks for your reply and input.

Yes, I am quite apprehensive about this application based on the experiences of others in a similar situation on this forum. My wife's application was relatively straightforward as these things go, and UKVI made the decision on her application in what seemed a remarkably short time (4 weeks roughly) in mid 2017. This will be much trickier I guess....

Yes, we didn't include her child in the Philippines on her application at that time because she was 5 months pregnant and we needed to get the application done quickly so she could still fly over here while pregnant. At the time, we felt it was best for her daughter to stay and finish her schooling in the Philippines while my wife adjusted to life in the UK with a new baby. We'll have to explain that in the application, like you say.

Over the last 18 months she has been looked after by her older adult sister (who has a different father). This sister has her own baby to look after now and has to return to work, so it is difficult for her to continue doing this. She sees her father very rarely, once or twice each year, and he provides no financial or other support etc, and lives in a different city. He wasn't originally named on her birth certificate, but he was added on there in 2014 and his surname was used on her passport. I realise this makes things much tougher for the application. My understanding of the sole responsibility guidance they use is that it is based on current rather than past circumstances though? We have evidence that we have been financially supporting her, and my wife has various documentary evidence for paying school fees, health etc. We also plan to try to get an affadavit of sole responsibility endorsed by the embassy here. The father has said he is happy to write a letter to say he has no responsibility and is happy for her to come over here, but I'm unsure whether it would be best to include any correspondence from him in the application?

Thanks again for your advice, the stories of others here have been very helpful thinking about our application.....

@roderrick I think the reasons why your wife came over first is good reasoning and I must say is fairly close to how we explained my wife coming over first and her daughter following
Have you got the childs original birth certificate? this would be useful in supporting your reasoning for the passport and further support the sequence of events,an affidavit is critical,was your wife married to the childs father at the time of the childs birth?

frankly--if i were in your shoes i would use an expert--successful-- UK immigration lawyer because of the time-critical nature of the application--18 approaching. i know it will make the application fee seem like a bargain--but time is not on your side.

Thanks, yes I think we have solid evidence for the sequence of events when my wife applied for her visa and the rationale for why we didn't originally include her daughter, we will definitely include all of that in the application.
Yep we have her original birth certificate and can hopefully use that to explain how his surname ended up being used on her passport. I'm a bit confused about the process for getting an affidavit of sole responsibility. Is it simply a case of preparing our own document, then getting the father to endorse and sign it, and then getting it witnessed and stamped in the embassy here in the UK? Or is it a more official document that is obtained from a government or legal source in the Philippines itself? My wife was never married to the child's father, so maybe that makes things a bit simpler.

Yes I've been wondering whether this might be best for us to do. Might depend on the cost though!

Because the child's parents were not married at the time or have in this instance never married then that makes the child illegitimate therefore pushing sole responsibility to the mother.
An affidavit is still good though!

Thanks, that's interesting. So under Filipino law she would be considered illegitimate based on non-marriage even if the father's name was added to the birth certificate when she was 13? Is that something UKVI would consider if we flag that up? I guess we could also add that fact to an affidavit that the father would hopefully sign?

Have a read of this

http://www.mylawyer.asia/node/28

This is an area where there are lots of problems as UK and Philippines law are different. Worth bringing up and quoting the law as philippines law is very specific that illegitimate children are under the sole parental responsibility of the mother.

The problem is that under UK law if the father is named on the birth certificate then the father has parental responsibility. So moving to the UK would give him a right that in the Philippines he does not have.

Need to make strong case for sole responsibility for the mother and add anything that you can get to back it up in terms of religion, health and education.

Agreed and this is another reason a strong affidavit is needed and confirmation from the father. Some omit the affidavit and face a failed application.
Bit of a minefield 2 birth certificates one with and one without father's name on it.
The gap in the naming from the first one to the second should help!
Interesting

Thanks for the web resource above, very useful. Will definitely note the Filipino law on this in the application.
Given the difference between UK and Filipino law on this, is it best to have the affidavit produced in the Philippines or the UK? Would UKVI be more persuaded by something sworn in the UK?

I would suggest to get it done in the Philippines that's where child is, Google affidavits Philippines and sole responsibility Philippines and have a good read up and progress with your plans.
There is a member @Stevembe who has very recently been successful in bringing his wife and step-daughter over (I think the biological father lives in Japan!) Search his postings using the search function at the top of the page there have also been some lady members who have been successful ( sorry can't remember their names) use the search button and keywords like sole responsibility gain knowledge from their successes.be very meticulous with information build a picture that the father doesn't care or get involved.
If he is on board about the child being allowed to leave the country and will write the letter get it in the pack.
Explain in detail the sequence of events and your reasoning behind leaving the daughter behind while mum came over first.
My wife's daughter was 17 + when she came over and her mum had come over a year earlier we covered things like finishing her academic year before leaving, the fact that her mum coming over first would mean mum was better placed to support her daughter's transition to a new culture. We covered that since her mother had left for the UK her elderly grandfather, her older sister and an aunty had been supporting her however we felt that this arrangement whilst loving could not offer a truly emotional and social support for a young growing maturing young lady.
We are in the unfortunate position that the daughter's biological father is deceased and while that made our application easier it does not make up for the child having lost one of her parents.
Cover all your bases

Good luck to you all

Thank you very much for the advice and guidance! We've submitted the application, so now the chore of compiling all of the documentation!

Good luck, it would be useful if you let us know your views on the scanning service.

Thanks, will do. It looks like the process for submitting the supporting documents has changed slightly recently. The UK sponsor can submit the documents directly in person to one of the visa centres around the country (for a fee), rather than mail everything to Sheffield. The supporting documents can also be scanned directly at the VFS in Manila, but I think I'd rather submit everything here in the UK, rather than mail everything across to the Philippines.....

Hi all, can I just double check the requirement about the timeframe needed to submit supporting documents for a settlement visa. It is difficult to find guidance on this on the official pages, but for a standard application, is it 20 days from the date of the biometrics appointment, or from the date of the online application? I assume it is from the date of the biometrics appointment, but just wanted to double check!

Hi Roderick, we are also going to submit application for my daughter who is in the Philippines. As for online application, which website did you register please? My husband will be the Sponsor, but the online Visa4UK is not accepting his registration. Did you register for yourself and apply for someone else (your daughter) or your wife did the registration? If your wife is, did she put in her address in the Philippines? I am also confused. I hope you will be able to read this. thank you.

I remember looking for this when doing wife and step child visa application and not really finding anything. Emails from home office don't give any ideas apart from implying need to send supporting documents as soon as possible.

I would work on sending them in as soon as possible just make sure you send everything.

Guidance talks about key date being submission but in measuring statistics I believe they do it from biometric date.

Different for priority when I believe you have to submit within 10 days.