Our Application Journey - which Visa, queries, etc...

Hello all

Having done a bit of lurking and a lot of reading on this excellent site, I thought I'd start a thread for our application to garner your experienced thoughts and put all my novice questions in one place too. Hopefully it may help others just as the various threads here have helped me.

I met Jasmin over a decade ago online and kept in touch as friends. After I separated from my wife some three years ago I flew to Manila as I'd promised her I would meet her someday. After we met I was very fortunate that things took a romantic turn - suffice to say in May this year I flew back to Manila as a complete surprise to her, to propose while she was at a restaurant with friends (who all helped to organise the set-up ).

I now have my Decree Absolute and we are keen to be together as soon as practical.

The Gov.UK website is quite unhelpful and this site has made everything far clearer. So that's the background, here we go...

1. Fiancé or Spouse Visa?
We are happy to marry wherever - I thought Fiancé initially but we're now leaning towards Spouse. I've noted with the Fiance we need to marry within six months and apply for 2 x Further Leave to Remain Visas as opposed to 1 with the Spouse. Plus she cannot work, use of Hospital would cost I believe if for example we started a family quickly - and I don't want to work out who to invite to my wedding here in the UK
Whereas I think with Spouse she could work on arrival, use the Hospital without charge (?) and there's one less FLR Visa to pay for, plus she can be with family for a wedding in her hometown (since I've had a go already ). The main benefit I note therefore of the Fiancé Visa is being together more quickly/no separation after marriage.
- Is my understanding of all this correct?

2. Timelines
Current plan/commitments for us for the next 9 months are a trip for me to Manila in November, when I will be there from the weekend of 19th November until leaving on Sunday 11th December; 23 days including 3 working weeks (this was booked several months ago, then I got the courage to go and propose ). The middle week of those 3 weeks is a planned trip to Korea, at the moment. Jasmin is then committed to a weeklong trip to Mindanao in March next year. So the ideal scenario would be for her to quit her job and travel here in April (her 12 months rental contract expires then too).

My thinking is, as I've paid for the forthcoming trip already, if we went the Spouse Visa route, to arrive in November and try in that one trip to get married.
In the first week for me to get the Affirmation of free to marry from the British Embassy (can already choose November date with their online booking system), have a venue for a Civil Ceremony previously arranged, then go to apply for the Marriage Licence and for any counselling . The venue will be in Mindanao so I'm thinking we'd fly down after I have the Affirmation, then have counselling and apply for the Licence in this first week. And breath, or go to Korea! As then I think you have to wait 10 days...

...then collect the Licence, which we could do in the 3rd week of my trip.
At this point I'm a bit unsure - many thanks to one world and his excellent post which I'm relying on:

http://www.british-filipino.com/ind...-be-married-engaged-to-get-a-visa.9612/page-3

This next step: "The Marriage License Certificate will need to be given to the Solemnizing Officer prior to the wedding ceremony... so that the marriage certificate can be prepared for final signature on the day of the wedding" - I don't know where this Officer would be, perhaps at the place you get the Licence?
And then have the wedding and off I go back to Blighty while Jasmin will need to obtain the NSO certified Marriage certificate back in Manila I guess.

And then apply for the Spouse Visa in January, after the TB test and English test. Based on the decision time, I was thinking up to 3 months for a response which takes us into early April, which is bang on our ideal schedule. I think.



So that's as far as I've gotten. Just wondering if that all sounds feasible or ludicrous and simply won't happen that way, in which case I'd be looking at another trip, the resulting costs/time off work etc. and possibly back to a Fiancé Visa. So I'd really appreciate any thoughts anyone has to help

Thanks for reading; I'll go stick my hands in an ice bucket after typing all that...

Hi and Josh. Sounds like you have done a bit of reading and have understood the process. We have a helpful bunch here who will no doubt assist if required. Again, welcome to BF.

Many thanks! Yep continuing to read here, both older and newer info (which is part of the confusion when they keep changing things, like no CNI needed in the UK before I go ). Look forward to feedback and working things out.

Yep a lot of historical information here too. Just be aware of the date a post was made. CNI was applicable when I got married in 2011

Hi @JoshuaTree! We opted for the fiance visa just coz we really wanna be together the soonest time possible. I am not in the position to say this is the better route. I guess it depends on what your priorities and non negotiables are. Like with us, very difficult to be apart and eventhough we got to see each other twice a year, we always wanna burn the airport down when one of us is time to go back home. It was just tough. But you are right, there is the access to healthcare that you have to consider. In my case, I was able to register with a local GP but because I need a specialist, I was considered a private patient and have to pay for consultation. A&E will always be free but of course unless it is an emergency, one should never go in there.

In any case, good luck with your application. Soon enough you will have your missus here.

Hi josh and welcome.

We went for the spouse visa and got it done from affidavit to ceremony in a 14 day visit,but Jasmine will have to do a bit of running around on her own preparing things.
We got our visa response in 20 days and other members of the forum have had similar timescale responses although some a lot longer.
Prepare your application well and in a methodical manner make it easy for them.
I'm sure you will be fine

Thanks a lot firew0myn, very interesting to hear your story. Actually we're the same, wanting to be together badly as soon as possible, but given the travel we're already committed to it looks like we'll have to wait until next year anyway, so I thought may as well try to use the delay.
I hope your health is fine!

Hi John, thanks very much and that's great knowledge. Reassuring on the 14 days period but yes she will have to do a lot which I cannot from here. That visa response is quick! I'm going to start receiving bank statements again as of this month, as part of preparing for the visa early while I still have time. Thanks again.

Hi JoshuaTree.

Ref.... wedding timescale and arrangements:

I was able to fit everything within your (23 day ?) vacation time last September.

License and all associated wedding documentation were all handled within the same provincial city hall type building as the wedding ceremony. We were married by the town Mayor.. just standard procedure. My partner's CENOMAR did have to be procured from the nearest city NSO branch though, but easy enough, and I think only took about a week... delivered to our door.

I think that if you have all the correct documentation to hand, you'll be able to have your young lady here next April. Good luck .

Welcome to the forum.

I went through an identical process to yours. I did actually make two visits to marry in the Phils because of the time required and because it was more economical for me to take two trips rather than take a month off work (since I work for myself).

Timescale wise, I made an appointment at the embassy in Manila for about the 2nd May (the day after I arrived in the Philippines). I went to the embassy with my documentation, the affidavit, the fee and obtained the stamped affidavit.

We also made an appointment at the City hall in my wife's town to register for the marriage the day after that.
We turned up there with all the relevant documentation, the affidavit and my documentation, and applied for the license.

The license should be granted after 10 working days. However, since it's the Philippines, it actually took 15 working days.

Be aware that some provinces require that you attend a counselling course, or plant a tree, or do some other processes when obtaining the license. You should check with your local city hall to find out the precise requirements.

We planned to marry on the 28th May. This was the date that we were aiming for, and we essentially made that date with a few days to spare.

After the wedding, the NSO marriage certificate took some time to arrive. During that time, we prepared and submitted the visa application. The NSO marriage certificate actually arrived just before the 1st July.

If you plan to marry at the City hall then the officer will be there, conveniently at the place where the license is issued, so this will all be taken care of for you. You will just need to book the ceremony which may either be an individual one or a shared one, shared with several other couples.

In summary I would say that it's just possible for you to do it within your three working week timescale provided that everything goes perfectly. But it will be tight with no room for error or delay and of course there is unlikely to be any room for a honeymoon after..

Hi Graham, thanks very much! That's reassuring on the timescale. It will be in Butuan so I'm assuming it will be a similar city hall type arrangement. Jasmin has family working in the local government there and so will try to find out some more info.
Question on the CENOMAR - does that have to be from the nearest NSO branch and not from the one in Manila, for example?

Hi ChoiAndJohn, thank you for the welcome and fulsome response, much appreciated as are the other replies yes I'll need the information about the arrangements in Butuan for what will be required. You made two trips and I'm thinking that might be necessary too, if only for a wider margin of error and also Jasmin needs to space out the time off from work she takes. Hopefully everything will be in the same local building and I should have more info on that soon. The best laid plans...

The first of what will probably be a few random questions if anyone can help - after obtaining the Affirmation from the Embassy, do we need to go in person to apply for the Licence or can it be done by postal application with original birth certificates etc?
The reason is because we will need to fly to Butuan to apply, return to Manila as Jasmin has to be back at work, then fly back to Butuan in the final week in theory, to collect and have the ceremony, then fly back to Manila. Two trips for us both with the costs and fatigue that involves, but I can't see another way.

I would recommend that your partner checks at her local 'town hall', concerning requirements (and sourcing) for her CENOMAR.
Certain Filipino documents can now also be ordered online, incidentally.

Thanks Graham, good advice and I'll ask her to check that too. She'd found just today she can order the CENOMAR online which pleasantly surprised me

These were the documents required by my partner's local municipal hall in Pangasinan last year... for marriage. (The 'family planning' and 'pre-marriage counceling' referred to, is the pre-marriage seminar couples are expected to participate in, where they are lectured, in comical fashion, on how to conduct their future relationship).

Wow that's very useful, thanks for the upload and effort Graham.

I can't wait for the lecture...
Tree planting. Awesome.
Couple of questions - for me, the 'legal capacity', is that the Affirmation from the Embassy? And I read that I should take the original birth certificate plus 4 copies - can these be normal copies (not certified) if they see the original? How many did you find you had to provide? Thanks again

Yes, I believe the 'legal capacity' was satisfied by the document from the embassy. (I'm old.... with a bad memory now. lol) . You'll definitely need the original birth certificate for the embassy. I think the copy was fine for the locals. I took a couple of copies with me , which I believe were enough. (The municipal hall staff will copy some of the docs themselves anyway). Bear in mind that each local authority may have slight variations as to requirements, which is why your partner needs to check first. That piece of paper that I photographed and uploaded earlier, is exactly what was given to my wife, when she enquired.

It was also handy that the Mayor's secretary just happened to be in a 'penpal' relationship with a Brit'... so she was all smiles.