SUCCESSFUL CHILD SETTLEMENT VISA/SOLE RESPONSIBILITY/ILR/CFO

I believe that since you are in the UK and your children are abroad you will need a 'family of a settled person' visa. This is similar to your spouse visa. Your husband will sponsor the children and you will indicate that you (as mother) and him (as stepfather) are resident in the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/eligibility

The children will need to apply in the Philippines and you will need to pay the immigration health surcharge for them at a rate of £200 per year which equates to £600 per application for a 30 month visa. You will also of course have to pay the visa fees upon application. You will have to provide a documentation pack and a copy documentation pack for each child that you apply for. Each application will be 'stand alone' - ie - you can not apply for two children on one visa application. The process will be very similar to the process you already endured for the visa that you applied for. It will need to contain all the financial information under Appendix FM, details of accommodation, sponsor details, your details (as mother), details of parentage (child birth certificates) and details of whether the father has contact with the children, where they live now, and who is providing financial support for the children with evidence.

Once you have the visa approved the children will need CFO sticker in their passport. Children aged 12 and under are exempt from the requirement to attend the PDOS seminar but will still need the CFO sticker. Children over the age of 12 will need to attend a PDOS seminar.

http://www.cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1378re-departure-registration-and-orientation-seminars&catid=145:integration-and-reintegration&Itemid=833

I would also suggest that you travel to the Philippines when it is time for them to depart so that you may travel with them. This will avoid the need for you to obtain a travel clearance DWSD document for the kids.

http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/the-philippines-2/dswd-travel-clearance-for-filipino-minors-2/

I would recommend that you get the children here ASAP. The school year starts in September. You will not be able to register the kids for a school until you have an approved visa - I have experience of that - and there is a chance that you will therefore not get the children into the school that you would like (in the UK) because of the time delays. I managed to get my two stepdaughters (aged 12 and 14 at the time) into a UK school and we applied for the visa in May. We just managed to get them into the school in second week of September. Therefore I would seriously recommend that you apply for priority processing for the children's visa so that you can get it granted and get the school application done before the school holidays start in mid July. That means you are going to have be very rapid and aggressive on this.
Good luck.

Hope this is helpful.

Thank u so much for the reply. It is indeed very helpful. I am actually trying now to register online. I am just confused, since my boys are still minors, I register for them using my own email address right? Should I register the two of them separately? and can I use the same email address to both of them in registering? and there is an option there, applying for myself and applying on behalf of someone else. What shall I do next? Sorry for being so naive and if I sound silly with my question sometimes. I just need to really make sure I am doing the right thing. Thanks a lot

I suggest you open new email accounts one for each child and control the passwords for those and register using those. I suggest that you apply on behalf of someone else. They are minor and are not legally able to sign on their own behalf. As parent you will sign for them. You will need one online application and IHS payment and visa fee for each child. They are considered completely separately. In terms of address, their address is the address they are staying in the Philippines. Not your UK address.

Thank you so much for the reply.

I am just starting to collect the documents for the application of my boys since the 6 months bank statement that reflects my husband new wage increases that qualifies the requirement will only complete at the end of August. So, we will then be able to apply them for a visa on the last week of September. I have no choice but to do the regular visa processing as my husband refused to pay an extra premium fee. I am even worried of if I cannot go home to pick them up as my husband refused to pay for my flight. He want my boys to come to UK on their own, we will just meet them in the airport here as he said it won't be hard coz he will booked them a direct flight from Manila to Heathrow Airport. I am honestly sad at the moment but what can I do? My husband will be the one to pay for their visa application expenses and flights but he is not willing to pay for me to go home to pick them up. I just started from work and I asked him if I can borrow from him and will pay it from my monthly salary when I get back but he is firm of his NO.

hmm. well--lets be fair to your husband---your visa fee, air ticket, flr fee, IHS surcharge--and the wedding---all add up to a considerable sum of money. now--TWO lots of visa fees--and IHS surcharges--and flights--well over £4000 just on those 3 items.

its very fortunate your husbands wages now meet the sponsorship requirements.

have you considered delaying your childrens applications untillyour own earnings can cover the extra costs of premiun service and your return flight ?

Ginger - you don't need to worry about your boys travelling on their own. I did so from the age of eight.

Airlines make special arrangements for "unaccompanied minors" to make sure they are looked after at all times during their journey.

You DO need to remark that there is additional paperwork involved as far as the Philippines Government are concerned.