Good evening all. So, I made an introduction (more out of panic than anything else, lol) a short time after I made my first visit to my girlfriend from Philippines. I had explained my circumstances, my relationship and so on, but I was more focused on visas, my future, whilst pushing a blind eye to those who urged me to just go with it and enjoy the ride.. of course, after a couple of head-frying weeks, I learned to do just that. Me and my girlfriend Andrea, have had a wonderful 26 months together so far. I've been to visit her 3 times and we've done so much together, I can't decide whether my favourite experience was coron, or toms world. (Kidding, coron of course). From scuba diving & wakeboarding, exploring islands and caves, to family gettogethers in condos whilst being peer pressured to eat balut, I think I've experienced a lot of Philippines in my 3 visits.. now it's time to let Andrea visit me and take a venture around England for a splash in the rain and a gasp of our fresh air. My girlfriend has switched jobs from teaching, to working in a casino. She only earns 15k p/m, so there's rarely money left over for her, she pays her brothers education, and.. I don't need to go into details. So, the plan is, I buy her flights tickets (after visa approval of course) and I accomodate her in my father's home (where I stay too). I will cover all expenses to bring her here for 3 weeks. We are not engaged yet, or anything like that, so could someone kindly tell me what visa exactly I would need to apply for, can I do the application online and on her behalf? I'm aware there's a meeting for finger prints she will have to go to, but I get confused with the differences of the visas, that's all. If there was a visa named "the girlfriend visa" then all would be swell, but our govt just like to make things confualsing, lol. So, if someone could tell me the visa name, with any personal tips, I would appreciate that . (Additionally, I wished to bring her here for Sept 28 which is her birthday, think i'll make it?) Thanks in advance, and If I'm missing something or you have a question, please feel free to leave a comment. A little picture from my second visit, ice skating. SM MOA I think?
Hi Lewis - Welcome to the Forum. You (your gf) need to apply for a Tourist/Visitor Visa. Be aware, it is incredibly difficult to get! Regardless of your intention/commitment to accommodate and financially support your gf for the duration of her intended stay, UKVI (Immigration) are ONLY interested in whether she has 'good reason' to return to the Philippines at the end of her 6 month Visa... such as - a job/business to return to, property of her own, family ties (children or dependent relatives), etc. Also, she needs to be able to prove she can support herself financially for the duration of her intended stay - food and accommodation, in particular! Good luck.
Welcome to the forum Lewis , yes you need a standard visit visa . There is much info to be found on the forum , which you will find useful . One of your biggest challenges will be convincing immigration that your girlfriend will return home after her visit . That's probably the single most important thing . Most other things are much easier to prove eg photos together to prove your relationship , bank statements yo prove your ability to finance the visit etc . Read previous threads about the experiences of other people's successes and failures , and learn as much as you can to give yourself the best chance of success . Many first applications are denied , so allow yourself time if you have a date in mind . It's quite a lot of work to be successful . Good luck .
Thanks for the replies guys, I've known the convincing of mmigration part would be most daunting, so I will definitely be taking some time to read through some experiences on the forum. Quick question, though. Let's say I were to send my girlfriend a sum of money via PayPal which she then withdrew with her cash account. Could she then put that money into her bank, gather an assurance letter and payslips from work, and just claim to be simply taking a holiday alone? Or would that be taking an illegal route? Just an idea. Thanks again for the replies.
You can indeed put money into her bank account , in fact she will near a fair amount in there anyway before you apply .Avoid putting a large sum into her account just before you apply though , as that won't look good . She will need to show certificate of employment for her work , plus six months payslips if possible , plus six months bank statements . You will need to do the same re payslips and bank statements . A letter from her employer showing permission for her to have time off will also be needed .
She can definitely apply for tourist visa and you can sponsor her just like what my fiance did. I went in the UK last March 2018 and it only took them 9 working days to process my visa (standard). Just make sure she have proof of ties in the PH like certificate of employment, payslip (6months), I submitted a bank statement to show them where my salary goes in every month but I did not use it as a proof of my finances since I am being sponsored and I know the money I have is not enough. My fiance submitted his bank statements and his payslip as proof of his finances and he also made a cover letter explaining why he is sponsoring me. btw I only have 50k pesos savings on my bank account but still got approved. my fiance at that time have like 3 to 4k pounds and my holiday trip will be 1.5k pounds including air fare. That is to show to the ECO that he has enough money to support me while I'm in UK. There is thread about it here. good luck.
Having six months of employment history and letters of employment are the big ticket items including your own salary slips. Including your itinary etc will help. When we applied it was on the basis that I was sponsoring. Mica has no savings as such as she sends all her money home ( works in Cayman ) but she had a letter from her employer. Its only £90 ish so not much to lose apart from her passport for a few weeks. I think you have a better chancce than most
