The minefield that is UK immigration....

Jimbeam3678 · 30 Apr 2010 at 11:59

Following on from this thread http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18140152

Its become apprarent that a Taiwanise wedding is not legally recognized in the uk :rolleyes:

So it looks like my only real alternative is to getting married in the UK hurrahhh traditional uk wedding happy days..........

Err well not quite small matter of a Fiancée visa to apply for. Now this on paper seems straight forward taken from uk visa website.

How do I qualify to join my fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner in the UK?
You must show that:
you plan to marry or register a civil partnership within a reasonable time (usually six months)
you plan to live together permanently after you are married or have registered a civil partnership
you have met each other before
there is somewhere for you and your dependants to live until you get married or register a civil partnership, and you will be able to live without help from public funds,
you and your dependants can be supported without working or claiming any help from public funds,
your fiancé(e) is not under 21, and
you are not under 21 at the date of arrival in the UK.

On further inspection on various immigration websites you have to show everything from you do actually know here photo's etc and that you can provide for her, and as far as I gather prove that you have shared your last rolo with her!!!! I'm fairly confident about the accommodation things my mam is good for that.

Its just the money side of things I will have around 5-6 GBP but due to me travelling I won't have a job on arrival back in the UK.

Does anyone have any experience in applying for the said visa and on any tips ? Or even better if we have ECO or immigration workers on here any advice on how best to prove all this ?

I'm relying on you OCUK

Ahleckz · 30 Apr 2010 at 12:07

why not get married in taiwan and then just have a quick ceremony in a registry office to get it certifed here in Britain?

scorza · 30 Apr 2010 at 12:07

divaboy said:
Following on from this thread http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18140152

Its become apprarent that a Taiwanise wedding is not legally recognized in the uk

So it looks like my only real alternative is to getting married in the UK hurrahhh traditional uk wedding happy days..........

Can't help with the visa, but when my sister got married abroad she had a simple civil marriage ceremony in the registry office to do the legal stuff (me and my other sis were the only witnesses), then the big proper wedding a couple of weeks later in France. Couldn't you do something similar so you can have your big Taiwanese wedding?

Jimbeam3678 · 30 Apr 2010 at 12:18

Ahleckz said:
why not get married in taiwan and then just have a quick ceremony in a registry office to get it certifed here in Britain?

The big Taiwan thing is still sort of still going to happen , maybe I didn't explain correctly the main issue now is applying for the fiancée visa and proving all there criteria :rolleyes:

Just trying my luck at maybe finding some legal eagles , ECO or some sort of immigration person to tell how best to prove all this criteria ........

Talbs13 · 30 Apr 2010 at 12:48

I have experience with this. Can give you advice.

You will need to prove that you know her. It's quite easy this part. With a few Photos, Printed email headers, Skype call history if you use Skype or any similar software.

I also believe with a Fiance Visa that she needs to return to her country before settling back in the UK. In this case you will need to prove that she will return after the 6months to Taiwan. This can be proved if she owns any property, has children, has a good job etc. You may not have to do this step, i can't remember.

You will need a 1) Rental Argeement if you are renting a house / flat for both of you. 2) Documents that you own a house / flat in your name, utilities bills etc.

You will also need to provide 6 months of both Debit and Savings account. Normally about 5k is enough in savings to satisfy this requirement but a little less may still suffice, and more would be advantageous...of course.

And of course employmenet, 6 months of Payslips to prove regular income.

The Visa costs (roughly) £400. Although this could have risen over the last year or so.

Any other questions i'd be happy to answer them for you.

Origin · 30 Apr 2010 at 12:49

UK Immigration Forums Try here, some very helpful people there

Kutter · 30 Apr 2010 at 12:51

The wife ( yank ) and i got married here, it was realatively straight forward, i seem to recall having to provide 3 months wage slips etc. She only came on a marriage visa due to us going to move to the states, but we decided to live here so she went home after and then we applied for residency. Both visa,s were straight forward, but i think thats because shes american. I do know that you need to make sure your not overdrawn on your bank statements though.

Its not too hard, they just want to make sure your not having a sham wedding.

Jimbeam3678 · 30 Apr 2010 at 12:56

Talbs13 said:
I have experience with this. Can give you advice.

You will need to prove that you know her. It's quite easy this part. With a few Photos, Printed email headers, Skype call history if you use Skype or any similar software.

I also believe with a Fiance Visa that she needs to return to her country before settling back in the UK. In this case you will need to prove that she will return after the 6months to Taiwan. This can be proved if she owns any property, has children, has a good job etc. You may not have to do this step, i can't remember.

You will need a 1) Rental Argeement if you are renting a house / flat for both of you. 2) Documents that you own a house / flat in your name, utilities bills etc.

You will also need to provide 6 months of both Debit and Savings account. Normally about 5k is enough in savings to satisfy this requirement but a little less may still suffice, and more would be advantageous...of course.

And of course employmenet, 6 months of Payslips to prove regular income.

The Visa costs (roughly) £400. Although this could have risen over the last year or so.

Any other questions i'd be happy to answer them for you.

This is one of my slight issues ,I don't have job a the moment as i'm travelling .... at the time of applying I will have 5 - 6 K. my thinking was send a copy of my CV and letters from my previous employers saying they would have me back i'm a good worker etc etc. Basically showing i'm employable when I get to uk. I'm in Oz at the moment with her , then we're going to Taiwan were she will apply for her visa......

As for the price its now 644 quid :eek:

Talbs13 you still got a checklist of things you gave etc etc . My only worry is lack of employment TBH. Although apparently a co sponser is allowed I.e my mam which should help......

Any help advice would be awesome

.Lethal · 30 Apr 2010 at 13:01

You are to young to get married, take this as a sign

Talbs13 · 30 Apr 2010 at 13:07

In this case, you will need the following;

1) Letter from your Employment (headed letter with company name on) saying you will be rejoining them. It's pretty difficult to prove this unfortunately as there is no 100% guarantee that you will return to work. They don't want your CV, no use here. I will find out for definate your options in this situation re employment.

2) As you said, your Mum can sponsor you in the application. Can sponsor with Money, Property etc. Your mum will need to write a letter addressed to the ECO i believe. I have a template for this letter. I shall find it.

Other documents you will need is a confirmed "Wedding" date from the Registry Office.

Your future wife will need to translate all her documents and get them apostilled to make them certified documents. The Registry Office people will tell you more about this and what documents are required.

And remember, The ECO takes roughly 4 minutes to review an application, and they are not nice people! Trust me!! Try and put yourself in their situation and how they will look at your application.

If it was me, i would marry in a different country where it is legal and binding in the UK. That way it is MUCH easier to get a Spouse Visa. Success rate is 90%+.

Hope this helps.

Jimbeam3678 · 30 Apr 2010 at 14:16

Talbs13 said:
In this case, you will need the following;

1) Letter from your Employment (headed letter with company name on) saying you will be rejoining them. It's pretty difficult to prove this unfortunately as there is no 100% guarantee that you will return to work. They don't want your CV, no use here. I will find out for definate your options in this situation re employment.

2) As you said, your Mum can sponsor you in the application. Can sponsor with Money, Property etc. Your mum will need to write a letter addressed to the ECO i believe. I have a template for this letter. I shall find it.

Other documents you will need is a confirmed "Wedding" date from the Registry Office.

Your future wife will need to translate all her documents and get them apostilled to make them certified documents. The Registry Office people will tell you more about this and what documents are required.

And remember, The ECO takes roughly 4 minutes to review an application, and they are not nice people! Trust me!! Try and put yourself in their situation and how they will look at your application.

If it was me, i would marry in a different country where it is legal and binding in the UK. That way it is MUCH easier to get a Spouse Visa. Success rate is 90%+.

Hope this helps.

So if we got married in say Hong kong , how would I go about getting the visa and how would I satisfy ECO that the marriage is legal just show the certificate ?

Talbs13 · 30 Apr 2010 at 14:40

The Marriage Certificate would have to be certified and Apostilled i believe. And as long as the UK recognised a marriage in Hong Kong as legal in the UK then you can do this.

You would go about getting the Visa in the same way as the Fiancee Visa but without the need to prove that she WILL return to Taiwan.

The Spouse Visa is about £100 extra but it's defaintely worth doing it this way as Fiancee are more likely to get refused. With a Spouse Visa, as long as you can prove it's a legit marriage and you have met eachother at least once then you are good to go. It's hard to refuse because it can be against Human Rights as they would be stopping you and your wife living together.

Hope this has helped. Has she been to the UK before?

jas72 · 1 May 2010 at 00:30

what an experience i feel for you.

No wonder immigrants sneak their wives in via containers.

I'm sure the home office have bets on how many they can turn down each month. winner get's the pot.

Gog · 1 May 2010 at 00:56

It's been a while since I dealt with entry clearance cases but unless anything has changed, as long as the marriage is recognised in the country it takes place, was properly executed and there was nothing to restrict the marriage, then it is accepted as valid. See http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/s...yandlaw/IDIs/idischapter8/section1/annexb.pdf

Although the UK doesn't recognise Taiwan as a state, I doubt whether an ECO would take issue if the visa application meets the requirements. I'll double check for you when I'm back to work next week and drop you an email in trust.

Jimbeam3678 · 1 May 2010 at 03:41

Gog said:
It's been a while since I dealt with entry clearance cases but unless anything has changed, as long as the marriage is recognised in the country it takes place, was properly executed and there was nothing to restrict the marriage, then it is accepted as valid. See http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/s...yandlaw/IDIs/idischapter8/section1/annexb.pdf

Although the UK doesn't recognise Taiwan as a state, I doubt whether an ECO would take issue if the visa application meets the requirements. I'll double check for you when I'm back to work next week and drop you an email in trust.

Thanks I really would appreciate that, I think we are just going to get married in UK don't fancy getting married in HK or where ever just for convenience. Its frustrating as I know full well I can easily support and my mam can provide amble accommodation until I find a flat etc etc .

I know I will have no issues supporting her etc etc , so hard to prove and stressful in case for whatever reason they refuse

Anyways can you send it to adambackpacking at REMOVE TO REPLY hotmail co uk

As thats the main one I check many thanks again grateful for any help advice , I knew OCUK wouldn't let me down

( |-| |2 ][ $ · 1 May 2010 at 08:06

I know someone who went traveling and came back with a Tai bride, well he hasn't because she's not allowed in the country.

Seems there's a trend for Tai women marrying young british men to try and get in the country.. Are you worried?

I think your best bet is to come back alone, get a job and a house and then bring her over once you can support her / have thought this through.

Destination · 1 May 2010 at 08:54

Myself and my wife were married in this manner.
We applied for a tourist visa initially, so we lived here together for 6 months, afetr I had lived in foreign fields with her for much longer. Then we applied for a fiancee visa, which gives you the right to marry in the UK. We had a civil ceremony here, and following that applied for the 2 year leave to remain visa. Once that was achieved we actually had our 'wedding' ceremony in Bali, no legal stuff, just a Catholic religious Wedding, as the legal matters had already been taken care of.

We are now approaching the end of the 2 year visa, and will need to apply for permanent leave to remain, and after that there should be no more visa processes, unless one eventually wished to gain citizenship. As part of the final visa she has had to do the ESOL tests and the equivalent in the Life in the UK test. It is a reasonably complex process, and to be quite frank I have absolutely no idea how so many derp derps achieve this process whilst not understanding the language or culture. I don't see how it is possible, so they must slip through the system a different way.

Each stage of the process was relatively expensive also, tourist visa was a mere £70, fiancee visa was around £700 when we applied (but some fees have been revised down) the 2 year leave to remain visa was a futher £800, and then Indefinite leave to remain will cost us £1095 later this year.

Jimbeam3678 · 1 May 2010 at 11:10

( |-| |2 ][ $;16470577 said:
I know someone who went traveling and came back with a Tai bride, well he hasn't because she's not allowed in the country.

Seems there's a trend for Tai women marrying young british men to try and get in the country.. Are you worried?

I think your best bet is to come back alone, get a job and a house and then bring her over once you can support her / have thought this through.

I think you should maybe reconsider that post .......... I've been with her for over 8 months living with each other for 6 months in Australia, been apart for 6 weeks kept in contact constantly etc etc.

Thanks for assuming i'm young

i'm 32 this in a month or so

As for "Tai bride" she's Taiwanese not Thai I'm assuming its a spelling mistake by the intelligence of your original post

Jimbeam3678 · 1 May 2010 at 11:15

Hikari Kisugi said:
Myself and my wife were married in this manner.
We applied for a tourist visa initially, so we lived here together for 6 months, afetr I had lived in foreign fields with her for much longer. Then we applied for a fiancee visa, which gives you the right to marry in the UK. We had a civil ceremony here, and following that applied for the 2 year leave to remain visa. Once that was achieved we actually had our 'wedding' ceremony in Bali, no legal stuff, just a Catholic religious Wedding, as the legal matters had already been taken care of.

We are now approaching the end of the 2 year visa, and will need to apply for permanent leave to remain, and after that there should be no more visa processes, unless one eventually wished to gain citizenship. As part of the final visa she has had to do the ESOL tests and the equivalent in the Life in the UK test. It is a reasonably complex process, and to be quite frank I have absolutely no idea how so many derp derps achieve this process whilst not understanding the language or culture. I don't see how it is possible, so they must slip through the system a different way.

Each stage of the process was relatively expensive also, tourist visa was a mere £70, fiancee visa was around £700 when we applied (but some fees have been revised down) the 2 year leave to remain visa was a futher £800, and then Indefinite leave to remain will cost us £1095 later this year.

So you your now wife had to leave the UK to apply for the fiancee visa correct ? Also what sort of documentation did you supply don't suppose you still have a list etc.

My main worry is not having a job for when I get back into england, although hopefully going to try and pull some strings with my old work from 17 months ago

I'm well aware of the cost of the visa 644 for the first one , then I think its 450 for the extension or 600 to get it done the same day.

Complicated matter and its flippin stressful

( |-| |2 ][ $ · 1 May 2010 at 11:27

divaboy said:
I think you should maybe reconsider that post .......... I've been with her for over 8 months living with each other for 6 months in Australia, been apart for 6 weeks kept in contact constantly etc etc.

Thanks for assuming i'm young i'm 32 this in a month or so

As for "Tai bride" she's Taiwanese not Thai I'm assuming its a spelling mistake by the intelligence of your original post

Tai was deliberate. (drawing comparision if you need it spelling out) 8 Months, now you're marrried and trying to get her in the UK, that was my point exactly.

From some reason I did assume you were much younger, never mind.