A newbie here!..who is going to share my immigration history/time line...

[sophiamarie]

Just call me Madz, 32 years old, married to a british citizen, currently in the Philippines with our daughter for my settlement visa!...I gave birth in the UK last Sept 2009, had to come home just for the said purpose!....

Brief history of our relationship:
We both worked in a diamond mine in Angola Africa.
2003 - we met and became friends
2005 - started a meaningful relationship and we decided to live in together in the project's accommodation a few weeks later
2006 - we got engaged and still living & working together in Angola
2007 - we got married in Mauritius, I applied a multiple 2 years visa to enter the UK in Luanda Angola, was then granted...
2008 - my 1st and 2nd visit (my usual itineraries were Africa/Heathrow)
2009 - sometime Feb entered the UK again, I got pregnant and gave birth in the UK.
May 2009 - while I was there, we queried for a settlement visa and wasn't possible to get from there, so we applied for an extension of my visit visa at the Home Office due to medical grounds by end of0 July.
Sept 2009 - I gave birth
March 2010 - it was only then that I received my passport back with the temporary residence permit for 42 days.
April 2010 - had flown back to the Philippines with our daughter

Started processing all the requirements but unfortunately, it took us ages to get our NSO documents!, and it was around early November that I got everything sorted. So set an appointment for the 26th, went to the VFS office only to realize that there was a mistake on the MC.

My problem started here!!...I was just a few days late not to take the English test, but it was ok, its just that we had to spare extra money for the examination fee + the question of how long we had to wait for the result to get here to be able to proceed in lodging my application.

November 30, just a day after they implemented this new ruling I took the test, mind you I was the 1st applicat for settlement visa in STUDY CONNECT.

7 days passed, I didn't hear any news...so I phoned up only to realize that my certificate wasn't on the 1st batch that EMD UK had sent through. They queried....10, 20 days passed still got no infos from them!...I was so upset...so it wasn't a great Christmas though...

Christmas & new year was over yet still didn't receive any infos from them, phoned up couple of times but I always got an unsatisfactory answers from STUDY CONNECT!...Only within this week that I got both soft & hard copies of my result, apparently, when I checked the details they put a wrong passport number!

Now I have to wait for another couple of days to get the revised one! What annoys me is that, I paid P14k to take the test but the actual fee is only 7500p for normal turnaround of 10-15 days and if u opt for express its only 10,200p...in this case, I should have been given an extra effort to get my result/certificate done in less than 10 days.....

I literally got everything ready, only waiting for the revised A1 test result....for when? I don't know...

Your comments is more than welcome guys!... I need your prayers that after a long wait I will finally get my visa.

Good luck to all of us & God bless xxxxx

[fred]

Welcome to FilipinoUK SophiaMarie!!

So what was living and working in Angola diamond mine like?

Just wondering and Im sure the experts will be here soon to tell us but as you had a baby in the UK what is the process of deportation if you had just decided to stay?
The child is obviously British and entitled to stay so how do they deal with a situation like that?
Anyway..as you have done things by the book,Im sure everything will eventually be fine in regards your visa..
Regards,
Fred.

[Arthur Little]

And a warm from me too, Sophia Maria. Like Fred ... I'm at a loss to know why the authorities deemed it necessary for you to return to the Phils simply in order to apply for a Settlement Visa when your baby daughter was born here in the UK. It seems to me ... not to mention the added expense on top of your enforced period of separation from your husband and the baby from her father. But I suppose ours is not to reason why ... and I am sure all will be well with your application. Please keep us updated.

[sophiamarie]

Hi Fred,

Thanks and I'm so glad to bumped into this site, a lot of things to learn & to share through other people's experiences!...working in a diamond mine for me is somewhat like being in prison, the only difference is you get, fed properly, wake up, take a shower, go to work, eat and leave, go to bed without worrying about your laundry, cleaning, washing up dishes, cooking, shopping, etc.... everything is literally provided!!!... so bank wise, you get quite a healthy one!:-)....but the worse part is, you only see the real world after your work rotation which is every 4 months or even 1 year/months for Filipinos.

Anyway, going back to my case...probably I will get banned if I decided to stay in the UK without going through the proper channel!...yet, we never know what the UK border agency has to say about it, have to keep our fingers crossed that everything will put into place after this long wait...

Thanks again & best regards.
Madz

[sophiamarie]

Hi Arthur,

Thank you & its nice to speak to lots of people here!....Yea we would have thought that its gonna be that easy, legally married, with a child, but what else can we say if they require us to apply from our own country without exception!... my temporary residence permit clearly explains what to do, so we want to get it therefore have to make some sacrifices! my husband sees us currently every 4 months (after his work rotation is Angola), so its not that bad though, we make sure to communicate everyday!

Everything happens for a reason, so let's see how it goes...

[joebloggs]

Just wondering and Im sure the experts will be here soon to tell us but as you had a baby in the UK what is the process of deportation if you had just decided to stay?
The child is obviously British and entitled to stay so how do they deal with a situation like that?
.

And a warm from me too, Sophia Maria. Like Fred ... I'm at a loss to know why the authorities deemed it necessary for you to return to the Phils simply in order to apply for a Settlement Visa when your baby daughter was born here in the UK. It seems to me ... not to mention the added expense on top of your enforced period of separation from your husband and the baby from her father. But I suppose ours is not to reason why ... and I am sure all will be well with your application. Please keep us updated.

I was going to ask about the diamond mine and did you get any samples

you could have tired to stick it out in the UK and applied for FLR(m) b4 your'e visit visa expired, I'm pretty certain the HO would have taken a very long time to process your visa app (more than a year, and who needs a year of uncertainty )

as harsh as it seems, it is fair on those who follow the correct procedures, you cant settle in the Uk on a visit visa, you need entry clearance thats why you were probably right into going back to the phils and applying thru the same route as all of us
as for being unfair remember their are people who have been married a while who are without their partner (simm, tony etc) it would not be fair on them for a start if someone was granted settlement on a VV.

[joebloggs]

, but what else can we say if they require us to apply from our own country without exception!...

you can apply for a visa from any country where your a legal resident.

[fred]

Yes Joe..But what about my question?? How can they deport a woman who has a British dependant that happens to be her baby?..

[Terpe]

Yes Joe..But what about my question?? How can they deport a woman who has a British dependant that happens to be her baby?..

According to what gets shown on the TV program UK Border, nothing gets done.
Even if you are in UK illegally, if you have a child born in UK living here, nothing's gonna happen.

[joebloggs]

Yes Joe..But what about my question?? How can they deport a woman who has a British dependant that happens to be her baby?..

of course she could have tired to stick it out, but the HO will not make it easy for her, they would take a long time to process the app and still the chance of refusal because she entered the UK with the wrong type of visa( no entry clearance) in away shes lucky she get a VV because the HO is weary of this happening, think of poor tony and simm, if they could get a VV instead of a spouse visa ...

the HO could say their is nothing wrong with her, and/or her husband and baby going to live in the phils., no one is forcing the baby to go, thats the parents choice..

like a said as harsh as it seems, it should be the same rules for everyone and that's fair on everyone..

[joebloggs]

According to what gets shown on the TV program UK Border, nothing gets done.
Even if you are in UK illegally, if you have a child born in UK living here, nothing's gonna happen.

thats not true, sooner or later you have to sort your visa out, you leave the country your not going to get back in with an expired visa, you cant work - no valid visa etc,,, its not worth it

[sophiamarie]

I was going to ask about the diamond mine and did you get any samples

you could have tired to stick it out in the UK and applied for FLR(m) b4 your'e visit visa expired, I'm pretty certain the HO would have taken a very long time to process your visa app (more than a year, and who needs a year of uncertainty )

as harsh as it seems, it is fair on those who follow the correct procedures, you cant settle in the Uk on a visit visa, you need entry clearance thats why you were probably right into going back to the phils and applying thru the same route as all of us
as for being unfair remember their are people who have been married a while who are without their partner (simm, tony etc) it would not be fair on them for a start if someone was granted settlement on a VV.

Hi Joe, thanks but unfortunately I didn't manage to get raw samples at all:-), though my husband sees hundreds everyday but we never thought of putting some in his pockets, such a very cheeky thought indeed:-))

Go back to my case, yes you're quite correct I could have applied for settlement without having to return to my home country, easy as it may seems, though we didn't really know the exact reason as to why they didn't consider my case!...anyway, the bottom line is, we wanted it then have to do it through the proper channels without prejudicing your future application, cuz at the end of the day you will have to end up dealing with the same people!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts...

[sophiamarie]

Yes Joe..But what about my question?? How can they deport a woman who has a British dependant that happens to be her baby?..

Hi Fred, they might not do it but it will certainly affect my reputation, and for my future ILR or even residency or citizenship applications...

[sophiamarie]

of course she could have tired to stick it out, but the HO will not make it easy for her, they would take a long time to process the app and still the chance of refusal because she entered the UK with the wrong type of visa( no entry clearance) in away shes lucky she get a VV because the HO is weary of this happening, think of poor tony and simm, if they could get a VV instead of a spouse visa ...

the HO could say their is nothing wrong with her, and/or her husband and baby going to live in the phils., no one is forcing the baby to go, thats the parents choice..

like a said as harsh as it seems, it should be the same rules for everyone and that's fair on everyone..

Absolutely correct!!.. at the of the day, we still at a loss side as they would always think that since it is pretty easy to get a VV (even if we were legally married already during the application) rather than a spouse visa, then we did if deliberately, with an intention of getting away with the immigration laws, get pregnant and use the baby to settle!!....as what most illegal immigrants do...very complicated!!!

[sophiamarie]

If we can only rewind the past & given a chance to start all over again, we would have applied for a spouse visa right away!...to be honest with you guys, the reason why we didn't do it in the 1st place was because, we were not ready to leave work yet and settle in the UK!...

[sophiamarie]

[boomzflip]

hi madz, can i ask where u took ur A1 level english test? and if u have a contact number for them.. thanks...

[sophiamarie]

Took the test at the Study Connect Manila, please check their website:
http://studyconnectph.com/sc/index.p...tpage&Itemid=1

[febmary]

Hi madz (sophiamarie),

Hows the score of your test? Im sure you passed.... Did you have to review or self review?

Ann

[sophiamarie]

Hi Ann, it was ok thanks...scored more than what I expected...I should say that you don't really have to do self review, its just very basic!!!...more on grammar, fill in the blanks, matching type, and also includes reading, speaking and listening!

So when do you plan to take the test then? are you applying for your settlement visa?...

[febmary]

Hi Madz,

Me and my fiancee plans intend to marry this coming JUne. And after we have documents to submit we take the chance. We plan to take the EEA Family route. And this makes me question if this type of visa is also allowed to take the test. I just only knew about settlement. But i guess, I will settle in Uk with EEA permit, I might not be exempted from getting the test. But its good to know about that kind of test. This keeps me inform on what to study in advance. Just want to be prepare.By the way, can we talk online like ym or facebook..if you dont mind...thanks...
Ann

[sophiamarie]

of course no problem, would be a pleasure!!...jst add me on fb @ Madz Basalo-Sells and you can add me on ym - madelyn_sells@yahoo.co.uk

chat you soon....

[joebloggs]

Hi Madz,

Me and my fiancee plans intend to marry this coming JUne. And after we have documents to submit we take the chance. We plan to take the EEA Family route. And this makes me question if this type of visa is also allowed to take the test. I just only knew about settlement. But i guess, I will settle in Uk with EEA permit, I might not be exempted from getting the test. But its good to know about that kind of test. This keeps me inform on what to study in advance. Just want to be prepare.By the way, can we talk online like ym or facebook..if you dont mind...thanks...
Ann

you dont need to take the test if your applying for a family permit

what country is your husband from ?

[ybba]

heloo sophi,good day again, just wana ask why did you pay for 14 k in your A1 exam havent they told you thats its only 7,500, did you get the excess amount you paid.

[sophiamarie]

Hi Abby, sorry for the late reply!!...yepp I demanded for a refund which I got it....I wouldn't have minded if I only got my result in less than 10 days, but apparently, it was about 6 weeks before I finally got it...

[ybba]

its ok sophie im sure your busy at the moment, by the way i took the exam at study connect and i just got the result after 10 working days and luckily and i passed thnks for helping me out i saw your post about the new cheklist the vfs has for fiancee/settlement visa its a bit more complicated compared to last year. have you provided everything whats on the checklist?

[sophiamarie]

Hi Abby, sorry for the late reply...yepp been busy these past few days sorting out our flights and have started doing shopping already
Yes I did submit all the requirements needed + all the relevant documents that we both thought would be helpful!...congrats for receiving your test result sooner, I should say that it wasn't my day indeed...
so when are you going to lodge your application then?

[ybba]

hopefully by next month but were not in a rush i wana make sure to gather all the relevant ducuments when i lodge my apllication and hopefully ill get approve

[xylonavim]

HI TO ALL! I'm a newbie here I hope some kind-hearted people out there could help me what to do about my husband visa. what are the steps and documents we need to prepare also DOES ANYONE KNOW WHETHER BEING PREGNANT WILL AFFECT THE PROCESS OF HUSBAND VISA APPLICATION OR NOT?

I am planning to sponsor my husband outland, I'm a filipino UK resident (ILR), he is malaysian-chinese, currently working in the philippines .

Please let me know, if anyone had experience before.

Thank you!