Hell0 everyone, I hope you're all well and enjoying a bank holiday weekend with your loved ones. I stumbled across this site the other day and decided to join it to ask for some advice.

I'm 30 and last year I met a girl online who I fell in love with. She is 26 and from the Philippines. Cut a long story short we have met several times and gotten engaged in July this year when she came to visit me here in England. We are slowly planning a marriage and want to be living together in England before too long. I am slowly working my way through all the information on the process of applying for her settlement visa for when we are married. I have had a free 20 minute consultation with an immigration solicitor earlier in the week who has confirmed what I thought to be true, namely that we can marry in the Philippines and it will be legal here in England (providing it is done properly there too) and then we can apply for the visa.

I have a good understanding of the visa process from jumping through all the hoops that were laid out before us when we applied for a UK visit visa earlier in the year. I learned a lot from that and although I know it will be in greater detail I am not too concerned about it as we have lots of documentation, proof of relationship, financial requirements and so on and so forth. However one thing I didn't think about (and so didn't ask about at the solicitors meeting) was English tests!

Now my fiance speaks very good English and is excellent at reading and writing so I am sure she will pass the tests but can someone please explain to me WHAT exactly the tests are, where can we go about getting information on what to revise, booking etc etc. A friend of mine (who is married to a Russian girl) says that there is also a "life in the UK" test where you have to answer general knowledge facts about England and memorise names and dates and so on. Can anyone confirm that this is true and also what kind of material we should be revising as well as ways to book etc. Lastly, are these tests part of the visa process or do we need to arrange and pass them first before starting the visa process, then just submit the certificates?

I am so happy to have finally found the love of my life (it's freaky sometimes how similar we are, especially in humour) but thinking of this visa process, as well as planning a wedding, is making my brain go haywire. I'm trying to take things one step at a time and not get bogged down on looking at the whole process, but this is something I have no knowledge on and would appreciate some help. Also, any advice from you fine folks who have completed this process and how things went for you would be great.

Thanks for reading,

Phill