TOURIST VISA for Fiancee - Hi this is my first posting and I need some advice.

[Lyonresh]

I met Sheryl a lovely female musician firstly as a friend in 2010 and we started dating. She was singing in Egypt at the time and between December 2010 and June 2012 i made 4 holidays to Egypt to see her and one also to her home in Philippines in June 2011. We plan to get married but before we do I want to invite her to the Uk to holiday and stay with me for a few months. I feel desperately intimidated by what appears to be the visa requirements. I know for sure i can support her but I am also running a business which has had its fair share of operational costs. The problem is I have not managed to get a good run of high supporting credit in my account. My balance is always in credit but it swings too far from one level to another -one day i am in credit by over £5,000 another is nearer £100. The over riding issue I have is a number of very slow paying customers who had they paid then I would not have any problem. I have been spending income mainly on repairing work equipment to be ready for new contracts and paying off any business debts so Im almost debt free in that capacity. My question is what amount of money does the UK border agency wish to see in an account and also I would prefer to put the money in my partners Philippine bank account rather than mine so hers is the account they see the savings in. Do you think its better or worse if I do this ?

[Terpe]

Hello there Lyonresh

Firstly let me offer a warm welcome aboard Filipino UK.

Now turning to your concerns and question about that tourist visa application.
Securing a tourist visit visa is notoriously problematic for many reasons.
Not least because approval or refusal of General Visitor (tourist) visa applications is principally based on the discretion of the ECO.
There is no appeal process.

The major complication is the need by the applicant to prove a non-immigrant intent. In other words, all applicants wishing to come to the UK under a tourist visit must clearly demonstrate that they do not intend to remain in the UK on a permanent basis. Immigration law places this burden of proof on the applicant.
In order to grant a temporary visa, the ECO must be satisfied that the applicant has strong social, economic and family ties at home that would compel them to leave the UK at the end of their temporary stay.

Unfortunately, in most cases it becomes difficult to overcome this presumption.

Please take some time to review the UKBA page specifically for UK Visit Visa's which can be found here with additional detailed information found here which explains what's allowed while in the UK as a visitor.
It's well worth taking a good look around and checking out all of the links provided in those pages.
Anyone coming to the UK as a visitor, will usually be granted a visa with a validity for up to 6 months stay.

Anyone 'sponsoring' a visitor to UK should also review the UKBA webpage Sponsoring a General Visitor

The UKBA state that, as an applicat you must be able to show that:-

- you are 18 or over
- you intend to visit the UK for no more than 6 months
- you intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit
- you have enough money to support and accommodate yourself without working or help from public funds,
or
that you and any dependants will be supported and accommodated by relatives or friends.
- you can meet the cost of the return or onward journey
- you are not in transit to a country outside the 'Common Travel Area' (Ireland, the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands).
- you do not intend to take paid or unpaid employment, produce goods or provide services, including the selling of goods or services directly to members of the public
- you do not intend to do a course of study
- you do not intend to marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership
- you do not intend to carry out the activities of a business visitor, a sports visitor or an entertainer visitor
- you do not intend to receive private medical treatment


You can downdload the application form and guidance notes from this page

Understand how to apply for a visa by reviewing the page Applying for a UK visa in the Philippines

Concerning the actual documents that the applicant needs to submit as supporting evidence, it really does come down to personal circumstance but generally must contain:-
- information about the you (the applicant)
- information about finances and employment
- your accommodation and travel details
- information about your visit to the UK

As examples of the type of documents that could be supplied Here is the UKBA Guide to Supporting Documents for visiting the UK

For the General Visitor the application should be supported with some of the following documents for a sucessful application:-

- if you are employed, a letter from your employer granting leave of absence from your job for a specified period - the letter should also say how long you have been employed by that employer, in what job(s), and when you are expected back at work
- if you are self-employed, evidence of your business activities and financial standing
- evidence of any property you own in your home country
- if you are a student, a letter from your school or college stating the course you are on, its start and finish dates, and the dates of the holiday period when you intend to visit the United Kingdom
- evidence of any family or social ties and responsibilities to return home to
- evidence of any firm travel plans you have made
- bank statements going back over a period of several months
- evidence of savings/funds available to you during your stay
- evidence you can financially maintain and accommodate yourself in the UK with or without assistance from family/friends living in the UK but without resource to public funding or employment.

Your sponsor can help greatly by providing an invitation/supporting letter to confirm the support they will be providing in terms of financial assistance and/or accommodation.

If the sponsor is intending to totally support the visit this is a listing of fairly typical supporting documents that should be provided:-

- 6 months Bank statements
- 6 months pay slips
- Proof of address (eg utility bill, Council Tax etc)
- Accommodation details (including owner's agreement / rental agreement)
- Sponsors passport copy (Photo page, any relevant stamp pages)
- P60 (if available)
- The main reasons for wanting the applicant to travel at the specific time

The first and foremost thing that you need to keep in mind when applying for a visa for UK, is that you should have an intention to return to your home country. Have a well thought out travel plan. Date of Travel, duration of stay and reasons for travelling.

The absolute keys are going to be:-

- Reasons to return home that outweigh reasons to stay
- Financials

Reasons to return home and strong/complelling ties differ from country to country, city to city, individual to individual.
Some examples of ties can be a job, a house, social and family relationships, a bank account, possessions etc
The ECO will be looking to see if the aspects of your life that bind you to your country outweigh those aspects that may cause you to be unwilling to return to your home country, or to attempt to change or extend your visa status.

The positive aspect of visit visa application is that of it's very low cost.
So nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Additionally, should the application be turned down then UKBA will detail all the specific reasons that fell short of the requirement.
Looking at this postitively, it means that you're in a great position to counter those refusal reasons and make a fully compliant application next time. The subsequent application can be made at any time with no risks or impacts against any future application for settlement visa.

The visit visa cost is £80

Good luck

[Lyonresh]

May I firstly thank you for the welcome to the site and such a quick reply. It is quite exciting to actually receive such a reply quickly. I have taken a long time to actually get on the site as I got tangled up in confusion on how to log on. My partner Lyresh (Sheryl) has been here for some time. We both feel that the site could potentially be the best help out there in our situation and I must say personally Ive found other ways of trying to get help very dubious. I saw an online report from somebody who once worked for Uk Immigration barristers -. OMG say no more Help -very worrying. I was then asked by a Filipino friend of Sheryls if I thought a site that wanted £500 Uk from him (32,500 pesos) was trustworthy and found it was an actual UK holiday booking company someone had used the profile of and their mobile - IT WAS A SCAM. So I hope that this site grows from strength to strength. Ive made a small £5 donation and will look to support in a small way as time goes by. Thanks for your help very happy and so quick. I like the idea that its the likely hood to return which is important . Do you think this helps if money is shown more in her account than in mine as we save there for our wedding plans. Also the money will stay in Philippines when she comes to UK so its even more secure she will return. many thanks

[Lyonresh]

Well I dont know how I managed to make a first posting still but I presume its a right I must earn. Today is the 3rd Anniversary of my time courting my partner. It was a day i realised I have also been a bit slow doing things that are important and the realisation dawned on me that to be in a relationship you have to do your very best. Surprising realisation really as some people make so much efforts from day 1. So I hope its a new me and the old distracted me has changed to focused for good to do my very best , after all did my parents not show me how. Lots of Love Sheryl and happy 3rd anniversary lets hope I can get my energies completely on the tasks of firstly getting a UK holiday visa.

[Rosie1958]

Welcome to the forum Lyonresh. Terpe has provided you with some great information and I wish you the very best of luck in securing your partner's tourist visa

[Lyonresh]

I wonder if anyone has any idea what sort of money I should need in my bank account to support my Fiancees tourist visa to the UK. Planned to stay as long as possible say 6 months.

Has anybody had any experiences of being turned down for this reason and then reapplied with success.


Post moved to existing thread

[Michael Parnham]

Welcome to the forum Lyonresh, good luck with your future quest!

[Terpe]

I wonder if anyone has any idea what sort of money I should need in my bank account to support my Fiancees tourist visa to the UK. Planned to stay as long as possible say 6 months.

Has anybody had any experiences of being turned down for this reason and then reapplied with success.

If you review my post #2 you'll find the answers to most questions relating to Visit Visa applications.

To answer the specific questions you raise, Bank Statements will need to be submitted as evidence of funding both from the applicant and from the Sponsor.
There is no specified or recommended amount of funding indicated within the immigration rules. People's visit requirements and circumstances vary hugely.
Visits for tourism, travel and sightseeing would require significantly more funding than say a short holiday visiting family or friends.
The key is to clearly demonstrate, by documentary evidence, that there is sufficient cash funds available to support the complete duration of the visit, without any need for recourse to public funds.

Now, if the sponsor is providing financial support for the visitor, the sponsor must show they have enough cash funds available to adequately support themselves and anyone normally dependant on them, as well as the visitor.
In assessing this, UKBA will take into account the level of regular outgoings and make sure there are enough surplus cash funds (Hence the need for Bank Statements over several months)
Of course cash savings will also be considered, provided those funds have not been very recently deposited in total with no provenance.

Likewise, If the sponsor is providing accommodation to the visitor then UKBA must consider if there is enough room to adequately house the visitor(s) and any other normal residents.

In addition to a sponsors capability to support the visitor, the visitor must additionally demonstrate that the proposed purpose of a visit to the UK is reasonable, taking into account the visitor’s financial means and their family, employment, residence and social and economic background ties to their home country, or other long term commitments. Also, previous immigration history.

[Lyonresh]

As logical as it may appear your answer has been most helpful. Ive probably worried through over complicating things and I see now the situation a lot better. Thanks so much for taking all the time to construct the reply. The site is very helpful and i hope one day we together can be helpful to the site too.

[Terpe]

As logical as it may appear your answer has been most helpful. Ive probably worried through over complicating things and I see now the situation a lot better. Thanks so much for taking all the time to construct the reply. The site is very helpful and i hope one day we together can be helpful to the site too.

I've said this before, but it's worth repeating.............the visit visa is very low cost.
Decisions are quick to come.
Refusals always detail exactly why the visa was not granted.......means you know how to overcome those reasons.

Very little to lose.....just get the application submitted.

[Lyonresh]

I AM WRITING THE FOLLOWING WORDS OR SIMILAR TO PUT ON THE VISA APPLICATION. ( My bank account generally is very up and down due to it being a business so I feel my best hope is to provide from part of my inheritance). Do you think that this is a good possibility or think something should be added. ;-
My mum passed away in November 2012 and has bequeathed money to me in her will and I am soon due to receive approx £10,000 of which I will set aside £1,000 for Sheryls flight £2,000 for her personal spending and a further £2,000 as a bond which when released will become Sheryl's . (Im not yet sure how to do that) (Also if its possible to get medical insurance for her visit could someone advise) I am very sad at the moment as i have have delayed and delayed something that should be a simple task.

[rani]

Hi Lyonresh! A belated welcome to the forum

I applied and visited uk as a tourist for quite a number of times already.... Some of the documents i supplied the ukba office are as ff:

- an invitation from the sponsor saying that i can stay in his house for the whole duration of my visit etc.
- sponsor's passport (photocopy)
- my bank statements
- business permit (maybe an employment certificate if she's employed)
- recent tax payment

Basically, just supply the documents required listed in the website.

I dont think that medical insurance is needed to get a visa for uk. You will need it for schengen visa if you will travel to other european countries.

Good luck to her application

[Lyonresh]

Whatis a Shengen Visa I see all the countries in Europe seem to allow travel for holidays with a Shengen Visa yet in UK it says a Visa. Is it easier to get a Schengen visa as we could both holiday in Europe if so ? Ski slopes !!

[Terpe]

Whatis a Shengen Visa I see all the countries in Europe seem to allow travel for holidays with a Shengen Visa yet in UK it says a Visa. Is it easier to get a Schengen visa as we could both holiday in Europe if so ? Ski slopes !!

A Schengen visa, enables the holder to enter one member country of the Schengen zone and travel freely throughout the zone during the validity of that visa with only simple, minimal or no border controls or checks.

Almost all EU member countries are within the Schengen zone. UK and Ireland are notable exceptions.

If you have any specific country in mind then she'll need to apply for her visa at their specific Embassy/Consulate.
Strictly speaking it's the Embassy of the country of entry to to Schengen zone or the country wher the main stay will be made.

She'll need to apply for a Schengen Visa from the Philippines. Basically showing compliance with pretty much the same requirements as she would for a UK tourist visa.

I wouldn't say it's any easier......often it can be more frustrating.