Lee_337

Hi there,

I am really struggling to find a definitive answer to my question and it's bringing me down so I hope someone on here can provide an answer if they know.

I am a born and bred British chap who has lived here all his life and I'm still living here. I started a relationship with a lovely lady from The Philippines last year. I have already been there and met her family etc but now I want her to come and live here with me. She also would like to work while she's living here as she wants to contribute and not just sponge off me or the state. We would like to both live here together, work and save money together having holidays every year back in the Philippines so she can stay in touch with her family.

What do you think is my best option?

A standard visa won't allow her to work or stay longer than 6 months, so that's out of the question. I then thought of her applying for a 'family member (partner) of a UK resident' visa as she is my partner (although we're not married), but it seems we need to prove a relationship has been going on for at least 2 years!! Ours has only been going for about 8 months, so do we have to wait or is there another way?

Thanks for reading...

Lee.

scot47

Get married ?

Lee_337

1. We don't want to get married.
2. That will also require a visa to get her here anyway!!!!!! :S

scot47

You want to get her here but you don't want to get a visa ?

Lee_337

No mate, that's not what I meant...basically, we both want to live and work together here in the UK but we aren't married and don't really want to get married. So what is our best option?

SanDiegogirl

[QUOTE=Lee_337;12187902]No mate, that's not what I meant...basically, we both want to live and work together here in the UK but we aren't married and don't really want to get married. So what is our best option? [/QUOTE

For her to live and work in the UK, she needs a visa.

As you don't qualify for an unmarried partner visa and you don't want to get married, she has to qualify for a visa in her own right.

- work visa - needs to be skilled for employer to sponsor her
- student visa
- investment visa

That's it.

Lee_337

Really??? OMG...there is no other route for a partner to join their other half other than getting married, being a skilled worker (which she isn't), an invester (she's not rich) or a student (not an option)???

SanDiegogirl

No .....

- you could, of course, go to the Phillipines if you qualify to do so. OR
- move to another EU country under the EU treaty rights.

az2014

You make it sound like you don't have many options?

Whats wrong with having a LDR for another year or so, keep visiting each her or in a 3rd country, then decide if you want to be together(marry) or not?

poida

This is a common issue that thousands of couples from different coutries currently face and is not unique to the UK. I was in a similar situation where my wife and I got married after just a few months of dating so that she could stay with me in Australia, the alternative being a long distance relationship or me moving to her country. Even married couples are having to live seperately due to strict immigration rules, the UK Spousal Visa requirements being a good example.

There are actually quite a few work visa options but without making too many assumptions I would guess that you will get stuck with eligibility;

https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

londoner007

You think she's a gold digger lol. If she's as lovely as you say she is why not just marry and apply. There is no OMG about it. If you want casual gf and cant wait why not find no strings here?

Lee_337

Thanks for the reply!

I have indeed been to the Philippines and met her and all her family. I even stayed with her and her family for nearly a month while I was there, so going there isn't a problem, apart from the cost of getting there in the first place (I don't even need a visa for a stay of less than a month).

I just thought there might be other options for couples who want to settle down together.

Lee_337

Thanks for your reply!

Well, I don't actually have many options do I? We don't want to be apart for a year or more and neither of us are made of money, so frequent meetings in either country (or even a 3rd country) isn't an option and the other options aren't feasible (work/study visa). It's not that we don't want to get married after discussing it...we hadn't even thought about marriage to be honest. That's something couples usually do after being together for a year or two isn't it? I don't think it's something you discuss not long after starting a relationship.

Lee_337

Thanks for your reply!

I really don't think a work visa would work because looking at the list...she doesn't have the few skills that are in demand here at the moment. We are now actually discussing the possibility of getting married now. It just seems crazy to me that this is the only real viable option open to us.

BritInParis

To be blunt there's no 'boyfriend/girlfriend, see how it goes' visa. Marriage is your only realistic option to bring her to the UK now.