Devonfamily

Hi All,

Wondering if anyone has gone through this process.

My friend and her husband, kids and her mom are planning to Immigrate to the UK in 2009.

Details as follows:

Husband = British Passport
Children x2 = British Passport
My Friend = will need Spouses Visa
Her mom = will need Dependant Parent Visa

Do you know how difficult this will be for them to get?

Their situation is that - my friends mom has ALWAYS lived with my friend & her husband. She is retired and fully dependant on them - both for a roof over her head and financially. They are all planning to leave SA next year but have been lead to believe it is going to be very hard to get her mom a "Dependant Parent Visa". When they get to the UK - her mom will live with them and they will look after her financially 100%! You have to prove that there are no other relatives in SA who can look after her. The only other family my friends mom has - is her brother & his wife in Pretoria - who are in their 70's themselves and live in a flat. They are by no means able to look after her either way i.e. not financially or to live!

We have been told that my friends husband will need to give up his job in SA (he has a very good job) - and will need to move to the UK on his own, work, set up home and then prove he can put a roof over his families head and support them financially. Only then apparently can they apply for the "Spouses Visa" and the "Dependant Parent Visa"! This is crazy that they will have to sell their house, give up a very good job, husband has to head to the UK - and then if the Visa's for my friend or her mom get turned down - they'v lost their life long home and jobs in SA?

Have we been given the incorrect info? It just sounds crazy that they would have to sell their house (to get lump sum of money into bank account), give up jobs etc - and they might not even get in. My friends husband works for an International Tobacco Company and is the Manager & Sales Manager for the whole of South Africa and my Friend works in a Baby Clinic in a "Netcare" hospital. So they have A LOT to lose by having to sell, give up jobs etc and then maybe face getting turned down.

Please............Mods or anyone who knows their stuff about Immigration between SA & UK - please help out - your advice/info will be hugely appreciated!

many thanks
Maz

Donna Allan

Hi Maz
I did the SA to UK move just over 5 months ago but not to the extend that you're seeking info on. I had the British passport (born in Northern Ireland and left for SA when I was 12, lived there for 26 years and returned this year). I applied for a British passport and a SA passport for my son of 11 who was born in SA. My husband is on a SA passport and I had to apply for a spousal/settlement visa for him. We managed to sell our house after 9 months and only then did we apply for his visa which was approved within two days due to the amount of documentation we supplied with the application. We went through a company in Cape Town who assisted us with the completion of the application form as there were just too many questions that we were unsure of. If you would like the name of the company, pm me and perhaps you could contact them and ask them some info on how your friends family can go about it.
Regards
Donna

Devonfamily

Why has my Thread been moved to "Moving Back to the UK"?????

My friends have NEVER lived in the UK - so they arnt classed as "Moving back"!

Sue

No, but they are moving to the UK so this is more an appropriate forum. You will get more people with experience of moving to the uk in this forum and therefore get more assistance.

Daxk

Hi Maz, what are the regs on the Friends Mom visiting? I know its either a six month or three month stay?? can she then fly to Spain or somewhere for a weekend and then re-start the next round till she/friend are in the system
Or is it just my African Penchant of finding a law to break?

Devonfamily

Ok Sue, thanks for that!

Devonfamily

Hi there,

My friend would never consider anything like that - as she is an only child and her mum has always been with them. If her mum can't get out of SA with them - she will not leave! So it has to be done legally - so that once they get on that plane to Heathrow - they are all legally allowed to live in the UK. Tricky case I think - but then again when I look at the Asylum seeker situation in the UK - it really peeves me off - because they just walk into the UK and get everything on a plate! Then you have a ligitimate family whereby the husband and kids have UK Passports, good careers and very financially stable - and you have to go through all this cr*p!....lol....it's a crazy system honestly!

I have a UK Passport as I was born in the UK - have been back here for nearly 10yrs - so I see loads of SA mense moving here and the complications they face sometimes - then you see the other lot who just arrive at the Immigration ports etc and get friggin homes, furniture, clothes, appliances, money...........crazy!

AudsFrmSA

I don't see why the hubby has to go there first, they can apply for the visa for his wife (spouse visa) and the mom and then all leave together. That's what we are doing...(once the house is sold).

Your words could have come out my moms mouth.....she says the same thing about how some ppl can just walk into the UK, and others like families whom half of them have british citizenship...battle to get their other half in...crazy stuff!! Wonder when the ppl of SA will be allowed to be 'Asylum Seekers' in the UK....what is the criteria anyway??

TigerOC

The detail on this page may help. The basics are that there should be no problem with your friend as she will residence as the spouse of a British subject which you should organise in SA. The crux of the parental residence is age or the ability to prove they can support her without the use of public funds. There are cases where they have required significant deposits. Best to read the info contained in the document and talk to the ukba.

sdunx

10 yrs in UK? please... It's mum not mom, we live in England not America, Devon as well, shame on you

Daxk

You can see where Sdunx is from,Mother,Mater or Marm , surely?
(Sotto Voce:Swear its the bloody Fluoride and giving the women the vote, all downhill since, I swear)

JAJ

Look at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk and http://www.immigrationboards.com but the bottom line is that dependent parent migration is very difficult.

If you friend would choose instead to remain in South Africa, the British government would take the view that it is her choice and not the problem of the United Kingdom.

But do look at the criteria for dependent parents and if it's in any way marginal, find a good lawyer.

JAJ

If Immigration think that a person is trying to live in the U.K. on tourist status then sooner or later that person will be refused entry and returned to home country.

Devonfamily

PAFC = so then I could brand you as a Janner........

I was born in the UK - grew up in South Africa. We all have different ways of saying things and at 35yrs old - I grew up with Mum being Mom - my family are South African and those are my roots and I'm proud of it!

I can't stand that there are a large percentage of Chavs in the UK - but hey I chose to move back here - and Chavs are part of the UK population - I'v accepted it - so please try be polite and accept that I'm a South African (UK Born) living in Devon and I say Mom not Mum - thats my choice.

Devonfamily

Thanks to

AudsFrmSA
TigerOC
JAJ

for the very useful replies/info you have posted. I am really greatful and will have a look into that today. Yep the more complicated issue here I feel - is trying to get my Friends "Mom" the Dependant Parent Visa. Glad I'm not in their shoes. But what I do know 100% is that her Mom is definitly 100% dependant on them - so there's no doubt about that. Ref the Medical side of things - her Mom has bi-polar and is on medication for it and my friend looks after her Mom. They will have no problem getting a letter from the Specialist to support this. When I say Bi-polar - she's not at the extent whereby she goes off the rails every few months or weeks - but once a year - but this is controlled by tablets. Otherwise she is fine.

Thanks again Peeps and I'll have a look into all this info now

regards
Maz