Applying for a UK spouse visa from the Philippines
When you are applying for a spouse visa UK from the Philippines, the UK spouse visa requirements and process can seem complicated and confusing. As UK based spouse visa solicitors we can understand why you need help and support to apply for a UK spouse visa from the Philippines or assistance if you have made a UK spouse visa application and had it refused. We are uniquely placed to offer you the help that you need and can discuss your UK spouse visa application process or spouse visa appeal in English or Tagalog.
UK spouse visa solicitors
If you or your fiancée is based in the Philippines, Tagalog speaker, Nollienne Alparaque, is here to help answer your UK spouse visa application questions or discuss your appeal options. Call Nollienne Alparaque on 0203 959 9123 or complete our online enquiry form.
How to apply spouse visa in the UK from the Philippines
If you are married to a citizen from the Philippines then you can apply for a UK spouse for them to be reunited with you. Alternatively they can apply for a UK spouse visa to join you in the UK.
For a Filipino national to secure a UK spouse visa they need to be married to:
• A British citizen; or
• A person who has Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK; or
• A person who has Settled Status or permanent residence in the UK.
If you apply for the UK spouse visa from the Philippines, the visa will last for thirty three months or two and a half years. Once you are in the UK you can apply to extend your spouse visa with a view to applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK once you have lived in the UK for five years.
The first step to UK settlement for many Filipino spouses is to secure UK entry clearance by obtaining their UK spouse visa.
UK spouse visa application process from the Philippines
If you are in the Philippines and want to apply for a UK spouse visa you can ask a UK spouse visa solicitor to prepare the spouse visa application on your behalf or your UK based spouse can instruct the spouse visa solicitor to do so. The application form is completed online and sent to UK Visas and Immigration.
An application for a UK spouse visa has to be supported by documents. You can provide the paperwork by booking an appointment at a visa centre in the Philippines. At the appointment biometric information (fingerprints and photograph) will be taken from you.
Eligibility for a UK spouse visa
The eligibility requirements for a UK spouse visa are broadly the same, whether you are applying for a UK spouse visa from the Philippines, India or the USA or any other country outside the EU.
To secure a UK spouse visa from the Philippines you need to show:
• Your husband , wife or civil partner is a British citizen, has Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, Settled Status or permanent residence; and
• You are both over the age of eighteen; and
• Your relationship with your husband or wife is genuine and you intend to live permanently with them on your arrival in the UK; and
• You are legally married or in a civil partnership (your marriage certificate is evidence of marriage ); and
• You have physically met your husband or wife (your relationship isn’t just internet or skype based); and
• If you or your spouse has been in a prior marriage or civil partnership the relationship has been legally dissolved and you can evidence this with a document officially ending your previous marriage or civil partnership; and
• You will have adequate accommodation for yourself (and any dependents) in the UK; and
• You have been tested for tuberculosis by a Home Office approved clinic in the Philippines and have been provided with a test certificate. The test certificate is valid for six months.
• You speak and understand English (to prove this you will either have to sit and pass the English language test or have studied to the required level to not have to pass a English language test); and
• You can be adequately maintained whilst in the UK without recourse to public funds and you meet the UK spouse visa financial requirement.
Is your marriage a genuine relationship?
Many couples in long distance relationships between the UK and the Philippines worry about how they can prove that their marriage is a genuine relationship to the Home Office standard of proof. That is because often a couple may not have been engaged for long before their marriage or they may have only been able to meet in person once or twice before their marriage because of the long distance nature of a relationship based between the UK and the Philippines.
When providing documents to prove that your relationship is genuine and that you intend to live with your husband or wife, it is best to focus on the quality of the evidence rather than the quantity. The best spouse visa solicitors will be able to talk you through what information to provide. Remember it is essential to get this right because if your spouse visa is refused you will not be able to add to the evidence about the genuine nature of your relationship.
The financial criteria for a UK spouse visa
To married couples who have found love and a lasting relationship in the Philippines having to meet the Home Office financial requirement to secure eligibility for a UK spouse visa can seem rather bizarre. However, whatever non-EEA country you are applying from, the UK spouse visa financial requirement remains the same, namely:
• Your UK based spouse must have an income of at least £18,600 a year (the figure is higher if you have children who aren’t British citizens). Income can salary or self-employed earnings, pension or a combination of income sources; or
• Have savings of £62,500 (extra savings are needed if you have children who are not British citizens).
If your UK based spouse doesn’t meet the minimum income or savings requirement, then if there are exceptional circumstances the Home Office can exercise discretion and take into account other forms of financial support (for example, your potential income if you plan to work once you have arrived in the UK).
The Home Office will only exercise discretion if your case is exceptional so it is sensible to take legal advice from UK spouse visa solicitors on whether you are likely to meet the ‘exceptional ‘ criteria to ensure that you stand the best chance of securing a UK spouse visa.
Refusal of application for UK spouse visa from a Filipino applicant
If you have submitted a UK spouse visa application from the Philippines and it has been refused then your best option is to take legal advice from a UK spouse visa solicitor. They will look at your legal options including the possibility of appealing the refusal of the UK spouse visa.
If your UK spouse visa application is rejected you can make a Human Rights based appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in the UK. There are time limits within which you have to submit the appeal so if you have had a spouse visa refusal notification from the Home Office you should act quickly.
Getting a UK spouse visa from the Philippines
The best spouse visa solicitors say the easiest way to get a UK spouse visa is to get an expert in spouse visa applications to prepare your UK spouse visa application for you and advise you on exactly what supporting paperwork you should provide.
UK spouse visa solicitors
At London based OTS Solicitors we know it is hard to pick up the phone and ask a question about your UK spouse visa application if you are living or the Philippines or if your husband or wife is living there and you are UK based. Tagalog speaker, Kristine Lauriaga, is here to help on 0203 959 9123 or complete our online enquiry form.
With OTS Solicitors you will be in safe specialist hands as the two leading UK law directories, The Legal 500 and Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession, recommend OTS Solicitors for Immigration law. OTS Solicitors also have English Law Society accredited solicitor status as trusted specialists in Immigration law.