Tourist visas for my partner

[b0redj0rd]

Hello all,

I've been seeing a girl from Uzbekistan for 2 years or so. She is living at home and I am here in the UK.
We have been meeting abroad for holidays and over the last 12 months she has spent approx. 7 months here in the UK over the course of 2 6-month tourist visas .. (She is here now until the end of April.)

I am wondering if we will run in to trouble applying for another tourist visa - My plan is to probably get here here again in June or so for another 3 or 4 month visit, again on a 6 month tourist visa. I am sponsoring her and am able to fund her stay entirely and she isn't working (obviously) and hasn't overstayed or used the NHS during her time here.

Are there potential issues to going down this route? Can you get an indefinite number of tourist vistas or should we be thinking of marriage and etc?

Thanks very much,
b0red.

[Wanderer]

Yes, I see a definite problem, she's obviously been residing here on a visit visa. A visit visa has a VALIDITY of 6 months not a PERIOD of six months.

The ECO/IO will be looking at a pattern of say 2/3 weeks twice over the six months - visits not residence.

I very much doubt she'll be granted another visit visa.

[b0redj0rd]

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.

It's frustrating - I am trying to do things 'correctly' and by the book, but they do make things difficult. Is it surprising to them that you want to spend time with your GF?! She hasn't used any services and I fund her stay entirely whilst she is visiting me here.

From what you've said I'd maybe have to wait another 6 months from her exit to apply for another tourist visa? I don't really want to wait so long if possible.
Should I be thinking of a fiance visa at this point?

If we were to get married abroad (I've always fancied doing it in Thailand) would that make any difference? I presume that, after marriage (abroad), we'd have to get a fiance visa before things are legal here in the UK (signing at a registry office?)

Thanks again,
J

[Wanderer]

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.

It's frustrating - I am trying to do things 'correctly' and by the book, but they do make things difficult. Is it surprising to them that you want to spend time with your GF?! She hasn't used any services and I fund her stay entirely whilst she is visiting me here.

From what you've said I'd maybe have to wait another 6 months from her exit to apply for another tourist visa? I don't really want to wait so long if possible.
Should I be thinking of a fiance visa at this point?

If we were to get married abroad (I've always fancied doing it in Thailand) would that make any difference? I presume that, after marriage (abroad), we'd have to get a fiance visa before things are legal here in the UK (signing at a registry office?)

Thanks again,
J

TBF a visit visa is just that, not a living together visa. The rules are clear.

Marriage makes all the difference. Be away of the criteria regarding that tho, it's not cheap!

If married in Thailand she'd need a spouse visa which is valid for 2.5 years, then another one after that, followed by ILR and citizenship if she wants it.

[b0redj0rd]

Thanks very much for the advice, I will have to look in to a fiance/spousal visa and see which route is best to go down. (sigh!)

Cheers

[smivel]

Just a quick question, when you got the visit visas for your gf did you say she was your gf?

I wasn't sure whether to just say friend for my gf as I thought they may get suspicious if its a gf.

[Casa]

Just a quick question, when you got the visit visas for your gf did you say she was your gf?

I wasn't sure whether to just say friend for my gf as I thought they may get suspicious if its a gf.

If the existence of a relationship is withheld in a visitor visa application it's likely to come back to bite you in the backside if you later want to apply for a fiance or spouse visa, where you have to prove the length of a genuine relationship. All information is held permanently on the UKVI system.