Unsure of which Visa to apply for (Internshipor Unmarried)

[supersonic11]

Hi all,

I am a British born citizen and have an American girlfriend who is currently in her final year of college in the US. She wants to come over and be with me when she graduates, and wants to intern and do some part-time work at the same time. Now I've had a look on the UK Border Agency website and have not managed to find a Visa which seems to cover internships, is it work or study? I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction.

Also, I was wondering, if she is not successful with that Visa, could she come over on an unmarried visa? We started talking three years ago and met for the first time two years ago. Since then we have been visiting each other and she has actually studied in the UK recently too. I saw on the Border Agency website that partners had to be in a relationship for 2 years. Now is that in a relationship like in our case(seeing each other over the course of two years), or is it living together for 2 years?

We have contacted the UK border agency to enquire over this but haven't received a reply from them yet. Does anyone know if it is possible for me to make an appointment to discuss this with someone, or does enquiries like this have to be made over the phone?

Sorry for the essay, thanks for any help you could give.

[geriatrix]

For Unmarried Partner visa, one of the requirements is:

you have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership which has been existing and genuine (not like a 'marriage of convenience') for at least 2 years;

For intern-ship in the UK with a company / business entity, she will need to find a registered Tier 2 sponsor wishing to sponsor her for any such intern-ship.

[supersonic11]

Thanks. I've read various websites saying you have to be in a relationship 'akin to marriage' for 2 years, but some websites I've seen say its acceptable to visit each other every few months on a visitor visa without having to live together the whole 2 years. We have plenty of 'evidence' to prove we are in a genuine relationship, photo albums, event tickets etc but just unsure over that one thing really.

Oh, and can any company become a registered 'Tier 2' Sponser? Do the companies she wants to get an internship with already have to be a sponser or can she choose a company which isn't?

[geriatrix]

The website I have quoted from is the "official" one - UKBA's. Alternatively, read immigration rule 295A.

Only "registered" sponsors can sponsor non-EEA national(s) to work in the UK. If your friend "chooses" an entity that is not a "registered sponsor", the entity must register first.