Chinese wife visiting England.

[Dusty Bookshelf]

Unread Today, 02:29 #1
Dusty Bookshelf
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Join Date: Apr 2012
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Visa questions. Chinese wife visiting England for ??????
Hi All,

I've been looking around the boards for some information specifically relating to my situation but can't seem to get anywhere. Starting to feel like I'm back in England already going round in circles with nobody being forthcoming with helpful information so I thought to ask here.


I'm an ESL teacher in China in my 3rd year. I'm about to marry my Chinese gf and want to take her to the UK for a visit of up to 2 years. My problem is that I can't seem to find the exact visa I need for that purpose. After 2 years (If we can get it) we'll return and settle in China. On the visa websites there are a number of different options (Study/Work/Visiting family etc) but as she is none of these I don't know where to go from here. The website specifically says that their staff will not answer any questions about which type of visa you need. I've tried anyway about 5 times with no progress other than redirection to the site.


This is where I am right now so want to start to get the paperwork stress out of the way. Any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated.

[Lucapooka]

It's not possible to visit the UK for more than six months. If she wants to remain longer she will have to apply for settlement from China.

http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas- ... s-settled/

[Dusty Bookshelf]

Hmmm. I'm sure I saw somewhere on the visa website that people can get a 2 year visa but must leave the country after 180 days and then they can come back again. Have you heard of this?

[Lucapooka]

Yes, long-term visit visas (2, 5 10 years) are for regular travellers who may be spared the inconvenience of applying for a new visa every time they wish to visit the UK. The maximum period of entry is, nevertheless, limited to six months out of 12.

No doubt people do try to effectively live in the UK by leaving and re-entering immediately but there is no guarantee that they will be refused entry if their entry is not compatible with that of a genuine visitor.

[Dusty Bookshelf]

Thanks for your advice. Actually, 6 months at a time for her would be fine. We plan to settle here in China after visiting for a while and having a little look around England. So, which visa would it be if we did apply for the 'long term' 2 year one? Is there a special spouse visa to go for?

[Lucapooka]

Has she been to the UK previously and how often? Long-term visas are, generally, only issued to people with a previous good record of immigration. Additionally, your ties to remaining in China will have a bearing on her ties to China. She needs to show that she is able and motivated to leave the UK after her visit. If you decided to remain in the UK then she may not feel inclined to leave either. Please read the following information on the UKBA site:


A long-term visit visa is valid for 1, 2, 5 or 10 years. The application fee is higher than for a short-term visit visa.

If we grant you a long-term visit visa, you are allowed unlimited entry into the UK for the time that the visa is valid. However, you can only stay in the UK for a maximum of 180 days during any 12-month period. For example, a 2-year visit visa does not entitle you to stay in the UK for 2 years.

We recommend that you limit your stay to the period stated on your visa application. If you spend long periods in the UK as a visitor, our officers may doubt your intentions.

If you breach the conditions of your entry to the UK, we may ban you from returning for up to 10 years.

If you apply for a long-term visit visa, we consider:

whether you can show a frequent and sustained need to come to the UK (such as family links or an established business connection);
whether your personal circumstances are likely to change significantly while the visa is valid - so you should give us as much evidence as possible that your circumstances will remain the same;
whether you have shown that you can support yourself in the UK without public funds, and that you intend to leave the UK at the end of each visit; and
your previous travel history as shown in a current valid passport.

[Dusty Bookshelf]

Yep, that seems to be the same as I read on the site. The only one of thing I am not too sure about is the 'whether you have shown that you can support yourself in the UK without public funds' consideration. I've heard various accounts of what people should do in this situation but not very many of them are consistent. Some people say you should have 50,000 in the bank at least 6 months before you apply. It is my intention to support her whilst in England and I want to get everything as ready as possible before we try. Any further advice?

[Lucapooka]

If you intend to enter the UK for six months you need to show that you have sufficient money for that duration. Will you be relying on savings or a regular income to fund your visit?

[Dusty Bookshelf]

I'll rely on savings. If necessary I'll work. We've saved up for the last year and a half and I still have savings in the UK. Who needs to show? Me or my wife? If we are married would she still need to have the money in her account or would it be enough for me to prove that I could support her? My rent will be free as my family will also provide us with somewhere to live.

[Lucapooka]

Using just your money is fine but be careful about declaring that you intend to visit for six months if your funds won't stretch that far. Obviously you can work in the UK, but that means you, yourself, are not visiting. If you are not visiting then, arguably, neither is your wife, as she is there to be with you. Also if you can't stay six months without the need to work then you may need to show proof of the job offer before you enter.

If I were you (and if this is her first visit application for the UK), I would forget about the long-term visa and apply for a regular six month visa indicating that it's a short trip for a month, citing your ties to China. This way they won't worry about you needing to show evidence of finances for half a year. You will still get six months of entry and can remain for that time.