Declaring a visitor to the UK as my "girlfriend" – effect on getting a Visitor visa?

8/3/2019 10:17:25 PM

First of all, I applaud your resolve to be truthful in the application. Definitely tell the truth.

Having said that, visiting a boyfriend or girlfriend can indeed be a bit of a red flag to immigration, though it is not an insurmountable one.

The key parts to successfully getting a visitor visa are convincing the officer reviewing the application that the person applying does indeed intend to come only as a visitor and that they have both the means to support themselves during their stay and both the means and intent to go home after their stay in the country.

What the immigration officer will be evaluating is whether your girlfriend is really just coming for a visit or whether she intends to stay in the UK with you and is trying to use the visitor visa to circumvent the normal immigrant visa requirements.

So, her application should definitely state her real purpose for the trip, but it should also supply any available information regarding ties she has to Serbia that will help demonstrate that she does, in fact, intend to go home after the visit. Owning or having a long-term rental agreement in place on her residence in Serbia will help with this. Having a job in Serbia will help with this. Family connections and other similar things tying her to Serbia will help with this. Any of that sort of information that she can supply with the application will help her case to demonstrate that she does intend to go home after the trip.

8/3/2019 5:53:13 AM

Yes and no.

In any case she should always tell the truth and not hide information.

Having a parent or a boyfriend could be a cause of denial or a help to get the visa. Such fact is not enough to have a decision, but it should be interpreted with all other information.

If she does not have a job nor connection to her home country (and especially if r comes from a much poorer country or where the law is not followed fully), the officer should check further the intention to return.

But in some other cases, it helps getting a guarantee of funds and not working in UK.

In your case: you say you plan to marry them. This will help: marrying a person who is in UK illegally is troublesome.

The important part: officers check that an applicant will not work in UK, and she will return home on time (with reasonable doubts). All information helps the officer to make the decision. Having or not a “boyfriend” is just extra information (which can work both ways).

8/3/2019 11:52:43 AM

From personal experience I don’t believe this is true, and I do believe it is always best to tell the truth in any visa application.

My partner is Cuban. It is notoriously difficult for Cubans to get a visa for any destination, and it’s virtually unheard of for a Cuban to be able to meet the financial eligibility requirements in their own right. I have successfully sponsored him for two visitor visas (3 months and 10 weeks respectively) in the last three years. Both the application and my covering letter clearly stated that we are in a long distance relationship, where and how we met, and that my travel history going back several years shows that I regularly visit him in Cuba. He was able to demonstrate stable employment and family ties.

Edit: I believe the key point here is that my partner provided credible evidence to demonstrate his intention to leave. If that had not been the case IMHO the visas would have been refused, but on the basis of simple ineligibility rather than because of the relationship itself. “My gf/bf can pay for me to visit them but I don’t meet any of the other eligibility criteria” will likely lead to a refusal from pretty much anywhere, not just the UK.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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