1000 quid ?!~~ that is selling the right to make money for the gov't ?
If people know it ahead, it might well stop English people from international love...
1000 quid ?!~~ that is selling the right to make money for the gov't ?
If people know it ahead, it might well stop English people from international love...
p.s. I think F's gf has BNO because she often travel to England to work before.
My sister does not have BNO
except a "given to leave indefinite period to entre..." chop on the old HK passport in the late 80s.
Note the 1000 quid per person is only the start. That is not refundable on rejection (which is their default position). Then you have to pay the appeal fee of 120 per person.
maybe expensive, but obtaining citizenship in UK is easy than in HK, there simply a lot barriers to obtain a working visa in HK, plus, if you're china and married a hk person, you have to obtain two permit which must renew in china every three months and you can't work in hk for 5 years
I am British by birth and am married to a mainland Chinese.
We have 2 daughters both born in Japan. We had to register their births at the British Embassy in Tokyo within a certain time period and then EMS their passport applications to the Embassy in Hong Kong, passports were issued after about 2 weeks and they both have permanent residence (Japan) by birth. I think we had to make the application within 30 days of the birth to qualify for it.
We are currently in the UK and my wife has recently been issued an extension on her spouse visa.
The hoops and paperwork we had to supply were quite frankly a severe pain.
English ability - certificate from a recognized test.
Originals of at least 4 utilities bills covering the last 2 years. To show that we have been living together.
Originals of marriage/birth certificates which must be translated into English by a certified translation provider.
Bank statement showing savings untouched for 6 months to a level to support all 4 of us until I found employment.
Letter from my parents inviting us to stay with them and certified copies of the deeds to their house and council tax receipts for the last year.
Photographic evidence of the relationship up to now.
And a whole load of other paperwork that I don't recall at this moment.
The application for extension could not be made at the VFS office in Tokyo (an outsource company that accepts most visa applications in Tokyo. It is a pokey little office above a Lawson convenience in Shimbashi, Tokyo. At present the Embassy/Consulate in Japan has nothing to do with visa applications. A shame as it is within a huge compound just across the moat from the Imperial Palace in Hanzomon (seriously prime real estate).
Most visa applications are now assessed in the regional centre in Manila.
We made our application by post in the UK at a cost of £571 pounds for an extension. It took 12 weeks to process.
There also is no number or contact centre to ask for advice or guidance. You have to use an immigration lawyer or advisor and PAY for it.
A recent news report said that under current structure the UKBA will require 24 years to clear the current backlog of more complicated cases. Further to this the UKBA has recently been scrapped and will be absorbed by other government departments.
The whole process has been a headache and has made me feel the UK is a third rate country to be avoided especially if you have an aversion to unnecessary red tape, terrible weather, ASB, poor customer service, high public transport costs, chronic taxes, crumbling health service, preschools which are poorly maintained and cleaned and general shabbiness.
For more insight please read chavtowns.co.uk.
Seriously though, I've just found another job in Asia, I am happy to drop my wife's pursuit of LTR in the UK and never come back.
Apologies for the minor rant.
TokyoRoss, have to agree that any contact with the UKBA was likely to put anyone off moving to the UK.
Note that a "complicated case" means any case that involves (i) children born outside the UK OR (ii) a marriage outside the UK OR (iii) any documents from outside the UK OR (iv) anything else not included in (i)-(iii).
Our visas only took 7 months so we were lucky but that was down to me emailing once or twice a week and in the end threatening suicide (I kid not). Even at the end of all of that it takes TWO weeks to stick the visa in the passport!
Here is another one for you, arrive at Manchester Airport with 21 suitcases. To get the airport trolley you have to pay a pound. Who when arriving from abroad has UK change? Not that getting the trolley with the change was straightforward, you need to put money in a machine then run to where the trolleys are to make sure no one else pinches your trolley. Had to do this three times.
Last edited by hullexile; 31-03-2013 at 01:00 AM.
Hullexile, I feel your pain.
I think I've been spoilt by Japan.
Things that run to the timetable, all services designed and organized with the convenience of the end user in mind.
Trains with windows and floors that are spotless.
ATMs that your can pay into, send money, pay your utilities etc.
The list is endless.
My daughter's English has taken a terrible bruising after 2 months in a preschool here. Prior to our return, she had very neutral English that was a sort of US/UK/OZ/NZ/CAN mix.
She is now saying 'innit', 'ain't' and 'fink'.
I recently took an evening stroll to buy a bottle of wine and had to run a gauntlet of 'gotta a spare fag?mate', lend us 40p mate' and 'get us some 'lights, mate' from a large group of teenagers brandishing a pitbull and a Doberman without muzzles. This is in a village on the Kent/Surrey borders.
Sorry to the OP for derailing this thread, but please think carefully about moving to the UK, the country is going in the wrong direction.
::: TokyoRoss,
Thanks for sharing the experience and useful info. Thought-provoking.
::: Hullexile & TokyoRoss,
Britain has its own charisma, honestly.
Hong Kong has it's good points, albeit diminishing a bit.
Japan is lovely (love Japan)
Each country has some rich-poor social problems, red-tapes, problems, etc.
(Except PRC which is too terrible, maybe just a tat better than N.Korea)
P.S. Reading what you and many fellow expats had gone through,
and my sibbling's headache, not sure how to feel...
I used to have a long-distant American boyfriend for xx years...
Well, some years ago, I did look at their visa/immigration info. Too much.
Our circumstances would be terrible because he's the type to leave me on my own.
Anyway, somehow... it doesn't work out. So, I do not have to go through the red tapes barrier for international love myself. Maybe a blessing? Sigh~
Maybe I shall not date anyone else until I go back to England.
Last edited by steffie1; 31-03-2013 at 03:09 AM.