8.1.5 of Immigration Directorate Instruction Family Migration: Appendix FM Section 1.0a wrote:
8.1.5. Couple to have met in person
When considering paragraph E-ECP.2.5. and paragraph E-LTRP.1.6., the decision maker must be satisfied that the applicant and their partner have met in person.
"To have met" has been interpreted by the Tribunal as "to make the acquaintance of" which means that provided the parties have made the acquaintance of each other, that acquaintance need not be in the context of marriage or civil partnership. This means that if the parties had been childhood friends, it could be acceptable, although the meeting of two infants would not. A mutual sighting or mere coming face to face followed by telephone or written contact would not suffice. The Tribunal decided that "met" implies a face to face meeting itself resulting in the making of mutual acquaintance.
Where the decision maker is not satisfied that the couple have met in person, the application should be refused. All aspects of the case must be considered as well as the requirement to have met in person. If there are other grounds for refusal, these should also be included in the refusal notice, although not having met in person can be the sole ground for refusal.
Be prepared to be interviewed separately about the meetings and whether the answers of the spouses match.
Casa, it seems that Skype marriages are accepted as court marriages in Pakistan. As the OP is from Pakistan, I presume that his domicile of origin is Pakistan and hence a marriage between him and another person according to Pakistani law would be recognised in the UK.
To the OP, a visit visa for your spouse would be difficult. If she discloses that her husband resides in the UK, she is unlikely to get a visit visa, as she would be expected to get a settlement visa, which is not possible because you have not met in person. On the other hand, if she does not disclose that her husband resides in the UK, that would be deception, which could lead to rejection of all future applications.
Why don't you meet up with her in a neutral country close to home, such as the UAE or Saudi Arabia?
I am not a lawyer or immigration advisor. My statements/comments do not constitute legal advice. E&OE. Please do not PM me for advice.
