Setpchild visa for settlement - a delicate situation

[dazzle]

Hi all,
Hope for some advice please.
Just filling in a family visa form for a child. She is under 18 and is coming to the UK to live with her mother. I just wanted to confirm:
- Form VAF4A is the right one?
- No English test required?
- Is the health surcharge required? The website says that its not required if applying for ILR, but I don't think this is ILR?
Thanks

[CR001]

- Form VAF4A is the right one? What is your immigration status? If BC or you have ILR, then yes it is the correct form.
- No English test required? No
- Is the health surcharge required? The website says that its not required if applying for ILR, but I don't think this is ILR? It is ILE if applied from abroad. You will likely have to pay the fee for your application to proceed. You might get a refund, you might not.

[dazzle]

Thanks for confirming. I am a BC step-father. My wife is the mother with ILR.

[vinny]

Does child satisfy 297, etc?

[dazzle]

The father hasn't been seen for a long time, there is no name on the birth certificate for the father, and we are trying to get official sole custody from the home country before applying.

[dazzle]

Hi all,
Hoping for some advice please.
A bit of background... My stepdaughter has been raised by her grandparents in Cameroon for a few years. I am BC and my wife has ILR. The biological father has not been seen since pregnancy and isn't on the birth certificate. We have been making all decisions for upbringing and providing finances etc. My wife tried to get sole custody officially in Cameroon but they said it wasn't possible or necessary in this case because there is no record of the Father.
The reason she isn't with us already is that we've been moving a lot with my work and it's been more stable with grandparents. We have now settled and bought our first home. The grandparents are retiring and moving to a remote location at the end of this year, so we planned to hopefully moved the child to the UK after this school year, in the Summer.

However something has happened which makes things more urgent. The child is in her mid-teens and is still "finding herself". In the last 18 months she has begun to realise that she is gay. Same-sex activity is illegal in Cameroon and a wiki search of lgbt in Cameroon is very concerning.
Yesterday she was expelled from her private school. She is a bright pupil and is only being excluded because of her sexuality. She was one of the only girls who were open about their feelings, and this has caused other curious girls to approach her. So the school and other parents feel that she is influencing other children into potential illegal activities.
EDIT: To our knowledge there has been no physical sexual activity, which I gather is the illegal part.

The family is now receiving threats from the other families.

So is it wise to mention this in a visa application?
She no longer has access to education in Cameroon and is being harassed because of her sexual orientation, which of course cannot be reported to the Police. So it does show how pressing the situation is.
However I also see it from the viewpoint of potentially being a criminal in Cameroon, despite what I as a Westerner may think/believe.
Any thoughts much appreciated.

[CR001]

I have merged your topics.

Why did you not apply for the visa when you asked the question in 2016??

How old is she now??

You simply need to follow the same process.

[dazzle]

Just the stability issue.
We've moved twice since my original question (same employer but different locations). Now finally settled though.
She is 15.

[CR001]

Suggest apply as soon as possible.

If the mother holds ILR, she can be child's sponsor.

[dazzle]

Thanks we will. Would you suggest mentioning the recent events? It's the legality that we are concerned about.

[Londoner007]

Do not over cook a cake. Just mention whatever is true and you can prove, no need to over cook the application and dig a hole for yourself. If you can prove she is getting threats because she is a lesbian then add it. Alot of people try say this because they think Home Office will speed things up but then it comes back to bite them if no proof provided of such claims. Home Office know all the tricks in the book.

[dazzle]

Thanks, we will perhaps just mention that she is not receiving an education in Cameroon because of it. That's the only thing we have proof of.

We will be paying for the priority service anyway, so I don't think/expect it to be expedited any further than that. Just want to make sure they consider her life there.

[angeloick]

Hi

I am following this case because my case is similar (son in cameroun ) and I have ILR and my wife is british .

[Obie]

In law she ought to be fine if mother has sole responsibility.

Mentioning same sex relationship will create difficulties, as it indicates that she is thinking of forming a life independently of her parents.

[dazzle]

That's a good point, thank you for mentioning it.
Just finalising getting paperwork together and will book an appointment.
I think we will avoid stating the same-sex issue.

[dazzle]

Ok so we tihnk we finally have all documents together, TB testing done and now looking at filling the form.

A couple of question please.
1) Should we complete Appendix 1, 2 or both? I'm seeing conflicting advice on the forms, the gov website, and various threads. I am a BC father, my wife has ILR, and the biological father hasn't been seen for years.

2) My wife is self employed with income of around £10k, whereas my salaried (more easily proven) income could comfortably meet any requirements. So can I be her sponsor, as her step father? Or should we both complete a SU07 and provide more detail in a covering letter?

Thanks for the usual help.