VAF 5 St Lucian woman

[stephrj]

Hi there,

I found this website and i hope that someone can help me with the following issue.

I'm a 25 year old student from Holland who is about to graduate from University. 1,5 year ago i met a woman from St Lucia in London. We are in a serious relationship and are making plans to be together. The problem is now that she came to the UK 6 years ago on a 1 month tourism visa and has overstayed since then. She's has been working all these years though in hotels/restaurants (under sisters name). When she arrived in London 6 years ago the immigration officers took her passport and are still holding it upto now.

I myself am a EEA national and planning to come to work and live in London as of August 2008. I will have a place to stay too. Me and my girlfriend are planning to go to St Lucia to get married in order for us to live and work in London together (we're serious about getting married). Now, i found out she will need to apply for a VAF5 family permit online.

Will this application take a long time and is filling in the form online sufficient?

Should we do the application before we go to St Lucia to get married?

Will UK Border officers let her back in the country if she overstayed all these years? She will have valid marriage documents, the VAF5 form and will travel back with me

Do we have to let Home Office now about our plans before we go so that they will let us come back into the UK? And if we do, how do we have the guarentee they will not send her back as soon as we contact Home Office?

Do i need to have a certain salary if she wants to live with me? I mean i will come to the UK as of August, will find a job, open bank account and NIN etcetera. We're planning to go to St Lucia in January 2009 to get married but will Home Office mind that by then i only have a job for a couple of months?

[stephrj]

I want to mention that i know that she is basically illegal in the country, that is why we would like to make this right, is there anyone who coulld give some answers? Many thanks

[stephrj]

Could anyone give me a clear answer weather or not it's true if an overstayer doesn't go back to home country before the 1st October, but a month later or more, they will NOT be allowed to re-enter the UK on a spouse visa?


Please help

[guru_dutt]

where are you from ?

[stephrj]

Holland, have dutch and french nationality

[jei2]

I myself am a EEA national and planning to come to work and live in London as of August 2008. I will have a place to stay too.

You need to give some more background about your situation.

How did you meet? Have you met physically? Do you have a job waiting here for you? Will you have your own accommodation or are you sharing with friends/relatives? Please expand.

[stephrj]

Well my background situation is the following,

We met 1.5 years ago in London when i was doing my traineeship there for my university. Everyday i took a tube when she was there too, she was going to her job. We started to talk one day, and 1 thing led to another. Since then we are having a relationship. I'm back now in Holland and almost finished with my school. Working and finding a place in London will be easy for me as an EEA national and with my work experience. If i would live in London she would live with me, let's say a 1 bedroom apartment. We met physically long time ago.

I came back to Holland in february 08 and since then i'm visiting her every month. A plane ticket is cheap and the trip doesn't take long.


I hope this is enough information.

Thanks

[guru_dutt]

It is bit difficult but not impossible that she can’t go back to UK again, all you need to marry and use your EU status to settle down there, quickest way is after marriage you bring her Holland and thn travel to UK and it won’t be a problem because she don’t need any visa travel to UK with you only valid passport and marriage certificate, once you’ll be there you can apply for her 5 year stay.

[peaches08]

Hi there,
I just came across your query about your StLucian Girlfriend and would like to offer some advice. There is a way for her to go back home but I don't know if that will allow her direct access back into UK easily, You may as you have been told to take her back to Holland with you first.
Lets begin here. First thing to do is for her to get in touch with Immigratian Boader Agency.www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk and she needs to tell them exactly what happened when she came in to the country, when, and which airport so they can locate her passport. They will give her full information on what to do. If she needs any more info please post back and I will let you get in touch with me. I am only a St.Lucian citizen married and living here LEGALLY, and I recently helped someone else in exactly the same situation as your girlfriend. Feel free to post back if you still need the help