Visitor visa for girlfriend

[forexman]

Hi.

I need some advice about the likelihood of a 6 month visitor visa being granted to my girlfriend, who is Costa Rican. According to the UK immigration rules she does not require pre-clearance prior to travelling.

We met while I was in Costa Rica on a 2 year consulting project.

She already came back with me to UK for 3 weeks for Christmas and was granted a 6 mth VV back then.

I am now leaving CR and coming back to UK to work (I am a UK citizen).

I want her to visit me in April and stay for maybe 5 months. I will put myself up as sponsor. She has family in CR and her permanent address is with her grandmother, although she was living with me in CR for the last 6 months.

I have sufficient funds to support her and can prove this. An extract from my letter as her sponsor will be :

"The purpose of her visit is tourism and we also intend to investigate schools where she can continue to learn English. She has been studying English full time in Costa Rica and has reached Intermediate level. We recognize that she cannot study under a visitor visa, so once we have found a suitable course, she will fly back to Costa Rica and apply for a student visa."

Does anyone foresee problems in her getting a VV when she arrives at Heathrow? I will be waiting for her with utility bills, house documents, bank statements as per the immigration website and will send her with a return ticket, copies of my bank statements and the sponsor letter.

At this stage it is early in our relationship so we are not keen on getting into fiancee visas, nor have we been together long enough for an unmarried partner visa.

Any advice/help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Nowty]

Your situation sounds similar to my own, I have a Brazilian girlfriend who is also a non visa national, she first visited me as a visitor and later applied for a student visa for an English course.

I had similar worries when she first visited me and I was armed with identical docs waiting for her at Heathrow. However all what happened was that the IO called me on my mobile, he asked me about 10 questions like, How did you meet, When was the last time you where together, what is your job, who paid for her ticket, etc. And that was it, it was not even necessary to meet me and see any of my docs.

As your girlfriend only visited the UK for 3 weeks at Xmas, she should be eligiable for 5 more months during this year as a visitor. Just ensure she does not bring with her anything which may make the IO think she might not return or wish to work. Also 5 months is quite a long time so make sure she is clear in how she is going to spend that time without working or studying. Bear in mind the visitor rule is likely to change soon limiting visitors to only 3 months but she should be ok if she comes in April.

The bigger problem I forsee is her applying for the student visa. My girlfriends was refused the first time for every reason under the sun and it was a battle getting it on the second attempt. But now she has lived in the UK doing an English course for 20 months so she only has 4 more months to go before she can apply as an unmarried partner.

If you go for the unmarried partner route, just make sure you start collecting the evidence of living together.

[forexman]

Thanks for your prompt reply Nowty. Appreciated.

I will look at your previous posts to see your story about the student visa and post again if I have any follow on questions.

Hope that's OK, l never thought this would all be so complicated!

[INSIDER]

Thanks for your prompt reply Nowty. Appreciated.

I will look at your previous posts to see your story about the student visa and post again if I have any follow on questions.

Hope that's OK, l never thought this would all be so complicated!

As a non-visa national your girlfriend does not require an pre Entry Clearance to study an English course, provided the course length is no longer than six months.