Girlfriend to study in UK (Non UK, European Union citizen)

[danmey]

Hello,

Seems like getting somebody from China to UK is horribly complicated... I was wondering what are the possible paths for me (a EU citizen) and my Chinese girlfriend would be.

One of the ideas is to get her to study in UK, however would the university accept me (non relative) to provide a sponsorship for her studies?

Is anybody here has similar problems, I need to emphasise once more: I am a EU citizen not uk... and that also complicates everything.

What about EU visa for her, but that as far as i know exclude possibility of staying in UK...

Are there any other backdoors/routes i could use, to start living with her. (and yes i am prepared for fiance visa, and following marriage, just to look for the most efficient and friendly way for us).

So complicated... Please help

[chrix]

It would help if you told us what country you are from...

[roddy]

Do you actually need a sponsor for study in the UK? I thought that was just independent tourist or business visits (although I'm by no means well informed). If you mean actually funding them, I'd suspect the easiest thing is just to give her and her family the money (although the embassy may want to know where it came from, and you may have to demonstrate it's been there for a certain period of time).

[chrix]

OK, your profile seems to indicate that you're from Poland. I think Polish citizens still don't enjoy 100% right of abode in the EU, and maybe this creates some more difficulties for you in the UK as well? Though IANAL, it's best you'd consult one on that matter...

Edited April 5, 2010 at 11:58 PM by chrix

[renzhe]

I thought that the UK and Ireland were exceptions, in the sense that they were the only two countries which didn't close the borders to the new EU countries in 1995. I know several Lithuanian people who worked in the UK with no trouble.

I don't know how it relates to studying in the UK.

Something else to consider would be coming to study in Germany or one of the Scandinavian countries. It's closer to Poland, it's in English, and it's far cheaper. And once she has a Schengen visa, she can go anywhere in Europe, basically.

EDIT: I see that you are in Cambridge yourself, so this probably isn't an option.

[danmey]

Poland has equal rights in EU...

UK and Ireland are exceptions and don't allow EU Visa holders to enter the country...

There is no option of moving to Germany or Scandinavian countries for me right now, as I am quite stable in UK.

So there is no good solution, just maybe optimal and sub-optimal.

But thank you for all the replies. :-)

I see no problem in being UK resident when I am from Poland (that's basically what happen to Lithuania when they joined EU). Anybody from EU can come to UK and work legally here, basically by showing the ID on airport...

We are looking for `studying option' right now (as the rest of `options' will not work I suppose), and that is also not that easy.

[renzhe]

Poland has equal rights in EU...

I haven't been following closely enough, but originally, Polish citizens needed a work permit for all of EU except UK and Ireland. In other words, the same trouble that a regular non-EU European had to go through. That's why many of the new EU citizens went to work in UK and Ireland after 1995.

This has been relaxed in the meantime, and covers many other countries, including Holland, Portugal, Greece, etc., but not Germany, Belgium, and some others.

Schengen agreement is a different issue. A German (or Dutch, or French, etc.) visa allows you to travel unimpeded (but NOT work and live!) throughout other Schengen countries. This does not include the UK and Ireland.

EDIT: 2005, not 1995, I made a mistake there.

Edited April 5, 2010 at 02:37 PM by renzhe

[danmey]

I haven't been following closely enough, but originally, Polish citizens needed a work permit for all of EU except UK and Ireland. In other words, the same trouble that a regular non-EU European had to go through. That's why many of the new EU citizens went to work in UK and Ireland after 1995.

Yes, maybe just after 1995. However I talk about our entry in 2002 (was it 2002). This has triggered a wave of immigrants, that are allowed like me to live, work and even vote in UK.

I also consider application for citizenship at the same time, but again the law is so cumbersome to understand about when I will have full rights (e.g to get somebody from China on permanent basis). I found maybe it is easier to do it in Pl and then proceed. However all these immigration laws are unclear for me + I need to study both Pl and UK + EU laws.

[renzhe]

Sorry, I mixed up the years, I meant 2005, which is when most new EU states became full members (Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007), not 1995. In 2005 you definitely couldn't work anywhere in EU other than UK+Ireland. Full EU rights didn't matter, you still couldn't work freely.

It has been relaxed since, but not completely opened everywhere. You still can't work freely in Germany, for example, other than in some branches.

[roddy]

To be honest you want to be looking at UK / Immigration specific sites for help - the expertise here is mainly getting people into China, not out of it, and this is a more complex case than most. I suspect you're going to have to sit down and have a talk about whether you'd rather pay for a course she wouldn't (I assume) take if you weren't in the UK, or get married. Enjoy

[gato]

Or you can ask your girlfriend to look around on Chinese websites. There are lots of Chinese websites on studying abroad.

[yaritai]

There are specialist agencies which deal with the issue you have. Best to talk to them and get their advice as they deal with it everyday.

Another friend of mine got married. Made it quite simple and easy. But they were born in England.

In the end, she ran off with another guy....

But that can happen to anyone.

[danmey]

Thanks everyone.

Yes, I think I am ready to use the agency to sort out this problem, I am now 100% sure is a matter of urgency to use them.

I have still many ideas about it, but none of them I am able to verify without professional advice...