AndyJohn Posted January 20, 2012 at 06:51 AM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 06:51 AM ............ Quote
icebear Posted January 20, 2012 at 01:09 PM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 01:09 PM I can't offer advice regarding the visa situation, but I've known a few multinational couples that have moved to Singapore as a way to leave China without dealing with as many of the visa concerns back west; they were both working in multinational corporations before so they were able to find jobs with visa sponsorship. Not in line with your request, but if you're determined to stay together it may be worth looking into all your options... Quote
kdavid Posted January 20, 2012 at 01:50 PM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 01:50 PM While you may find someone with first-hand experience here, I advise you contact your local embassy and get moving on the paperwork. As most women discover they're pregnant around the 8 - 10-week mark, you likely only have about 7 - 8 months from now to get her visa sorted before she's ready to give birth. I'm not sure what the UK time line is, but it can take up to a year to get a fiance visa for the States. If the UK is similar, you two may not have a choice but to give birth in China. I hear there are excellent hospitals in Shanghai. Quote
roddy Posted January 20, 2012 at 01:59 PM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 01:59 PM Read this. Figure out what your best option will be (does it make more sense to bring your girlfriend over as a fiancee and get married here, or get married in China and bring her over as her wife). Then get cracking on the forms. Quote
fanglu Posted January 20, 2012 at 02:09 PM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 02:09 PM I don't know anything about UK immigration law, but based on experience of the Australian system my assumption would be that provided you are married and expecting a baby, getting a visa should be reasonably easy (although not necessarily fast). If you are keen on having the baby in the UK you should get married and submit the application (including baby-related details certified by a doctor) ASAP. Congratulations! (null) Quote
David Wong Posted January 20, 2012 at 02:22 PM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 02:22 PM Just curious if you've considered the option of applying for a visitor's visa for your girlfriend. I imagine that could be a quicker way to get her into the country to give birth. You could then follow up with the "spouse/partner" visa application after she's arrived in the UK. Quote
roddy Posted January 20, 2012 at 02:36 PM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 02:36 PM I wouldn't conceal the fact you're planning to get married though - you may well end up having a visa interview while she's several months pregnant, and that's not going to escape notice. Quote
bad_dream_house Posted January 20, 2012 at 03:37 PM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 03:37 PM Congratulations! I would think fanglu's advice is pretty much bang on - best chance is probably to get married in China and then get visa process moving asap. (but obviously UK embassy or consulate will be best placed to advise) I think it would be extremely difficult if not impossible for your girlfriend to get a visitor's visa while in late stage of pregnancy as UK are increasingly fretting about so called "health tourism" - ie people traveling to UK for medical treatment (including births) as tourists and leaving NHS to pay the bill, though if your girlfriend had fiance or spouse visa this obviously wouldn't be a problem Having said that I'm sure you don't need to rush into anything if you were both happy for your girlfriend to give birth in China and I'm sure you do have a lot of options. As kdavid says Shanghai and other first tier cities have very high standard of medical care and I think I'm right in saying that the children of UK national even if born overseas and only one parent have automatic right to UK citizenship (though not 100% - you would need to check) Quote
GaryM Posted January 20, 2012 at 07:21 PM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 07:21 PM Also congratulations! I went through something similar myself 18 years ago. I was in a state of panic initially, but having a child is one of the most fulfilling experiences you can have in your life. However, my partner was Japanese, so the visa issues are not identical. I have a slightly different perspective based on my own experiences. The first thing that I would consider is where you are most likely to have family support. If you both have very supportive families, then I would recommend initially staying in China. Whilst it is stressful for a new father, this in no way compares with what your partner is going to go through. If she has a mother and family who are around to support her, then this is the ideal situation. I would not underestimate how important this is in the run-up to child birth and immediately afterwards. A mother's family environment is the most natural place for her to feel safe and secure. She can get expert first hand advice from her mother. However, if for whatever reason the UK is the best choice, I am tempted to say; get there as soon as possible and get married whilts she is on a tourist visa. As soon as you are married in the UK, she has a legal right to apply for a marriage visa. As far as I am aware the clock stops as soon as you have made the application, so you don't need to worry about her over-staying her visa. I would do this as soon as possible if this is your intended destination. I am not sure how long the application process would be for a Fiance Visa, but I think that potentially you are putting yourself under incredible pressure if you go down this route. It is stressful enough knowing that you are going to have a child, and possibly getting married, but not knowing where you will be living, and whether or not you will be going to the UK, as the birth gets nearer and nearer... really... I don't think you should put yourself or the mother through that. Whatever stress you are going to feel, she is going to feel double. So first, think about whether or not you will have the best family support in the UK or China. If it is the UK, then arrange for a tourist visa, get over there as quickly as possible, get married, and apply for the marriage visa in the UK. That would be my advice. At least in that case, you can deal with the residency issue well in advance of the birth itself. 2 Quote
fanglu Posted January 20, 2012 at 11:14 PM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 11:14 PM I think GaryM's comments about where to give birth are good - it will be stressful enough for your wife/girlfriend to move to another country, being pregnant without family support (no matter how supportive your family is, it's not the same as your own family) will be even harder. A second point on this. When I used to work with a lot of Chinese people in Australia, I found it was actually common for them to go back to China to have children. I expect having family around was part of it, but they also had this idea that Australian doctors didn't understand Chinese bodies. While I'm not a doctor so can't comment on the medical accuracy of that, it was definitely something a lot of then believed quite strongly. It would probably be a good idea to talk this issue through with your girlfriend and make sure she is 100% ok with having the baby in the UK, rather than just assuming the medical care will be better there so that's where it's going to happen. (null) 2 Quote
David Wong Posted January 21, 2012 at 02:07 AM Report Posted January 21, 2012 at 02:07 AM I don't know if it's come up between you and your girlfriend but there are a lot of customs and traditions that the Chinese follow leading up to and after childbirth. A lot of them revolve around the mother's diet. There may be special food preparations and herbal remedies that she would want to have (or her mother would want her to have) that may be difficult to come by in the UK. Also, it is customary for the new Chinese mother to get bedrest for an extended period after childbirth, and be waited on hand and foot by a midwife or her own mother. You may want to take those things into consideration. Quote
David McKendrick Posted January 22, 2012 at 02:11 AM Report Posted January 22, 2012 at 02:11 AM It is very difficult to obtain a visitor visa for your girlfriend to come to UK because she is coming from a "poor" country and the suspicion is that she will not return to China after her visit. Since you want the child to be born and raised in UK this is a not unreasonable suspicion on the part of the UK Border Agency. If you do manage to get a visitor visa for her she will not be entitled to free NHS care in the UK. The cost of childbirth will be several thousand pounds. If she applies for a settlement (spouse or fiancee) visa she will have to prove that she has learned English by passing an exam at an approved English language school in China and there are not many approved schools. After obtaining a settlement visa there is a two year stay in UK before applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain in UK and if married to a UK Citizen a stay of 3 years in UK before applying for UK Citizenship. If you are named on the child's birth certificate then it has an automatic right to UK Citizenship but this does not give the mother any rights to move or live in UK. If she has the baby in China while unmarried and without having applied for a license to have a baby there will be a large fine to pay.... Quote
AndyJohn Posted January 22, 2012 at 03:26 AM Author Report Posted January 22, 2012 at 03:26 AM ............... Quote
imron Posted January 22, 2012 at 05:55 AM Report Posted January 22, 2012 at 05:55 AM Rather than PMs, it would be nicer if you could come back when everything is over and post a follow-up so that future readers potentially wanting an answer to the same question can also benefit. 1 Quote
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