# UK marriage visa for Chinese women



## bartman747

Hello everyone this is my first post so - Hello

I have been living in China and have had a Chinese girlfriend for some time now. We are starting to get very close and we have discussed getting married which is something we are both keen to do. My problem or dilemma is that my contract here in China finishes in April 2012 and there is a big part of me that wants to return back to the UK and then find some work in Europe. I am not the biggest fan of China and I don't really feel like I want to settle here so moving back to Europe is definitely something I will do sooner or later. However I do not want to part from my girlfriend. We have both discussed going to back to UK and Europe and she is all for this also.

I have done some research and have found out that getting married in China is not a big problem as long as I get paperwork stating I am not married already. My question is once we are married how long would it then take to organise the correct marriage visa for my then wife to come back to the UK with me. Also could anyone give me some more information on the requirements and procedures for getting a marriage visa for the UK, how long does all the paperwork and interviews normally take. Could organising a wedding and a visa be all done before next April, or I am looking at staying in China another year to get all of this done. 

Any help or advice on getting married or UK visas would most welcome

Thank you in advance.


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## mistamikee

Hi Bartman, i was in the same situation but its easy, 1st Dont get married in china, apply for Fiance visa for UK at your local UK visa office, if granted she will get a 6 mths visa but when arriving in UK you have until this time to get married, if you go ahead then she will get a 2 yrs residence permit if your still together after that period she will get Indefinite Leave to Remain. All you have to show is that you have somewhere to live and you can support her while you are living in UK , if you need any more help contact me via Skype at mistamikee2000 and i will be happy to tell you the ins and outs in detail and also my wife can explain in chinese to your fiance what is required .
Mike


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## MrChris

Hello Bartman,

This is my first post here and I am currently in the same situation as you were when you posted your thread. I have been with my Chinese girlfriend for 1.5 years now and we decided to marry early next year. We found out 2 months ago she was pregnant and so we had to move up our wedding date to ensure we were married before the baby was bourn.
My current project finishes around April 2013 and at the moment I have another project in the UK, I am however looking to stay in China on another expat contract.
We currently have a tourist visa for my girlfriend to visit the UK, 6 month 2 entry which expiers February 2013.
My question is this, How did you go about getting your wife a visa? how long did it take? is there anything you can recomend that might be able to help smooth the process out?

Any advice for married visa's would be very appreciated at this point.
Also if you know anything about registering a child as British although bourn in China would also be welcome.

Many thanks


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## muppetmoo

MrChris said:


> Hello Bartman,
> 
> This is my first post here and I am currently in the same situation as you were when you posted your thread. I have been with my Chinese girlfriend for 1.5 years now and we decided to marry early next year. We found out 2 months ago she was pregnant and so we had to move up our wedding date to ensure we were married before the baby was bourn.
> My current project finishes around April 2013 and at the moment I have another project in the UK, I am however looking to stay in China on another expat contract.
> We currently have a tourist visa for my girlfriend to visit the UK, 6 month 2 entry which expiers February 2013.
> My question is this, How did you go about getting your wife a visa? how long did it take? is there anything you can recomend that might be able to help smooth the process out?
> 
> Any advice for married visa's would be very appreciated at this point.
> Also if you know anything about registering a child as British although bourn in China would also be welcome.
> 
> Many thanks


Hi there,

This is also my first post on here! I am in a slightly different but also the same situation. I am an English female married to a Chinese male. I am currently looking into a UK visa for my husband as we do indeed on moving back to the UK within the next 2 years. So far i have found all the information a bit confusing so have sent several emails to law firms and advice centers all of whom claim to provide free advice on these situations. As of yet I have had no replies (only sent them yesterday). If I get any useful information I will post them on here for you all to read.

For your baby (congratulations by the way!) it is actually a lot of hassle and paperwork. A child who is born in China to at least one Chinese parent automatically gets registered as a Chinese citizen. If the child is born in any other country then they will not be registered as a Chinese citizen unless you fill in paperwork to declare this. If you have the child in China do not get them a UK passport as this complicates matters further. Keep the Chinese citizenship and get a visa for your child when you return to the UK. From this point you can complete tonnes of paperwork to lose the Chinese citizenship and then register your child as a UK citizen.

China does not accept dual nationality unlike the UK which is why you shouldn't get your child a UK visa whilst in China. I cant remember the exact issues that arise from this, but it's something along the lines of your child being allowed to exit one country but not enter the other or vise versa. I will locate the website where I learnt of all this which should be of some use to you, once I have found it I will reply again.

I hope is is of some help.


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## muppetmoo

muppetmoo said:


> Hi there,
> 
> This is also my first post on here! I am in a slightly different but also the same situation. I am an English female married to a Chinese male. I am currently looking into a UK visa for my husband as we do indeed on moving back to the UK within the next 2 years. So far i have found all the information a bit confusing so have sent several emails to law firms and advice centers all of whom claim to provide free advice on these situations. As of yet I have had no replies (only sent them yesterday). If I get any useful information I will post them on here for you all to read.
> 
> For your baby (congratulations by the way!) it is actually a lot of hassle and paperwork. A child who is born in China to at least one Chinese parent automatically gets registered as a Chinese citizen. If the child is born in any other country then they will not be registered as a Chinese citizen unless you fill in paperwork to declare this. If you have the child in China do not get them a UK passport as this complicates matters further. Keep the Chinese citizenship and get a visa for your child when you return to the UK. From this point you can complete tonnes of paperwork to lose the Chinese citizenship and then register your child as a UK citizen.
> 
> China does not accept dual nationality unlike the UK which is why you shouldn't get your child a UK visa whilst in China. I cant remember the exact issues that arise from this, but it's something along the lines of your child being allowed to exit one country but not enter the other or vise versa. I will locate the website where I learnt of all this which should be of some use to you, once I have found it I will reply again.
> 
> I hope is is of some help.


Ok so I can't leave the link as I'm a newbie so here is how to find it instead.

Go onto the uk embassy in china website
Click the 1st link "help for British nationals" 
On the left hand side click the 2nd link "living in china"
Click on the 4th link down "having a baby in china"

There's your information


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## MrChris

muppetmoo said:


> Ok so I can't leave the link as I'm a newbie so here is how to find it instead.
> 
> Go onto the uk embassy in china website
> Click the 1st link "help for British nationals"
> On the left hand side click the 2nd link "living in china"
> Click on the 4th link down "having a baby in china"
> 
> There's your information


Hello Muppetmoo,

(Cool name by the way ) 
I had a look at the information on the web site as you suggested and it was quite helpfull, Wile I was there i also sent the consulate an email asking all the same questions. It seems like it is going to take quite a wile to renounce the childs Chinese citizenship (between 4 - 6 months) and this is to be done in my wifes home town. To register the child (according to the consulate lady I spoke to) it is farely simple, a quick trip to the consulate in Guangzhou with passport's (mine and my wifes) baby registration docs, and wifes Hukao and they will issue a tempory passport for the baby. The final passport comes later but the paperwork is farely standard.
We decided to register the baby as British as we will live in the UK next year (as soon as the baby can travel they will join me), my contract here is China looks like it will finish early (very annoying) so I have found work back in the UK (the conditions are better for all) Obviously I am continuing to look here in China and will not stay in the UK but we both want the baby to benifit from the UK healthcare, schooling, pension and much less restricted visa issues to other countries. My work takes me all over and it is far easier for a British passport holder than a Chinese.
Many thanks for your advice and the details of the website you mentioned.
In regards to your issue of the visa, I am also looking into this and so far am at the same point you are. Once I know more I'll be sure to let you know what I find out.


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## muppetmoo

MrChris said:


> Hello Muppetmoo,
> 
> (Cool name by the way )
> I had a look at the information on the web site as you suggested and it was quite helpfull, Wile I was there i also sent the consulate an email asking all the same questions. It seems like it is going to take quite a wile to renounce the childs Chinese citizenship (between 4 - 6 months) and this is to be done in my wifes home town. To register the child (according to the consulate lady I spoke to) it is farely simple, a quick trip to the consulate in Guangzhou with passport's (mine and my wifes) baby registration docs, and wifes Hukao and they will issue a tempory passport for the baby. The final passport comes later but the paperwork is farely standard.
> We decided to register the baby as British as we will live in the UK next year (as soon as the baby can travel they will join me), my contract here is China looks like it will finish early (very annoying) so I have found work back in the UK (the conditions are better for all) Obviously I am continuing to look here in China and will not stay in the UK but we both want the baby to benifit from the UK healthcare, schooling, pension and much less restricted visa issues to other countries. My work takes me all over and it is far easier for a British passport holder than a Chinese.
> Many thanks for your advice and the details of the website you mentioned.
> In regards to your issue of the visa, I am also looking into this and so far am at the same point you are. Once I know more I'll be sure to let you know what I find out.


Hehe thanks 

I'm glad to hear that the information I provided was of some use to you. I have yet to receive a reply from the emails I sent so am assuming I won't be getting a reply! When I have enough time I am going to send more emails and maybe make some phone calls too!


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## GrahamWeifang

bartman747 said:


> Hello everyone this is my first post so - Hello
> 
> I have been living in China and have had a Chinese girlfriend for some time now. We are starting to get very close and we have discussed getting married which is something we are both keen to do. My problem or dilemma is that my contract here in China finishes in April 2012 and there is a big part of me that wants to return back to the UK and then find some work in Europe. I am not the biggest fan of China and I don't really feel like I want to settle here so moving back to Europe is definitely something I will do sooner or later. However I do not want to part from my girlfriend. We have both discussed going to back to UK and Europe and she is all for this also.
> 
> I have done some research and have found out that getting married in China is not a big problem as long as I get paperwork stating I am not married already. My question is once we are married how long would it then take to organise the correct marriage visa for my then wife to come back to the UK with me. Also could anyone give me some more information on the requirements and procedures for getting a marriage visa for the UK, how long does all the paperwork and interviews normally take. Could organising a wedding and a visa be all done before next April, or I am looking at staying in China another year to get all of this done.
> 
> Any help or advice on getting married or UK visas would most welcome
> 
> Thank you in advance.


.
Hi bartman,

In my opinion, you would be better getting married in China.
Then living and sharing a married life together.
Then after some time, then apply to UKBA for a settlement visa.
It is a drawn out affair, with many pitfalls and hurdles.
However, I am sure she is more than worth the effort.
The thing to show UKBA, is that you have a lasting, and durable relationship.
You primarily need to show them that you are a couple who know almost every thing there is to know about each other.
You need accommodation in UK, you need income of the latest standard set out my UKBA, you need your wife to be able to pass the English test.
I am not sure the latest requirement, it may still be the A2 framework, or moved to more difficult B2, you need to look that up yourself.
The UKBA want to see lot's of history of you two, they want to know that you are a real couple, and not some rich girl who has paid you megabucks, to marry her, and get her to England.
It has happened.

Any way.
Good luck

Graham


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