Mike W. from the UK needs help .

[Arnold]

To your question Mike , I have thought it over and came to this conclusion for you .
This is what I would do in your case . First marry her in China , for Her Family , then take all the needed paper's for the visa application , her devorce cert . ( notarized ) in both languages ; at least four Passport photo's ; copy of birth cert . ; copy of her passport ; police report from her hometown , original  copy ; marriage cert. ( both languages , and notarized ); copy of her school's she went to , from when to when ; This is what was needed for the U S , so might be a little different for the UK . You of course will save everything , all the letter's , phone bill's , take many photo's of you two together , all the receipt's what ever you have done together while visiting . While all the paperwork for the Visa is in procress , your Lady keep's working as usual , ones the Visa get's approved , she must quit her Job , get ready to come to the UK  .
About the Apartment now , If you both decide to keep it , let the Son live there and have him Pay say 400 yuan a month , that leaves him 600 yuan to live on . You  Mike , must pick up the difference to keep it . Until your LAdy had time to adjust to life in the UK and find a Job herself . Then she can help with the payment's . Otherwise you must sell it , if you can not pay the difference and her son , earning 1000 yuan is not going to affort it . Myself I would find a way to pay for it and pay it off in 13 year's and you two have a place to call your home when visiting her Parent's here and there . Now , one more thing , her son must be trusted to pay for it on time of course , since he is 21 , I think he is adult enough to handle this task . So talk it over with your LAdy and see what she think's about my suggestion . Good Luck ,  Mike .

[David]

The son could get a responsible room mate to help pay the rent too...

Big Dave

[mickw]

Hi Guys

Thanx Arnold for your advice,for all you other bros ill just outline my problem which  I briefly discussed with Arnold and Ronan and a couple more guys on chat last night.

A most of you who used the facebook forum will know i travelled to china late February to mid March this year ,met Fang whom i'd been in touch with for some 8 months before ,ive posted on the facebook forum previously about our adventures there so if u want to read it check it our on facebook,and ill fill you all in on the problem
Bear in mind bros our immigration is very different to the US immigration,so i can check out what is required ,but as i see it and have discussed with Fang ,she has 2 options 1) She comes here as a visitor for 6 months ,after which she must return to china within the granted visa time ,on one hand its a good sounding out period for her to see if she can cope with life here in the UK ,and also cope with me !!!,as you do need to live with someone to know them well,on the downside she would have to give up her job to come here with no certainty she would be able to return to the job,which she is a doctor out there,this option is i guess not the favourite one as she has so much to loose .
This option is a great way to check out a relationship though,as i had another chinese lady over here for 5 months last year,on a visitor visa but i had certain issues with her and my daughter,whos 7 this month ,and there was definatly friction between them towards the end of her stay,i felt like i was on a rack ....one pulling one way and the other pulling the other,so as my daughter and myself come as a package, she returned back and were friends still now but nothing long term has come from her visit here.
Option 2) i return and marry Fang in china as Arnie suggests and apply for the wife /fiancee visa here

Now for the stmbling block

Fang owns an apartment in a block of flats in Fuzhou,for which she has a mortgage/bank loan  for,which has apparently 12 years to run ,for which she has to find 1300 rmb per month,not a vast amount by UK standards i admit,it equates to approx £145 per month,she earns upwards of 2300 rmb herself and her son 1000 rmb of which he gives her 700 rmb to help with the laon ,and general running of the place.

Ive discussed the situation with her at length,but she still has problems getting her head round it and also shes wanting her son to come over too ,,,,which is a non starter at first ,as the visa is for her and family dont come into the equasion for at least a couple of years ,i know as previously i was married to a filipina,and one of my ex  wifes filipina friends brings over her mother every 18 months to visit her for 6 months,but it didnt happen until the lady had been here for 2 or 3 years.
And i dont have room for a 21 year old guy in my house as ive only 2 bedrooms,and in my opinion he should be starting to stand on his own 2 feet at 21 years old.

One option i suggested would be to rent out the apartment,but she says she would only get around 4000 rmb per annum in rent,a big shortfall in the total annual loan repayment, saying that i would have thought 4000 rmb PA is rather on the low side but just going on what she told me.
I also suggested the son stay there and took in a lodger while his mom was away in the Uk,

She suggested selling the place,but with the slump in the housing market she says it would maybe take awhile to sell,and if it did sell quickly it still leaves her son without a place to stay,although his grandparents have a large place nearby he could probably stay.

I would be happy to help out with the payments while she was over here ,and she has said that after the 6 months that they are not allowed to work here in the UK,should she get a job here she would comfortably be able to forward the loan back home from her salary here,thing is im not sure how her doctors training and qualifications stack up against the training our docs have here,which would dictate the type of job she would get here.

Another option a friend suggested was to look at a working visa for her,to follow her career in the medical field.but again it begs the question of how she stack up against our docs here .

Fang uses translation software when were online,and i cant help but feel some things i say and suggest do get lost in translation ,and consequently misunderstandings do occur.

All in all Fang has to decide which way she wants to go and i fully understand her problem ,i know shes still nervous about comitting to marrying a second time as the first time apparently want good ,and all credit due shes brought up her son with no help from her ex whatsoever.and i know shes very close to her family there as most of them are,most of us are parents on here so we all appreciate what that brings us,after all we all know whats its like not to be a dad/mum ,but only those who have kids know what its like to be a dad/mom

I was hoping to get something moving within 6 weeks or so of returning home as regards the visa thing ,one way or the other,and i did mention that hadnt she given any thought to what she would do with the house should she meet someone on Chn love,and possibly relocate ,her response was that she didnt expect to meet some one so quick ?  8 months quick .

Anyhow bros thats the scenario in a nutshell .naturally im feelin a bit pissed off just now as ive found the love of my life ,typical aint it feeling on top of the world when we were together in china ,and now being apart from her and so far away sometimes im lower than a snakes bollocks,but im a fighter and so is she ,and we will overcome this little hitch one way or another

Any input and suggestions from you guys greatly appreciated

Cheers

Mike

[Irishman]

I think you are going to have to find a way to help her pay for the apartment. She's not going to leave her son with no home to live in regardless of his age and I doubt it will go down well if you tell her he should stand on his own two feet, though I completely agree with that sentiment - I think family ties are much closer over there than here as a whole. Not sure If I'm putting that well, maybe Maxx could give his tuppence worth here?
If she is a qualified doctor over there I'm sure there are courses she can take to get her papers in order over here. No matter what work she does in the Uk she'll easily come up with £145 p/m even part time. I don't think there is any way around it as the son isnt going to easily come with her visa wise so he will have to have a home there.
If she's to work in the UK then you'll have to marry her first I'm pretty sure, though if her doctors qualification is valid in the UK also she might be able to get a skilled workers visa on her own.

[maxx]

Mike what Ronan is telling you is right.China has alot of different customs.That boy will stay with his mother until he eather marries or finds a job in a different city.Very few Children move out on there own In China.unless they get married or find work in another City,Or go to a university.

I did hear that it is pretty tough to bring Children on a visa to the UK.I would consult with a immagration atourney just to see what they would have to say.

As far as the apartment how much is owed on it ? If this works out for you and the lady you mite thinkl of just paying it off.For now if the lady does decide to Come to the Uk. I would just make the payment.She isn't going to want to go all that way to the Uk and have to get a job withen a couple of days to make the payment.

As far as being a doctor in the UK you didn't say what kind of doctor she is.So I'm just going to assume she is a generel Physision.She would have to pass the medical board exam in the UK.

If she is any kind of specialty doctor like.Baby doctor or Plastic surgeon,She would have to return to medical school.In China whatever kind of doctor you decide you want to be.That is what they train you for.You do not have to spend years in a  Medical school.Or study fo years under another doctor.My wife is a doctor she went to Medical school for 4 years

My wife was a plastic surgeon in China.She has had very little training in any other parts of the medical field.She can take your blood preasure and check your pulse.And a few other small things but that is it.


Mike good luck hope this helps

[Gautam]

I will add my 2 pennies worth.

1. Medical qualifications are difficult to convert as European/US standards are high but as has been said you need to find out what sort of Medical qualification she has and how that can be converted - easy to find out just call a higher education person or a University near you.

2. She can always come over as a sudent - expensive but there are scolarships available and you can check with the British Counsel as one place.

3. Son at 21 is an adult and all you can do is sponsor him if required but he is independent as far as UK immigration is concerned. Even his mum if she married you and became a brit would have a problem getting him over.

There is a QANGO in London called the Joint Welfare for Immigrants - call them and they will tell you all you need to know and do.

[Gautam]

Sorry it is called the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants