Hello All
I'm hoping people more in the know than me can give me some help/advice on a situation that's developing for me.
I'm British, and live in the U.K. In the summer I met a girl online, we started dating in August, it's been going really great, I'm the happiest I've been in a very long time. She's a South African who moved initially to Portugal, then relocated to this country earlier this year, working for the same company as she was when in Portugal, and has a skilled workers sponsored visa.
It's been looking increasingly likely over the last few weeks the company she works for might have it's funding pulled and would then be in a position where it'd shut down early next year. I know enough about her visa she'd have a very short window of opportunity to find another sponsored job if that were to happen or have to leave. She is looking for an alternative already and I hope she finds something but I need a plan B in case she doesn't.
My question is, I've been reading about spouse/finance visa's as a potential way to stop her having to leave. We're not married and don't live together so I believe I'm correct we'd not qualify for a spouse visa.
I had read about fiancé visa's and wondered if there might be an opportunity to keep her here with me with one of those, I personally meet all the criteria of British citizen, income level, place to live etc.
Does anyone have any experience with getting these? I know I meet the criteria and she obviously does too as she was accepted for one visa, I'm not sure if we'd be able to prove we're in a "genuine relationship" to people who only look at applications on paper. We've been dating for several months, stay at each others houses, met each other's friends and families on social occasions, been away together within the UK, but we don't live together yet.
Any help and advice is much appreciated.