Obtaining a UK Visa for my GF from Vietnam and language courses

Im from England and met my girlfriend who is from Ho Chi Minh we are taking things slow as it early days but I am planning for the future in advance. I wondered if anyone has any experience in bringing there girlfriend to England and what you had to do to obtain the Visa. I understand it not going to be easy process but im willing to do what it takes and jump through any hoops to get there.

She works in Interior design but only earns about £250 a month (so close to 7,000,000VND)  I hope this wont be a stumbling block. Im in a decent job in the UK but without disclosing my profession I work in the Ministry of Defence but only civlian security not in any intelligence based part. I read about Visa issues cropping up when you work under the Ministry of defence banner I hope not as I plan to get a 1 month visa when i return next year to Vietnam.

I just come back from Vietnam and stayed under the free 15 days Visa my first time in Asia and I was blown away it was certainly a place I will never forget. I saw Ho Chi Minh and all sites and Cu Chi tunnels plus traveled to Phu Quoc to the Shells resort which was amazing the staff and service was fantastic.

Im going to return to Vietnam May next year I plan to travel with my girlfriend we will see Dalat, Da Nang, Hoi An, Halong Bay, Hanoi, Trang An, Ninh Binh, I really cant wait for this trip already.

And my last question my girlfriend english is not 100% great and I was wondering if anyone can point me to a good tutor or company in Ho Chi minh that can get her english skills up to top grade. I want her to get her English skills up so she can hopefully get a higher paid job in the future she has been to University and graduated.

I don't want to sound too negative, but from your post you were only in Viet Nam for 15 days. Therefore you have only spent about 15 days with this lady and are now talking about getting her into the Uk. Is that correct.

Classic stuff.    15 days in Vietnam and you met a girl .   So Im assuming you've more than likely only known her for little more than a week, possibly

I would suggest you LIVE near or with any woman here for at least 2 years before even thinking about taking her home to see mum.   Meeting a girl in Saigon is simple.  They are very good at spotting new arrivals and miraculously just "pop up".

Is that guy Boris Johnson calling the shots in the UK now.......with the Brexit coming you may have a problem getting back there yourself , let alone bringing a Vietnamese with you.  Are you aware of the difficulty they have getting into any developed country. 

Yogi has a system in place that prevents him from getting talked into taking "stray" women back home .  If ever I start babbling about that,....I have a written agreement with a buddy of mine to take a fence paling and hit me across the back of the head with it as hard & often as he can.

So far it's worked.

Seriously, I know a guy here that married his lady friend, but it's taken over 2 years of tedious processing and it's still not a done deal.  And now with Brexit , that will only slow things down further.

Please dont jump to conclusion you are right in one regard but I have been speaking to the girl from online dating and skype etc for 6 months before I met her in Vietnam.

As I have described in my first post I am planning for the future my decision to bring her here wont be immediate. I will be going back next year to meet her family etc but things at this moment in time seem very good.

All I want is good advice on the ins and out of bringing her here.

Bingham67 wrote:

Please dont jump to conclusion you are right in one regard but I have been speaking to the girl from online dating and skype etc for 6 months before I met her in Vietnam.

As I have described in my first post I am planning for the future my decision to bring her here wont be immediate. I will be going back next year to meet her family etc but things at this moment in time seem very good.

All I want is good advice on the ins and out of bringing her here.


You mustn't mind Yogi.   His heart is in the right place and he gives valid advice
because reality (always) bites us idealists on the bum.   And it hurts.

But our experiences reflect us; always unique, so whilst heeding his warnings
we must also follow up where our hearts lead us by listening to the logic.

Time forces us all to drop the pretence and deal with the daily drudgery, dirt &
dramas everyone faces.   Two years means you can cope: the honeymoon is over
and you (hopefully) have trust, tolerance - and compromise.   Yes, all are needed.

If you really require the harsh reality Go Ogle the various horror stories which
do more than dispel the fairy tale fantasies.  They all happened, and (as always?)
the truth is far stranger than fiction.   Are we trying to scare you..?   YOU BET!!!

It's also called Life.   Be careful; you're standing in it.

Best wishes and good luck.    Boy, are you gonna need it....     :blink:

     Google is your friend.   Immigration will give the gory details you're after:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct … FbiMBLYSTQ

Have seen this happen more times than I will could ever remember, we all have. Two to three months from now you'll have a different opinion, and we will never hear from you again. By then reality will have set in and you'll be back to the life you had before coming here.

Bingham67 wrote:

Please dont jump to conclusion you are right in one regard but I have been speaking to the girl from online dating and skype etc for 6 months before I met her in Vietnam.

As I have described in my first post I am planning for the future my decision to bring her here wont be immediate. I will be going back next year to meet her family etc but things at this moment in time seem very good.

All I want is good advice on the ins and out of bringing her here.


How old is your girlfriend? I ask because it is odd for a Viet girl to go on vacation with someone they just met, especially without him knowing or meeting the family.

That's not true. I have dated several VN girls in my years here and they were happy to come on holiday without having to meet the family or go thru hoops. They were just happy to have a holiday and spend time out of the home

SouthofNorth wrote:

That's not true. I have dated several VN girls in my years here and they were happy to come on holiday without having to meet the family or go thru hoops. They were just happy to have a holiday and spend time out of the home


I think the point he was making was that the girl had never met the guy before and went on holidays with him. Sure, if you know a girl for some time it's ok, which is very different.

This is exactly why I don't ask strangers online for advice related to personal stuff. Only you can tell your situation best.

I can only advise you and your girlfriend to travel a bit to developed countries so she can improve her passport with visas to rich countries. That will help a lot with visa to the UK. I would start first with Singapore, Korea, Japan, Australia, NZ. For the last 3 years obtaining visa to Europe and America, I have never been asked for documents. Every time I go to the embassies, I give them my passport first then no question asked after that.

And of course, you're totally right about she needs to find a better paid job because it helps with getting visa as well.

Please also be careful and do not let the other head blind you. It's all about protecting the heart. Good luck and take care!

Yeah, as Khanh said, your gf need a better job with a "beautiful" passport, which means she has to travel as much as she can, go to another countries in SEA and then US/France/Aus, ect so it will easier for her to get a visa to England.
About her English skills, I think communication is the key, she needs to practice her English everyday with native speakers. She can learn from english news, movies, but better go out and meet people.
I suggest she should join a group named Saigon International Friends on facebook. They have language classes and other activities every week which she can join for free, where she can meet new friends from all over the world and have chances to improve her english.

I hope you guys are going well and wil have a bright future. Good luck  :D

Thankyou so much for the information Ngan Khanh and SpiColi very helpful

Aside from all the questions about the relative newness of this relationship, it seems to me that the only visa you may apply for on her behalf is a fiance visa and during that 6 month visa period, you must marry.  If you are talking about a shorter term tourist visa, doesn't she have to apply on her own?  .  "You can apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you want to visit the UK:  for leisure, eg on holiday or to see your family and friends..."  https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa 

The part where you may come in is on the follow-on next page  :  "[She] must always show that:  [she will] leave the UK at the end of your visit[: she is] able to support [her]self and any dependents for the duration of [her] trip[; she is] able to pay for [her] return or onward journey and any other costs relating to [her] visit..."  Because of her income level, UK immigration may want some kind of affidavit from you.  Your government post may help you there.  It was many years ago and the US, but I do know of a policeman who entered into a bogus marriage to a woman in a refugee camp as a favor to her relatives.  Because of his occupation, no questions were asked.