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I'm a Dutch citizen currently self-employed and living in China. From March 2018 I'll be working full-time as an employee for a UK company in London.

  • Is it possible for my Chinese girlfriend to come with me (we've been together for 1.5 years)?
  • Is it possible for my Chinese girlfriend to work in the UK? (She will be bored as hell if this is not possible).

She has a Bachelor's degree in marine biology and has a strong grasp of the English language. She speaks and writes fluent Mandarin and Cantonese. She currently works for a company that handles the visa process for people immigrating to the EU.

dda
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Thais Solino
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    If you get married, yes. Otherwise no, although if you reach the two mark by March 2018, and have been living together that entire two years, and can prove cohabitation for that entire period of time, then yes. You mention her qualifications. She can ofcourse qualify on her own right. You state she works for a company that handles immigration to the EU. Is she registered on this site? ;-) Kinda surprised she couldn't research this for you and provide you with the details. – ouflak Oct 25 '17 at 12:07
  • Actually I'm not so sure about the two year rule and if that applies to EU citizens. I think that may be UK citizens only.... – ouflak Oct 25 '17 at 12:12
  • She handles visa's for really rich Chinese people. Money makes things much easier. It seems to come down to marry or you have no chance to even "try" living / experience / work in UK / EU. – Thais Solino Oct 25 '17 at 13:56
  • Despite the recent increase in restrictions for UK visas over the last decade (especially the last five years), there are still plenty of people of modest means who manage to come to work, study, immigrate with/for family, etc.... It's far from 'no chance'. You just have to plan ahead and decide what you really want. If you two don't live together but want to remain partners, then some maybe some hard life-decisions are in your futures (such as whether you take that job, or whether you two marry, or whether she is willing to try and immigrate to the UK on her own merit and join you there.) – ouflak Oct 25 '17 at 15:38
  • Also, except for a few specific program aimed at very young people (Tier 5 and exchange students), the UK government is not really interested in people who are only experimenting with the idea of living in the UK. At your position in life, they want real commitment, and along those lines, they want to give the best opportunities to those who are clearly interested in making that commitment right from the beginning of the process. That's not a slight against you. That's just the way they've modeled their priorities in recent years. – ouflak Oct 25 '17 at 15:47
  • And she can still visit you as a girlfriend, as long as she can demonstrate that she has solid motivation to return to her home country (and will infact do so), and she meets all of the other requirements of a visitor. Also, she needs to be honest and factual right from the beginning as to why she is visiting. Girlfriends/boyfriends are allowed to visit, as long as they are clear about their intentions, and genuinely qualify as visitors. – ouflak Oct 25 '17 at 15:51
  • @ouflak the two year rule is the UK's threshold for "durable relationship, duly attested" under the freedom of movement directive. It therefore applies to EEA nationals' partners. – phoog Oct 25 '17 at 16:26
  • Good to know. Unfortunately, it doesn't apply to the OP I think. – ouflak Oct 25 '17 at 17:23
  • We are only together just about 1.7 years by the time i go to the UK – Thais Solino Oct 26 '17 at 13:40
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    Lol - "She currently works for a company that handles the visa process for people immigrating to the EU", and you are asking *us* ? Surely she is surrounded by people who can answer this question, either through explicit knowledge of the law, or by having seen similar cases during the course of their work? – Mawg says reinstate Monica Jan 25 '18 at 07:36
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    @Mawg those people are multi millionaires. It is much easier when you are rich. – Thais Solino Feb 06 '18 at 02:12

1 Answers1

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If you get married, yes. Otherwise no, although if you reach the two mark by March 2018, and have been living together that entire two years, and can prove cohabitation for that entire period of time, then yes. You mention her qualifications. She can of course possibly qualify on her own right through several means (work, grad student).

dda
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ouflak
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  • What about the fiancée visa? Although, with that you have to get married within 6 months, so it pretty much amounts to the same thing. – Mawg says reinstate Monica Jan 25 '18 at 07:37
  • Yes, marriage is an option. If you two don't want to be apart, you might be able to get married now in China and get her visa sorted before your move. Then you could go together. It's a bit tight now..., but sometimes these thing move along pretty quickly. – ouflak Jan 25 '18 at 16:07