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So my girlfriend (Indian) and I (Indian) have been in a relationship for almost a year now. I just started my Master's degree here in the UK this month. She has been studying in Tbilisi, Georgia for the past 3 years. We are planning a trip to the UK during December. Can you please help us with the below questions:

  1. She has a bank account in Tbilisi, but am not sure the funds will be enough for the trip to the UK. I am looking to transfer some money from my account to hers that can help her with the visa. Please advise if this is a good idea.

  2. Can I sponsor her entire trip? I am paying for her flights and the accommodation is covered as she is staying with me. I have a studio living in a student accommodation. The problem here is I have just come to the UK and only opened a bank account yesterday. Will UKBA accept such a short period bank statement? I have more than enough funds to provide for the both of us on her trip here by the way.

Kindly let us know your experiences as well which can help us to get her the visa.

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1.She has a bank account in Tbilisi, but am not sure the funds will be enough for the trip to the UK. I am looking to transfer some money from my account to hers that can help her with the Visa. Please advice if this is a good idea.

If you do that, make sure to explicitly declare in a letter that it is a gift from you, or she could well be refused. Transferring a high amount of money to the applicant "to help with the visa" is frequently interpreted as what we call funds parking, a common cause for refusal.

Having enough money at one point in time is not enough: they want to see that she regularly gets a steady amount of income, and that that money is enough for her to visit the UK without throwing away her life savings. The only acceptable proof is several consecutive bank statements showing a steady and sufficient income

2.Can I sponsor her entire trip? I am paying for her flights and the accommodation is covered as she is staying with me. I have a studio living in a student accommodation. The problem here is I have just come to the UK and only opened a bank account yesterday.

Your circumstances make you (bluntly speaking) a worthless sponsor, as a sponsor is expected to be well-established in the UK and have a steady income there allowing them to financially support a visitor from abroad and be able to prove it through multiple consecutive bank statements.

Will UKBA accept such a short period bank statement? I have more than enough funds to provide for the both of us on her trip here btw.

If they can't see through at least 5 or 6 consecutive bank statements that you have a steady income that's sufficient to support a visitor from abroad, they're not going to accept your sponsorship.

What this means is: unless your girlfriend's funds are clearly enough to support herself whilst in the UK, she should cancel her plans to come to the UK, as the risks are too high.

Once she gets a stable income that's high enough for her to be able to afford a trip to the UK without working there, she can apply.

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    Thank you for a straight forward answer. I understand now. Can you help up with this as well please? She has had a bank account since the time she started studying in Tbilisi. She regularly gets income from her mother living in India. Will the bank statements for this be enough atleast?
    – user68514
    Commented Sep 26, 2017 at 22:40
  • @Crazydre unfortunately I dont think Gayot frequents this site any more :(
    – user29788
    Commented Sep 26, 2017 at 22:56
  • Thank you for the answers. I just wish we would find a way to get a Visa for her. Seems like it is not as possible as I thought it would be :( On the other hand, I just found out just now that me being a Temporary resident here in the UK do not need a Georgian Visa as I am exempt from it :P Oh well...Better I go to Georgia then.
    – user68514
    Commented Sep 26, 2017 at 23:03
  • @phoog ECOs end to interpret a sudden rise in the account balance as funds parking (which is fraud)- so to avoid being treated accordingly, OP needs to confirm otherwise in a letter with the application. In addition they mostly care about the funds of the applicant themself - as for her mother, given that she's the one supporting her, I'm not entirely sure.
    – Crazydre
    Commented Sep 27, 2017 at 3:38
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    @Crazydre no. If the sponsor gives money to the traveler, and the deposit is described as a gift from the sponsor, there is no fraud. For something to be fraudulent, it has to be deceitful.
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 27, 2017 at 4:13

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