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From WHV to Spouse's visa voluntary work OK?

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junai
Newbie
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 3:37 pm

From WHV to Spouse's visa voluntary work OK?

Post by junai » Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:01 pm

I am a British national and my partner is South African. She is currently here in the UK on a working holiday visa. We will be getting married in South Africa in January and then applying for the spouse's visa.

My fiance's WHV will expire on 16th December - she has already worked the 12 months she is allowed (paid) and is now bored out of her mind. She wants to do some voluntary work just to get out of the house and keep her mind occupied. Is she allowed to do this under the old WHV scheme? I can't find the guidance notes as this is no longer a UK immigration category. I want to make sure we get this right as the last thing we want is for our spouse's visa to be refused on the grounds that she breached immigration rules on a prior visa (for the sake of one day a week voluntary work). So to summarise:

1. Does voluntary work count towards the 12 months employment total in which case she has already worked her allocation?

2. If it is allowed and she were to do some voluntary work is this likely to suggest to an ECO (when we apply for spouse's visa) that the work she was doing in the UK was not 'incidental' to her holiday here (and so she breached the rules)?

3. If we were to risk it would the ECO for the spouse's visa be able to find out anyway? If we don't mention it on the form and she wasn't paid (so no tax records) how would they know?


I have other questions but i'll make separate threads for those so as not to make this post an essay.

Wanderer
Diamond Member
Posts: 10511
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 1:46 pm
Ireland

Post by Wanderer » Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:18 pm

Work is work, paid or not.
An chéad stad eile Stáisiún Uí Chonghaile....

junai
Newbie
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 3:37 pm

Post by junai » Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:21 pm

Thanks for the quick reply - i thought as much. Oh well i guess to be on the safe side she'll just to have to bored for six months!

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