British visa: Chinese in Britain are filial and sad. Visa approval is similar to "family visa"

According to UK-Chinese Times, the ancients said, "If your parents are here, you must travel if you don't travel far." However, for many overseas Chinese, even if they swim well overseas and settle down, they have not fully fulfilled their filial piety. Parents are getting older and older, living alone in the "empty nest" in China, and their health is getting worse every day ... Many wanderers mention their parents in mainland China with a sigh. Even if e-mail is fast and network communication is convenient, the figure displayed on the screen can't replace the real person, and the virtual audio-visual signal can't fill the position of the child in the parents' hearts.

Visiting relatives for half a year is always a "temporary thirst". For Chinese who want to take care of their parents' knees day and night, they still need to apply for a dependent visa. However, the difficulty of applying for this kind of visa can be described as "it is difficult to go to the sky". It is difficult to find a complete solution to the "empty nest" life of domestic parents, which has increasingly become a difficult knot in the hearts of overseas Chinese.

Lonely father with "economic independence"

"My father is nearly old, and I am the only daughter in the family. My mother died of illness. The visa officer actually thinks that he is economically independent and did not apply for a dependent visa because he still has a pension. "

Ms. Yin, who has worked in Britain for many years, has been struggling to get a family visa recently. I thought my husband was from the European Union, and when applying for a family visa, I could use the conditions signed by the family members of the European Union to explain it. But I didn't expect the visa officer to judge his father's economic independence in accordance with the procedures of British immigration law and refused to rely on the visa.

"I have long heard that it is very troublesome for Britain to meet the economic requirements in the pro-signing, but I didn't expect the family members of the European Union to be no exception. It seems that Britain, an old capitalist country, really knows how to use capital, and family relationships are not worth measuring except money. " Ms. Yin said indignantly.

Perhaps Ms. Yin herself didn't think that the decision to stay in Britain a few years ago would make her so sad now. She just graduated that year and found a good job by her own efforts. Just as she was about to usher in a new life, her mother suddenly became seriously ill. Ms. Yin wanted to leave her job and return to China, but she was stopped by all her relatives and friends. Even her sick mother wants her to cherish her hard-won job and accumulate some work experience before returning to China.

For this foggy future, Ms. Yin stayed in Britain, and the day of returning to China was delayed again and again. Although I haven't opened a branch in Britain yet, I also met a kind foreign husband and took root in Britain. Ms. Yin's husband is a Dutch national. He has been in England for ten years. He is not familiar with Chinese, and it is impossible for him to give up his career and accompany her back to China. It seems more and more difficult for her to return to China.

"I have traveled to and from China many times in recent years, and the hardships are really hard to describe. After my mother died, my father's life was even worse. I am' mixed' every day, and I am reluctant to leave him alone every time I return to China. " Ms. Yin sighed.

Seeing that his father is getting more and more dull, his pension has not risen for more than ten years. Even the money for seeing a doctor is mostly self-funded, and life is even more confused. Ms. Yin is more anxious than anyone else. She once considered sending her father to a nursing home, but after consulting, she found that a good bed had to wait in line for several years, and even when she arrived, Ms. Yin could not bear to let her elderly father live in a collective life again. She also wanted to find a new wife for her father, but her father and mother were so loving that she couldn't propose.

After thinking for a long time, Ms. Yin finally decided to let her father immigrate to Britain and take care of herself. Although his wife has passed away, his father has lived in China for many years and is unwilling to start a new life abroad. After many efforts, Ms. Yin finally persuaded her father to come to Britain, but unexpectedly, there was another mistake in the accompanying visa, and the father and daughter were separated on both sides of the mainland again.

Ms. Yin doesn't quite understand the British visa's emphasis on the economic situation. In her opinion, her father is old, single in China and has nothing to rely on. Although the pension received can only barely maintain a person's life in China, it can't make his father live a rich life. The visa was refused for this reason, which really made her unacceptable.

"There is an old man running around, and I am already very sad. I didn't expect a pro-visa to be impossible. Do we really need to separate husband and wife to solve the problem Cameron always talks about family harmony. In their eyes, there are only children and husband and wife at home, but are all British people jumping out of the stone without parents? " Ms. Yin said angrily.

Empty nest parents who moved back to their hometown

Ms. Wu, who has lived in Britain for five years, has been a little annoyed recently. After her parents in China failed to urge her daughter to return to China, she sold her property in Guangzhou and moved back to her hometown to live with relatives.

Ms. Wu graduated from a top-ranking university in China. With excellent grades, she found a good job with an annual salary of several hundred thousand in China. After working for five years, she began to plan to emigrate abroad through skills. Because of her outstanding work performance, she successfully passed the T 1 visa, came to the UK, met her husband abroad, and then they got married and settled in the UK.

"My parents have always been very reasonable and have not tied me too much. They also let me choose to go abroad and support my own decision, but their attitude has suddenly changed a lot in recent years. Every time I call, I say that life has nothing to rely on, urging me to return to China. " Ms. Wu said.

In Ms. Wu's view, retirement is a watershed in parents' attitude towards going abroad. Before retirement, both parents had their own jobs and busy lives. Occasionally, they will fly to visit their daughter on annual leave. Half a year's home leave is enough for a family to travel and enjoy in Britain. But after retirement, both parents have more leisure time. Watching other people's homes get busy, their own homes are deserted, and the only daughter is getting farther and farther away, which often develops into "no return to the sea." The two parents gradually became angry with their daughter's overseas career.

"At first, it was just a hint. Call and ask me to consider taking a vacation and go back to China to see my parents; Later, he told me directly that he would return to China as soon as possible before giving birth to a child. His parents were too old to fly all the time. But my career in England has just improved, and I can't help it. I can't just leave. "

In order to alleviate her parents' homesickness, Ms. Wu applied for a two-year visit visa for her parents, during which she could go back and forth many times, with a maximum stay of six months at a time. She wants to adapt her parents to life in Britain through visiting visas, and then move her family to Britain for reunion through immigration.

But things didn't go as smoothly as Ms. Wu thought. They are used to life in Guangzhou, and the two old people are not used to it in England. Because of the language barrier, the two old people dare not go anywhere at ordinary times. I can't watch TV and newspapers. There seems to be nothing to do except cleaning and walking in the park at ordinary times. Ms. Wu is usually busy at work and has no leisure to accompany the elderly. Although living under the same roof, Wu and the old couple feel more lonely.

In a foreign land, diet has also become a big problem. Accustomed to Guangzhou's soup, Ms. Wu went to England and prepared to cook soup every day. But soon she found that British supermarkets were not as dazzling as domestic supermarkets, and many ingredients could not be bought. I can't cook soup, and I can't eat well. After less than half a month, the two parents began to clamor for returning to China. Ms. Wu's "family migration" plan died before it was launched.

Seeing that my daughter's career is booming, the hope of returning to China is getting more and more slim. After returning home, the Wu Lao couple stopped nagging and made other plans. Now that their daughter has settled down, the two old people feel that the real estate in Guangzhou is not so important, and the city life is very helpless. I might as well move back to my hometown and live with my relatives. After some discussion, Wu Lao decided to sell the property and return to his hometown to support the elderly.

Ms. Wu was also uncomfortable when she heard the decision of the two old people. After all, according to the concept of China people, children should be accompanied by their parents to show filial piety. But now I'm developing very well in Britain, and it's not easy to give up my career and return to China to start over. I think the older my parents are, the less healthy they are. If something happens, I won't be able to return to my country for a while. I might as well take care of my relatives. Ms. Wu reasoned and finally agreed to her parents' decision.

"Now my parents don't nag much, but sometimes I still complain a few words, blaming me for going too far, and now I can't even hold my grandchildren. I feel bad in my heart. " Ms. Wu lamented.

The dilemma of life.

As the saying goes, "Zhu Dexiao comes first". For many overseas travelers, the situation of parents living in an empty nest abroad is not intentional, but an unintentional choice on the road of life, which eventually leads to this helpless situation.

In 2004, all-china youth federation Overseas Scholars Affairs Department conducted a survey of overseas students. The results show that nearly 90% of them are willing to return to China for development, one-third of them will return to China after graduation, and more than half of them will work abroad for a period of time and accumulate some experience before returning to China.

But last year's official data showed that since 1978, there have been106000 China students studying abroad, and only 275000 have returned home. Many of them didn't make up their minds to emigrate overseas at first. They just want to accumulate some work experience at first, and then go back to China to develop. However, during these years of working overseas, I unconsciously put the focus of my life development abroad and took root there.

The reporter once consulted a well-known forum in China about the old-age care for parents after they settled abroad. Young people are usually optimistic, while old people suggest making plans as early as possible to avoid regrets in the future. Many people think that a visa for visiting relatives for half a year is enough. When they obtain British status, they can apply for family visas for their parents and immigrate to their families.

But is it that easy to apply for a family visa? For this reason, the reporter consulted Zhang Lijia, the immigration consultant of Qishi Law Firm. He told UK-Chinese Times that among all visa types, the refusal rate of dependent visas is high, and the application procedure is quite complicated, which is not as simple as many people think.

The English name of dependent visa is "elderly dependent relatives". The main application conditions are that parents must be over 65 years old, and children are the main source of income for parents. At the same time, this visa also requires that the child must be an only child. There are no other immediate family members in China who can support their parents, and the requirements for economic conditions are stricter.

Zhang Lijia, an immigration consultant of Qishi Law Firm, said that the complicated point in the family visa is the proof of financial resources. Most of the cases he took were due to inadequate preparation of materials, and then he sought advice and help from the law firm after being rejected. Some of them fully meet the actual conditions, but their visas were refused because of their one-sided understanding of the legal provisions and lack of sufficient materials. Once the visa is refused, the overseas appeal procedure is long and complicated, and the applicant's plan may be completely disrupted.

Most China people who study abroad are well-off, and many China people are bound by the requirement that their parents over 65 are totally dependent on their children financially, and no relatives in China have the financial strength to support their parents. Even if they apply, the elderly may not adapt to life abroad. Someone once described China, an overseas old man, as a "five-year-old man"-he was deaf if he didn't understand English, blind if he couldn't read, dumb if he couldn't speak, a kidnapper if he couldn't drive, and he couldn't answer the phone, and his hands shook like a sieve. It is not an ideal way to provide for the aged in China.

The reporter asked Chiese Law Firm about the problem of "empty nest parents" whether there is a more suitable solution to the separation of parents and children in Britain. Zhang Lijia said that there are no other types of family visits except family visas and family visit visas. However, two years and five years are available in the visa for visiting relatives, and the longest single stay is still six months.

The semi-annual "flying to visit relatives" is always an expedient measure. With the growth of parents' age, one day they will not be able to bear the flight distance of more than ten hours. "When I am old, what is my wish? I hope my children can be around, how happy everyone should be ... I'm just a little worried that they went to a distant country and left me alone. " Shui Mu's When I'm Old sings the voices of many empty-nest parents. The choice of studying in Britain and returning to China depends on the individual, and there is no right or wrong. Every overseas Chinese has to face the problem of how empty nest parents spend their old age.

British Chinese are filial and sad. Visa approval is similar to "family visa"