polyphony

(summary) Can I skip the fiance visa and apply for a marriage visa?

I'm an American woman on a visitors visa. Staying at my partner's flat in the UK. (I'm 36 and he is nearly 34)

(edit) I plan on moving to the UK to live with him.

We met online January 2014. Kept in contact often mostly on skype (text and video/audio) and facebook (also on twitter and instagram), sometimes through mobile. First met in person in the UK August 2014. I came back over for 6 months March 2015 and I am staying with him until August 2015 (when my visitors visa is up)

He's been working at the same company for 7+ years. Makes over the minimum salary requirement. Rents his flat. He has already contacted the landlord about me moving in (once the visa clears).

We saw a solicitor, just a quick meeting to explain the fiance visa.
On the way back from talking to the solicitor, my partner brought up that we should just get the marriage visa as we want to be married anyway. The fees are really high to do a fiance visa (nearly 1,000 pounds) and a marriage visa (nearly 700 pounds).

We really don't have money for a wedding other than probably a very small get together with family and friends.

I realized we don't have a whole lot of time to sort this out.
I am only in the UK until August 29th. I read that we have to be married before we can apply for the marriage visa.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Pulaski

You can't get married in the UK on a visitor's visa. Period. ..... To get married in the UK you need a visa that allows you to get married. From what you said I suspect that ends your plan to get a marriage visa for your husband to live in the US.

Hang on, you're moving to the UK? Not the other way round? ...... You can't apply for any visa from within the UK, so you can't get married at the moment anyway. ..... And this is a forum for British citizens living overseas, or working towards that. You'd be better off asking your questions at www.uk-yankee.com.

polyphony

I was afraid of that.

No, I am planing on living in the UK with him. He is a British man born in England. I am an American woman born in the USA.

Oh! Thank you for clarifying I will check the other forum. Thank you very much!

SanDiegogirl

An easier way would be for you to get married in the US - no visa needed just your local rules to follow and then for hubby to fly back to the UK and you apply for the spouse visa.

Saves on the fiance visa fee that way.

GingerCub

If u wanna get married in UK and then leave, U have to apply for a special marriage visa,
if u wanna get married in UK and stay here with your partner, u have to get a partner visa, which is expensive. All of it is valid if your partner is British.
When I met my husband on very popular British dating website <snip> we didnt even think of all these problems. But when he proposed, it was a nightmare to move to him and get married..

catawampus

I agree about getting married in the U.S. Then applying for a marriage visa to live in the UK. The approval process only took me a week once I had all the paperwork.