Garieeli

My boyfriend (UK) and myself (USA) are planning to finally get married after dating for 4 years -- we've been visiting each other every few months and talking on Skype in between!

We want to get married in the US, and then I would return with him to the UK (Northern Ireland to be specific).

From what I've gathered from other posts, my boyfriend can come to the US on the visa waiver program and marry me within 3 months (because he is not planning on staying/ changing his status).

After the wedding we don't want to be separated -- but here is where I become confused ---
I foresee ourselves getting caught in a circle that won't let us remain together after we're married, but instead he will have to return to the UK and then apply for me to come.

If I apply for a UK fiancé visa ahead of time, it will be invalid after we marry in the USA, so that won't get me home with him after our USA wedding, right?
-- and I cannot apply ahead of time for a UK spousal visa until we are actually married, right? So that would be 6-8 months of waiting...

I know others must have gone through this! Your experience would be much appreciated.

The only idea I have is... I apply for a UK fiancé visa... we get married in the USA... I return with him to the UK, using my UK fiancé visa... I don't tell immigration that I'm married now... and then get married again in the UK... and then stay?
Is that legal ? I don't want to mess this up!

Noorah101

My understanding is that the spouse visa to the UK does not take that long. You are thinking of the other way around...UK to USA. USA to UK only takes a month or so, I believe.

NO. That's not legal...you'd be lying to immigration officials, which is a VERY bad thing to do and can mess up your whole immigration.

For more details on immigrating to the UK, you really need to visit www.uk-yankee.com. This forum really deals with those who are immigrating to the USA.

Rene

katnap8

I think you should get married in the US and then apply for a UK Spouse Visa. They don't take as long as the American ones do. I did my spouse visa in 2004 and it was simply a matter of bringing my application and supporting documents to the British Consulate in LA and getting the visa the same day.

I think nowadays you have to send off the paperwork and wait a couple of weeks but I found it alot easier doing the Spouse visa then getting the Fiance Visa for my now husband to originally go to the US.

Good Luck

avanutria

Agreed. My DH and I married in the US in 2006. He was in the US on the VWP. Then we went to the British Consulate in NYC (which was my "local" consulate, there are three or four for the whole country). There was a lead time of about two weeks for the appointment - you book it online but they only open up the appointment dates two weeks in advance. We were able to get the spousal visa the same day, and a few days later we flew to London.

Bear in mind that procedures may have changed since then - do some research on current spousal visa requirements and the british consulate procedures. Good luck!

Garieeli

Thanks everyone for the advice! I also checked out the UK Yankee site (I hadn't heard of it before) and it was very helpful.

I think we're going to go with the marriage in the US and then get the UK spouse visa - I was reading I can apply for the UK spouse visa up to 3 months before the wedding (but I can only do the biometrics AFTER the wedding) so if I'm organized I could have the visa 2 weeks after the wedding date and head 'home' with my new hubby!

Just Jenney

Do you really need someone to tell you that lying to a government agency is illegal and that doing so could cause major problems in your life? I strongly suggest consulting a qualified UK family-based immigration attorney who can assist you in your endeavors.

~ Jenney