Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
Jul 6th 2009, 2:05 am
#1
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Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
We are planning to move back to the UK sometime next year, does anyone know if it's better to apply for the UK spouse visa for my husband who is an American citizen from the US or to just wait and apply once in the UK? Also does anyone know roughly how long it will take before he is legal to work there? Would appreciate any feedback.. 
Jul 6th 2009, 3:25 am
#2
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
Better? There is no option ... he must apply for and obtain the spouse visa before leaving the United States.
Otherwise he will probably be refused entry on arrival (showing up as a tourist with an intention to remain) and even if he gets past immigration, they will not accept an in-country application from a tourist. So he would have to go back to the United States and do things the right way before returning.
Start at: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Otherwise he will probably be refused entry on arrival (showing up as a tourist with an intention to remain) and even if he gets past immigration, they will not accept an in-country application from a tourist. So he would have to go back to the United States and do things the right way before returning.
Start at: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Jul 6th 2009, 5:48 pm
#3
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
You have to get the Spouse Visa first before you leave the States. Be warned....have you been married a while? If not, be warned.......after you get the Spouse Visa you should travel asap (within a month) or you will be shelling out extra bucks for a two year leave to remain before you can even apply for ILR. The Spouse Visa waiting time should be fairly quick I think. You apply for that at the NY UK Consulate. As for the ILR..........current waiting times are rumored to be around 4 to 6 months. I just sent mine off last week.....so I'll let people know how long it takes.
Your husband would be legaly able to work as soon as he lands with a Spouse Visa.
Your husband would be legaly able to work as soon as he lands with a Spouse Visa.
Jul 6th 2009, 10:18 pm
#4
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
You have to get the Spouse Visa first before you leave the States. Be warned....have you been married a while? If not, be warned.......after you get the Spouse Visa you should travel asap (within a month) or you will be shelling out extra bucks for a two year leave to remain before you can even apply for ILR. The Spouse Visa waiting time should be fairly quick I think. You apply for that at the NY UK Consulate. As for the ILR..........current waiting times are rumored to be around 4 to 6 months. I just sent mine off last week.....so I'll let people know how long it takes.
Your husband would be legaly able to work as soon as he lands with a Spouse Visa.
Your husband would be legaly able to work as soon as he lands with a Spouse Visa.
I thought that the visas were now being issued for 27months instead of the 24 months, to allow you a little more flexibility in travelling.
That's my recollection of some information I read at some other boards.
Good luck and please keep us updated with your application.
Jul 6th 2009, 11:54 pm
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
Better? There is no option ... he must apply for and obtain the spouse visa before leaving the United States.
Otherwise he will probably be refused entry on arrival (showing up as a tourist with an intention to remain) and even if he gets past immigration, they will not accept an in-country application from a tourist. So he would have to go back to the United States and do things the right way before returning.
Start at: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Otherwise he will probably be refused entry on arrival (showing up as a tourist with an intention to remain) and even if he gets past immigration, they will not accept an in-country application from a tourist. So he would have to go back to the United States and do things the right way before returning.
Start at: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Jul 6th 2009, 11:58 pm
#6
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
You have to get the Spouse Visa first before you leave the States. Be warned....have you been married a while? If not, be warned.......after you get the Spouse Visa you should travel asap (within a month) or you will be shelling out extra bucks for a two year leave to remain before you can even apply for ILR. The Spouse Visa waiting time should be fairly quick I think. You apply for that at the NY UK Consulate. As for the ILR..........current waiting times are rumored to be around 4 to 6 months. I just sent mine off last week.....so I'll let people know how long it takes.
Your husband would be legaly able to work as soon as he lands with a Spouse Visa.
Your husband would be legaly able to work as soon as he lands with a Spouse Visa.
Jul 7th 2009, 7:26 pm
#7
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
Hello Scout,
I thought that the visas were now being issued for 27months instead of the 24 months, to allow you a little more flexibility in travelling.
That's my recollection of some information I read at some other boards.
Good luck and please keep us updated with your application.
I thought that the visas were now being issued for 27months instead of the 24 months, to allow you a little more flexibility in travelling.
That's my recollection of some information I read at some other boards.
Good luck and please keep us updated with your application.
People still need to be aware of the time frame so that they don't trip up on it like I did (along with a lot of others I know of).
Jul 7th 2009, 10:40 pm
#8
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Posts: 46
Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
We are planning to move back to the UK sometime next year, does anyone know if it's better to apply for the UK spouse visa for my husband who is an American citizen from the US or to just wait and apply once in the UK? Also does anyone know roughly how long it will take before he is legal to work there? Would appreciate any feedback..
Hi. We are almost in the same boat. I am an American and I am in the middle of applying for a spousal visa to move to Wales with my Welsh husband and our dual daughter. IMO, it is an extremely intimidating, detailed, grueling, and expensive process that requires tons of official documentation and paper work. We have now hired professionals to help us with the process because it is nothing like we thought it would be. They have advised us that trying to apply from the UK would be foolish, and to not make any permanent changes here in the US in anticipation of our move until we have received a definite approval from the British Consulate in Chicago. Also, someone please correct me if I am mistaking, but I believe that you must be married at least 4 years to be granted ILR. Good luck to you and your husband- this is anything but easy or fun! LOL! : )
Last edited by skinderella; Jul 7th 2009 at 11:02 pm.
Jul 7th 2009, 11:54 pm
#9
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
Hi. We are almost in the same boat. I am an American and I am in the middle of applying for a spousal visa to move to Wales with my Welsh husband and our dual daughter. IMO, it is an extremely intimidating, detailed, grueling, and expensive process that requires tons of official documentation and paper work. We have now hired professionals to help us with the process because it is nothing like we thought it would be. They have advised us that trying to apply from the UK would be foolish, and to not make any permanent changes here in the US in anticipation of our move until we have received a definite approval from the British Consulate in Chicago. Also, someone please correct me if I am mistaking, but I believe that you must be married at least 4 years to be granted ILR. Good luck to you and your husband- this is anything but easy or fun! LOL! : )
Jul 8th 2009, 1:01 am
#10
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
Thanks Skinderella, I think you may be right about the 4 years before being eligible to apply for ILR. We thought about holding out and waiting until October next year which will be our fourth anniversary.. but have decided to try go sooner; October next year seems to far away. Surely it can't be any more worse than the process here? Or maybe it is! How long have you been in the process? Thanks for all the feedback everyone..
Hi Julie. I think how long it actually takes is dependent on your particular situation. If you have all of the necessary paperwork, finances, and your records are in order- it should not take you as long as it is taking us. We were both very careless about keeping our paperwork in order over the years and we had to first start by getting all of the necessary paperwork together to prove our daughter is a British citizen to get her British passport. Then we had to send away for all of our official documents (from all over the US and UK) like birth certificates, college records ( to prove that we are suited for potential employment), divorce decrees, and records of that nature that cost money and take time to receive. Now we are in the midst of getting our family in the UK together to gather official documents and affidavits to help our case by showing proof of adequate accommodation and bank accounts that they have set up for us which brings us to the issue of proving ourselves financially stable- Neither one of us have arranged prior employment for our arrival in the UK, so we are now in the process of trying to raise at least another $5000 USD before we can even begin to think of submitting the actual application. We basically have been going through all of this since January 09. Hopefully it won't take you and your husband even half as long as it is taking us, and maybe someone who has had all of their paperwork in order since the beginning of the process may be of more help to you and can offer a more positive outlook. All I know is that if I would have waited to apply for my visa once I got to the UK, I never would have gotten all of my paperwork in time and I would have been seriously SOL. I would have had to leave the country and my family would have nothing to come back to here in the US. Now that would really be the worse case scenario for us! In the end, if they deny my visa application- it will be a helluva lot easier to get that news over here where we are already established than abroad. HTH. Good luck hon and best wishes to you.
Last edited by skinderella; Jul 8th 2009 at 1:17 am.
Jul 8th 2009, 4:16 pm
#11
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
You might want to check the US expats in the UK messageboard. They have a forum on 'Living in the UK legally as a Yank' and it goes through a number of the different rules and options (since most of them have real world experience with those regulations)
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/
Jul 9th 2009, 12:45 am
#12
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
Hi Julie. I think how long it actually takes is dependent on your particular situation. If you have all of the necessary paperwork, finances, and your records are in order- it should not take you as long as it is taking us. We were both very careless about keeping our paperwork in order over the years and we had to first start by getting all of the necessary paperwork together to prove our daughter is a British citizen to get her British passport. Then we had to send away for all of our official documents (from all over the US and UK) like birth certificates, college records ( to prove that we are suited for potential employment), divorce decrees, and records of that nature that cost money and take time to receive. Now we are in the midst of getting our family in the UK together to gather official documents and affidavits to help our case by showing proof of adequate accommodation and bank accounts that they have set up for us which brings us to the issue of proving ourselves financially stable- Neither one of us have arranged prior employment for our arrival in the UK, so we are now in the process of trying to raise at least another $5000 USD before we can even begin to think of submitting the actual application. We basically have been going through all of this since January 09. Hopefully it won't take you and your husband even half as long as it is taking us, and maybe someone who has had all of their paperwork in order since the beginning of the process may be of more help to you and can offer a more positive outlook. All I know is that if I would have waited to apply for my visa once I got to the UK, I never would have gotten all of my paperwork in time and I would have been seriously SOL. I would have had to leave the country and my family would have nothing to come back to here in the US. Now that would really be the worse case scenario for us! In the end, if they deny my visa application- it will be a helluva lot easier to get that news over here where we are already established than abroad. HTH. Good luck hon and best wishes to you.
Jul 9th 2009, 12:47 am
#13
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Posts: 116
Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
You might want to check the US expats in the UK messageboard. They have a forum on 'Living in the UK legally as a Yank' and it goes through a number of the different rules and options (since most of them have real world experience with those regulations)
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/
Jul 9th 2009, 4:15 am
#14
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Re: Permanent Residency in UK for US spouse, to apply from US or in the UK?
It's funny but many folks who have read that thread 'Good things about the UK' get all weepy-eyed and whatnot. And those who are regulars in this room are often advised to read the 'Homesickness and Hard Times' thread in the US/UK site because many of the 'problems' expats are having in other countries are mirror images of the problems 'expats' are having living in the UK. Can make you realize the homesickness is not just you and not just the country you happen to be in or the country you call home.
