redtalent

Hello

I am a US citizen currently studying abroad in England on a student visa. My fiance is English and we are trying to find the easiest way to get married and have him come live in the US with me while I finish school.
Our initial idea was to file a K-1 finace visa, get married in the US and then file for change in status, but after looking at it more in depth it's extremely expensive!
Our next two options are to have him come over to the US as a visitor, get married, have him go back to the UK and then apply for citizenship or get married while I'm still in England on my student visa and then apply for US immigration.
I'm very confused on how all of these work and which would be the least expensive and hassle. Thanks for any help in advance!

Noorah101

Either way you go, immigration is going to cost you around $2,000 at least, anyway. If you don't do the K-1 visa, keep in mind that you have to factor in the cost of the flights to get married in the USA and return to the UK, so that's an added expense as well.

He'd actually apply for an Immigrant Visa, not citizenship. Once he gets an Immigrant Visa, he uses that to come to the USA and become a US Permanent Resident upon arrival. He can apply for US Citizenship 3 years after that, if still married to you (5 years if not).

I could be wrong, but I don't think you're allowed to marry in the UK on your student visa. Usually USC's need a special visa to be allowed to marry in the UK. You will want to check this out for sure, to see if you are even allowed to marry now on your student visa.

As I mentioned both are "expensive". The Immigrant Visa might be a little less expensive, but you have to then factor in the cost of coming to the USA to get married in the first place....or the cost of you getting the correct visa to get married in the UK.

Check out these Wiki links to get more information and to compare the two methods:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Compar...ge-based_visas
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/K1
http://britishexpats.com/wiki/CR-1

If you've been living in the UK for more than 6 months, you also might be eligible for Direct Consular Filing (DCF) after marriage, which is a faster process than filing the I-130 in the USA. I'm not 100% sure if a student status qualifies you for that, but I'm sure others will chime in and let you know. The link for reading up on that is here:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/DCF_I-130_Filed_In_London

Read up on the various methods and come on back with any questions.

Rene

Wolfy

If I recall when I was studying the opposite end of the pond, you still require permission to marry within the UK, I think we are going down the same route as TH U.S with regards visas for this and that, but again you will hear many stories, best go to the "UK boarder protection agency" website for up to date info

ian-mstm

Um... that would be the "UK border protection agency" - unless you plan on protecting someone who's staying with you! Oh... and it's actually called the "UK Border Agency".

Ian

Wolfy

Meh! same meat different gravy!!!