Just occured to me I should probably start just to kick things off:
Before we were officially engaged, my husband and I had both done a bit of looking into the requirements for visas and considering how we would go about actually being together. Deciding which country we would live in was the first thing we had to work out. I didn't have a job, and was living with my parents so it seemed logical that I moved. I was perfectly fine with that since I had always wanted to live in the UK. (Oh, okay I was crazy about Scotland in actual fact, but any part of the UK would do.) Plus, after looking into it, it was obvious to us that my coming here would be much easier as far as legalities went. We have always intended to end up in the USA, but a few years here in the UK was something we both felt was right for us.
Being a very cautious people, we decided to go the route of the fiancee visa. After spending a December in London, I returned to the USA with and engagement ring on my finger and began sorting out the details.
Living in Tennessee, I decided that a trip to the consulate in New York would be out of the question. Since we knew it would be a couple of months before I went back for good, we decided to do things by post.
So what did we actually have to do? Well, that's always the big question, isn't it? It all seems terribly confusing and contradicting when you read the immigration web sites. They never actually give you a definite answer of what it takes. That's because depending on circumstances, it can take a variety of things to convince them of what they want to know.
What do they want to know? Well, two main things really:
a) That you are legitimately in love and plan to be together with your darling forever, married and settled in the UK
b) That you aren't going to be a leech on the system at any point in your stay
If you can manage to prove those two things, you've got it made.
You'll need documents for both yourself and your future spouse, so one helpful hint -
DON'T SEND ANYTHING BY RECORDED DELIVERY OVERSEAS!!!
My husband tried to send his passport, etc to me that way and it got completely held up in Miami Int. Airport for nearly two and a half weeks! This created some serious stress. I've heard others say the same thing happened. Since the UK and the US have completely different postal systems, you just cannot count on things arriving by that method. It is actually quicker and safer to send them by regular mail.
As I said, every couple's situation is different. There is no checklist and I've heard lots of stories of people sending all kinds of things in and getting approved.
Here's what we sent in:
1 - Completed application forms IM2A and IM2B (one for you and one for your intended)
2 - Two recent passport photos of myself attached to the IM2A form
3 - My valid, original passport
4 - My finance's valid, original passport
5 - Photographs of HIM and I together and copies of itineraries proving we had each visited each other and met
6 - A letter from my sponsor (my fiance) stating that we had met and he was indeed intending to marry me, could not bear to be away from me, blah, blah, blah and that we were planning to live in the UK permanently and together
7 - My resume showing I had skills that should enable me to find work once we were married
8 - My fiance's lease showing we had accommodation
9 - A letter from my fiance's employer showing that he had income to support me until we were married
10 - A cover letter from myself stating that:
I was planning on arriving in the UK on or about 20th March
Neither of us had been married before and so no divorce papers were included
Neither of us had dependents so there were no forms for them included
My contact details (phone numbers, email, etc)
We had made initial contact with the registrar's office in Aberdeen and had a cleared the date and time with that office
11 - A money order for $382, $10 of which was for return express postage
12 - Bank statements for the past three months for both myself and my fiance (they had to call back and request this which delayed things by a couple of weeks)
I then photocopied *everything* and sent in my application on 27 January. Due to them having to call back and request the bank statements, we got the visa about three weeks later. However, the date that the visa has stamped on it in my passport reads that it was issued on 30 January. So they had issued it as soon as they got my application, but had to verify the account stuff and then sent it on to me.
I mention this because it is important to know that you have six months from THE DATE OF ISSUE to get married. Other entry visa's often begin the day you arrive in the UK, but this one does not.
When I arrived in the UK on 15 March, I had no problem at all with customs or immigration. They saw my visa and I was on my merry way to see my soon to be husband. And I was so glad to not have to worry about getting through that line! It was well worth the headache and the few weeks we had to wait for the visa stuff to be approved. I was nervous enough about the flight and the fact that I was moving to a new country and getting married in a matter of weeks. One more worry would have pushed me over the edge, I'm certain of it.
After we were married and back from our honeymoon, we trolled on down to Croydon and got my marriage visa (Further Leave to Remain), which allowed me to stay in the country for one year and work as much as I wanted. We did this about a week after our wedding to allow time for the marriage certificate to be sent to us. You won't get one right after the wedding.
You can do this visa by post, but it can be done in one day if you go in and I wasn't ready to part with our passports and marriage certificate for up to six months. So we decided to just go in and get it done with.
Hints for this part of the process:
Don't worry about dressing up for the interview. They don't expect it and it will be a long day, so dress comfortably.
Get there EARLY! We arrived by about 8:30 and just barely escaped with visa in hand before they closed for the day. I'd suggest being there no later than 7:00 if you can manage it.
Bring a book and some snacks. You're gonna do a lot of waiting around in a big noisy room. Once you enter the building, you cannot leave.
You don't need a lot for this visa, just your passports, your first visa, and your marriage certificate. But your spouse does need to go with you.
After we got this visa, I found work and all was well. I then realized in December or so that the National Insurance number (kind of like a Social Security Number, nothing to do with NHS, by the way) they had issued was a temporary one. I had to go and arrange for an interview with the Benefits Agency to get my card and offical number issued. This interview was long and extensive. I have to say that it was much more intensive than the visa stuff. But you do get a time and date for your appointment so it won't take all day like the visa did. And you don't need your hubby/wife to go with you. This is all you.
After our first anniversary, we made our second and (hopefully) final trip to Croydon for the Indefinite Leave to Remain visa. This was the simplest of the three, really, and allows me to work, live and enter and leave the country as much as I wish indefinitely as long as I'm not away from more than two years at a time. For this one, we just took everything we could think of taking....a whole bag full of stuff from bank statements to letter from our parents saying how happy we were together. In the end, all they wanted was the form and our passports. We still had to wait all day long for the stamp, but it was pretty simple.
Then in 2004, three years after our wedding, I applied for and got my British citizenship. End of story!