New and confused...LOL

Hello All, I am Michele and at the moment I still live in Maryland.  My fiance and I plan to marry by the end of the year and we were all decided on getting married in the UK and applying for marriage visa there...  today I happened to find on the net that it takes about 6 months to get a marriage visa while in the UK, where as only a few days to get one from home...

We love the UK and wish to live there...  but now we are thinking to save money...maybe it would be best to get married in the states, then go home to the UK...  but I am lost at finding what is needed to do that...  I at one time heard that if Tom came here to get married, he did not need a visa if we planned to move back there...is this correct...  could he just come over for about 2 weeks, let us get married ...head to New York for my marriage visa...  then hopefully go home to the UK???

We are good people...  middle aged...  Tom spent 25 years in Social services and I have been with NASA for about 8 years as an analyst...  Both of us are divorced with nothing left to show for ourselves...  so my needing to work asap once married is needed...  we are both very miserable right now, not being able to be together since last christmas holiday's... and not being able to marry until the end of the year is starting to wear on us...  but we have a very deep love and that is a great thing...

Any advice would be helpful and excitedly welcomed...  I am half scared of moving so far away, yet very excited because I will be with Tom and I fell in love also with northern england during my visits.  

Michele

PS Besides my being hyper about all this wedding stuff, I really would like to get to know you all...  so please excuse quick intro to the point...  hopefully one day soon I will be able to relax and not have to worry about being apart from Tom or how we will get together.

Here is a bit about my Tom: personal websight[http://www.geocities.com/tiger.tom/index.html]also a his professional site [http://www.wholehealths.com/]

Yes, it is easier to get married in the US (with him entering simply on his passport and NOT telling Immigration that he's here to get married!), apply early and in person for your spousal visa at the NY Consulate, and then return together to the UK to live.  Most states only have a residency requirement of less than a week, which makes it easier as well, since the residency requirement in the UK is 3 weeks.  And then the wait on the FLR (Further Leave to Remain).  Although I've "heard" that if you go to Croydon or Birmingham very early in person, that you can get in and out in a day as well...

I'm sure you'll get other feedback as well.

And welcome to the site!  We're really a friendly bunch here.  We're in varying states of coming over - already over - getting ready to return to the States - been there, done that, back in the States (for various reasons).  And we all have at least opinions if not answers!!

Best of luck - I know the wait is horrid.  I'm in the "coming over" phase - I'm still in Florida until 22 August, when I move myself and my 2 kids over to Kent to live with my boyfriend who is now in Essex.

Again - welcome and make yourself at home!

Hi Michelle and welcome.  
I'm still going through all the same things you are so I don't have any answers for you but the people here in the forum are wonderful. They've been a great help to me...very patient in answering my questions...even the silly ones.  
And just reading what others have written in the forum helps too. Sometimes they ask the same questions I've been wondering about and I get an answer without ever even having to ask. In fact I'll be able to learn some of the things I need to know about me and Tony getting married through the answers to the questions you just asked..lol.

Hello Michele!  Welcome to UK Yankee.  I am one of the "been there, done that, back in the States" people that peedal was referring to, but I haven't forgotten how it felt -- the frustration, the anxiety, the questions, the waiting, the bureaucracy, the waiting, the red tape, the waiting, the paperwork, the waiting, waiting, waiting.  I know it must be a difficult and bittersweet time for you.  And as peedal said, we at UKY may not have answers, but we certainly have opinions and we are more than willing to add support.  There's a great bunch of people here at UK Yankee, and you will find them friendly and responsive.  I hope you come back often.  

Hi Michele and welcome.  I've been out-of-the-loop lately and been out of touch when welcoming our new members (been on vacation back home for the last week and haven't been logging in too much).  

Good luck to you and I'm sure it all will work out.  There are a lot of great people on this site who I'm sure will be able to give you some guidance, comforts and a lot of laughs.

Hi Michele and welcome to the group.  My husband and I married in the US and then came back to the UK to live.  He just came over for a visit on his passport.  No visa was needed.  He was only in the US maybe 3 weeks.  Then I went to the British Consular's office in Chicago and applied for a spousal visa in person.  Got it back in one day.  Two days later we were on a plane.  The British Consular's website had all the information I needed on what forms to fill out with the ability to download them and print them off myself, a list of what items I needed and where precisely to either go or mail my passport for the visa.  Hope this helps and best of luck to you!

hello and welcome!  I'm afraid I did the fiancee visa thing and got married here in the UK, so not much help with your question.  Just wanted to welcome you and hope to see you around a lot.  A lot of us have done the long distance relation ship thing so we can really sympathise.  

Hi Michele,
I think you'll find us all with varying experiences and stories to tell. Certainly an answer lies all over the place, little bits snipped from each one of us!

I'm on the new stages on the second half of my life. Met and married my Brit husband over here, went to New York City for a week's holiday (then celebration) to obtain the Wife Visa. That was all, oh goodness, four years ago.

I know from experience the wait is awful for you! But time rushes, and soon you'll then be wanting to slow it down as much as possible.

hi michelle and welcome to the forum....steve flew over to the US on his passport, we were married in june and applied for ar spouse visa straight away (via mail) received it in august, the kids and i finally made it over to the UK in october.  mailing it in was the best option for me bkz it gave me time to settle things in the US...sell my house, kids finish school, etc etc.  but as you can read from other members, making the application in person is quicker.  

here is a site that i referred to often when i made my move over.  hope it helps...http://www.britain-info.org

also marlsepo (sara) has put together some really great useful information about moving, so be sure to check it out under the topic "Moving Issues".  

we get together on Tuesday evening 8pm-10pm for live chats ...come and join us!!

GOOD LUCK!!