A bit confused...

Hi all,

Sorry if this is a bit of a stupid question, but I'm confused about the process for gaining a fiancee visa for my American bride-to-be....

If she applies online, and then posts the supporting documents to the Embassy, does she then need to book an interview appointment after that?  Her Dad has some holiday leave coming up soon so if she needs to go to LA (she lives in Colorado, so that's the closest one), they were going to make a vacation of it.  Or, is the appointment booking thing on the website only for submitting documents in person? (and is this a better option than doing the online/posting thing)?  I tried calling the helpline but naturally it's not open at weekends....


Thanks for any help!

FutureAmerican

if she's applying by post (mailing supporting documents to the consulate) then she does not need to go in person.  Appointment times are for those who wish to travel to the consulate in person to present their supporting documents- those who apply in person get their visa the same day if approved.  If the documents are mailed, it takes 1-2 weeks for the application to be processed.

It's just a matter of personal preference- some people don't want to wait and so make the trip to the consulate in order to get the visa the same day.  Others live too far away from their nearest consulate to easily make an in-person application and apply by post.  Either way, it's a pretty quick process overall

Or if you have unusual circumstance, most people prefer to book in person, because then you can actually speak to a person to explain your situation.  In person also has the added benefit of instant gratification - you know almost instantly whether you've been approved or not.  If you apply by post, you've got an unfortunate few week waiting period.

That said, I'll be applying by post soon, but that's mostly because I don't live REMOTELY close to any embassy & student visas are fairly straightforward.

If she applies online, and then posts the supporting documents to the Embassy, does she then need to book an interview appointment after that?

What you are seeing on the website is the ability to appear in person and get that instant gratification that folks are mentioning.  Sometimes they require a secondary interview if things are strange with your application (fairly rare) and will usually do these over the phone if you don't live near a consulate.

On the other hand, a nice trip to LA for a holiday and getting your marriage visa taken care of would not be bad, but provides no other benefit then peace of mind.

Thanks very much everyone....one final question - she's planning to visit me for a few weeks at the end of June; if we file the paperwork on Monday, that'll still give us about 3 weeks to wait for them to process it, but she'll still be able to leave the US for a holiday right?  I just didn't want the UK Embassy to take her passport to put the Visa in (like the US Embassy has done to mine in the past for various visas), and then she doesn't get it back by the time of the flights....

Sorry to be such a pain!

Thanks very much everyone....one final question - she's planning to visit me for a few weeks at the end of June; if we file the paperwork on Monday, that'll still give us about 3 weeks to wait for them to process it, but she'll still be able to leave the US for a holiday right?  I just didn't want the UK Embassy to take her passport to put the Visa in (like the US Embassy has done to mine in the past for various visas), and then she doesn't get it back by the time of the flights....

Sorry to be such a pain!

No pain, all this stuff in nerve racking.  I would say that is cutting it close.  Ideally it should take less then 3 weeks, but the only way to make sure is to do it in person.  I think most people are taking 1-2 weeks, but that would be a little bit scary.  Does she have all the paperwork from you yet?  There is quite a lot of things to get in order before posting it off.

hmm...I agree- 3 weeks would be cutting it way too close for comfort for me.  Why don't you just apply for the visa when you're ready for her to move over permanently?

Are UK fiance visas multiple entry visas?

Are UK fiance visas multiple entry visas?

yes they are

Thanks very much everyone, I have now compiled everything my end and am sending it off to her tommorow.  She's probably going to go for an interview, as then in the worst case, she'd still get her passport back and could visit for a couple of weeks to sort out wedding stuff, before going back for an appeal against the decision...hopefully she'll get it the first time though!!

ahh, I'm sure she'll be fine- very few fiancee visa applications are denied in the US.  As long as you have all your documents in order, it should be very straightforward