How long does it realistically take to get spouse visa paperwork together?

I've read and re-read lists and checklists, I feel like I have a good idea of what my fiance and I will need to get together. A lot of it falls on him, and it seems like most of it can only be done RIGHT before you send it in, because of dates ( mostly employment/ financial stuff). But how long did it take you to actually get all this stuff together? Were trying to figure out if we should get married asap and work on paperwork and then submit, or if its possible to work on paperwork, wait a couple months, gather some more and then submit. If we work really hard on it and have no life except work and then work on paperwork, whats a realistic timeline? Thanks!
Edit- I should say that I've already been collecting emails, messages, pictures, proof of travel, etc.

If you have things like original bank statements and payslips already, it's quite quick.   It's waiting on others that can take time (sometimes things don't move as quickly in the UK as Americans are used to).

Things you "could/should" already have:
Bank statements
Payslips
Job contract
P60
Mortgage statement or lease
Marriage certificate

Super quick:
Download land registry (literally just clicking on a website) if property is owned
Copy of passport
Passport photos
Proof of communication (phone/internet records)

Things you need from others:
Letter from employer
Letter from landlord (if renting)

If you don't keep paper trails already, it'll take a bit of time to call around and get correct copies of things.  If you do already keep a paper trail, there isn't much to gather at all.

If applying as self-employed, the items needed are less straight forward and would need longer.

Thanks so much!
(Whats a P60? I'm not down with lingo yey, lol)

Ok, the only thing that might take a while is bank stuff. I just have a feeling that he is paperless and would need to request these things.

So is 4-6 weeks post wedding a realistic goal to be ready to submit the application? Ive just read about ppl taking 6 months and thought, wow, maybe my estimation is totally unrealistic!

I've read and re-read lists and checklists, I feel like I have a good idea of what my fiance and I will need to get together. A lot of it falls on him, and it seems like most of it can only be done RIGHT before you send it in, because of dates ( mostly employment/ financial stuff). But how long did it take you to actually get all this stuff together? Were trying to figure out if we should get married asap and work on paperwork and then submit, or if its possible to work on paperwork, wait a couple months, gather some more and then submit. If we work really hard on it and have no life except work and then work on paperwork, whats a realistic timeline? Thanks!
Edit- I should say that I've already been collecting emails, messages, pictures, proof of travel, etc.

As well as reading lists, it's a really good idea try to digest the official guidance as it applies to your situation.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525708/Appendix_FM_1_7_Financial_Requirement.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-se-family-members-specified-evidence

That was probably the most time consuming part of the process for me.
I think I took around four weeks in all to prepare and submit, working on it every day pretty much.

I would say, with both of us working full time, it took about a month. W did Category A. That's with actual collection of all the sponsor's required paperwork and shipping times to the US and filling out the appendix 2.

We made the mistake of using Parcelforce for the paperwork and it took nearly two weeks to get to me. It was supposed to take 5 days. It got stuck in LA for a week for some reason and it had been opened by customs. My husband works in a lab for pharmaceuticals.

You can sort of track Parcelforce packages in the US, you just have to use the USPS website and the Parcelforce tracking number. Their people are supposed to scan them on a regular basis. It's how I knew my package was in LA for a week. My friend works for the post office and she helped me figure out if they were trackable or not when I was freaking out on the delay. 

Thanks so much!
(Whats a P60? I'm not down with lingo yey, lol)

A P60 is kind of like the US W-2.

It's not something you absolutely have to have, but if he has it, send it.

edit: the UK doesn't have a w-2 haha. Swapped it out for US.

 A P60 is like a W2 - it's the 'end of financial year' summary of how much you've earned and how much tax/NI you've paid. It's not an absolute requirement, but they may ask for it so it's worth including it anyway.


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We were married during the first week of July and had our visa appointment at one of the premium centers during the first week of August. To be honest, we could have done it much sooner. The only thing we really had to wait for after the wedding was our marriage certificate, which took around one week to be mailed from us. There are a few items that needed processing, but these could have been done before. For instance, we requested documents from our bank, which took around one week as well (remember to have them current within at least 28 days of your submission). We also both had our employers write letters.

I'd say overall if you have those things, you could get the paperwork filled out and things compiled in an afternoon.

Ive just read about ppl taking 6 months and thought, wow, maybe my estimation is totally unrealistic!

I wonder if you have been reading about people who have not been in their job (held their savings etc.) long enough to meet the requirements, which for most of the categories is 6 months?

While I am a huge advocate of taking your time with the application, other than that, I can see of no reason why it would take so long! 

I'd say overall if you have those things, you could get the paperwork filled out and things compiled in an afternoon.

 

I have to say, I doubt most people would be able to. 

Also, the OP is applying  from out of the country, so the situation is a little different.

Wow, thank you all so much! This has helped me get a better understanding of a timeline. Ill check out the links that were offered, too

There was only one piece of paperwork that was a surprise in adding preparation time for me, which was the verification of my university degree by UK NARIC. It didn't help that my silly-fancy university's degrees are in Latin, so I had to get a certified translation before I could apply to NARIC. So that was 24 hours for my degree translation and another 24 hours for NARIC.

I think it also depends on how you are meeting the conditions. E.g. the UK residence we listed was my in-laws' home, and because their mortgage was paid off we had to wait a few days to get their title deeds from a government office.

Similarly, if you have been receiving electronic rather than paper statements from your bank, you will need to make a trip to your branch to get the print-outs certified.

I would recommend counting on more than a day because of all these little things that could potentially come up.