US -> China -> UK

Hi, everyone! My name is Kristen. Just moved to Newcastle from Beijing. Originally from North Carolina. Looking forward to learning and contributing here! I expected China to be different than the US, but how different the UK is has caught be a bit by surprise!

Hi, everyone! My name is Kristen. Just moved to Newcastle from Beijing. Originally from North Carolina. Looking forward to learning and contributing here! I expected China to be different than the US, but how different the UK is has caught be a bit by surprise!

I'm quite jealous.  I always wanted to work in China.  My company placed me in the UK for a couple of years first, then I was going to go to China.  But I met someone, blah blah blah.  I don't think it's in the cards anymore for me, sadly.

Welcome to the UK!

Hi Kristen, welcome to the forums! Did you come here for work, or studies, or a special someone (if you don't mind the prying )?

Hi Kristen! 

Thanks all for the welcome! brenzie -- special someone So now I'm trying to figure out how I can stay here/what to do about a visa/what kind of job or study/etc. I will likely be posting more about that in the visa forum at some point - sigh.

Thanks all for the welcome! brenzie -- special someone So now I'm trying to figure out how I can stay here/what to do about a visa/what kind of job or study/etc. I will likely be posting more about that in the visa forum at some point - sigh.

Yeah, if you're here as a visitor, you'll need to go back to the US before the time is up.
You can't change from a visitor visa to any other type from within the UK.

Is marriage on the cards? If so, best bet is for the two of you to marry in the US then you apply for a spouse visa from there. Either way, you will need to leave though.

Thanks, larabee! Yikes, didn't think this through. I think I got so used to the ways things are done in China (oddly enough). Yes, marriage is in the cards ... but we were hoping to get married here. Can I not get married here as a "tourist"? IF we were to take the route of getting married here in the UK and I would need to leave to apply for the spouse visa, do you know how long I would need to leave the UK? I read in one forum 3 months...I hope not!!! ... And to spice it up a bit, not sure if that matters logistically, he is not a UK citizen; he's on a working visa here.

As for staying here, I have an online job that I was banking on, and just planning to leave every 6 months and reenter. But I also read in another forum that working online counts as working and would be deemed as illegal. Yikes. Also, can't find anywhere that distinctively states I could leave every 6 months and reenter, so it seems pretty risky.

Welcome to the forums Kristen!

Thanks, larabee! Yikes, didn't think this through. I think I got so used to the ways things are done in China (oddly enough). Yes, marriage is in the cards ... but we were hoping to get married here. Can I not get married here as a "tourist"? IF we were to take the route of getting married here in the UK and I would need to leave to apply for the spouse visa, do you know how long I would need to leave the UK? I read in one forum 3 months...I hope not!!! ... And to spice it up a bit, not sure if that matters logistically, he is not a UK citizen; he's on a working visa here.

As for staying here, I have an online job that I was banking on, and just planning to leave every 6 months and reenter. But I also read in another forum that working online counts as working and would be deemed as illegal. Yikes. Also, can't find anywhere that distinctively states I could leave every 6 months and reenter, so it seems pretty risky.

No, you can't marry as a tourist.  You need a visa to marry (a marriage visitor visa).

Have you lived together for two years?  With documentation?  If so you could apply as a dependent on his Tier 2.  Otherwise you'll marry and then apply as a Tier 2 dependent.  Those only take a couple of weeks to process (spouse visas are MUCH longer to process).

Whatever you do, do NOT work or use the NHS without paying.  Both will jeopardise a visa.

You can't use visitor visas to live in the UK.  A proper visa will be easy to sort.

You aren't my long lost roommate from Charlotte are you ?  About 50?  Had a mean cat named Weston that peed all over my clothes?

No, you can't marry as a tourist.  You need a visa to marry (a marriage visitor visa).

Have you lived together for two years?  With documentation?  If so you could apply as a dependent on his Tier 2.  Otherwise you'll marry and then apply as a Tier 2 dependent.  Those only take a couple of weeks to process (spouse visas are MUCH longer to process).

Whatever you do, do NOT work or use the NHS without paying.  Both will jeopardise a visa.

You can't use visitor visas to live in the UK.  A proper visa will be easy to sort.

Hi KFdancer, and thanks! Have not lived together. So, it seems Marriage Visitor Visa is the way to go. So the Marriage Visitor Visa -- do you know if I need to leave the UK for this, or can I do it in-country? When you said it only takes a few weeks to process, were you referring to this one as well?

P.S. re your earlier post: what originally attracted you to China??

Unfortunately you have to apply for any visa from the USA.  No way around that, I'm afraid.  You would also have to return to the USA to apply for the Tier 2 dependent visa after you marry.  Personally I'd recommend just going straight to the Tier 2 dependent.  Both visas are processed in NY and won't take long to receive.  But the marriage visitor visa you will need:

A return flight to the USA
Proof of a life to return to in the USA (letter from an employer, home, etc.)
Enough funds to support your visit without working
Wedding plans

The alternative would be to marry in the USA or a third country (Denmark is supposed to be easy) and then apply for the Tier 2 dependent.  You could work from day 1 and use the NHS to boot.

I used to go to China frequently for work.  Loved the people and the energy of China.  When I did my masters, I had a focus on China as well.  It's an emerging market and a lot of exciting things are happening there.

I wanted the job in China and my counterpart wanted the UK!  We were supposed to work in our assignments for three years and then trade.  Oops!  He ended up staying for five years in China and is now back in Florida (the parent company sold that division).

Unfortunately you have to apply for any visa from the USA.  No way around that, I'm afraid.  You would also have to return to the USA to apply for the Tier 2 dependent visa after you marry.  Personally I'd recommend just going straight to the Tier 2 dependent.  Both visas are processed in NY and won't take long to receive.  But the marriage visitor visa you will need:

A return flight to the USA
Proof of a life to return to in the USA (letter from an employer, home, etc.)
Enough funds to support your visit without working
Wedding plans

The alternative would be to marry in the USA or a third country (Denmark is supposed to be easy) and then apply for the Tier 2 dependent.  You could work from day 1 and use the NHS to boot.

I used to go to China frequently for work.  Loved the people and the energy of China.  When I did my masters, I had a focus on China as well.  It's an emerging market and a lot of exciting things are happening there.

I wanted the job in China and my counterpart wanted the UK!  We were supposed to work in our assignments for three years and then trade.  Oops!  He ended up staying for five years in China and is now back in Florida (the parent company sold that division).

When I was in China, many Americans went to Hong Kong to apply for/change a visa. Do you know if I could do something similar, like go to a nearby European country and go to the US embassy there?

Oh interesting -- I could go straight for the Tier 2 dependent but not yet be married?

Great that they don't take long to receive! Do you know what it means on gov.uk under Marriage Visitor Visas, "The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel"?

OK so -- we don't know where we want to live after his job finishes in Aug. 2018 ... maybe the UK, maybe the US, maybe China, depending on where we have opportunity. So how can I show proof of where we plan to live after getting married??

I find China fascinating for similar reasons! Emerging, exciting, different, love the people/culture/history.

When I was in China, many Americans went to Hong Kong to apply for/change a visa. Do you know if I could do something similar, like go to a nearby European country and go to the US embassy there?

Unfortunately not. You can only apply from a country where you are either a citizen or are legally resident.

If you no longer have a visa for China, your only option is gong back to the US.

Oh interesting -- I could go straight for the Tier 2 dependent but not yet be married?

No, you have to get married first... but you could marry in the US or a third country.

You could only apply without being married if you have legally lived together for 24 consecutive months before applying.

Great that they don't take long to receive! Do you know what it means on gov.uk under Marriage Visitor Visas, "The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel"?

That means you can't apply more than 3 months before you wish to fly to the UK on the visa.



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