Fiance visa - money problems!

I'm worried about the financial part of the fiance visa paperwork.  My fiance's health problems are keeping him from working or traveling to the US to marry here.  I am worried sick and need to get by his side as soon as possible.

Neither of us have a lot of savings.  I will work as soon as I am eligible, and have no worries about getting a job.  But I can't prove that we have enough savings to support me for 6 months!

My parents would be willing to help out financially.  Does a letter of sponsorship from an American mean anything?

Would it be better to marry in England on a visitor's visa then return to file for a spousal visa?  I read somewhere that there will be rules changing to disallow that.

If a letter from my parents isn't helpful, and I can't marry on a visitor's visa,  how much money should I have to prove that I won't be a burden?  I'll work a second or third job if need be to get enough money in the bank.

We intend to marry the instant we can legally.  We've been apart too long already!

Please help.

I think a letter of sponsorship from an American is fine. Money is money. As long as you can access the money in the UK. I plan on supporting myself in the UK using my (American) savings till I get a job.

Hi Shell.

To be honest, I don't personally think a letter of support would hold as much weight as one from someone in the UK.  Is there anyone here that your fiance knows that would be willing to offer a letter of support?

The hardest thing, and the thing that worries people the most when going through this process is often proving that you can support yourself.  If it makes you feel any better, I've yet to hear of anyone being denied this visa based on insufficient funds.  If it happens, it is fairly rare so try not to worry too much. 

If you are planning on marrying soon after arriving in the UK, you shouldn't need to have a huge amount of savings or anything. 

When I applied for the fiancee visa, I was unemployed, living with my parents, and had about $2000 dollars in the bank - which was only there because I had started selling a lot of my belongings.  My then-fiance was living in a flatshare with three other people and wasn't making much at all in his job.  And we had no problem at all getting the visa because a) we planned on marrying weeks after my arrival and were able to show these plans were in place, and b) I sent my CV in with my application with a covering letter saying I'd be seeking full time employment as soon as possible. 

So try not to worry too much.  There are ways of inflating your bank account for a couple of months but that's all a bit dodgy sometimes.  I suspect you'll be fine!

Good luck. 

I know an American who got into the UK on a fiance visa based on support from his American mother's bank account.

I think it's fine as long as there as a bank statement attached to show that the funds are available.

edit: I think a distinction needs to be made between people emigrating from countries with internationally recognized currencies (euro, yen, US dollar, etc.), and those emigrating from elsewhere.  So far I haven't had any problem transferring my American dollars to pounds in the UK. In fact,  I just gave my fiance 750 pounds for rent and other expenses when I was there over the holidays. That's in addition to money I spent myself on clothes, food, etc.

Hi Shell.

When I applied for the fiancee visa, I was unemployed, living with my parents, and had about $2000 dollars in the bank - which was only there because I had started selling a lot of my belongings.  My then-fiance was living in a flatshare with three other people and wasn't making much at all in his job.  And we had no problem at all getting the visa because a) we planned on marrying weeks after my arrival and were able to show these plans were in place, and b) I sent my CV in with my application with a covering letter saying I'd be seeking full time employment as soon as possible. 

So try not to worry too much.  There are ways of inflating your bank account for a couple of months but that's all a bit dodgy sometimes.  I suspect you'll be fine!

Good luck. 

You said you planned on marrying weeks after your arrival? My fiance and I want to marry in June and I plan on coming over either the end of this month or the beginning of Feburary. I won't have alot of money in my account but my fiance has a full time job and gets paid once a week, will that help? what about the CV? I have never had to write one and I don't know the first thing about them, are there any good CV templates you'd recomend ? I was also wondering about the cover letter when you send in the application with all the documents, what all do you put on that? I'm just starting the E-fast track application and I need all the help and support I can get.

Just a reminder that you have to have lived in the UK for 7 days before giving notice, and then wait an additional 15 days before marrying.

Just a reminder that you have to have lived in the UK for 7 days before giving notice, and then wait an additional 15 days before marrying.

Actually, Sweetpeach, unless it's changed since 2001 when I was married, I don't think that rule applies to Scotland.  My husband was living in London, and I in the US when we gave our "notice" to the registrar in Aberdeen.  I arrived on 16 March, and we were married about 2 weeks later on 2 April.  Might be good to check on this somewhere tho, just in case.  I'm sure the registrar's office in the county you intend to marry in can tell you the rules.

Kay, yes, as I said above we married weeks after my arrival.  Your finace's job will be a big help, definitely.  A CV is just another name for resume.  And there are lots of templates on word and various websites that you can use.  Agencies often give assistance writing them as well.

As for letters, my cover letter just stated my intention to marry and live permanently in the UK, listed the documents and evidence I had included with my application, and my contact details in case they had any questions.  It was very brief and to the point.  My husbands letter of support was short as well and simply said that we had met, gave the dates of visit, and said he had asked me to marry him on such and such date, that we had made plans to marry on the 2nd of April in Aberdeen, and that we were planning on settling permanently in the UK together.  That's about all it takes! 

Yes, shell should definitely check with her register office first, especially since the rules for giving notice are changing in February.

Another thing that has changed is the cost. I did the e-fast track last night and found out for my VAF2 it's going to be $520 plus $12 for postage and handling! It's not much more though.  I chose to send in my application and documents since my fiance still needs to send a few things, but I was wondering if I could call the consulate and pay with my visa debit card. (I'll have the money next week) They didn't ask for his bank statements, pay stubs or a letter from his employer but I'm including them anyway. He can definatly support me for 6 months or until we get married so would my bank statements really hold much weight in the decision?

I know it doesn't explicitly ask for his bank statements, but I also know they will probably want them.  We didn't include his bank statements in our application either, and they had to ring us up and request them separately which meant it took longer to get the visa approved.

The best policy with this application is give them more information than they ask for.  If in doubt...send it. 

They're definitely going to want to see your bank statements, even if you don't think they'll do much to help.  Send them anyway.

Wishstar, please PM me about this

I PM'ed you. 

Thanks Wishstar, you've been a great help. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been nervous during the visa process, just hope I don't become too much of a nervous wreck!

Shell, is there anyway your fiance's parents or any other family members could help sponsor you? You said your fiance's health has prevented him from working, is there a possibility he'll be able to work in the near future? Is he on public funds right now? If he can prove he is looking for work while you're there or will be able to earn enough to support you maybe that would be to your benefit. I know they treat each case differently based on circumstances. I would try contacting an immigration advisor about your situation. Good luck to you both.

He's been on sick leave for several weeks, but is ready to go back to work.  The problem is that he was still in the 90 day probationary period with his new employer, and we are not sure they will keep him on.  They still haven't given us an answer.  He isn't on public funds right now, but we are afraid to put his current employer on the visa application in case they decide not to let him come back.