Confusion woes.

I know this has probably been asked tons of times before, but I really am confused. I've looked through most of the archives and I still have loads and loads of questions.  I apologize in advance if this question has been over-asked to death.

My situation is that my boyfriend is a New Zealander citizen that is on Permit Work Visa Leave to the UK and currently lives there and has for the past four or so years. I live in California. Yes, yes. We met on the internet. And yes, we have met in person. Rather recently, actually. I just got back from England this week and the trip pretty much prompted us to make plans for us to live together in the UK.

But I'm confused on what visa I should apply for. I want to live and hopefully, work in the UK to help support us financially, but I have no clue which visa I need to apply for. I can't apply for a Unmarried Visa because we haven't lived together for two years, and I can't apply for a Fiancee Visa because we aren't engaged. (Yet.) I'm kind of at the end of my rope. I want to be with him so badly to the point I'm ready just to pick up all my stuff and just move there illegally. Which, I'm afraid, isn't the best of ideas.

Does anyone have any advice? Ideas? 

Would you qualify for a work permit if you had a job offer in the UK?


Victoria

I do believe since he doesn't have a ILR visa (indefinate leave to remain) he will be unable to sponser you. So pretty much your only option is a work permit or a student visa

If they married or had lived together for two years then she could be his dependent, even without ILR...


Victoria

Yeah, if you don't want to get married it's basically student visa or work permit- getting married is the easiest/quickest/simplest/sometimes the only route though.  (Which sucks if you're not ready to get married...but there's a whole other thread on that!)

Hum. Student Visa. That means I'll have to get accepted to a school beforehand, right?

And if I did have a job offer, I suppose I could qualify for a work permit, the only problem is that I'm horribly under-skilled.  Went to art high school and I only had a wee bit of art college.  I am not sure about if he has a ILR Visa, I know he had some trouble with that a while back with his work, but I'll ask him the next time we speak.

Mm. But yeah -- I'm not sure I understand the whole "two years living together" to be eligible for Unmarried Visa. It's like, how can we live together when both of us are not allowed to legally stay longer than six months in each other's country?

But thank you for the help. I suppose I'll have to look into a Student Visa. I really do love him and I know he's certainly 'the one', but I'm not sure marriage right away is the best plan. I thought we should at least live together a little bit before we decided to tie the knot.

I know this has probably been asked tons of times before, but I really am confused.

Contrary to what lots of people think, a work permit isn't confusing or complex at all, it's probably the easiest for the applicant.  The sponsor fills out a WP1 form and sends it to Sheffield.  If they approve, there's an entry clearance application and it's done.

If that doesn't work out and if you aren't ready to go the family route, then you would be applying for something in the youth mobility programme.

And yes, Kiwi's cannot sponsor a fiance.  Only spouses and dependents.  That's until they get ILR.

Mm. But yeah -- I'm not sure I understand the whole "two years living together" to be eligible for Unmarried Visa. It's like, how can we live together when both of us are not allowed to legally stay longer than six months in each other's country?

Unmarried Partner visas are really for couples (same sex or hetero) where one partner has found a way to live in the other partner's country for a while- say with a work permit or as a student, or one partner happens to be a dual citizen.  They're not at all designed for the increasingly common situation of partners who'd like to live together before doing something more permanent, which of course sucks for the many many couples who've met on the internet and have been long distance for their entire relationship.  And Garry's hinted before that UP's may be phased out sometime fairly soon (especially since same-sex couples can now get Civil Partnerships in the UK) so they might become a thing of the past one of these days.

Youth Mobility Programme? Never heard of it, but I shall look it up.

Contrary to what lots of people think, a work permit isn't confusing or complex at all, it's probably the easiest for the applicant.  The sponsor fills out a WP1 form and sends it to Sheffield.  If they approve, there's an entry clearance application and it's done.

A sponser being my employer?

And Garry's hinted before that UP's may be phased out sometime fairly soon (especially since same-sex couples can now get Civil Partnerships in the UK) so they might become a thing of the past one of these days.

Yes.  Smart money is betting on a leveling down

Read this!

http://www.oisc.gov.uk/publications/pdfs/news/Lorraine%20Rogerson%20presentation.ppt