Hello all, I'm new and seeking help as well!

Hello all, I want to say one thing first, this site is simply amazing, sure it is hard for me to really find what I need or seek but I'll save that for later, My name is Phillip and I'm 17, soon to be 18 in August the 8th, I have a lovely Girlfriend over at West Yorkshire whom I've known her since i was like 16? Yes I'm sure she is the one I want to be with for the rest of my life :] call it young love but out of all the girls I've dated this one is the erm? special one.

 I have a question as a newcomer, where should with what i need help with? I understand and have been reading a heck load of sites! wow this is stressing for me as a young guy.. I want to go live with my Girlfriend by the time I'm 19 at least! or no later, mean while I'm only soon to be 18, she is 21 already as of the month of Feb. I want to ask is there anyway for me to be with her in the U.K by then without having to wait till I'm 21? What if she comes to the U.S.A and decides to marry me here in my home country?  would the process me different. thanks if you answer this question for me in this thread as I'm dead tired from trying to find the answers online in countless sites and forums.

Hello, and welcome

It sounds like you're interested in going via the "spousal visa" route, but, unfortunately, In order to obtain a spousal visa, both you and your "wife" need to be at least 21 years old, so you will have to wait a few years before going through that route.  Even if you marry in the US, you'll still need to be 21 if you wish to join her in the UK; I don't think there's any way around that...

The other options pretty much include spending a fortune to be an international student in the UK, or possibly BUNAC.

Good luck!

Hey! thanks, I plan on waiting, true love is based on that right? I'll plan to visit her in between those 3 years of waiting *visiting visa would work for this yes?* :] this site has people who at one point where in my place i bet, at the end of that all, I can learn a lot from this site! any interesting links someone can supply me with? to learn about this whole process? I bet the student way would indeed be a lot... why does this world have to limit us to one country   well guys how can i be active in this forums without posting in the important forums? I'm so young lol....

A visitor visa would only allow you to be in the UK for up to 6 months at a time and no more that 6 months during a 12 month period. Considering you are still a child in the eyes of the law I doubt that you would be allowed into the UK alone as a visitor until you are at least age 18.

Plus there are other requirements to be allowed entry as a visitor such as you need to have a ticket back to the US, proof that you're going to go back such as a job or you have to return to University or College, plus proof that you can support yourself (such as money in the bank) while you're in the UK because as a visitor you are not allowed to work, you cannot use the UK health system either so you'll need travel insurance in case you get sick.

The most logical way for you to spend any considerable amount of time in the UK is to explore being a University student and getting a Tier 4 Student Visa.

A visitor visa would only allow you to be in the UK for up to 6 months at a time and no more that 6 months during a 12 month period. Considering you are still a child in the eyes of the law I doubt that you would be allowed into the UK alone as a visitor until you are at least age 18.

Plus there are other requirements to be allowed entry as a visitor [nofollow] such as you need to have a ticket back to the US, proof that you're going to go back such as a job or you have to return to University or College, plus proof that you can support yourself (such as money in the bank) while you're in the UK because as a visitor you are not allowed to work, you cannot use the UK health system either so you'll need travel insurance in case you get sick.

The most logical way for you to spend any considerable amount of time in the UK is to explore being a University student and getting a Tier 4 Student Visa [nofollow] .

Thank you for the great help! I sure love all this help, I wouldn't really plan to stay there long enough, perhaps like 5 days or so short, would a visitor visa be the only way? I take it is the same a "tourist"? I'm sorry for the perhaps stupid questions. if only it wasn't for the forced marriage.... curse who ever did that!

Visitor = Tourist

But you should probably wait to visit until you reach age 18, that way you can travel on your passport alone and not need to apply for a visa in advance. You just need to show the following documentation when you arrive in the UK to the Immigration Officer and they can issue you a visitor stamp at the border:

This page explains what documents you should have when coming to the United Kingdom as a general visitor.

They are:

■if you are employed, a letter from your employer granting leave of absence from your job for a specified period - the letter should also say how long you have been employed by that employer, in what job(s), and when you are expected back at work;
■if you are self-employed, evidence of your business activities and financial standing;
■evidence of any property you own in your home country;
■if you are a student, a letter from your school or college stating the course you are on, its start and finish dates, and the dates of the holiday period when you intend to visit the United Kingdom;
■evidence of any family or social ties and responsibilities to return to;
■evidence of any firm travel plans you have made;
■bank statements going back over a period of several months; and
■evidence of savings available to you.

Thank you I'll for sure be looking back at this in the near future one day and thank you once more! Oh don't worry, I won't be going anytime soon, sometimes before or when I'm 19. I owe you all who have helped, I want to get this straighten out, once I'm 21, I can then apply for unmarried visa? Or she can come marry me in the U.S.A before I'm even 21 and once I turned 21 I can apply for a spouse visa correct? I'm still new to this, been reading for the past 48 hours non stop.

An Unmarried Partner Visa requires that you have already lived together in a relationship like marriage for at least 2 years before you can apply and need to be at least 21 years old...so no, you wouldn't be able to do that visa.

You can marry in the US before age 21, you need to research in the County you live in to see what the requirements are to get married as it does vary from County to County. If you do get married in the US, once you reach age 21 you can apply for a Spousal visa.

An Unmarried Partner Visa requires that you have already lived together in a relationship like marriage for at least 2 years before you can apply and need to be at least 21 years old...so no, you wouldn't be able to do that visa.

You can marry in the US before age 21, you need to research in the County you live in to see what the requirements are to get married as it does vary from County to County. If you do get married in the US, once you reach age 21 you can apply for a Spousal visa.

 Hey, you have been great help, remind me to send you a donation one day once i get my life going the right away. I see what I would have to do, If i marry her when I'm 19 in the U.S.A by the time I'm 21, I can apply for a spousal visa. would she have to stay in the U.S those two years? or would her getting married to me, then her going back to the U.K after a while be good enough.

No she can't stay in the US for those 2 years unless she gets a US visa. Which by the time she applied for it from the UK and it was processed you'd likely be 21 by that point. US visas take years to be processed in some cases.

It would be illegal for her to go to the US, get married & stay in the US for 2 years without a proper visa. But she can go to the US as a visitor, get married and return to the UK.

Great help, Alright, you been so much fantastic help... really you have, I'll call her in a bit, let her know what I know, once I'm 19, we will work it out to come out to visit me and she can marry me, take some pictures of course for proof, perhaps a video and such, then she'll fly out to the U.K and waiting time starts. I better start planning and thinking, time passes by so fast. feels like it was just yesterday when i met her! how much money would i be expecting to save up to here, I was thinking to try and save a good $10,000 or more in those three years to ensure a good standing.

Welcome to UKY.

Welcome to UKY!

Hello and welcome!