Ok, I'm in the process of applying for the fiance visa. During the application process it asks for itinerary information. Do I have to have my flight booked in order to apply for the visa? That date is going to sort of hinging on when I actually getting the fiance visa.
Also be aware that it's not as easy as just filling out the online form and paying for the visa... you will need to include several original documents from your fiance in the UK as part of the application. Most people take a few weeks to prepare their application and gather all their supporting documents before they do the online application, so you might want to take some time to think about how you will apply and what evidence you need to collect in order to meet the application requirements.
Some of the documents you will need to include are:
- Your fiance's passport (or a certified copy of it, or a photocopy plus his long form birth certificate
- Your fiance's bank statements for the last 3 months
- Your fiance's pay slips and/or job contract
- Evidence of the accommodation you will be living in in the UK (rental agreement or mortgage statements)
- A letter from your fiance stating that he supports your relationship
- Evidence that you have started planning your wedding (i.e. an email from a registry office or church inquiring about possible wedding dates)
It's usually best to make sure you have collected all your documents together and have them ready to send before you fill out the online application form. Once you have paid for the visas and attended your biometrics appointments, you will only have 14 calender days for the documentation for all 3 visas to arrive at the consulate for processing. If you miss the 14-day deadline because you're still waiting for documents to arrive in the mail, then you will lose the visa fees and will have to re-apply all over again.
Also, if you apply for the visas now, I doubt you'll be able to visit for a week on the 22nd, because your visas will probably be being processed (the 22nd is only 13 days away and it's unlikely that you will be able to gather all your documents, attend the biometrics appointments, send your documents to the consulate, wait for them to be processed and then receive your passports back again in the next 13 days). If you have already booked your ticket for the 22nd, it might be worth taking your trip for a week and then applying for the visas as soon as you get back home again (that way, you could get hold of all the documents you need from your fiance while you are in the UK, which would save him paying to ship them to the US).
