After the wedding - change of status

Good morning everyone

The wedding is coming up and I have a question - sorry if this is somewhere on here but I have had no luck finding an answer: what do I have to do to change my status after we are married? I know that my visa will expire in April and that I will need to do something so that I am still here legally. I know that I have to get my NI to be able to work but didn't think that is enough to give me leave to remain.

Thank you in advance for your help.

You need to apply for FLR(M).  You can apply either in person for a same day decision (for a fee of £953) or you can apply by post before your visa expiry (it's about £578).  Your status will remain the same until you are approved, meaning no work/volunteer work.

You don't HAVE to have a NI number before you start work but you will be taxed at a higher rate until you do.

For information about applying for FLR(M) see here:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/partners-families/citizens-settled/spouse-cp/applying-in-uk/

Thank you KFdancer and KSand24. And you ksand24 - you answered my next question before I could ask it. I am starting to climb the walls a bit and thought that maybe I'd see about working in one of the charity shops for something to do. So I can't even do volunteer work? It's unpaid.

I am starting to climb the walls a bit and thought that maybe I'd see about working in one of the charity shops for something to do. So I can't even do volunteer work? It's unpaid.

No, you can't - ANY kind of work, paid or unpaid, employed or volunteer, in the UK or remotely for a US company, in person or online, is illegal until you have your FLR(M).

Remember that you don't have to wait until your visa expires to apply for FLR(M) - you can do it as soon as you are married and have your marriage certificate in hand.

If you can afford it and you can both attend the appointment, it's probably worth paying the extra £375 and applying in person - you should get a decision the same day and your BRP (the visa) will arrive in the post within 10 working days (often within 2-4 days). You can start working immediately when you have received it.

If you apply by post though, it can take up to a few months to be processed.... which means potentially a few more months of not working.

Thank you again ksand24. I'll have to consider applying in person to get the visa a little quicker.

I definetly have to agree with ksand24 about paying the extra if you can afford to and applying in person,  I arrived in the UK on a fiance visa in Septemeber, we were married in November, and we applied for the FLR(M) on December 24th by mail.  And I received my letter/documents back yesterday and my RBP today! I was expecting the 4-6 weeks wait anyways… But with the last 4 months of not being able to work on top of that, it has made me crazy! It's unfortunate that volunteer work is not allowed on a fiance visa, because I would have loved to put my ridiculous amount of free time to a good cause.  But now that I need to begin a job hunt, and work to pay off my hole of debt we've racked up- won't have any free time to do volunteer work!