Is it possible to get a tourist visa for the full 6 months, or at least 1-3 months, and then come back to the US and apply for a fiance visa?
Of course it is
- they are completely separate type of visas and have nothing to do with each other (one is to visit the UK for no more than 6 months at a time, the other is to move to the UK permanently as the fiance of a UK citizen).
Tourist visas are generally issued for 6 months as standard, regardless of whether you only stay 1-3 months.
If you apply for a tourist visa in advance, it will be valid 6 months and will be multiple entry until it expires, but you can only stay in the UK during that time... for example, if it is valid Jan 1st to June 1st, you could stay Jan 1st to March 1st, then come back in May, but you would have to leave again by June 1st.
If you don't apply for a tourist visa in advance, you are usually issued with a 6-month visa at the border. It is only valid for one entry, so when you leave the UK, it becomes invalid and then you are issued with a new 6-month visa next time you come to the UK.
I was in the UK from Jan-March 2014 and then visited again in June 2014 for one week. The customers officer gave me quite a hassle for already "overstaying" my visa on my June visit. I was only there for 3 months prior, so I thought I still had 3 more months. Now that its mid-October, I'm wondering how much longer I can stay in the UK as a tourist.
Did you apply for a visa in advance on either visit? If not, then you didn’t overstay because your first visa would have been valid for 6 months and you only stayed 2-3 months… and then it was cancelled when you left the UK.
When you came back, you would have been issued with a new 6-month visa, so as long as you hadn’t been in the UK for more than 6 months in the rolling 12-month period, there shouldn’t have been any issue at all.
What exactly are the rules or being on a tourist visa and then applying for a fiance visa (I know that I'd have to apply for this in the US)
There are no specific rules for it.
You leave the UK within 6 months of entering as a tourist, go back to the US and apply for a fiance visa. That’s about it.
Also, does it make more sense just to get a spouse visa? Does it cut costs?/
It’s all about your personal situation and what is best for you – you need to weigh up where you wish to marry, how much each option will cost you, whether you wish to work immediately in the UK etc..
If you want to marry in the UK:- Apply for a fiance visa (valid 6 months, no work allowed, cost £885), meeting the financial requirements
- move to the UK
- get married
- after the wedding, apply for a 30-month FLR(M) visa to stay in the UK (£601 by post or £1,001 in person for a same-day decision, work allowed once you have it) – you can apply any time between getting married and the expiry date of the fiance visa… your fiance visa status will be extended while it is processing
- apply for another 30-month FLR(M) visa
- after 5 years on FLR(M) apply for ILR (permanent residence) (cost £1,093 by post, £1,493 in person).
Total number of visas = 4
Total visa cost (at current prices) = £3,180 or £4,380
If you want to marry in the US:- your fiance enters the US as a tourist
- you get married
- you apply for a spousal visa (valid 33 months, work allowed, cost £885)
- you move to the UK
- after 2.5 years in the UK, apply for a 30-month FLR(M) visa
- after 5 years in the UK apply for ILR (permanent residence) (cost £1,093 by post, £1,493 in person).
Total number of visas = 3
Total visa cost (at current prices) = £2,579 or £3,379
See this flowchart for how to figure out which visa you need:
http://www.smilinginaforeignland.com/living-in-the-uk/uk-visas/
