filling out visa application and selected wront type of visa plus finacial quest

Greeting to all!

I am back with another question 

First I would like to express the forum members for helping me out the last time. 

I am filling out a visa application.  I selected the wrong visa.  I am just going to be a visitor for six months and I got greedy and selected the two year one but now know its impossible for me to do that as I wont have any health insurance in England.  There is a chance that I might legally marry my mate but that may not happen either.

Do I cancel the application and start over?  or is there room to edit it?  Also, I plan on retiring in July of 2016 but the question relates to current employment.  It also asks if I have  savings and I do but I  don't derive an income on it.  How do i answer that question since its cash and not a cd or bond?  It's a inheritance and I already paid the taxes on it upfront.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Teejay

I'm assuming you haven't completed or paid for the application yet? If not, then I would say the best thing to do would be to see if you can cancel the application and start over, or if not, then maybe see if you can create a new account, and start with a clean slate.

For the record, you wouldn't be able to qualify for a 2-year visitor visa anyway, even if you did have health insurance - long-term visitor visas are rarely granted and are only issued in certain circumstances.

2-year visitor visas are only for people who have a long, established history of regular visits to the UK, and who have a very good reason for needing to visit the UK often (i.e. several times a year for short visits), meaning that it would be a hassle for them to apply for a new visa each time they visit.

For example, if they travel frequently for business meetings or if they have immediate relatives they need to visit often (i.e. a child living in the UK or elderly parents they help take care of).

Plus, a 2-year visitor visa doesn't allow anyone to stay for a whole 2 years, it just means they can visit for short periods multiple times over a 2-year period, without having to apply for a visa each time. They are limited to 6 months maximum per visit, with a general rule of thumb that they do not spend more than 6 months in the UK in a rolling 12-month period.

Do be aware that if you do decide to marry, you can't marry in the UK on a visitor visa, so if you did want to marry in the UK, you would need to return to the US in order to apply for either a fiance visa or a Marriage Visitor Visa, or you would need to marry in the US/another country.

Also, I plan on retiring in July of 2016 but the question relates to current employment.  It also asks if I have  savings and I do but I  don't derive an income on it.  How do i answer that question since its cash and not a cd or bond?  It's a inheritance and I already paid the taxes on it upfront.

Just put down your current employment situation at the time of submitting the visa application. You should submit payslips and bank statements to show you are currently employed. You should also include a letter from your employer giving you time off to visit the UK and stating when you will be returning to work after your visit (or if you will be retiring, then it should state that).

They ask about your savings to see if you have enough money to support yourself during your visit without working... so just write down how much money is in your savings/checking account on the day you apply.

When are you actually planning to visit the UK? Before you retire or after?

What date have you put for your expected travel date? You can't apply for the visa more than 3 months before you plan to travel, so if you won't be travelling until July 2016, you can't apply until at least April anyway.

Thanks for the information KSand24!

I think it would be best to cancel and start over.  My projected date to arrive in the UK is August 24, 2016.  So with your information, I can't apply until May or June?  I was under the impression I could apply now for the paperwork to get started.  Okay so what date can i apply for?  We normally take our vacation the last week of August first week of September me there or him here.  Its my turn to come to England as I want to experience Christmas in the UK and Hull is celebrating their year of City of Cultural in January of 2017, so I want to be there as well for their opening.  I have to know what life holds for me after the vacation when its all about enjoying it together afterwards.  I know from past experience that i can live anywhere as long as there are things that perk my interest.  Has to have a gym and swimming facilities and that I already know exists in Hull. 

My entire immediate family, parents and siblings all passed away between 2003 and 2009 and though I miss all of them, its "me time" and I can't think of a better way of ife than living life again,  in the UK England with my best friend and mate.  So in order for me to live there without the need to go back to the USA, is to get legally married in England on a fiance visa??  He's not going to go for this without the living arrangements first tried out.  gawd!!  can't blame him even if i know its a winning team. 

On a longshot, if I apply for just the six month visa visitor status and I get a job transfer for another job there once I arrive, will i have to get another Visa?  I can't apply for another job until my feet are on the ground in England.  I work for the Federal Government Dept of Veterans Affairs, we have no offices for that sort of administrative work but we do have USA Airforce bases all around England and only USA citizens can apply.  I really dont want to work again   but it's an option...so could i marry while employed there?  or are there restrictions on that as well? 

Again, thank you for your guidance!

teejay

I think it would be best to cancel and start over.  My projected date to arrive in the UK is August 24, 2016.  So with your information, I can't apply until May or June?  I was under the impression I could apply now for the paperwork to get started.  Okay so what date can i apply for? 

Yes, that's correct. If you won't travel until August 24th, the earliest date you can submit the online application is May 24th - in fact, the application isn't supposed to allow you to enter an 'intended travel date' of more than 3 months in the future... though I don't know if this is actually the case.

You can start filling it out now and working out what you will need, but don't submit or pay for it until after 24th May.

Its my turn to come to England as I want to experience Christmas in the UK and Hull is celebrating their year of City of Cultural in January of 2017, so I want to be there as well for their opening.  I have to know what life holds for me after the vacation when its all about enjoying it together afterwards.  I know from past experience that i can live anywhere as long as there are things that perk my interest.  Has to have a gym and swimming facilities and that I already know exists in Hull. 

Sounds like a nice plan . I live only about 45 miles from Hull (in Lincoln), although I have to admit, I've never actually been to Hull .

So in order for me to live there without the need to go back to the USA, is to get legally married in England on a fiance visa??  He's not going to go for this without the living arrangements first tried out.  gawd!!  can't blame him even if i know its a winning team. 

Essentially, yes - as we say here on the forum, there's no 'let's shack up' visa... there's no visa that allows you to just try out living together before you get married. Your only real option is the visitor visa, but to get it, you need to be able to prove that you have no intention of living in the UK and that you will return to your life in the US after the visit.

So, if you wish to live in the UK legally on a longer term basis, you need to qualify for a proper visa that allows you to live there - for example, a work visa, a student visa, or a family (fiance/spouse) visa.

Assuming you would be going the family route, you would either need to get married in the US (or another country) and then apply for a spousal visa to move to the UK, or you would need to apply for a fiance visa to move to the UK, marry within 6 months and then apply for another visa to stay.

There is a minimum financial requirement that your UK sponsor (fiance/spouse) needs to meet in order for you to qualify for a fiance or spousal visa - he would normally need to be earning at least £18,600 per year in employment income, however, non-employment and pension income from either of you can be used as well, so if you and/or he have at least £18,600 or more per year in pension income (either separately or combined), you can use that to meet the requirement.

Alternatively, cash savings can be used, but you need a lot of savings - if you have no other income, you would need at least £62,500 in savings to qualify.

See here for more information about the fiance/spousal visa: https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/overview

On a longshot, if I apply for just the six month visa visitor status and I get a job transfer for another job there once I arrive, will i have to get another Visa?

You are not legally allowed to switch from a visitor visa to any other kind of visa from inside the UK, so if you were to get a job offer in the UK, you would have to return to the US to apply for a visa to live and work here.

It can be very difficult, if not impossible, to get a work visa for the UK (although a transfer to a UK branch of your US company is easier), unless you work in a very specialised, highly skilled or in-shortage profession.

Unless the job is listed on the Tier 2 Skills Shortage List, then the UK company has to prove they cannot find a single suitable applicant in the UK or any other EU country before they can hire you.

Alternatively, if you were to get married and get a spousal visa, you would be allowed to work in any UK job you can get.

See here for more information about Tier 2 work visas:
https://www.gov.uk/tier-2-general/overview
https://www.gov.uk/tier-2-intracompany-transfer-worker-visa/overview

I really dont want to work again   but it's an option...so could i marry while employed there?  or are there restrictions on that as well?

If you have a work visa, then yes, you can marry on that visa, however, it would be qualifying for that work visa that could be difficult... not sure how easy or difficult it would be to get a job on a US air force base (there are only a few here now, and I believe some are closing soon - I work on an RAF base myself and some of our planes are currently using one of the US bases for their flights) .

you guys rock on advice   so now i know when to apply.....i will have savings and possibly more before I arrive.  I would also have my state pension and private pension from another company which total up to roughly 21,600 per year or 14,400 in lbs. so he has to make up the difference right? 

As to the job option, I could apply through the federal government umbrella as the US Air Force bases are actually hiring from time to time but I still think I have to be in the UK to apply for them.  Not certain but something I need to check. 

Thanks for all your advice

teejay