Hello! New here with Visa questions

Hello all.  This is Julie (US) & James (UK). 

We currently reside in TN in the US & recently got married.  We got the fiance' visa for Jim to move here, and are in the middle of getting his greencard.  We have recently decided that it would be in our best interest to move back to the UK.  The US immigration process is very hard.  It takes so long before the spouse can work, believe me, he is bored out of his mind.  Not only that, Jim can't travel outside of the country until he gets his greencard. 

Now, we do have a question.  Does anyone know, if we went through the spousal settlement visa, would Jim have to go through any other process than just moving back & getting a job?  Has he lost his rights as a British Citizen?  He has only been here since November.   

Also, how long does the process for the spousal settlement visa take?  Can I work with just the visa, or do I need to do anything else?  Is it really as cut & dry as it seems?  Is it a quick process?  Will we need to take a trip to to British Embassy for an interview, or can it all be done by mail?  Will the cat have to stay in America? 

If we are wanting to move June/July 2006, when do we need to apply?  Thank you so much for all of your help & answers.

Julie & James

Your husband hasn't lost any rights as a British citizen.  If you'd like a UK spousal visa, visit www.britainusa.com  You can apply either in person at the NYC consulate or by mail.  If you apply in person, you can have the visa the same day...by post it seems to take anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks.  Your husband will be your sponsor -- he'll need to prove that he can financially support the two of you until you start working and that he can provide a reasonable place for the two of you to live.  It might be a good idea for him to head to the UK and secure a job and a house/flat before you apply for your spousal visa. 

You can work in the UK immediately upon arrival with your spousal visa.

The cat will need to stay in America until you complete the PETS scheme (do a search -- there are a couple of threads on that around here).

Good luck and welcome to the site!   

Welcome to UKY!  Since most of your post deals with Visa questions I moved it here so you can get better answers.

Thank you so much for your replies.  Silly us, we didn't even think about Jim moving over before me.  We were trying to concentrate on what I could do.  He was previously working with his dad doing stuff that he really enjoyed doing, so he was wanting to return to that company.  Hmmm, we will have to get in touch and see if this is a possibility.  Thanks for all of your help.   

I know that here 'financially secure' is 125% of the poverty level, according to how many people are in your household.  What are the guidelines in the UK?

Julie & Jim

I know that here 'financially secure' is 125% of the poverty level, according to how many people are in your household.  What are the guidelines in the UK?

Julie & Jim

There is no set guideline in the UK and tends to be pretty flexible. If he is employed fulltime you shouldn't have a problem. I would just also include information about your potential to work (resume--letter from current employer in US-- any ads you may find online in your field etc.)

Overall--- it really is that easy!! Which is one reason we decided to have me move to the UK instead of my husband move to the US. We would have never met the US requirements.

Helena

Seeing as how we just did what you are going to do, heres the low-down,
Yes you get your visa in the american consulate chicago, nyc or la. you get it that day, if you have all your ducks in a row. pay online and submit your application via e fast track really speeds things up! Yes as soon as you have that "golden ticket" you as the american can legally work. What we chose to do was for me and husband to stay here and then fly over together in may. We secured a place at his rents for a couple of days with proof of their mortgage to the officials, and showed we have savings to live on until we were employed, and they didnt seem to have a problem with him not already having a job,. they just wanted to see his employment here, and that we werent going to live off the government when we got there. the chicago consulate is where we went, very friendly people, and mon-fri from 2-430 they answer any quetstions over the phone that you have .
hope this helps and good luck,
oh by the way yes it really is that simple, I didnt believe it either when people said it, but yes coming from one person who JUST got her visa on Tuesday, it realllly is that simple.

WOW Jonie.  Congrats on the VISA.  WOO-HOO!!!!!  After going throught the visa process for him coming here, it just really does seem like that is way too easy, if you know what I mean.  Where abouts are you guys going to?  I know that when we do go, we will be in Bolton, just outside of Manchester.

We would be staying with his Grandad, who rents, for a little bit.  Since he doesn't actually have a mortgage, would there be a problem with that? 

That's it for now.  We'll check back in later.

Julie & James

We would be staying with his Grandad, who rents, for a little bit.  Since he doesn't actually have a mortgage, would there be a problem with that? 

You'll need a copy of your husband's grandfather's rental agreement and a letter from his landlord giving the two of you permission to live there.  As long as the two of you will have your own room in the house, you should be just fine.