New Member Visa help

Hi Stacey,

I think Squirrel has the best solution to your situation.  I went through a very similar thing to you 12 years ago when I first came over here to be with my fiance.  After a couple of trips out of the UK and back in, I got picked on by a very grumpy immigration officer who told me I couldn't keep coming in on a tourist visa (even though I was supporting myself, not working, etc.), and he gave me a stamp only allowing me to stay 6 months from when I had FIRST come in.

I got around this by applying for a fiance visa, although I never did get one as it took forever!  In the meantime, while they were processing my application I was allowed to stay here as long as I wanted (but of course couldn't leave).

With regard to coming back into the UK after your wedding, you will need to go to the consolate in NY and get a letter from them.  You do need to have your marriage certificate to do this.  Again, I had the same problem - was getting married in the US on a Saturday and flying back to the UK on the Monday after.  I was told that if I didn't have this letter, they didn't have to let me back in the UK.  The solution was to have a "secret" wedding at a registry office here, and take the UK marriage certificate back with us and present it to the NY consolate.  Most of my family still don't know that my husband and I were legally married BEFORE our wedding in the States.

By the way, I also used to live and work in Boston.  Went to college at MIT, then lived in Somerville near Porter Square.  I really missed Boston when I first came to England, but love Bristol now.

Best of luck with everything!

Cheers,
Suzanne

ok im new to this site never posted before but reading all this on visas seems really disheartening .
I live in the UK and my bf lives in the US he went home yesterday after a 4 month stay . We are thinking about getting married alothough not sure which is the best route to go down wether to do it here or there . I am a single mum and at present don't work but intend finding a job within the next few weeks as i know if we want a fiancee visa I need to support him .
I need to know if you have to be earning a certain amount of money i will be looking for full time work .
And the fact that he has already been here 4 months out of a year will that mean he cant get a visa till next year
im just lost in all of this all we want is too be together but the more i read the more impossible it seems
i hope someone can help on this
nicky

ok im new to this site never posted before but reading all this on visas seems really disheartening .
I live in the UK and my bf lives in the US he went home yesterday after a 4 month stay . We are thinking about getting married alothough not sure which is the best route to go down wether to do it here or there . I am a single mum and at present don't work but intend finding a job within the next few weeks as i know if we want a fiancee visa I need to support him .
I need to know if you have to be earning a certain amount of money i will be looking for full time work .
And the fact that he has already been here 4 months out of a year will that mean he cant get a visa till next year
im just lost in all of this all we want is too be together but the more i read the more impossible it seems
i hope someone can help on this
nicky

Welcome Nicky!

It's not impossible as many of us here can attest although I think we can all empathise about it seeming like such a monumental task to obtain a visa when so much information is required.

There's no requirement that a sponsor be making a certain amount of money to support someone.  You may want to seriously think about whether you do want to go with a fiance visa or straight to a spousal visa as with a fiance visa, your boyfriend would not be able to work until you and he were married and his visa "upgraded" to a spousal visa.

Depending upon which route you go will determine what to begin to gathering and looking for.  When I applied for a spousal visa in Chicago, Frank had to present evidence that he was working, his bank statements and we needed proof of housing in the form of a lease or mortgage statement.  These are things you will need to be looking to provide either way.  

Best of luck in whatever you decide and there's so many of us here who have been through it, I'm sure you'll find great advice and support!