Hello,
I am willing to bet that all my questions are answered somewhere on the site but it is so overwhelming finding each answer i thought I might ask you experts what I should do.
My fiancee and I met as online friends about 4 years ago but didn't get romantic until about a year ago when we first met in person. She came over from england to the US. That meeting was for a week. Then we met again for another week in England, then finally, she spent 2 months here this summer, leaving a couple weeks ago. Just before she left I proposed and she accepted. And that's when the complication started.
We want to get me over to the UK in the easiest and most efficient way possible, and at first planned on a fiancee visa situation where i would go over in november and we'd get married in april. This would require me to save up a large amount of money in order to stay there for 6 months without working. This didn't seem like a good idea, since I am an accomplished computer guy and can probably find a job pretty fast there, given permission to work.
We've decided instead that I will still save up some money, but a smaller amount (less stressful) and go ahead and do a quick and dirty courthouse wedding here and apply for a spousal visa. We are wanting to do that in October.
She doesn't work full time, as she's a university student, and I am self employed as a consultant in a highly specialized computer field. (not too specialized that i can't find work in the UK, but specialized enough that 2 months of work can often support me for 6 or more months). I am thinking I will have between $6000 and $8000 in my checking account when I am ready to make the move over there (after paying the anticipated visa fees, US court fees, and airline tickets). I also have a self sustaining element of my consulting service that gets me a consistent $1500 each month and this will continue on when I am in the UK.
Her dad has agreed to act as a sponsor if i need one, and act as a co-signer on a lease for an apartment (so i can avoid paying 6 months rent up front). She is going to try and secure a place for us before I get there (she lives in student housing)
Do you think we run much of a risk of being denied for my spousal visa? Do I need to mail her passport in as well as mine when applying? (this was unclear). I'll also need my bank statements and some sort of budget plan included in there right? as well as my divorce certificate and marriage certificate. is there anything obvious that i am missing? The way we were planning on doing it was having her come out for a couple days, get married, and then send her back. then send off all the neccesary papers and hopefully get my visa within a month so I can fly out there and get started on our new life together.
Does this sound realistic? where am i making mistakes? Sorry for the length and the newbness.
-Jason
