Fiancee Visa questions

Hello

Firstly, what a fantastic web-site! 

I'm hoping to get some advice, i've read a number of the forum chats and found them really helpful but i have a couple of questions that i don't think have been covered...apologies if they have, i know that a lot of people are asking the same things over and over so you must all be very patient!

I recently got engaged to my american boyfriend - i'm very happy!  We were hoping to be married in the uk (i'm a uk resident living in Edinburgh, Scotland) but i'm lost with all the hoops we seem to have to jump through!  Whatever happened to romance in this country?!

Does anyone have any idea how long it takes to go through the Fiancee Visa Application process?  He'd be submitting it in Los Angeles.  I'm sure every office is different, but we were already planning to have him visit in November of this year which we'd be happy to delay if the process was a matter of weeks, but not if it was a matter of months?

I (think I) know that he can't change from a visitors visa to a fiancee visa during his stay, but if he was to return to the US after his visit (we're planning an extended trip of upto the whole 6 months), and then applied for the visa , would the 6 months that he'd already spent in the UK have an affect on his application - i.e .would he have to remain out of the country for a further 6 months before he could re-enter?

I've read that it seems to be easier to be married in the US, but we've got our heart set on a scottish wedding, so any help anyone can give will help me to at least start making plans.

I hope this makes sense and am grateful for any advice, help or pointers anyone can give me.

Many thanks
caroline

The process is definitely not a matter or months and usually not even weeks, but days.  If the (straightforward, no complications) application is submitted via post, it will take between 1-2 weeks for him to get his visa (they aim for 5 business days but it can be a little longer than that).  If the application is presented in person at the consulate in Los Angeles, the visa is usually granted the same day. 

If you're planning a long visit beforehand, make sure your fiance brings lots of documentation that shows he has money to support himself, ties to the US and plans to go back there, to avoid or alleviate possible (some might say probable) hassles at immigration.  But since he's planning to move anyway and the visa process is so short, I would either delay the visit maybe a couple of weeks to get your paperwork together and then apply for the fiance visa in the first place, or make it a shorter visit (definitely not the full 6 months) and then have him return to the US and apply for the visa.  That's just me though

I came to the UK on a fiancee visa and it really is easy. The most difficult part is getting together the paperwork but even that is not difficult. I would be relunctant to try a long visit without a visa it will probably cause many questions. If he does come for a long visit it will not effect the fiancee visa. In fact it could be used as further evidence of your relationship. I do know people get turned away though if they don't have a visa and the IO thinks they are intending on settling in the UK.

Overall the fiancee visa is easy...nothing to panic about.....don't hesitate to ask questions..we all remember the panic of trying to sort out the rest of your life .

Helena

Many thanks Helena and Andrea, i'm very grateful for the advice...

Hello All

Using the advice we got from Helena and Andrea - what seems like years ago - and from all the invaluable insight that we got from reading the forums, my American fiance and I decided to apply for a fiance visa (we crazily thought he could just come on an extended holiday and take it from there!  How dumb are we!!!)...anyway, it took around 4 weeks to get all the information together and we finally submitted the application on Tuesday 28th November to the LA Consulate.

We got the incredible news yesterday that his visa has been approved...he actually has his passport in his hands with the precious stamp inside!!!!  OH MY GOD!  I can't tell you how happy and relieved and excited we are.

But i did want to say a huge thanks to this web-site and all the contributors who helped steer us in the right direction and made sure we knew what documents to submit (mainly Garry's website) !  You are all amazing and we could not have got to this point without all the help that this web-site gave us.

I'm the happiest I've ever been and he is packed and ready to leave and should be with me this time next week...trust me when i say we'll never be apart again!

For all those who are in the midst of the process or just starting out...don't be daunted, it all seemed to be an endless and torturous process at the time but the rewards far outweigh the effort!  Good luck to you all, i hope you're experience turns out to be as good as ours.

Thanks again to everyone who helped...even though you probably didn't even know you were doing it!

Caroline & Brett
(marriage date set for 16th February)

awesome!  glad we could help you out.  And congratulations!!

Congrats!!! I remember sitting and staring at my visa when I received it, it was a beautiful thing to see . I am glad we could help.

Helena