Concerning the Chicago Office, Fiancee Visas, etc.

I hope you don't mind me contacting you, but as a new member I need to talk to someone as i think you have gone through the same thing as me and my fiancé are goign through. I am english, and he is US citizen, from Just outside of Philly. We have been together since March 2005 and we are getting married in England on the 1st July 2007. From what I can see from your profile, your fiancé was english and you had to get a fiancé visa to come here to get married. Is that right? We are at a loss right now as to what we need to get the visa. Vince, my fiancé needs his visa, if possible for the 28th March 2007 so that we can give notice to marry here and sign all the legal forms etc. It seems that you got your visa quite quickly, and wondered what you did in order to get it so quickly. If you could also tell me what paperwork you had to do, what documents you needed etc. Also, could you specify when you needed your visa to start and why or was it just a bit of pot luck? I hope you can help me with all this. Whatever info you can give me, I will greatly appreciate.
Karen xxx

I hope you don't mind me contacting you, but as a new member I need to talk to someone as i think you have gone through the same thing as me and my fiancé are goign through. I am english, and he is US citizen, from Just outside of Philly. We have been together since March 2005 and we are getting married in England on the 1st July 2007. From what I can see from your profile, your fiancé was english and you had to get a fiancé visa to come here to get married. Is that right? We are at a loss right now as to what we need to get the visa. Vince, my fiancé needs his visa, if possible for the 28th March 2007 so that we can give notice to marry here and sign all the legal forms etc. It seems that you got your visa quite quickly, and wondered what you did in order to get it so quickly. If you could also tell me what paperwork you had to do, what documents you needed etc. Also, could you specify when you needed your visa to start and why or was it just a bit of pot luck? I hope you can help me with all this. Whatever info you can give me, I will greatly appreciate.
Karen xxx

Your fiance will apply for his fiance visa either in person at one of the British consulates in the US (Chicago, NYC, LA) or by post.  If he applies in person and all is straightforward, he'll have his visa the same day.  If he applies by post, the process should certainly take less than a month.  For forms, requirements, and fees, either visit the IND website or www.britainusa.com  It is possible to request that a visa have a particular start date based on the travel dates.  The fiance visa will be good for six months, in which time you must marry.  Once you're married, your then-husband will apply for FLR (further leave to remain -- basically changing status from fiance to spouse) either in person (Croydon, Liverpool, Glasgow, or Birmingham) or by post (£500 in person or £335 via post).  Once he has received his FLR, he'll be allowed to work.

If your fiance is bringing any children with him, he'll need visas for them as well (and permission from their birth mother, if that's not you).