My budget, is all this sufficient?!

We really do have our hearts set on having an actual ceremony. I know it may sound selfish and stupid but we've already set a date and have started planning. This sucks.

question- have you included the money for the FLR(M) visa application in your budget?

No. My fiance will be saving for it once I apply for my fiance visa. We do have the money for that at the moment.

We are just going to apply. If we get refused, then we will wait it out for a while, save money and try again.

So you're going to waste the equivalent of half a month's salary on an application that's going to fail?  That's sure to show the ECO that you're responsible with money!

You can have an "actual ceremony" in the US.  You can wait a few months, save up some money, and apply for a fiancee visa in, say, August, and still get married in October in the UK.  There are quite a few things you can do and still wind up married to your fiance.  What you can't do is exactly what you want.  Do you really think no one here has ever been in your situation?

You can wait a few months, save up some money, and apply for a fiancee visa in, say, August, and still get married in October in the UK. 

Good suggestion, Meg!  Moonfaery, if you go back to the US, get a job and save as much of your salary as possible while your fiance does the same that could make a real difference.

You don't know if it will fail or not. We pretty much have everything. his bank statements and slips, letters from his parents and boss, lease and permission to live here. plus the other stuff. Everyone has a chance of refusal, saying mines will be refued without knowing is not right. I guess I will have to talk to my fiance. don't know what to do yet.

Good suggestion, Meg!  Moonfaery, if you go back to the US, get a job and save as much of your salary as possible while your fiance does the same that could make a real difference.

I suppose. It doesn't make me feel much better as I will have to wait months to see my fiance. but the visa takes ages doesn't it?

I understand you're finding this very stressful, but you need to try and take a deep breath and listen to what people are telling you, and try to understand why they're telling you those things. Its all very helpful information.

He makes enough to support you, while living with his parents. The person looking at your application needs to see that if something were to happen (ie, a fight and him getting kicked out) that he could support you both. If that were to happen, from that persons POV, he couldn't support you on that salary alone.

I had a wedding planned and booked for last year, and I had to cancel it because my fiance was in the middle of training, and wouldn't be hired by an airline yet and obviously wouldn't make enough to support us yet. We've been together 6 years now. STILL apart. It sucks, but in the end it will be worth it. I know its very hard, but you need to try and remain level headed and open to what others are saying.

As I have said we have a church booked in england for august 2nd of this year. But, we're seriously considering if he gets time off before that, him and I going to a Sandals or Beaches resort and getting married and just applying for a spouse visa. Its cheaper on the long run(which with your financial situation, you need to especially be aware of visa fees) and that way you can look to get a job the day you land, and perhaps if you push the wedding off a bit, get hired before moving there. Plenty of people here have had job offers before moving there on a spouse visa. Its not easy and most employers probably won't do it, but...at least this way you can print off jobs you're suitable for and show them you're actively looking.

It was such a crushing blow, when I had to cancel my wedding. But, sometimes life isn't easy peasy and you have to wait and get things more in order before you get what you want.

It also might have helped if you had savings yourself? You've been there almost 6 months not working, correct? My fiance and I would love to have spend that much time together, but we simply wanted to save as much as possible, so ended up only ever spending 3/4 weeks at a time together, so we could both be working and saving.

You don't know if it will fail or not. We pretty much have everything. his bank statements and slips, letters from his parents and boss, lease and permission to live here. plus the other stuff.

You could send in every piece of paper either of your own, plus a sacrificial goat, and you still wouldn't be guaranteed a visa.  Simply having paperwork isn't enough.  If you want to waste your (fiance's) money, it's up to you.  I'm done here.

I think it's time to take a step back, put your emotions aside and look at this in the cold light of day.  When immigration professionals are offering their advice for free to help you out, maybe you should look a bit closer at what they have to say.

I was in a similar situation to you a few years ago but we just had to suck it up and decide whether to get married, or save up and get the fiancee visa.  It's not feasible to live on that kind of solo income and the person processing your application will probably know that.  Our application just made it and that was when there was 3rd party support as an option.  In fact the only reason we did get our visa was because my father is extremely wealthy and although we didn't need his support in the end, at least they could see we had that as a safety net.  

In the end we decided to get married in a quick ceremony.  No I never envisaged being married so young, and I never imagined having the type of cheap and cheerful ceremony we had, but when it comes to international relationships sometimes you have to make some sacrifices.  I think you need to make the choice between waiting and building a stronger application, or getting married and being able to work immediately.  

Even now me and my husband make about £2200 net combined a month and it's a struggle sometimes, and that's in one of the cheapest areas to live in the UK.  As i've discovered the past few months, you never know what unexpected expenses will come up.

I suppose. It doesn't make me feel much better as I will have to wait months to see my fiance. but the visa takes ages doesn't it?

It takes a month tops I think? Surely not much longer.

But...gosh, I've had to go "months" without seeing my fiance. In fact he's finishing his type rating and has been all over the country not staying at one training center longer than 2 weeks, so I've not been able to see him since december 14th, and won't get to see him until the end of april. Its hard, but its what people Have to do to work, and save money so they don't live paycheck to paycheck barely scraping by. :/

You don't know if it will fail or not. We pretty much have everything. his bank statements and slips, letters from his parents and boss, lease and permission to live here.

My fiance and I have all those things too (and we live together and support ourselves!)...but we still haven't applied for a settlement visa because of the money issue (very well-paid temp job + unemployed student = still not enough money for visa people!)  We've waited over a year so far - there's no way I'm going to spend £500 on an application that doesn't fit the rules just because it's what I want.

 It doesn't make me feel much better as I will have to wait months to see my fiance.

To be perfectly honest with you- spending 4-6 months apart to save money is nothing compared to a lifetime together...you need to look at the bigger picture!

I undertand... I do. I don't care about anything but being with my fiance. If I have to wait to save money, then so be it. Though, I'm still not sure what to do...

I could work and save money, I won't make a whole lot.

He could also save money.

This whole thing is just so surprising. I really thought we'd be fine. I'm just so distraught right now. Can't stop crying....

Maybe we should jut get married in america. ugh, my head hurts.

Really, what are my chances of getting refused if I sent my application as is?

I'm not an expert, but I'm willing to bet it has a strong chance of being refused, because based on your budget, it appears you are getting third party support(extremely low rent that just happens to include all utilities and coucil tax when the rent your proposing hardly covers council tax itself)

High.  Very high.  If you were my client, it is this point where I say that if you insist on going ahead with the application against my advice that I can no longer represent you.  

Your arguments with the ECO simply aren't going to work.

You say that you have the £500 for the fiancee visa application, and that when you have that you will save the money for the FLR (M).  But that means that until you have the money for the FLR (M) that you can't switch and therefore will be further delaying your ability to work.  Which means that the ECO will see no end in sight to you being a one income houehold.  Which means that he is almost certainly going to refuse.

Seriously, stop and think, and listen to what we are saying.  And please don't flush £500 away because of impatience.  Be an adult about this.  It's a marriage, it's for life, a few more months apart sucks but is not the worse thing int he world in the grand scheme of things.

Vicky

Vicky

Also, when will your "personal loans" be paid off? Any time soon?