Marriage Visa Age to Rise

UKBA .... come on ... clarify what the heck is going on here!

John, they want people to come under this rule as soon as possible.  There is no benefit to either side for a transition period.  Cold turkey.   One day 18, next day BAM 21.

Already had my first panicky phone call....a girl who has been in a relationship with her 26 year old partner for 3 years, they married Islamically a year ago, his student visa expires in March, she turns 21 in....March!  Luckily, there is three weeks between her 21st birthday and the expiry of his visa, but if her birthday was in June, they would be stuffed.


Vicky

Exactly, Yael.  I have clients who are 19 and 20, some have children, so what is going to happen with them?  This whole thing is appalling, and it simply can't stand up to scrutiny.

Vicky

i totally agree with you on that . it is very inhumane considering there's loads of ppl who fall in this age range and are geniunely wanting to be with thier partner in the uk.

however . having lived in the middle east i know there are loads of forced marriages going on all the time becuase their partner to be is a GOOD CATCH- loaded with money- has got a good job abroad etc... the majority of them are girls. so they are forced into marrying this person whom she hardly knows. and no , interviews hardly catch forced marriages , cos most of the time the girl is lead to believe that life in the uk will be a life of a queen so she gives the impression of geniunely wanting to be with their partner.

but having said that ,  then again , it is all irrelevant cos age means nothing . parents can still force their children to marry at 21 or 25 in some countries in the world. waiting couple of years wont stop them.

to be honest i dont think that increasing the age limit will stop forced marriages.  it will only stop geniune partners from being together earlier. and it will only postpone the forced marriage that was going to happen at 18 .not it will happen at 21.

Just for my own 2 cents, I'm in the people who support raising the age limit.

But of much more relevance to this forum is the new provision that foreign marriages must be registered *BEFORE* the sponsoring spouse leaves the UK. 

That new thingie affects the popular UKY strategy of a stateside marriage followed by a settlement application.  In the proposed system, the sponsor will have to apply by mail to UKBA to register their intent to marry abroad before they leave to actually get married.  Prospective spouses abroad will have to send them certified evidence of their capacity to marry (which includes their age). 

One of the things that bugs me is that all of that information will be sent to Interpol and the DHS, and that could result in sponsors getting bounced from the US.  And what happens if they refuse the application?  Another concern is the delay in approving registrations of intent to marry abroad.

Also, what's not known at this point is the recourse the government has for those who do not register.  They know and we know that Article 8 and Metlock present difficulties in implementing this measure.  But since they know that too, they have something in mind to counter it. 

And the Home Affairs Committee hasn't even mentioned it yet.  So we're all in the dark on this one. 

John, they want people to come under this rule as soon as possible.  There is no benefit to either side for a transition period.  Cold turkey.   One day 18, next day BAM 21.

Sorry I really do not think it is anything like that simple!

In particular, a fiancé(e) (or proposed civil partner) might have already been issued .... to a 18, 19 or 20 year old. The visa holder might already be in the UK! Or arriving soon. The marriage (or CP registration) might be planned for December or later. Are you really saying that it is OK that such visa holder goes into some sort of limbo? Surely, having issued the fiancé(e) (or proposed civil partner) visa, the Government needs to allow the spouse (or CP) visa to be issued ..... even to a 18, 19 or 20 yo.

So rather than "There is no benefit to either side for a transition period.", I think there is a definite need to have transitional arrangements in place, to stop people falling into gaps in the system.

Indeed I would go so far as to say this. After the issue of a fiancé(e) (or proposed civil partner visa to an 18, 19 or 20 yo, if the Government refuses to allow such visa to be converted into a spouse (or CP) visa ..... that will result in very speedy legal action ... and the Government will yet again end up with egg on its face.

Also, as regards :-

The age at which someone can apply for a marriage visa will increase from 18 to 21 from the end of this month, the Government announced today.

From 27 November both parties in a marriage will have to be 21 before a marriage visa can be issued.

-: which is it? Is the applicable word "apply" or is it "issued"?

Or is it really being suggested that someone could apply for a visa just before 27th November, and pay the application fee, with no realistic hope that they will get anything for their money?

I don't think that's really right. Is this like a permanent thing? I'm glad all is said and done with my hubby and I. We are both 21.

Is this like a permanent thing?

Yes.  They are changing the immigration laws to this effect.

For anyone who is applying and under 21 years old there is going to be a change in the age limit as of the end of November 08 from 18 to 21.

As already noted and discussed here: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=48485.0