Plans to move to UK, no clue where to start.

Alright so I met a girl, I'm from the US, she's from the UK. I have a GED, no job, but very capable of getting one (my parents decided to cover the price for me, they'd like me to relax and visit family as much as possible before I'm off), and previous work experience. No criminal history. I plan on taking some form of college course or getting work, but I'm really focused on just getting there for now. I'm going to live with the girl and her mother, planning to eventually get married. I understand the passport bit, but I don't even know what a visa is or where to get it, or what kind I'm eligible for, the same with citizenship.

If you would've asked me 2 years ago if I ever thought I'd be leaving America, let alone my state, I'd probably have laughed, so I've obviously never looked into this before. Any help or a point in the right direction would be immensely appreciated.

First, take a deep breath, because you're about to plunge into some very complicated stuff. 

1. You can't study unless you are first accepted to a recognized course in the UK, then obtain a student visa while you are still in the US

2. You can't work unless you have a Tier 1 or Tier 2 visa, neither of which you will get with just a GED.  For Tier 1 you need a Masters degree, for Tier 2, specialized skills you're unlikely to have without at least a bachelors degree. 

3. You can't stay with your girlfriend and her mother for longer than 6 months at a go, and no more than 6 of any 12 month period. 

Basically, you can't move first and formulate your plans later, you have to have a very concrete plan and be prepared to devote a lot of time, effort, and money to achieving it. 

Take a look at http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ and https://www.visainfoservices.com/ for more information. 

Best of luck to you.

What a bummer. Well, I do have plans to go to college out there, do you know who I talk to for a visa? It seems option one is the most viable for me. What happens after I get out of college? Can I become a citizen and continue living there after completing the class?

The first thing you need to do is apply to a university and get accepted.  After that, you apply for a student visa.  Once your course is over, you'll have a chance to get a visa to work in the UK.  You can't apply for citizenship after you graduate, though, you will need to get a job and work for quite a number of years before you will be eligible.  Or, if you do eventually marry your girlfriend, your citizenship clock would be shorter, but it will still take at least 3 years. 

Before you think about any of that, though, you need to work on getting accepted to a university.  Check out the Student Lounge section of this forum for help with that. 

Basically, you have a few options like historyenne said. Generally if you want to study abroad, you'd have to find ways to apply to those colleges I assume, or go through some sort of overseas program through a US university. It generally requires a lot of work, and a lot of figuring out what qualifies for what, and getting the finances to qualify for the visa. There's boards on here dealing with studying in the UK that can answer a lot of those details for you, methinks, moreso than I can.

You can't become a citizen until you've lived there for at least 3 years on a permanent basis (I believe). You can visit for up to 6 months, but it can be tricky without a job or schooling to go back to, since you have to convince the ECOs that you're just there for a visit and not to overstay a visa. To be with your girlfriend long term, chances are very high you'll have to marry her.

The options are limited to a certain extent; it's best to read around on these boards and see where you want to go in the future.

x-posted with historyenne

You'll need to complete more than one class.  Continue reading here because there are lots of people who've come over as students, either because of their significant other or because it was the only way to come legally. 

You'll need to be a student for (I think) 10 years before you qualify for citizenship.  If you get married to your gf, you'll apply for a spousal visa which will eventually lead to permanent residency and citizenship, if you choose.  It's a confusing process at first but straight forward if you have done some reading.

If you require a professional, VictoriaS is our resident expert.

Guidance on Student Visa's: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk/quickguideforstudent/adultstudents/applyingforanadultstudentvisa/

Please note that you must have quite a heafty sum in the bank depending on where you wish to attend University.

Well I figured it'd be a bit difficult but wow. What's this about spousal visa? Can she visit America (or the other way around?) and marry me? How long does that process take then? Sorry for so many questions.

She can visit the US on the Visa Waiver Program and get married as long as her intent is to return to the UK. You apply for the spousal visa online and here is a site that should answer most of your questions: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/inf4husbandswivespartners.

However if you choose to marry in the UK you need to have a fiance visa then apply for the FLR(M) during your 6 month fiance visa after your marriage in that 6 month time frame. If you go on a fiance visa you are prohibited from working until you are married AND have your FLR(M) in your passport.

Well I figured it'd be a bit difficult but wow. What's this about spousal visa? Can she visit America (or the other way around?) and marry me? How long does that process take then? Sorry for so many questions.

She can visit America and marry you without a specific visa to do so. Then you'd apply (from the States) for a spousal visa to the UK. For you to go the UK to marry her, you'd need a fiance visa first, then a spousal visa.

In other words, if she goes to the US to marry you, you can skip one (expensive) visa.

xposted with WebyJ

For a spousal visa, she must come to the US to get married; once you are married and have applied online for the visa and done your biometrics, you submit your supporting documents to your nearest consulate, and they issue the visa. For a fiance visa, you apply from the US, then you are given a six month visa on which to go to the UK to get married on; then you switch to a spousal type visa in the UK until you're eligible for ILR.

The time it takes depends on how long it takes to get your biometrics done, since you can't submit any documentation until then; it also depends on how long it takes the consulate to process the application. If you use an approved courier, they can get a turnaround on your visa in a day or two at the fastest; if you use regular mail to submit your application, it can take a couple weeks. It just really depends on what's going on at the consulate when you apply, so you can really just guess at it.

x-posted with WebyJ and Stoatula

Thanks guys, you've helped me more in 20 minutes than other people have tried to help me in the past 4 months.
Edit: Oops sorry, what are biometrics? How do I complete those? Should be the last question lol.

Before you leap off into the world of spousal visas, though, know that there are financial requirements for those as well, and if your girlfriend doesn't have a decent job you will have some difficulty obtaining one.  

Perhaps you can visit the UK for a few months and see how it goes before you commit to anything major?  You could also get a prospective student visa, which would allow you to visit some universities and make your applications from within the UK.  You could then apply for the actual student visa without having to return to the US, if you wanted.  

 

Sorry, didn't edit fast enough. Was just asking what a biometrics are and how to go about completing them. Should be the last question. Many more thanks to those helpin me.