Engaged & So many Visa ?????

Ok so...first things first.  I am an american citizen, currently living in Dallas, TX.  My fiance is british citizen, present and settled in the UK.  We met on the internet in Mid-May 2009, he came here in August 2009, im going to london in two weeks to visit, then I plan to apply for my fiance visa.  He asked me to marry him when he came in august, of course I said yes   

Every day i spend away from him literally kills me.  He has met my family, and I will meet his when i arrive...even though ive spoken daily to them anyway  

So with the questions:

Do people get denied all the time when applying for the fiancee visa?  I am so scared about this, having to spend the 977 multiple times for retrying the process. 

How long does it typically take from the time you apply, and send off your paperwork to the consulate...and to get the glorious visa in your passport?

I have read so much online since June of this year, my head is spinning...everything is beginning to just mush together..and just intimidate me all together.  I stumbled on this forum today, and have been reading so much information..thank god for this place! Do people who havent been together as long have less of a chance of being approved?
I know its been a fast and furious thing..but love is love no matter how much time is involved...and we are both very serious and will go to any length to be be with each other. 
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!! 

First, you gotta be over 21. Second, he has to be able to support you (or you have enough money accumulated yourself) until you're eligible to work. You can't work on a fiancee visa, and you can't access public funds.

That said, it's a matter of proving you really know each other, the relationship is real, and your finances and accomodation are what you say they are. If you get all the paperwork together, do the biometrics and spend a bit extra for an expediter, you can have an answer in 24-48 hours of making the application.

Thanks for you reply, I am 25, he just turned 26.  He is currently employed has been for a long time.  I am aware that I cannot work on the fiancee visa, we plan to marry in february over there.  He has funds to support me until I transfer to the marriage visa.  He currently lives with my soon to be mother in law, we will be getting our own place, but we figured it was best to put that as our intended residence, as we wanted to go look for places after i get the visa. I can supply phone records, stating we talk daily, myspace messages, photos, his expenses for phone cards to call me...letters...you name it.  We have the church picked (where his uncle was married), a date, the wedding party..the whole lot. 

Why does it say on the uk border site that the process takes up to 12 weeks?  I planned on using the expediter I have heard everyone speak of..that sounds like a great idea. 

Would it be better to have him come here and for us to marry in the US, and just apply for a spouse visa instead?  Or would that not make any difference.

Why does it say on the uk border site that the process takes up to 12 weeks?  I planned on using the expediter I have heard everyone speak of..that sounds like a great idea. 

Would it be better to have him come here and for us to marry in the US, and just apply for a spouse visa instead?  Or would that not make any difference.

Sounds like a plan!

If he marries you in the States, you get to skip a visa -- the fiancee visa. Since that's about a grand, it's worth thinking about. He needs no special visa to marry you in the US, so he could come over and do that. Then you'd apply for a Spousal visa, which is (I think) about the same cost and turnaround time as the fiancee. And you could work from the moment it's granted and you enter the UK.

Without an expediter, it can take weeks. With an expediter, very fast. I think this was set up so that people who needed a visa to go on vacation abroad could get one quickly. I felt kind of funny about skipping ahead of the line by hiring an expediter -- but you bet I did it anyway!

If he marries you in the States, you get to skip a visa -- the fiancee visa. Since that's about a grand, it's worth thinking about. He needs no special visa to marry you in the US, so he could come over and do that. Then you'd apply for a Spousal visa, which is (I think) about the same cost and turnaround time as the fiancee. And you could work from the moment it's granted and you enter the UK.

I wanted to do the spousal visa intially, we actually were gonna do when he was here in august, but some silly "visa immigration help" told us that could effect my application.  But i think that was just so they could get money or something. For the spouse visa are there any time requirements? As far as how long we have been together? Or have did have to live together for a set time or something? 
Worst comes to worst I will just do the fiancee thing, and we can take it easy and not the jump the gun cause we wanted to do things "right".
I am just so deathly scared of getting refused, I mean I dont know why they would..but this a a scary process...and the uk border agency website doesnt help my nerves 

If you do the fiancee route, check around the other posts here as I think that living with your in-laws is not allowed if you don't pay some sort of rent.

He does pay rent to his mother, about 100-150 pounds a week out of his check.  She could supply a letter of some short im sure she wouldnt mind. 

I am just so deathly scared of getting refused, I mean I dont know why they would..but this a a scary process...and the uk border agency website doesnt help my nerves 

We know, believe me. Most of us know EXACTLY how you're feeling.

There isn't any set period of time you need to know each other, but you're setting out to prove your relationship is real and permanent. So it's probably just as well you didn't move QUITE as fast as he suggested 

I don't have any particular expertise to be offering advice here. I'm just up later than many on the UK side and I hate to see a message hanging unanswered. Keep adding your questions to this thread, and I'm sure people with more specific knowledge will weigh in.

I don't have any particular expertise to be offering advice here. I'm just up later than many on the UK side and I hate to see a message hanging unanswered. Keep adding your questions to this thread, and I'm sure people with more specific knowledge will weigh in.

Oh you are plenty of help, it is good just to have actual people to speak too, instead of engulfing my brain into the border agency site....only to confuse myself more. What things will I need to supply to prove we are permanent and real?  I was going to send the following:
Plane tickets
Photos
Myspace Messages
Letters
Phone records

A personal letter he writes to the consulate about us, and one from me...

Anything else I should consider on that end? 

Yep. Those all sound good. If you get married in the States, you'll have your wedding photos and marriage certificate, too. If you decide to go the fiancee route, include wedding plans -- the more official the better.

I did the fiancee thing and we wanted to get married in church, so all we supplied was the name of the vicar (she wouldn't consent to marry us until we went through counseling -- oh, that was fun! -- so we didn't have anything else to show).

Getting married here isnt really what we want, but for financial reasons it might be best.  However, I want a real wedding you know...its both our first and only marriage...so we want it be special.  How long have you and your spouse been together if you dont mind?  I love to hear these success stories, and everyone thinks Alan and I are completely mad?  lol. 

In regards to what he needs to supply for my visa....is it his birth certificate, passport copy, accomodation, bank statements, paystubs?  I need to know cause im going in two weeks and wanted to grab it all from him while i was in London. 

You might want to take a look at:

http://londonelegance.com/transpondia/usuk/inetpersexp.shtml
http://londonelegance.com/transpondia/usuk/
http://londonelegance.com/transpondia/spouse/

Check out geeta's links -- I used those exact checklists to put together my paperwork.

My DH and I met online in 1995, in person in 1997 -- and didn't get married until this Spring! Yeah. I know. Can you believe it? We didn't mean to take that long, but when you're older, you have all sorts of boring issues like aged parents and pensions to deal with.

Thanks alot geeta, I will check out those links.  And thanks Stoatula for your help with this so far. My mind isnt such a mess now    Its nice to know my goal of being with fiance is in my reach! 

When i visit in two weeks that will be my first time in the UK, will customs hassle me?  Ive read horror stories online!  And I am totally scared! 

In regards to what he needs to supply for my visa....is it his birth certificate, passport copy, accomodation, bank statements, paystubs? 

Just to let you know that if he is willing to send his original passport, he doesn't have to send his birth certificate - they need either a) original passport, b) certified copy of passport or c) photocopy of passport plus the long form of his birth certificate.

His bank statements must be up to date and must also be officially signed/stamped by the bank. If you are not applying very soon after he gives you the bank statements, he may need to send you more recent ones in the post (depending on when you apply in the US).

When i visit in two weeks that will be my first time in the UK, will customs hassle me?  Ive read horror stories online!  And I am totally scared! 

Customs won't do anything to you unless you are bringing in fresh meat, fruit/veg produce, animals or other banned substances . Customs have nothing to do with letting you into the country - they just deal with what you may have brought with you in your suitcase after you have already been let in and have gone through baggage claim. It is immigration that will determine whether or not you are allowed into the UK to start with (and are the ones who can give you hassle) - if they don't let you in, then you won't even make it to customs at all (a lot of people use customs and immigration interchangeably, when they are actually two completely different departments).

In terms of whether or not you are hassled by immigration, you need to have enough proof as you can that you are a genuine visitor and plan to leave the UK at the end of your trip. A definite must is a return ticket. You also need to show that you have enough money to cover all your expenses for the duration of your visit and ties to the US to show that you have a reason to return - such as evidence of US homeownership or a rental agreement, a letter from your job stating when you will be returning to work, a letter from your school (if you are a student) stating that you are enrolled and will be attending classes, evidence of family living in the US that you will be returning to etc. How long are you visiting the UK for? If it is a short trip, then you probably won't have too much to worry about, but if you were trying to stay for several weeks/months, then the immigration officer (IO) is more likely to question your motives.

Most importantly: be honest! If they ask you who you're visiting don't just say 'a friend' if he is actually your boyfriend/fiance - be honest and say that you are visiting your boyfriend/fiance. If you say 'friend' at first and then they question you further and find out he is more than a friend it will be considered deception and you can get into trouble for lying to an IO! However, don't give more information than they ask for.... just give short, concise, truthful answers (i.e. What is your purpose of visit? I'm visiting my boyfriend).