a question of residence

The original post by nvrwas was a question on how to go about marrying on a visitor's visa, which is legal. All that was needed to be included in the subsequent posts was information relevant to the process, not your personal views on whether or not someone's beloved is "worth" as much to them as your husband is to you.

If nvrwas (and many others as far as I can see from the posts I've read) finds herself with the opportunity to marry while on a visit, I'm very happy for her and wish her the very best.

Happily Love is freely given and has no price tag...unfortunately, money and visas are not so freely imparted.

Funny how this thread got a all skewed but hey I guess it goes with my territory... I know it is legal to marry on a visa waiver... some couples actually come to Scotland to get married although neither plans on living there (ahh!!!the infamous gretna green!)... I'm just getting married here... I'm not trying to pull anything off or over on anyone...  after Jimmy and I are lawfully wedded man and wife we plan on honeymooning in nyc with an appointment already set up for me at the british consulate so we can apply for my settlement visa... (fingers crossed they give me one or I don't know WHAT we will do) so that when we get back to Scotland I can immediately find a job ....and start to pay off the money we will have to borrow to make that a possibility...

And MARSBAR no wish to rankle you but I have given up EVERYTHING...
EVERYTHING!!!!! to be with Jimmy (GOD IF YOU ONLY KNEW!!!)and it is hurtful for you to suggest that MERE MONEY!!! would stand in my way...

and if I had money or anyway to get money I would give it ALL to be with him... but why be stupid with what little money he and I have? why NOT do this in as few steps as possible??? why NOT be sensible and spend as little money as we have to to be together?? we will need it as we begin our new life together...

This thread was started because I need ideas on showing proof of residency when I go to registry... I don't have to LIVE here to get married but I DO NEED to be here a week at least in order to register... or at least thats what I have been told... maybe I don't need anything... I'm just trying to cover all my bases so when Jimmy and I walk into that registry office there will be no need for them to deny our request to be married... I have had the address where my american bank statements get mailed changed to over here... but don't know if that will be enough... been told need like a utility bill... do you think if I get a cellphone that will suffice???again I thank you for any suggestions

GRRRRRR!!!! maybe this thread should be moved since it stiring up such animosity... GOD!!!  I only want to marry Jimmy and live happily ever after... is that so bad??? I gave away EVERYTHING I EVER HAD  to be with him... there IS NO MONEY!!!! THERE IS NO WAY FOR ME TO GET ANYMORE!!!! Jimmy works hard.. he owns a taxi with his dad but there are 600 cabs in this city... he works 12 hours a day... (do you suggest he give up sleeping so he can get a second job?)but there isnt anything left over after expenses... only way we could make more money would be for me to work... which i can't do cause i'm on a waiver and to do it anyway and risk deportation!!!! no way... I tried to go back to the states on my own  and work and save while I waited for my divorce to be final but my ex was draggin his feet and we had no idea when that was gonna be... I tried to be strong and stay away and make money so I could do the fiance waiver when I was free to marry Jimmy... but everyday it got harder to breathe... harder to get out of bed til finally Jimmy said Jo... come home... I'll take care of you... we will go back and do it together... JUST COME HOME... so I did... SO DON'T SAY I WON"T DO ALL I CAN TO BE WITH HIM... if money was no problem we would be in the usa RIGHT NOW where I would have custody of my kids who I miss more than you will ever understand and the house that I loved but had to give them  and it to my bastard of an ex who won't even let me talk to my kidsin order to get my freedom from him... and DON"T EVEN TRY TO TELL ME YOU UNDERSTAND UNTIL YOU HAVE LIVED INSIDE MY HEAD FOR 1 SECOND!!!!!!


sorry rant over... Jo

*putting her moderator hat on*

Let's not get too wound up here. Nvrwas is asking for advice on how to do something completely legal, and something that she wants to do. If there is genuine concer that she isdoing something illegal then please, voice your worry about it. But let's not get personal or judgmental, and let's stay civil.

nvrwas, you've got a really good question and I hesitate to move the topic because you've gotten some really good answers. If everyone agrees, then perhaps some of the posters to this thread can take a look back and see where some comments made might have stirred up some dust when a rephrase could have been applied and the point still made.

I definitely agree that some answers given are not ones that are hoped for. But please everyone bear in mind that no one's walked in each other's shoes to know the full story. Making judgements isn't the way to go about giving good advice.

I think there may have been a use of the term "establishing residence" that was a bit more informal than it seemed. nvrwas, you're merely wanting to establish that you are living in a place that qualifies you for getting married in this country, right? Sure, you can get married here on whatever visa you want, it's just that you've got to show someone at the registry office that you have an address, is this my understanding of the question?

I have located a list of things you need to bring with you to the Registry office:
The Registery Office will ask you to produce the following documents:
- Your passport. 
- Your birth certificate if it was issued in the United Kingdom. 
- Evidence of the address at which you reside e.g. driving licence, a bill for 
  council tax/gas/electricity/water/phone or property rental agreement.

Since you are in a situation of not having things in your name at that address, you might want to phone your local registry office to ask what they do in this circumstance. As more and more people are in your shoes, they will eventually have to come up with an alternative plan! (I know I was the only American to ever get married in my local Registry Office...they didn't quite know what to do with me! So they relaxed the rules.) How about having a friend or relative from the US send you a letter at your current address? Wouldn't hurt.

I didn't see from your question that you were yet ready to move on to the next stage, the one of getting the wife visa (you will have to do this, but you don't need it for the step you're talking about.)

Right, folks, back on track...so someone out there surely has some thoughts on what Nvrwas can do about the residency issues?   We know it can be done, what's her next step?

I think Peedal is right, no more dispensations from the Archbishop. Nvrwas, has Jimmy actually checked at the Registry Office for what they require?

thank you Lisa E ...once again a voice of reason!!!! and you too balmerhon  and yes... as soon as my divorce papers are in my inpatient little hands we will be one step closer to going to nyc AND applying for my wife visa...
Have to go into town today to ups my request for certified divorce papers and will drop by local registry to find out EXACTLY what we will need to get this done... thanks, Jo

P.S. sorry about the rant but i am really going through ALOT of emotional stuff right now and sometimes it's hard to stay cool

I think Peedal is right, no more dispensations from the Archbishop.

The special license from the Archbishop would only apply to church weddings (sorry, Nrwas, didn't realise you were doing a registry wedding), and to my knowledge, is still applicable when parish residency requirements cannot be met.

My fault Cait, you're right. How could I forget... our vicar actually thought we'd need one instead of banns but the Exeter diocese decided not.

No worries about the rant. Even when things are very straightforward, there's an overwhelming sense of helplessness with this visa and immigration thing, so emotional moments are expected! Take care of yourself!

Oh yeah, you haven't even hit the real stressful stuff yet. 
*hugs*
A lot of us have been through it/own the teeshirt.
Stress? Me stressed? 

when i went to the registry office back in april...I needed to show my passport, birth certificate and that was about it...when questioned how long I have been here...I just told them November and all seemed ok...  asking the registars office is a good thing...I think every office has a few of their own standards on what to ask for...but definitely a passport and birthcertificate...OOOOO, and divorce decree...a big must...  and it will be verified...

Can I just say that, yes, technically it is legal to come to the UK on the visa waiver program and get married.

What is illegal is entering the country on the visa waiver program with the intention of getting married with a view to settling in the UK.  Because one of the terms of the visa waiver program is that you will leave the UK - that you have no intention of settling here.

There was a time when it really didn't matter, because you could get married "spur of the moment" and get your FLR(M) whilst still in the UK and it didn't even cost anything.

But now - when it costs to get the Fiancee Visa and the FLR(M) and the ILR/LLR - it starts getting a bit out of hand for those of us (please include me in this because we had to pay for 3 visas because I have 2 children - and will now have to pay x3 for the ILR/LLR next April) who are skint on the best of days...when you add the cost of flying from one country to the other...yes, the costs build up.

Residency requirement is that you have been in the UK for at least 7 days, and then there is a further 15 day wait after the notice has been posted - making 22 days total necessary between entry into the UK and possibility of getting married.  I would assume that the entry date stamped in your passport would be enough to show that you have been in the UK at least 7 days.

And Caitlinn is right - there are still special dispensations for church weddings.  But there is no way around the 15 day requirement for registry weddings anymore.

Sorry that this topic earlier deteriorated into such turmoil.

Nvrwas, my comments were in NO WAY WHATSOEVER directed at you. It was another member who posted in this topic who brought up money (in the first place) and I was replying directly to them. If I insulted you it was purely by accident, so please accept my appologies. My comments were directed at someone else entirely.

I do hope that you have a very happy day when you get married and that things go smoothly for you.

I do have a comment / question to make about the previous discussion here and I will make it in another topic if anyone cares to inform me. Thanks.

I agree with what MarsBar said. I don't see that it is more expensive to get the fiancée visa. You are supposed to apply for the fiancé/e visa before going to the UK. You then go to the UK, marry, get spousal visa. Assuming no kids that's 2 x £250 visa fees plus say £300 for one  flight = £800. Now, if you go to the UK first without the fiancé/e visa, marry then fly back to the US for the spousal visa, then fly back to the UK, that's 1 x £250 plus 2 x flights say £300 = £850. So how is the spousal visa saving money? Also if you have the fiancée visa the spousal visa is much simpler to get. You can miss out half the questions on the application form and you don't need all the financial/accomodation evidence again. As for the fiancé visa taking several months for the US, yes that is true. But that's the US. The UK fiancé visa is obtainable within 2 weeks or same day in person. Exactly the same as the spousal visa. And don't forget without the fiancé/e visa you run the risk of being refused entry at the UK airport.

Hi Squirrel. You're bringing up good points...but nvrwas's real question had been misunderstood and I think we finally realized that. The route to getting a visa here is something we definitely want to discuss, but I'm afraid we're going to get off-track in this thread if we start this back up again. I think her question's been answered, and it had nothing to do with visas....or the "Hitching Post" for that matter.

I'd love to see you take this up in the Visas and Immigration area in a new thread if you want to start a new discussion. I'm going to lock this one up for now. Let me know if you want me to move your response to Visas and Immigration in a new thread, okay?

New post here:
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=7163.0