Settlement Visa information

without any of the visas(i have to wait until i get back sadly)how long can i  safetly stay without them getting suspicous

well i cant apply for the visiting marriage visa that will have to wait until i get back, but thinking about it will they have an issue if i say im visiting for a few weeks and staying with my girlfriend and just visiting? i kinda plan on staying from December 3rd to January 2nd will that be ok with them?

without any of the visas(i have to wait until i get back sadly)how long can i  safetly stay without them getting suspicous

Nobody knows, I'm afraid - it's all down to the immigration officer at the airport on the day you fly there. Technically, visitors can be stamped into the UK for up to 6 months, but it all depends on each individual visitor's personal situation as to whether they will be allowed in for the time that they want to stay.

You may get to immigration and have no problems at all... you may not be asked any questions about your stay and will just sail straight through and be able to stay for 6 months, or they may take you aside and question you and decide that you are not a genuine visitor and that they don't believe you plan to leave the UK at the end of your trip.

Of course, the shorter your trip, the less likely they will be concerned that you are trying to live in the UK without a visa or will work/overstay (obviously, you only need to show you have enough money to last a month, not 6 months). I would imagine that Dec 4th to Jan 2nd is unlikely to cause too many red flags if you have good evidence that you will definitely leave then (a return ticket, a job to get back to in January, an apartment/house to return to in Jan, enough money to support yourself for a month), but none of us can say for sure, because it's all subjective and each person's situation is different.

Just out of curiosity, why do you have to wait until you get back for the marriage visit visa? You have just over a month to get it now and you will already have pretty much all the documents required for the visa anyway because you'll have to take them with you when you fly, to show at immigration (evidence of job and home, bank statements, letter from your sponsor etc.) - the only extra thing you'll really need is evidence that you've looked into getting married in the UK (i.e. asking the registry office about a possible date... you could just provide an email as evidence). The only difference is that with the visa, you send the documents off to a consulate in the US, but without the visa, you show the documents at immigration... it's really pretty straightforward to apply for the visa and it would save you the hassle of worrying whether you'll be allowed into the UK on December 4th.

because at the moment i cant afford to i can when i come back, i have stuff to get my plane ticket next month, i have to pay bills and save up money for the trip, i just cant afford to do any sort of visa right now!

and im defiantly gonna have a return ticket home since im gonna go round trip so im hoping i'll be fine when i say i'll be staying for 6 months

Actually, I may be able to help shed some light as this forum has been incredibly helpful in our situation as a same sex couple. (btw, love you all!)

We had the same issues being a bi-national (US/UK) same sex couple, and after looking into the options of where to settle and be together, we were able to fulfill our dreams of finally living together.

Because of the backward laws in the States that don't grant my partner any sort of rights, we decided to obtain civil partnership in the UK.

We went through the PCP, proposed fiancee process, which was a bit labourous and nerve wracking but completely worth it in the end. You do have to supply a ton of information regarding your relationship and your ability to support yourselves as you won't be eligible for public assistance.

Once you get your PCP, you can come to the UK and have you civil partnership ceremony, after which you can apply for your FLR, which we have done and were approved. That allows you 2+ years to stay in the UK (no more leaving after a few months).

You again have to prove your relationship in a multitude of ways, not a problem with us because we have a lot of friends and family write letters as well as our plane tickets, phone records, vacations together etc.

Once you get your FLR you are also able to begin looking for work, and life really starts to kick in. It has been a whirlwind of a journey but every morning I wake up and can't believe we are able to finally just be together.

If you have specific questions regarding the process, feel free to PM me and I can share a bit more info.

This post is to just say that although it may seem daunting, it is indeed possible and worth all the stress, money, and waiting.

Also if you go and know the rules and laws this should help you. You say you are coming to visit your gf/fiance ect..but are returning home to the US to apply for a XYZ visa (whichever one you choose) if questioned.  Have the knowledge and this will help show you are not trying to evade the system.  I may not be right but the more you know the better you are ;-)
good luck

You need to be very clear when you are entering the UK. And by clear I mean, upfront and honest. It was always particularly stressful being a same sex couple and having to say staying with HIM or HE. But don't lie, the UK is a very tolerant, open country compared to the US.

I travelled a lot into the UK for 6-8 weeks at a time, which always raised red flags at the counter which they would ask me a ton of questions (as they should). The longer you stay (as shown by your return ticket), the more questions they will ask.

Be absolutely sure you have a copy of the return ticket. Don't have it on your phone or laptop or anything. Actually printed out. I brought copies of my US mortgage (on my house) and other things (including my checking account balance and savings/investments) to prove that I had no intention of overstaying (which I never did).

You need to be very clear when you are entering the UK. And by clear I mean, upfront and honest. It was always particularly stressful being a same sex couple and having to say staying with HIM or HE. But don't lie, the UK is a very tolerant, open country compared to the US.

I travelled a lot into the UK for 6-8 weeks at a time, which always raised red flags at the counter which they would ask me a ton of questions (as they should). The longer you stay (as shown by your return ticket), the more questions they will ask.

Be absolutely sure you have a copy of the return ticket. Don't have it on your phone or laptop or anything. Actually printed out. I brought copies of my US mortgage (on my house) and other things (including my checking account balance and savings/investments) to prove that I had no intention of overstaying (which I never did).

thank you i will defiantly do that! heres a question, will they be ok with me having SS in order to prove i can stay the trip but intend on going back? my SS goes into the bank every 3rd sometimes first of the month and i get $860 each month can i show them statements with that as well?

thank you i will defiantly do that! heres a question, will they be ok with me having SS in order to prove i can stay the trip but intend on going back? my SS goes into the bank every 3rd sometimes first of the month and i get $860 each month can i show them statements with that as well?

Are you on SSI? If so just be aware that your SSI will stop once you've left the US for more than 30 days.

no im on social security i think thats different then SSI

I think apart from the Social Security issue, the way you approach your visit will have consequences for your future application. If you do intend to apply for a PCP visa, you should ensure you do everything in your power to have clean entries into the UK, including which having all necessarily paperwork on your visitor entry.

I'm sure this has been asked already but when are you hoping to have your civil partnership ceremony?

We used an expeditor for our PCP visa and it was very helpful, simply for the amazing turnaround time.

I should say it has also been very expensive, so if you are at all concerned about finances, you might want to map out all the fees/cost, especially the FLR priority fee (which was well worth it) but again more $$.

no im on social security i think thats different then SSI

SSI is Supplemental Secuirty Income it's the federal welfare program for those who are disabled or elderly that do not have 40 work quarters to qualify for Social Security Disability or Social Security Retirement benefits. So if you do not have 40 quarters it's SSI and will stop once you leave the US for more than a month.

well when i apply im not gonna hire anybody cause i think thats too expensive to do but this is the only way im gonna do things because its easier for me might take a little longer but its the right steps for me what i plan on doing is:


1. Go see her sometime in December(waiting for approval from my boss at work to see if i can take vacation time) so im either hoping to leave December 3rd and come back December 28th, or go December 20th and come back January 8th. me and my fiance discussed it and with the risk of going there to stay for 6 months and having them refuse you cause they are suspicous we changed it a bit, when i go there for a few weeks they shouldnt have a problem with it and it will be better thing to do.


2. When i come back from visiting her i will apply for the marriage/proposed civil partnership visa and will go back to see her on her birthday in April when hopefully thats approved, and then with all that we'll go down to get approval for marrying which i know takes a few months so i might stay for a few weeks again then go back until she gets word from them saying when we can get married.

3. Go back to get married with her and stay for another couple of weeks then go back home and apply for the settlement visa then hopefully when thats approved i go back over there and stay for 2 years and actually fall over and relax and worry about reapplying when my 2 years is up! phew!

2. When i come back from visiting her i will apply for the marriage/proposed civil partnership visa and will go back to see her on her birthday in April when hopefully thats approved, and then with all that we'll go down to get approval for marrying which i know takes a few months so i might stay for a few weeks again then go back until she gets word from them saying when we can get married.

3. Go back to get married with her and stay for another couple of weeks then go back home and apply for the settlement visa then hopefully when thats approved i go back over there and stay for 2 years and actually fall over and relax and worry about reapplying when my 2 years is up! phew!

It sounds to me like you're mixing up the fiance(e)/proposed civil partner visa and the marriage visit visa and the COA.  You're making it much more complicated for yourself than it needs to be.

If you get the fiance(e)/proposed civil partner visa, you do not have to return to the US after you are married.  The fiance(e)/PCP visa allows you to go the UK, get married, and then apply for FLR(M) from within the UK once you are married.

The marriage visit visa allows you to go to the UK to get married, but you must return to the US and apply for a spouse visa to return to the UK to live.

oh i knew that.....lol all this infomation is making my head spin but i think thats what i meant to say