Essex, UK lady fallen in love with WA, US man. Need to move him here!

Yes we do. Love this place :-)

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If they have children, it will depend on the custody arrangements and how willing his wife is to agree on terms surrounding his moving out of the country.

Sorry- have to jump in here. Once they are divorced (or separated), his ex-wife doesn't get a vote on where he lives (whether they have children or not), and she most certainly does not need to "agree on terms surrounding his move out of the country." It is entirely likely that in order to exercise visitation he will need to travel back to where the kids are (depending on their ages), but the former partner does not need to "approve" any move he wants to make. He will be required to file change of address paperwork with the court, but that is a notification, not a request for approval.

I think Geeta means the wife would have to agree if he wanted to take the children with him or have visitation that included the children coming to the UK, and that any financial support arrangements are in place. I believe there are situations where a parent can be prevented from leaving the country if there is a reason to think they are doing it to skip out on support payments, and there is also enforcement that can take place if they leave the country without setting up proper payments (https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/child-support-enforcement/). Pretty sure those are the terms Geeta is talking about.

Exactly. That is why I said 'wife' and not 'ex-wife'.

Ah yes, he will have to leave his wife to be in custody of the children unfortunately, and agree on visits.

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Make sure you do a LOT of research by looking through posts on here and after you understand the basics ask more specific questions when the times comes (but make sure the threads you look at are fairly recent since there were major immigration changes made in July 2012)

I also just wanted to say as a fellow (former) Washingtonian who moved to be with my hubby in Suffolk, it is a long, and arduous process but it can be done! And welcome to UK-Y

Make sure you do a LOT of research by looking through posts on here and after you understand the basics ask more specific questions when the times comes (but make sure the threads you look at are fairly recent since there were major immigration changes made in July 2012)

I also just wanted to say as a fellow (former) Washingtonian who moved to be with my hubby in Suffolk, it is a long, and arduous process but it can be done! And welcome to UK-Y

Ah, thank you so much. It's obviously so worth the aggravation! :-)

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Just a quick update...my lovely man is flying tomorrow (arriving Tuesday!) for a five-week stay! Since my last post, I've been granted a divorce. This is going to be an important visit, as I'm hoping that my kids will like him a lot, so that we can work towards being together permanently. Nervous and excited!

One thing to keep in mind, if you should be marrying inside the US, each state has their own laws regarding divorce. Sometime he would have to wait 1 year to remarry sometimes 6 months.....so it would depend on the laws in Washington. I dont know if that would apply if he were to marry you in the UK. If not, then having him come to you on a fiancee visa might be the better option. 

One thing to keep in mind, if you should be marrying inside the US, each state has their own laws regarding divorce. Sometime he would have to wait 1 year to remarry sometimes 6 months.....so it would depend on the laws in Washington. I dont know if that would apply if he were to marry you in the UK. If not, then having him come to you on a fiancee visa might be the better option. 

I'm really sorry - I didn't get any notifications on my Tapatalk app. Hmm... We're considering somewhere like Las Vegas which will hopefully be more relaxed. The problem with the fiancee visa is that he won't be able to work here for two years I think? That would be extremely difficult....

The problem with the fiancee visa is that he won't be able to work here for two years I think? That would be extremely difficult....

No, that's completely not true.

The fiance visa does not allow work, but it is only valid for 6 months, during which time you must marry, and then he needs to switch to an FLR(M) visa after the wedding and before the 6 months are up. He can then work as soon as his FLR(M) visa has been issued.

So, if you were to marry within a few weeks of him arriving in the UK on a fiance visa, and then paid extra to apply in person for FLR(M) (which is a same-day decision and he'll get the visa within 10 days), he could be legally allowed to work within a couple of months of arriving in the UK.

Alternatively, if you do marry in the US, and apply directly for a spousal visa, he will be able to work immediately upon arrival to the UK, and it will save you the cost of paying for both the fiance visa and then FLR(M) visa after the wedding.

No, that's completely not true.

The fiance visa does not allow work, but it is only valid for 6 months, during which time you must marry, and then he needs to switch to an FLR(M) visa after the wedding and before the 6 months are up. He can then work as soon as his FLR(M) visa has been issued.

So, if you were to marry within a few weeks of him arriving in the UK on a fiance visa, and then paid extra to apply in person for FLR(M) (which is a same-day decision and he'll get the visa within 10 days), he could be legally allowed to work within a couple of months of arriving in the UK.

Alternatively, if you do marry in the US, and apply directly for a spousal visa, he will be able to work immediately upon arrival to the UK, and it will save you the cost of paying for both the fiance visa and then FLR(M) visa after the wedding.

Thank you for this info.

That's interesting, as we might be able to balance the cost of a trip to Las Vegas (myself, my three childrens' costs from the UK, plus my fiancé's costs of travel etc within the US) with the cost of an additional visa (Fiancé plusFLR(M)). I wonder which way would work out the best?!

I think we need proper guidance. What with having a child diagnosed with autism and another one possibly on the spectrum, I'd rather go the less stress-free way, rather than drag them on a long, bewildering flight. It means we don't have to rush into things but still be very much together, which will help with my kids. Perhaps we need an immigration lawyer as it's all a bit bewildering, to be honest...

I haven't gone through this process but, if you read the guidance and ask questions here, I doubt that you will need to go to the extra expense of hiring an immigration lawyer. Good luck