Marriage Visitor Visa into UK from USA

Hello All.

I have started a new thread based on the title although alot of you have given me excellent advice / guidance on another thread around similar subject but I now am after more specific advice.

I have set a date to marry my long term American GF for 24th July 2015 in England and have the venue and registrar booked.  We have chosen to do it in England as I have all my young family and parents here, even though I know from a paperwork perspective its much easier for me to do it in America.

Due to her work situation she will not be settling in England for a few months after our wedding hence why she will be applying for Marriage Visitor Visa then going home and will then apply for Spousal Visa.

So my questions, and these are fairly obvious but I am a worrier who reads over and over again the online guide but encourages feedback from people that have actually done this.

Our plans are for us to book a flight to come to England on 10th June.   That means to me that she can only apply for a Visa after the 10th March

It mentions that a decision ""should"" be made within 3 weeks, however as there is not a lot of extra cost I think I will also pay for priority service, have others done this and did it make any difference?

It asks for documentation proof, none of this worries us at all, she has a well paid job, she can prove shes coming back with letters of employment, return flight tickets, tenancy agreement etc.

It also then goes onto say you can also supply the following
proof that you have given notice to register office,  for this I have the receipt to say we have paid and booked the date and the same from the venue.  However it also asks proof that you have paid some of it.  Well she hasn't paid any of it as I have being that I am in the UK and she is in America, also my parents will be paying alot of it as a wedding present. so unsure what we can do here if in fact we really need to.

Also I see she needs to go to an office for Biometrics, I presume this can only be done once you start the application ie after 10th April and she can not go an do that part any sooner?   Also does any one know where the closest one is to Sacramento, California?

Thank you in advance to any responses.

Hi,

I think a lot of your questions will depend on personal circumstances and information that only you and your fiance will know. I suggest, if you've not already done so, you speak to a immigration lawyer/specialist who can assess your situations and provide you guidance on the best way to do things. What has worked for others, may not apply to you. You can then fill in the required forms etc correctly.

You can also find out various bits of information online, like finding a biometics office etc.

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

There shouldn't be any need to use a lawyer for this. I suggest posting in the visa section to get visa advice, as a lot of the people who know visa stuff don't necessarily look at other parts of the board. There is no requirement for her to pay for any of it, just include the receipts showing that something has been paid by someone. Biometrics are only done once the application is submitted, and she will get to choose her nearest one from a menu.

Thanks for your responses,  Im not to worried about what we need in the sense that I know we will have everything and much more but sometimes its useful just to hear the thoughts of other people that had done it and especially if they had a issue that would be worth us bearing in mind etc.   The bit I was interested in was the biometrics from what I read on the application site it did read to me that you do Biometrics once you fill in the Application form and then send that off with the App rather than being able to do biometrics way in advance then do application.

Regards

When you pay and submit the application, it will allow you to book biometrics.  Once she's completed biometrics, she'll include the stamped sheet with her other documents before mailing.

My husband and I went through this process in 2011, so I'm not sure if my info is out of date or not, but I can give you an idea of our experience...

I (USC) went back to the US to file the marriage visit visa in February of 2011.  We took a little while getting our documents together (long story about deciding where to live on the back of a denied US visa), but we ended up filing sometime around the beginning of March 2011.

I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly, but I think you fill out an online application first, then you print this off and mail it along with your supporting documents.  From what I remember, once you submit the online application, they give you instructions to apply for a biometrics permit, which you then print off and take to your appointment.  I did have to wait a couple of weeks for an appointment, but sometimes you can get an earlier one at a different centre, it just has to be in your state of residence.  For instance, your wife is in Sacramento, but if she can get a quicker appointment in LA, she might as well make the drive to save time.

We did the priority service and it came back really quick once we sent the completed application off.  I think the whole process from start to finish was only about 4 weeks.  It's a really straightforward process, so don't worry.  Best wishes for your wedding.

Hi Kathryn,  thats still more or less valid.

We have completed but not yet submitted the online form as it mentions you can only do this 3 months in advance of planned travel.  We have booked flights for 9th June , so will complete it as soon as that 3 months is available.  Then we make the biometrics appointment and then send all the paperwork off after that, and we will pay the extra just to try to speed it up a little although we do have a bit of time on our side.

Ive also just got confirmation from UK Borders that the visitors marriage visa allows multiple ins/outs so we will be able to go on honeymoon into Europe whist she is over on that visa before returning back to America for a while.