Fiancee & Spousal Visa Application Questions

Hello, I have two questions I wanted to get some answers on.

On the personal details form for the fiancee visa (VAF4A), one of the questions is: On which date do you wish to travel to the UK?
My provisional wedding date is set for December, so ideally I would like to arrive around September- does the date I put down have an influence on the application/process itself?

Additionally, how far in advance can I start the process of acquiring the spousal visa after I get married in December? Could I schedule an interview before the wedding to take place right after I get married so that we can get the ball rolling on the visa? 

Thank you for your time!

For travel date, you want to put the earliest possible date you will want to travel to the UK.  I'd work backwards from when you want to get married.

After you arrive in the UK, you'll need to have your name put onto something to receive an item in the mail to register your notice to marry.  You'll need to have been in the UK for a minimum of 7 days to do this.  I'd allow a couple of weeks to physically get something.

Once you have something, you'll set up your appointment to give notice at the registry office.  Sometimes it can take a few weeks to get an appointment, as foreigners can only give notice at certain registry offices.

Then you'll need 70 days prior to the wedding date.  While you *should* have your clearance from the Home Office back to the registry office in only 28 days, the registry office won't commit to earlier than 70 days.

So I'd work backwards from the date in December. 

So, say you are looking at Saturday, December 2nd.  70 days prior is September 23rd.  Hopefully you could book an appointment for then at the start of September.  And if you allow yourself a few weeks to get your name on an item of mail, I'd aim to move over early August.

You can apply for the visa up to 90 days before you want to travel - but you ARE at the mercy of UKVI issuing the visa for the correct travel date.  It's just plain hard to marry in the UK, which is why so many of us chose not too.  If you apply in May and request a travel date in August, there is a chance the visa could be issued in May or June.... with an immediate travel date (that would be naughty on their part, but it does happen).  Then you would have to be married and have your FLR(M) application submitted by November/December.  At the same time, you could apply in May and request a travel date of August and get caught in the summer backlog and your visa might not be issued until September/October/November, meaning you wouldn't have time to give notice and meet the December wedding date.  Just be sure to keep things flexible until you have your visa in your hand and know for sure when you'll be able to marry.

Yes, you can schedule an in-person appointment for FLR(M) prior to the marriage, so long as the appointment is for AFTER you are married.  You just want to be 100% sure you'll have everything you need on the day of the appointment, so I'd allow a week or two buffer just so you aren't stressed about the appointment at the same time as the wedding.

Don't forget that you'll need medical insurance while on a fiancé visa!

KFdancer---

I just happened upon this post and I was scrolling thorough. I don't remember the registration office telling us we needed a piece of post that had my name on it. They needed post with HIS name on it. But regardless they do need you to be in country for 7 days before giving notice.

About the mail though....can it be anything? I was there for several months at one point and I get adverts from Boots in his mail. Would that suffice?

It is absolutely required that you both have post with your name on it for your Giving of Notice. I got married here in the UK in 2014.

There is a list of accepted post, including but not limited to bank statements, utility bills, NHS, and council post. It's similar to what is accepted to open a UK bank account.

Hope that help. 🙂

Lyonaria,
Thanks! I'll probably just open a bank account. Do I need to wait any length of time to open an account or could I go right to the bank after I arrive?

Is there anything else to bring with besides my current passport/visa? I really don't recall them telling us we needed more documentation than that.

Lyonaria,
Thanks! I'll probably just open a bank account. Do I need to wait any length of time to open an account or could I go right to the bank after I arrive?

Is there anything else to bring with besides my current passport/visa? I really don't recall them telling us we needed more documentation than that.

Well, opening a bank account is often tough...  because they want your name on a piece of post too. 

Easiest way is usually to be added to the council tax and have them send out a new statement showing your name.  Or a utility bill.

Thanks KFdancer-
My SO was just telling me about adding my name to the council tax.

I guess I should focus on one problem at a time...first being the fiancee visa, because now I'm over-thinking what we're going to need to do to give notice and I have to get there first! Hahaha

I guess I should focus on one problem at a time...first being the fiancee visa, because now I'm over-thinking what we're going to need to do to give notice and I have to get there first! Hahaha

That's excellent advice.  My biggest piece of advice is to be flexible with the actual wedding date (and as a result, have a couple of venues in mind).  Unfortunately UKVI do an excellent job of sucking the romance out of a wedding. 

My now-husband and I were living together in the UK and we didn't even get married here.   I could not wrap my head around all the rules!

Yeah....no can do unfortunately. We have the registration office provisionally booked and we have a reception venue booked and deposit down for the next day.

Here's to hoping that everything goes through like it should. I don't think we'll have a problem with the visa to be honest. We meet all the requirements we have just about all the documentation together. Just need to triple check everything.

They definitely do take the joy out of getting married don't they. It's a real shame. When I first found out about this "giving notice" thing I was like....say what? What year is this? Quite an antiquated requirement if you ask me!

KFdancer,

When you say be flexible with the actual wedding date...do you mean for visa purposes in case it gets denied or something with giving notice.

Sorry, now I'm freaking out a bit!

I mean you'll have little to no control over when the visa is actually issued.  And the timeline is so crazy with giving notice, that there's every chance you'll "miss" your desired date.

I just personally wouldn't do anything more than a registry office wedding, so that you can keep a flexible wedding date.  Once you've given notice, you'll know your wedding date and will have at least 70 days to plan.  Then you can set the date and set up something for a reception.

Of course a lot of this depends on the time of year you apply.  If you apply during the summer, this becomes all the more real as timelines are VERY hard to keep to.  If you apply Jan-Mar, you can usually get your visa in about a month which helps you know what your 6 month window will be.

Thanks for your response...bear with me as I work though this mentally...

So, I realize that we have no control over when the visa is issued, but because you can only apply within 3 months of your travel date wouldn't they have to give you a travel date of within 3 months? Otherwise, the three month rule is kind of pointless.

From what I'm understanding...do you mean that they may issue the visa EARLIER than expected, therefore possibly affecting when I have to apply for my FLR-M so that we have to move up the date?

I'm just trying to understand because it's not making any sense in my head.

Here is what I'm hoping my timeline will be....
We are applying for my visa in the next couple of weeks. We should have it submitted before the middle of April with expedited processing.
I am requesting a travel date in the middle of July (per other board members they are USUALLY pretty accommodating about your date requests if you make it clear.
Should they give me the travel dates I require, that more than allots for the "70 days" rule, although ksand24 has told me on another post that that won't likely be necessary because I've already gotten permission to enter the UK to get married (if my visa is approved of course)
We plan on giving notice as quickly as possible. But as you and Lyonaria said before, I will have to have my name on some post so that could take a week or two.

Additionally, I had to book a provisional date/venue because you have to send proof of your upcoming marriage as a part of your visa application. From other information I've read a provisional wedding date on it's own is insufficient evidence.

Anyways, all I can do at this point is hope it works out. I have family flying in in October for the ceremony/reception. The ceremony can be moved, reception cannot.

Yeah, two months with priority should be okay.  I would anticipate 5-6 weeks for processing.

Yes, they don't usually make you wait more than 28 days with the visa, but it's possible the registry office will only book 70 days out and then pull the date in AFTER the clearance from the Home Office is received, if that makes sense.

I imagine it'll work out fine. 

Thanks! I feel a little better now.

We've booked our provisional day and watched her write it in her book....they're a little old school still in Rugby. So I asked her....is this our day? You're not going to give it to someone else...she told me directly "No. You are scheduled. This date is yours until you tell us otherwise, you'll just have to pay the full balance once you give your legal notice." I'm sure that wasn't exactly it, but overall that was the idea.

We've also got a booking slip with our ceremony date and time on it and a receipt for the deposit.

It's enough to give you a lifetime's worth of anxiety. All I can do at this point is make sure we submit everything we need and fill out everything correctly! Couldn't do it without you guys!

Hi, so I came across this question on the Appendix 2 form and just wanted to make sure...


1.19
Have you lived with your sponsor in a relationship akin to marriage or a civil partnership at any time (including since your wedding or civil partnership ceremony)?

Yes- I lived in the same house with my sponsor from September 2016-January 2017 under the Tier 4 Student Visa.

Is this okay to say?


Also, on the actual online application, it asks in the end, "Is there any other information you would like to add?"

Sorry if I'm being obvious but what sort of answer would I put here?

Thank you for your time!