Visiting UK but proving ties to US

So my Fiancée and I are planning to get married in the US. Immediately after, I plan on applying for a Spousal Visa so I can settle in the UK with her. Upon approval (hopefully), we’ll have a ceremony in London for friends and family. But in the meantime, I was planning to come see her in March for 5 months while we plan the wedding, then she’ll come back to the US with me in August so we can officially tie the knot.

I plan on being 100% honest with the immigration officer in terms of what my intentions are. But for some reason I feel like that’s going to backfire. At this point, I really don’t have any ties to the US but my apartment that I could relinquish at any time. What will he/she say when I tell them I plan on coming to visit my fiancée for 5 months and we plan to get married in the US? Will they buy that or keep drilling me? Also I have a perfect travel record btw. Never overstayed my welcome in any country. Thanks in advance for any good advice!

How long has it been since your last visit and how long did you stay then?

You could always apply for a visitor visa in advance if you are worried.  Otherwise, you are leaving it up to the immigration officer on the day.  If you have a long travel history and have always left when you say you will (they match up landing card information with actual information from the airlines), then you likely don't have anything to fear.

You just need all the things we mentioned before.  Return flight, proof of funds to sustain yourself, proof of life to return to.  Having knowledge of the immigration rules will go far.

For a trip of 5 months, you're probably going to need to be able to show strong ties to the US in order to show you have no intention of overstaying your visitor visa or trying to use it to live in the UK.

You need to be able to show:
- a return ticket
- enough money to support yourself without working for 5 months
- you are a genuine visitor (doing visitor/tourist things) and are not trying to use the visitor visa to 'live' with your fiance in the UK
- you have ties in the US that you must return to, such as:
a) a job, with permission from your employer to take 5 months off, and stating when you will return to work
b) a home you are continuing to pay for while you are in the UK (a valid rental agreement for the next few months or a mortgage you have to pay)
c) other commitments, such as weddings/parties/graduations to attend, appointments you have to be back for, classes you are enrolled in, interviews etc.
d) family commitments to return to, such as children or elderly parents that you care for

What can also help is if you are knowledgable about the spousal visa application process, knowing that you must leave the UK within 6 months and that you have to apply for the visa from the US.

The immigration officer's concern will be that if you have no real ties to the US that you have to return for (no job etc.), you may be tempted to just stay in the UK and try to apply for a spousal visa from there (which you can't do), instead of returning to the US.

If you're concerned about whether you have enough ties and that you might not be allowed into the UK, it may be a good idea to apply for a visitor visa (£87) in advance of travel... that way, you will know before you travel whether you will be allowed in or not.

Or... one other option, if you're going to be spending 5 months in the UK anyway, could be to apply for a Marriage Visitor Visa (£87) and actually get married while you're in the UK during those 5 months. Then you would only need one ceremony and you could just return to the US on your own to apply for the spousal visa... meaning she wouldn't have to pay for flights to go back to the US with you.