Newbie here, need some simple advice!

Hi all,

I had this forum recommended to me by my friend and have only read topics thus far, however I still have a few questions and would like to run my plan by you as I am sure you will all have some useful advice.

Currently I am an engaged to an American and we plan to have our marriage ceremony stateside this June, so I am attempting to half plan a wedding overseas as I am sure you are all familiar with!

After reading through this forum and speaking to a friend who has been through a similar process, myself and my fiancé have decided to get our marriage certificate from a local court house this early April! This will allow us to have that for our priority visa application, where it will hopefully come through before the big day mid June

Couple questions regarding the whole process:

- At what point do you attend your ASC appointment, is this before or after the application and is there a long wait from booking to your appointment?

- What are the issues around passport/name changes when applying? Is it acceptable to still use your maiden name? when would you advise is the best time to renew passport for her?

Any advice is much appreciated! Sorry for potentially straightforward questions, just trying to get my head round the whole process!!

Thanks! 

Hi!

If she plans to change her name, it’s best to do it before you apply for the visa as it can only be applied for in the name on the passport. It’s more difficult and expensive to do it later.

She will attend the biometrics after the application is submitted. There is not usually more than a few days to wait so don’t worry about that. Note though that you should not submit the online application until everything is completely ready to go as this is your official application date.

Great idea to do it officially first and get a head start on the process. It wouldn’t even mattter if it had been approved yet by June, you can just send a notarised copy of your passport so you would still be able to travel out for the ceremony in any case.