Should we apply for fiancee visa now or later?

Hi. Looking for some pointers.

My fiancee and I will be applying for the family(fiancee) visa. We want to get her over asap and are willing to go through the extra costs and applications involved (we think!  ;D)

We have a bit, but not much over the 64k top limit savings between us (about 40% in the UK, 60% in the US)

I just moved back to the UK literally last week. We were living abroad together. We got engaged a few months ago.

We have been hoping to apply early next year on the basis of our savings. Obviously I want to be in employment as soon as possible. I just got an offer just around threshold of 18k but it would be a January start.

If it weren't for the savings, am I correct in saying I would have to be working for at least 6 months above threshold to use that in my application?
Would having a job even make a difference to the application if I've held it for less than 6 mths?
Do people get approved when they only have just above 64k?
Any other advice would you offer?

Very new to all this

Many thanks

Hi. Looking for some pointers.

My fiancee and I will be applying for the family(fiancee) visa. We want to get her over asap and are willing to go through the extra costs and applications involved (we think!  )

We have a bit, but not much over the 64k top limit savings between us (about 40% in the UK, 60% in the US)

I just moved back to the UK literally last week. We were living abroad together. We got engaged a few months ago.

We have been hoping to apply early next year on the basis of our savings. Obviously I want to be in employment as soon as possible. I just got an offer just around threshold of 18k but it would be a January start.

If it weren't for the savings, am I correct in saying I would have to be working for at least 6 months above threshold to use that in my application?
Would having a job even make a difference to the application if I've held it for less than 6 mths?
Do people get approved when they only have just above 64k?
Any other advice would you offer?

Very new to all this

Many thanks

Are there any dependents? The savings required are £62,500 if its just you and your fiance. They must have been held for a minimum of 6 months and not dipped below that level, and must only be held in you/your fiancé's name. There are a few stipulations on savings in the official guidance.

Also be aware if she moves on a 6 month marriage visa you must be able to meet the financial requirements for FLR(M) within 6 months so you won't be able to access those savings if you'd need it for the next application.

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Sorry, I meant 62.5.

I'm pretty sure we meet those requirements. A little concerned about exchange rates changing and them calculating below that amount.

If I take a job above threshold and hold it for less than 6 months, does  it help with the savings? probably not I suppose.

oh the anxiety lol

Sorry, I meant 62.5.

I'm pretty sure we meet those requirements. A little concerned about exchange rates changing and them calculating below that amount.

If I take a job above threshold and hold it for less than 6 months, does  it help with the savings? probably not I suppose.

oh the anxiety lol

How much were you earning before returning to the UK? If it was above £18600 you may be able to apply with category B.

There are quite a few ways to meet the financial requirements, and combining income and savings is one of them.

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The processing time for the spouse visa and fiance visa are exactly the same.  Only differences are on the fiance visa you have:

Additional cost of another visa
Unable to control the date of your wedding (mostly) due to being dictated by the Home Office's speed of approvals
No access to the NHS
No access to work
No access to study
No access to volunteer
And you have to be 100% sure you will meet the requirement again after 6 months or else the visa won't be extended

We *always* recommend marrying first.  No one even needs to know.  You can still do the pageantry and white wedding here - nobody needs to know the papers were already signed. 

Where and how can we marry though? Wouldn't we need a special permission or visa to do so? Even if it's just signed papers and party later?

Where and how can we marry though? Wouldn't we need a special permission or visa to do so? Even if it's just signed papers and party later?

Nope - unlike the UK, there’s no visa needed to marry in the US. You can just fly there as a visitor and marry within 24-48 hours (depending on the state requirements), as long as you don’t plan to live in the US after the wedding.

Then she would just apply directly for the spousal visa from the US, which would allow her to work, study and use the NHS immediately.

In comparison, in order to marry in the U.K., she must have a visa, you must both be resident for 7 days before giving notice to marry, then you have to wait at least 28 days from giving notice before you can marry... but if she has a visa this can be extended to 70 days if your case is referred to UKVI.

So, in all, it’s usually much quicker and easier to marry in the US... of course, you’d need to fly back to the US to do it. You could have actually married in the US while you were there for 6 months.


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And how long would I be able to stay after the wedding, up to 6 MTHS I suppose as I have the B2, Tho I wouldn't, just a week or two probably I guess.

In theory, could she then come to the UK for a month or two on tourist visa. Leave then we apply for the visa once she's back in the UK and im settled her properly and earning.

How much were you earning before returning to the UK? If it was above £18600 you may be able to apply with category B.

There are quite a few ways to meet the financial requirements, and combining income and savings is one of them.

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I was earning 22k but that post finished In May of this year

You could have actually married in the US while you were there for 6 months.


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Possibly we could have but actually we got engaged towards the end of the trip but we were doing a huge 5 month hike and ended just before the end so it would have been a bit much I guess.

My fiancee and I will be applying for the family(fiancee) visa. We want to get her over asap and are willing to go through the extra costs and applications involved (we think!  )

Applying for the fiancee visa will not get her to the UK any faster. It takes the same time to process a fiancee visa as a spouse visa. You're giving yourself extra expense and applications for no upside! And KFdancer has listed all the disadvantages of the fiancee visa.   

And how long would I be able to stay after the wedding, up to 6 MTHS I suppose as I have the B2, Tho I wouldn't, just a week or two probably I guess.

I have a B2 visa as well - you can stay as long as your visitor visa allows if you need to.

If you plan it right, and you are using savings (£62,500) you could gather all your supporting documents for the visa first, take them with you to the US, get married, and then apply for the spousal visa as soon as you have the marriage certificate... in some states you get it same-day, in others you have to wait a few days.

As an example, if you got the marriage certificate on the day, you could:

- fly to the US on Monday,
- get married on Wednesday
- apply for the visa on Thursday
- fly home on Friday
- if you pay for priority processing, the visa should be processed within about 30 working days, though I think some people have got theirs in 15-20 working days lately (it can be busier over Christmas though).


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Check the oanda exchange rate after the general election (probably Monday next week) against the lowest balance in the US account to see if you'll meet the £62500 threshold. The key with using savings is that you have to prove it hasn't dipped below the threshold at all in 6 months. It doesn't matter that you're just a little bit over it, the level is set and that is what you have to prove.

Immigration takes a lot of romance out of relationships with extended times apart and having to do things in a specific way just to check boxes. But, when you've jumped through the hoops you will be together and able to settle into life here.



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My partner and I took this forum's advice and got married in November. Planning to apply in early January after an already planned Christmas trip.

I feel much more relaxed now than I did when I was planning to apply via the Fiancee route.

If you have the ability to have a wedding in the US, DO IT!  I am SO glad I will not have to do the visa process again in 6 months when the fiance visa expired.

Good luck. I'll let you know how it goes when I apply in January.

My partner and I took this forum's advice and got married in November. Planning to apply in early January after an already planned Christmas trip.

I feel much more relaxed now than I did when I was planning to apply via the Fiancee route.

If you have the ability to have a wedding in the US, DO IT!  I am SO glad I will not have to do the visa process again in 6 months when the fiance visa expired.

Good luck. I'll let you know how it goes when I apply in January.

Thanks for your comment! congratulations and good luck with the application!!!!

It was a bit of a shock to see the responses the other day as we had imagined one route the whole way. But I feel the same way now, we're seriously considering doing a simple wedding in WA now and have looked into the time neeses and all that. Shouldn't be too hard. Now just gotta not get carried away with preparations lol