What to do... So desperate about wait

We were so unlucky in so many regards....

Wedding was planned for the US late march. My flight was 4 days after trumps ban.
I didn't go to the US just before the ban because of a job I hated but respected. Now massively regretting this decision.
My US partner came here in march instead and is on tourist visa visiting me she can stay for 3 more months

Just saw that it's likely that travel ban of UK citizens won't be lifted for months or until a vaccine is found (Fauci interview in telegraph today which sparked a horrendous anxiety attack in me and prompted this post)

I was naively hoping trump would lift ban sometime soon for tourism money coming in like in some countries, even tho that would obviously be irresponsible.

I feel so utterly lost and depressed. At least she's here with me but it's not the most comfortable situation staying with family. She will have to leave by mid September at the latest.

 I'm doing various positive practices so this doesn't overwhelm me like meditation and exercise but I feel so in limbo. I know others are worse off but that doesn't make me feel better.

The only options I see are wait until I can go to the Us to get married then apply for spouse visa or she goes home and we apply for the fiancee visa for here first and hope it's faster. Am I missing anything?


Sorry, woeful whine over

You could see if you could do a civil ceremony here in the meantime? They are permitting some things to happen outside the usual rules because of covid related travel restrictions. Possibly call citizens advice or your local council?

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Big hugs!

Unfortunately everything is changing day by day.  Better than when it was hour by hour though.  No one can predict the future right now.

Are you able to travel to Gibraltar when the borders reopen/it's safe to? If you have until September, perhaps it's something to consider. My husband and I married there this past winter because it's easy to do, a quick flight from London, and they don't have residency requirements (you only have to show proof of hotel stay I think 2 nights prior or after your ceremony).

In doing that, you're not going through the trouble of potentially breaking UK visa rules and you get a nice marriage certificate in English, so you should ideally be exempt from the travel ban in the future, if it persists (I had the same question as per my other thread).

The other option is Denmark when they finally reopen or even St. Lucia - which I believe is reopening sooner rather than later.

I know it's probably not the wedding you had in mind, but I promise when you arrive there with your partner, you suddenly won't care about the rest.

We can get married in those places - Gibraltar or Denmark?!?!?? Are you sure???

I'm British, she's American. You married an American there?

I mean I believe you, but can you confirm this with a link or whatever? We would do that in a second if it's possible?

Gibraltar, I can confirm because we just did it about 5 months ago unless the rules have suddenly changed since then. I am a US citizen and my husband is a UK citizen. https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/uploads/files/marriages-civil-partnerships/marriages%20-ceremony-guidance-notes-october-2019.pdf [nofollow]

Denmark: https://familieretshuset.dk/en/your-life-situation/your-life-situation/international-marriages/if-you-wish-to-get-married-in-denmark [nofollow]

St. Lucia: https://www.stlucia.org/en/experiences/weddings-honeymoons/wedding-requirements/ [nofollow]

Oh my god! Well Spain is opening its borders soon so i guess we could go there!

And whee did your partner go while you did you process for the spouuse visa?

do you have any good contacts?

Gibraltar is closed at the moment, but worth looking at. thanks

Yes, most borders are closed right now so keep an eye on how they plan on reopening and their respective entry regulations and perhaps you can go from there. Those are just suggestions for places where you can get married without extensive residency requirements.

In regards to lawyers, we actually had one lawyer that was with a big firm; we sacked her before she was able to do too much damage (we didn't trust her and she gave conflicting information), and this forum recommended Laura Devine so we retained them instead and have been really satisfied. They're costly but we wanted someone who we could trust and knew what they were doing, especially since we're considering this an investment into our future together and peace of mind - and sometimes you can't really put a price on that.

In regards to lawyers, we actually had one lawyer that was with a big firm; we sacked her before she was able to do too much damage (we didn't trust her and she gave conflicting information), and this forum recommended Laura Devine so we retained them instead and have been really satisfied. They're costly but we wanted someone who we could trust and knew what they were doing, especially since we're considering this an investment into our future together and peace of mind - and sometimes you can't really put a price on that.

Just for the record, we don't usually recommend using a lawyer unless you have a complicated application involving:
- previous refused visas or entries to the UK
- previous illegal working or overstaying in the UK
- serious criminal convictions which could prevent you from being allowed into the UK
and also if:
- you have a complicated self-employment situation for the financial requirement and need more advice and knowledge  regarding how to meet the requirements than we can provide here on the forum

If you have a straightforward application, which does not involve any of the above, there generally isn't any need to use a lawyer. We can help you with your application and documents for free here on the forum.

Just to say that Gibraltar is really nice - I lived there for 4 months in 2017/2018 .

Something to consider as well is that, at the moment, UKVI are allowing people whose visas expire before July 31st to switch to FLR(M) (spousal visas) from inside the UK, even when they would normally have to return to the US to apply (i.e. people who are here on visitor visas).

So, that could mean, if they were to extend that allowance to visas that expire later in the year, and you are able to get married while she is in the UK on a visitor visa, there might be the possibility for her to apply for FLR(M) from inside the UK without having to go back to the US to apply for a spousal visa.

At the moment, though, this relaxation of the rules does only apply to people whose visas expire before July 31st 2020, so you'd have to see what happens after that date.

See: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents

If you’re applying to stay in the UK long-term
You can apply from the UK to switch to a long-term UK visa until 31 July 2020 if your leave expires between 24 January 2020 and 31 July 2020. This includes applications where you would usually need to apply for a visa from your home country.

You’ll need to meet the requirements of the route you are applying for and pay the UK application fee.

This includes those whose leave has already been extended to 31 July 2020.

You can apply online. The terms of your leave will remain the same until your application is decided.

Though it seems like this might only be for people who can't leave because of Covid. She would be able to leave because there are flights to the USA so I suppose this doesnt apply to us, though how amazing would that be to get married here then apply!

Yes, she's right - you don't really need a lawyer if you don't have a complicated case (my husband is a contractor so financials are tricky), so we found it helpful to have some professional legal guidance.

Otherwise, this forum is very helpful.

As for Gibraltar, we got married at The Rock and had a lovely time. It's a great place for a long wedding weekend.

Though it seems like this might only be for people who can't leave because of Covid. She would be able to leave because there are flights to the USA so I suppose this doesnt apply to us, though how amazing would that be to get married here then apply!

Yes. And for if it matters, once you are married the Covid ban on entering the USA no longer applies to you.