Getting married and visas

[Minuvweyna]

Hi everyone, I hope some of you experts can give me advice on this query.

I am a US citizen, presently in Edinburgh on a student visa (completing my Masters Degree) and in a relationship with a wonderful man who is a British citizen. We have been talking marriage recently and so I thought I would look into what that means for my situation.

After my student visa runs out I had been, and still do, plan to apply for the new Post-Study Work visa (which replaced the Fresh Talent for Scotland Scheme) which should mean I will be allowed to remain in the UK for a further 2 years. So I foresee no problems with being in the UK until the end of 2011.

We are talking about a September 2010 wedding, which gives us lots of time, but I expect all the paperwork involved may take quite a bit of planning and time, so I want to figure this out early.

Do I need to be in the US to apply for a spousal (or maybe a fiance) visa? Will I be able to do all of this from the UK, since I otherwise have no real plans to travel outside the country in the next couple of years? We want to be married here, and have no real interest in ever moving back to the US after the wedding (though I expect I will jump through all the hoops for the US as well, just in case.) He has lived in the UK his whole life and has a home and a career, plus I have savings and am allowed to work part time (currently looking.) I foresee no problems with meeting requirements regarding accommodation and support.

Most information I have found addresses what you need to do to get a visa to come into the UK either to marry or after already being married, but I am unsure how to proceed since I am already legally living in the UK. I am a bit worried that rules concerning what visa you can change to from other visas may cause difficulty.

Any advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.


Kind Regards,

Elizabeth

[BabsM]

Based on programmes that have been shown on television regarding people changing Visa status, I believe you have to return to the States to apply for a new visa since your current visa will no longer be valid. But to make sure you do not make yourself unintentionally illegal, I suggest you contact the authorities who issued your visa and ask them the question.

[esm]

Originally Posted by Minuvweyna

Do I need to be in the US to apply for a spousal (or maybe a fiance) visa? Will I be able to do all of this from the UK, since I otherwise have no real plans to travel outside the country in the next couple of years? We want to be married here, and have no real interest in ever moving back to the US after the wedding (though I expect I will jump through all the hoops for the US as well, just in case.) He has lived in the UK his whole life and has a home and a career, plus I have savings and am allowed to work part time (currently looking.) I foresee no problems with meeting requirements regarding accommodation and support.

Hi,

take a look at the Home office website and do a serach under "COA" (cant link website yet, need to have more than 4 posts to do so)

i'd suggest you to give them a call and confirm that you need to apply for a COA (certificate of approval) for intending to get married in the UK when you are already here.

[Minuvweyna]

I will have a valid visa at all times before my intended marriage date (it should be valid for a year after I am married in fact.) I will check the Home Office site, perhaps calling them is really the only way to find out. It seems silly that I would have to fly all the way back to the US just to apply when I am legally living here. Of course silly doesn't stop governments.

Thanks guys,

Elizabeth

[Garethmc]

I know they're changing the rules on marriage visas and putting the minimum age up to 21, i guess from ur studies that's not relevant. I doubt very much youd have to apply out of country. check out globalvisasdotcom and look under uk immigration, they helped me and my wife out when we married, shes from uk tho. Goodluck with it

[mcrooks]

Originally Posted by Minuvweyna

Hi everyone, I hope some of you experts can give me advice on this query.

I am a US citizen, presently in Edinburgh on a student visa (completing my Masters Degree) and in a relationship with a wonderful man who is a British citizen. We have been talking marriage recently and so I thought I would look into what that means for my situation.

After my student visa runs out I had been, and still do, plan to apply for the new Post-Study Work visa (which replaced the Fresh Talent for Scotland Scheme) which should mean I will be allowed to remain in the UK for a further 2 years. So I foresee no problems with being in the UK until the end of 2011.

We are talking about a September 2010 wedding, which gives us lots of time, but I expect all the paperwork involved may take quite a bit of planning and time, so I want to figure this out early.

Do I need to be in the US to apply for a spousal (or maybe a fiance) visa? Will I be able to do all of this from the UK, since I otherwise have no real plans to travel outside the country in the next couple of years? We want to be married here, and have no real interest in ever moving back to the US after the wedding (though I expect I will jump through all the hoops for the US as well, just in case.) He has lived in the UK his whole life and has a home and a career, plus I have savings and am allowed to work part time (currently looking.) I foresee no problems with meeting requirements regarding accommodation and support.

Most information I have found addresses what you need to do to get a visa to come into the UK either to marry or after already being married, but I am unsure how to proceed since I am already legally living in the UK. I am a bit worried that rules concerning what visa you can change to from other visas may cause difficulty.

Any advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.


Kind Regards,

Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth,
I just saw your post and don't know if you have gathered any information, but here's my 2 cents anyway.
Even though you live in the UK you are still consdered a US citizen. I had to apply to the British counsel in New York city when I was applying to live here. My visa is up next January and I believe that I will be re-applying to the New York City office. They won't consider you a part of this country until you apply for citizenship. I would check the british consulate site to see if you can obtain any information about a spousal visa. You probably won't have to worry about it until your student visa is up and by then you will have been married for over a year which should show them that you did not marry just to get into this country, although they still ask me if I am with the same man who brought me over in the first place. I tell them I wouldn't be here if I weren't with him!
Hope this helps a little!
Warmest regards,
Michele