US citizen wanting to marry a UK citizen

[izzysmum04]

Definitely what jlms said. You don't want to forget that. You don't have to do this, but I (and a few other expat friends of mine, as well) printed out some of the emails we had sent to each other, any cards, and a few pics of us together. All was returned safely to me. As I said you don't have to do that though. We just wanted to show that we were actually in a relationship prior to being married. Good luck with everything.

[ckarp73]

I too am looking to move to the UK. I'm a US citizen and my boyfriend is Northern Irish. He's been here on a work visa for the past 4 years and we met almost immediately upon his entry and have been together ever since. Now he's got a job in the UK and I hope to move there within the next 6 months once he's settled. Would it be wise to get the Visitor Visa and see what happens? We don't want to marry here in the US esp not for the sole purpose of him being a citizen since we want to live in the UK and if he moved there after getting a temporary green card, he would be considered abandoning his Temporary US Citizenship and there would be problems upon re-entry. Any advise at all would be greatly appreciated...

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by ckarp73

Would it be wise to get the Visitor Visa and see what happens? We don't want to marry here in the US esp not for the sole purpose of him being a citizen since we want to live in the UK and if he moved there after getting a temporary green card, he would be considered abandoning his Temporary US Citizenship and there would be problems upon re-entry. Any advise at all would be greatly appreciated...

Getting married in the US doesn't mean you are applying for a green card (or even, for that matter, entitled to one). It's entirely possible to get married in the US, apply for your visa to the UK and then move over there once the visa comes through.

Going over to the UK on a visitor's visa and then attempting to change status is probably the riskier approach. Though it involves a few more steps, you may want to consider going for a fiancé visa for the UK and then getting married in the UK.
Cheers,
Bev

[izzysmum04]

I agree with Bev. If you are planning on eventually getting married anyway, I would go with the fiance visa. It will be a lot easier and cheaper for you in the long run. If you go over on a visitor's visa and you definitely decide you want to stay, you would then have to return to the US to apply for a fiance visa. It cannot be applied for within the UK. Has to be done within your home country. Also, on a visitor's visa, you can't work, and you must also show that you have enough money on your own to support yourself for your entire length of stay, etc. This page gives all the details. Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide.

[Fatbrit]

Originally Posted by ckarp73

I too am looking to move to the UK. I'm a US citizen and my boyfriend is Northern Irish. He's been here on a work visa for the past 4 years and we met almost immediately upon his entry and have been together ever since. Now he's got a job in the UK and I hope to move there within the next 6 months once he's settled. Would it be wise to get the Visitor Visa and see what happens? We don't want to marry here in the US esp not for the sole purpose of him being a citizen since we want to live in the UK and if he moved there after getting a temporary green card, he would be considered abandoning his Temporary US Citizenship and there would be problems upon re-entry. Any advise at all would be greatly appreciated...

This one's full of a few misconceptions from the US side -- I'm no expert on those from the British perspective, though.

If he marries you here in the US, there is no need for him to do anything on the immigration side. Indeed, if the short-term plans are to live in the UK, it would be a waste of both money and time. The only possible exception to this would be if he were not currently in lawful status and wished to regularize his status before he left -- marriage to a USC is one of the few ways you can side-step the ban on reentry if you have incurred them.

There is no such thing as Temporary US Citizenship. An alien in the US marrying a USC would apply for permanent residency (of which the green card is proof of that status), and could only apply for naturalization as a USC 90 days before the 3rd anniversary of becoming a permanent resident.

There is no great issue relinquishing permanent residency. Fill in the appropriate form and send it back!

[ckarp73]

Originally Posted by Fatbrit

This one's full of a few misconceptions from the US side -- I'm no expert on those from the British perspective, though.

If he marries you here in the US, there is no need for him to do anything on the immigration side. Indeed, if the short-term plans are to live in the UK, it would be a waste of both money and time. The only possible exception to this would be if he were not currently in lawful status and wished to regularize his status before he left -- marriage to a USC is one of the few ways you can side-step the ban on reentry if you have incurred them.

There is no such thing as Temporary US Citizenship. An alien in the US marrying a USC would apply for permanent residency (of which the green card is proof of that status), and could only apply for naturalization as a USC 90 days before the 3rd anniversary of becoming a permanent resident.

There is no great issue relinquishing permanent residency. Fill in the appropriate form and send it back!

Thank you Fatbrit for your response. The information I gave came from an immigration attorney who stated that if we were to get married here in the US then relocate to the UK within two years he would indeed be considered abandoning his US Citizenship and it would make re-entry (for him) difficult. His Visa is still current so there are no immigration issues as of yet but he will be laid off soon which is why he found employment back in the UK as jobs here in the US are scarse, esp for those needing to be sponsored. Which is also why we visited the attorney in the first place, to see what our best courses of action could be. We'd both rather live in the UK so I was just curious if it made more sense/what would be easier for us: to marry here or marry there. Sorry for any misconceptions and again I thank you for your reply.

[ckarp73]

Originally Posted by ckarp73

Thank you Fatbrit for your response. The information I gave came from an immigration attorney who stated that if we were to get married here in the US then relocate to the UK within two years he would indeed be considered abandoning his US Citizenship and it would make re-entry (for him) difficult. His Visa is still current so there are no immigration issues as of yet but he will be laid off soon which is why he found employment back in the UK as jobs here in the US are scarse, esp for those needing to be sponsored. Which is also why we visited the attorney in the first place, to see what our best courses of action could be. We'd both rather live in the UK so I was just curious if it made more sense/what would be easier for us: to marry here or marry there. Sorry for any misconceptions and again I thank you for your reply.

Also thank you ladies for your replies as well, I am new to this site and still learning how it works. The information given has been very valuable and I really appreciate you all taking the time to assist me. Cheers to all!

[Fatbrit]

Originally Posted by ckarp73

Thank you Fatbrit for your response. The information I gave came from an immigration attorney who stated that if we were to get married here in the US then relocate to the UK within two years he would indeed be considered abandoning his US Citizenship and it would make re-entry (for him) difficult. His Visa is still current so there are no immigration issues as of yet but he will be laid off soon which is why he found employment back in the UK as jobs here in the US are scarse, esp for those needing to be sponsored. Which is also why we visited the attorney in the first place, to see what our best courses of action could be. We'd both rather live in the UK so I was just curious if it made more sense/what would be easier for us: to marry here or marry there. Sorry for any misconceptions and again I thank you for your reply.

As he's here legally at the moment and you're planning on moving out in the short term, there would, indeed, be no point in pursuing his US permanent residency.

The marriage is a separate issue. There is no legal problem with him marrying you in the US, and he will not need to change his current immigration status because of it. The question is whether you will be better served entering the UK as a married person or a fiancée. I bow to others opinions on that since it is not an area I know so much about.

[Shipresa]

I received my spouse visa on June 3, 2009.

I was living in UK with my then-fiance. We researched fiancee vs. spouse visa and since all the sites and info were conflicting, we consulted an attorney in the UK. His advice was if we are marrying, then simply do that and do the spouse visa. The Fiance visa required the same process, the same $$ AND if we married in UK, we'd need to go through the Registry Office AND do the COA which cost more $$.

With that advice, we decided to holiday in USA, get married in my USA state (after ensuring the marriage is recognized in UK, which it was.)

We married on 17 May, my biometrics were done on 20 May, and finalizing all the docs (we had to wait 5 days for the certified marriage certificate), applied for the spouse visa on June 2 (via an agent who hand carried the docs after his professional review). June 3, the visa was placed in my passport.

I'd do it the same way again! We avoided the fiance visa process (essentially a duplication of spouse and $$), and the COA in UK.

The process was easy, but the documentation took months. We took 3 months to gather information, including joint bank accounts, adding me to council tax rolls - ANYTHING to prove you are in the marriage for MARRIAGE, not work, benefits or immigration. We also did a long narrative of our coming together, with pics of each of us with each other's parents (to prove it was for marriage and family, not immigration.) Your sponsor, too, must document how he/she can support you so UK is sure the spouse is not going to go on the UK dole. We also had recommendation and intent letters written by our employers and long-term friends willing to attest to our intentions. Documentation is key!

[babystace806]

Originally Posted by Shipresa

I received my spouse visa on June 3, 2009.

I was living in UK with my then-fiance. We researched fiancee vs. spouse visa and since all the sites and info were conflicting, we consulted an attorney in the UK. His advice was if we are marrying, then simply do that and do the spouse visa. The Fiance visa required the same process, the same $$ AND if we married in UK, we'd need to go through the Registry Office AND do the COA which cost more $$.

With that advice, we decided to holiday in USA, get married in my USA state (after ensuring the marriage is recognized in UK, which it was.)

We married on 17 May, my biometrics were done on 20 May, and finalizing all the docs (we had to wait 5 days for the certified marriage certificate), applied for the spouse visa on June 2 (via an agent who hand carried the docs after his professional review). June 3, the visa was placed in my passport.

I'd do it the same way again! We avoided the fiance visa process (essentially a duplication of spouse and $$), and the COA in UK.

The process was easy, but the documentation took months. We took 3 months to gather information, including joint bank accounts, adding me to council tax rolls - ANYTHING to prove you are in the marriage for MARRIAGE, not work, benefits or immigration. We also did a long narrative of our coming together, with pics of each of us with each other's parents (to prove it was for marriage and family, not immigration.) Your sponsor, too, must document how he/she can support you so UK is sure the spouse is not going to go on the UK dole. We also had recommendation and intent letters written by our employers and long-term friends willing to attest to our intentions. Documentation is key!

Is it true that in order for my fiancee to get married over here in the US, he has to come over on some special visa? I called immigration and a woman I spoke to said, no. But a friend of mine said he needs some petition. I thought he didn't need a special visa, as he is not residing here after we're married. I'm moving to the UK with him. Someone, please help me out here. I'd really appreciate it.