Newbie questions

[JonMMM]

OK take it easy on me, I new here, so probably some really silly questions

have meet a fantastic woman who is a US citizen, I will be flying over to see here next month for a week, that's fine as it will just effectively be a holiday with no visas required.

But if that goes well she will come over to the UK for an extended stay, its far to early to be talking about marrage so what sort of visa will she need

[Joppa]

Just her passport, provided she doesn't say anything about having boyfriend/fiance in UK. Just the usual requirements, such as return ticket, accommodation, itinerary, enough money to support herself etc. She will be allowed in for up to 6 months, but it's best not to have a plan to stay that long, as burden of proof abount funds etc will be higher. If she says she is coming for a few weeks, with (changeable) return ticket, her passport will still be stamped with a 6-month stay.

[JonMMM]

Thanks for the info on Changeable return date tickets would not have thought of that

[Amery]

and if the dont have marriage in that time than?

[JonMMM]

Originally Posted by Amery

and if the dont have marriage in that time than?

Well I guess she goes back to see her family for a week or two and then comes back again

[Minuvweyna]

Originally Posted by JonMMM

Well I guess she goes back to see her family for a week or two and then comes back again

I think the UK is like the US in this respect. They do not seem to have specific guidelines regulating how much time a person must spend away before re-entering on a new 6 month visitor stamp. It sounds like it is completely up to the discretion of the immigration officer. If they believe that someone is abusing the system, and is basically living in the UK, they can at any point refuse entry.

I have no idea if there would be a ban of any kind if she were refused re-entry. But I know I have seen this issue arise on those UK Border Agency television programs. So they do scrutinize in order to try to stop people doing... basically what you are talking about doing. It is certainly a risk.

Remaining solidly on the right side of the immigration authorities is a good idea if there is the chance that she will be applying for a spousal visa later. It would be best to not have anything questionable in her passport, which they will definitely be looking at.

Good luck,
Elizabeth

[JonMMM]

Originally Posted by Minuvweyna

I think the UK is like the US in this respect. They do not seem to have specific guidelines regulating how much time a person must spend away before re-entering on a new 6 month visitor stamp. It sounds like it is completely up to the discretion of the immigration officer. If they believe that someone is abusing the system, and is basically living in the UK, they can at any point refuse entry.

I have no idea if there would be a ban of any kind if she were refused re-entry. But I know I have seen this issue arise on those UK Border Agency television programs. So they do scrutinize in order to try to stop people doing... basically what you are talking about doing. It is certainly a risk.

Remaining solidly on the right side of the immigration authorities is a good idea if there is the chance that she will be applying for a spousal visa later. It would be best to not have anything questionable in her passport, which they will definitely be looking at.

Good luck,
Elizabeth

Thats not good, not exactly a long time to make those sort of decisions. Well I suppose 6 months living together would give us a fair idea, then if we want to continue will look at the fiance route

[Minuvweyna]

Between the 6 months as a visitor and the 6 months allowed on a fiance visa, it would give you a year. I find that a little fast, but a lot of people marry within a year.

Is there any chance she might be interested in studying in the UK? I have no idea of your ages or educational background, but undertaking a masters degree will give her a 1 year student visa, and once she graduates she can switch to a 2 year post study work visa.

There is also the student visitor visa for those on shorter courses (less than 6 months).

Other than the tier 2 work visa route, which is difficult unless she has a skill in high demand in the UK, I can't think of any other routes that would minimize your risk of running afoul of the immigration folks.

I'd say to look at the UKBA website and see if anything else pops out at you as possibly applicable. After all, you know the specific circumstances better than I can possibly guess.

I may well be overly cautious, and I'm sure plenty of people manage to use the visitor regulations to spend a lot of time in the UK, but it is all about how much risk you are willing to take. In my case, being allowed to live in the UK permanently is absolutely vital, since I don't fancy being separated from my soon to be husband. Therefore, I'm not willing to take any risk whatsoever...

Best of luck,
Elizabeth

[JonMMM]

A year does seem a bit quick, will look a the student visa idea, thanks for your help

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by JonMMM

A year does seem a bit quick, will look a the student visa idea, thanks for your help

Remember, the financial requirements for a student visa are quite strict and your friend has to show she can pay the high tuition fee (£8000 to £10000 for overseas student per year; often more for Masters) plus all living expenses. If she says to the British consulate that she will be living with you (i.e. you are responsible for her upkeep), alarm bell will ring and they will begin to suspect she is trying to live in UK with you long term, using student status as a cover. So she must make it clear she is able to pay all her expenses herself (and show evidence for it, such as bank statement).