Questions regarding gaining citizenship to the UK.

turnthepage · #1 (**permalink**) 26th February 2011, 05:22 PM

I suppose I'll just give some background first and my plans to move to England and then pose some questions. I've found almost no information online that applies to our situation and hesitate to go to a lawyer for questions that mainly apply to UK laws.

I met my current boyfriend online several years ago. We talked occasionally over the years becoming close, eventually met in person and have seen each other frequently for the past seven months. We're both against the principle of marriage, but know that in order to be together it's the simplest solution as we both want to spend the rest of our lives together.

He is a citizen of the UK and I am a citizen of the USofA. He'll be visiting next in April for a week to meet my family and hopefully I will visit the UK in June to meet his. Through some research we decided it would be easiest for us to marry here and then enter the UK. We've planned to get married in July (nothing big, just a simple court house ceremony) and for him to stay here for six weeks (he works as an IT tech in a school and gets part of the summers free from work) so we can apply for a spouse visa for me. Hopefully after that we can go back to England together.

My questions are these:

Does he need some sort of visa to come here to marry me?
What paperwork will he need with him to marry me here?
What forms do I need to fill out for a spouse visa for the UK?
Do I need a permit to work in the UK?
How will my citizenship status in the UK affect my ability to work?
How long does this process typically take, or is each case different?
How much does the process generally cost?

Answers to any or all questions would be wonderful, or just any advice you may have is welcome.

Angelkissedxx · #2 (**permalink**) 26th February 2011, 05:35 PM

My husband is a UK citizen as well and he came over on the visa waiver program to get married in the US (courthouse wedding too), it's completely legal and he has no need for a visa for the simple purpose of coming over to marry you, however, the length of his stay is alot longer my husband only stayed a month on his paternity leave to see our newborn daughter. You can actually have him send his passport in to get a 3 month visa stamp it'd allow him to stay in the country safely and legally without running into any potential problems.

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turnthepage · #3 (**permalink**) 26th February 2011, 05:37 PM

Thank you! That helps so much

Angelkissedxx · #4 (**permalink**) 26th February 2011, 05:38 PM

Also, we're currently in the process of getting everything together for my Spouse visa, it will cost you around $1,500 US and unless you expedite it it could take anywhere from 6-12 weeks to get your visa back the $1,500 is with the expedited fees included. If you expedite it you can get it in as little as 10 days. The spouse visa will allow you to work as soon as you get to the UK and you can apply for indefinite leave to remain after the two year visa is up.

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Angelkissedxx · #5 (**permalink**) 26th February 2011, 05:41 PM

We had a little problem because he doesn't have any need for a drivers license in the UK he doesn't have a picture I.D. Issued from the UK and they wouldn't accept his passport as proof that he was who he was. Make sure that he brings his bank statements, and also a letter from his employer stating that he is who he is and how long he's worked for them, (we had to have my husband get his faxed from the UK at the courthouse). This should help you out :-)

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Angelkissedxx · #6 (**permalink**) 26th February 2011, 05:45 PM

I actually met my husband online too lol small world :-p also, you'll want sufficient proof that your relationship is completely valid, pictures, cards, emails, whatever you can dig up the more proof the better.

Sent from Felicia Mills' iPod touch

turnthepage · #7 (**permalink**) 26th February 2011, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angelkissedxx

I actually met my husband online too lol small world :-p also, you'll want sufficient proof that your relationship is completely valid, pictures, cards, emails, whatever you can dig up the more proof the better.

Sent from Felicia Mills' iPod touch

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't tell you how much this information helps! I've been so stressed trying to figure out the best way to handle all of this and who to ask, so I figured I'd just start out asking people who have actually been through it! I didn't expect such quick responses! Your help is much appreciated

Bevdeforges · #8 (**permalink**) 26th February 2011, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turnthepage

My questions are these:

Does he need some sort of visa to come here to marry me?
What paperwork will he need with him to marry me here?
What forms do I need to fill out for a spouse visa for the UK?
Do I need a permit to work in the UK?
How will my citizenship status in the UK affect my ability to work?
How long does this process typically take, or is each case different?
How much does the process generally cost?

As far as the paperwork for getting married in the US is concerned, you should talk to your local courthouse or town hall (wherever it is you go to apply for a marriage license where you live). They usually don't require anything unusual for marriage with a foreigner, but at least you could get their list of what's needed. You do want to find out what documents he'll need to bring with him, so you can get the visa application submitted right after the wedding (stuff like birth certificates, bank statements, etc.).

You can work in the UK on your spouse visa. Being an American shouldn't affect your ability to work, other than if you hold a qualification that doesn't travel or transfer outside the US. Depending on what you do for a living, you may have to re-qualify or pass exams or something to get the equivalent UK license or qualification (think, nurse or other medical professions).
Cheers,
Bev