Uk Citizen wanting to marry us citizen and live in UK-Money aspect!

[surfinglifewfhb]

Hello! I am a new member on Expat and I would be very grateful if I could receive some advice and help on the current situation I am dealing with since I don't know how to go about it!

I am a Uk citizen wanting to marry a USA citizen and live in the Uk but not sure what route to take!

I have been with my boyfriend (who is a US citizen and lives in the US) for several years and we have both been travelling back and forth as well as keeping in contact through several resources when we are apart.

I am currently at university in the UK and I finish my course in June 2012 and my boyfriend is currently working over in the US part time.

I understand that to get married in the UK he will have to apply for a fiancé visa and we would have to get married within 6months of receiving the visa, then once married will have to apply for a further leave to remain.

The only problem we face and the dilemma that I am not sure of is the money aspect.

As I am a student I have current loans and am being supported by my parents. And once again, I understand that for us to be able to do this I will need to be able to support him for at least 6 months, which I will not be able to do. So here are a few questions that I don't know the answers to.

Can my boyfriend be the one to support us for the first 6 months?
Do we have to have a place of our own in the UK, or can we be living with my parents?
Can we do this if I have student loans?
Is there an easier way to do this by getting married in the US (In California) but then living in the UK? If so, how would we do this.
How much money will we need to be able to apply for the UK visa's?
When can my boyfriend start working in the UK?

Also, my boyfriend read somewhere that to be able to apply for the leave to remain visa, I will have to have a stable job that pays more the £19,000 a year, is this true?

I would be very grateful for any information you can provide me with, which will bring us closer to what we want, which is to be together and to live happily!

[Joanne_Manchester]

Hello,


I understand that to get married in the UK he will have to apply for a fiancé visa and we would have to get married within 6months of receiving the visa, then once married will have to apply for a further leave to remain.
Well to get married (and not settle in the UK) your boyfriend would have to apply a the "special visitor visa" but will have to return to the USA and apply for a spouse visa from there.
If your boyfriend apply for a fiance visa (from the USA), you will have 6 months to get married and apply for a spouse visa. The spouse visa is valid for 2 years and at the end of it you will need to apply to leave to remain.

Can my boyfriend be the one to support us for the first 6 months?
No , you are the sponsor to your boyfriend and it is you that need to show that you can support him.
Do we have to have a place of our own in the UK, or can we be living with my parents? You can live with your parents. They will need to provide a letter explaining that they are happy for you and your fiance to live with them. They will need to show that the accomodation is big enough for everybody (and show that own the house).
Can we do this if I have student loans? Maybe if you have really large savings but normally you would need to work. You need to demonstrate that you can support you future husband.
When can my boyfriend start working in the UK? He cannot work on a fiance visa, he can only work once he receive his spouse visa.

Also, my boyfriend read somewhere that to be able to apply for the leave to remain visa, I will have to have a stable job that pays more the £19,000 a year, is this true? No, in the 2 years (during spouse visa) you just need to show that you did not have recourse to public funds.

I would suggest that it would be a good idea for you to find a part time job, if you are already not able to support yourself it will be difficult to show that , at the moment, you can support your fiance.

I hope this helps, I am sure you will get more reply soon.

[surfinglifewfhb]

Thank you Joanne for replying so fast!

I was wondering if my boyfriend were to transfer money he has saved into my account, to cover us for the first six months as well as me getting a part time job, would this help us in any way, even though I didn't earn the money, it would show that I could support us, would this work?