Paperwork for UK girl marrying Algerian man in Algeria

[Lily Tomat]

Hello

I am a British woman and will be going to Algeria in the near future to meet and marry an Algerian man, Insha'Allah. We have known each other for approximately 5 years. I am divorced and need to know exactly what I need to do and which forms/paperwork I have to take with me that meet the criteria for both the Algerian and British laws, in order that we can marry as soon as possible and the marriage legally recognised in Britain and Algeria.

Could you also advise on how to get a UK visa for my future husband, because we want to live in the UK once we are married. Although not rich, I have sufficient funds not to have to rely on any government benefits, however, I would be most grateful for any advice you could give me regarding this matter.

[CR001]

Do you have a salary of £18,600 per annum?

[Lily Tomat]

Thank you for replying. I work part-time and earn approximately £10,000 per annum

[CR001]

Then he wont qualify for a spouse visa as you as the sponsor have to prove your income at the level I stated as a minimum. The alternative is to have roughly £62,000 in savings and held for at least six months.

Link with info etc below.

https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/overview

Your partner will also need to prove his English at level A1

https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/kn ... of-english

Then besides the visa application fee, there is an NHS surcharge he has to pay upfront at point of application for the duration of his initial visa (£200 per year x 33 month initial visa will =£600)

https://www.immigration-health-surcharg ... ment/start

[Lily Tomat]

I have a lump sum from a house sale, however, it has not been in my possession for 6 months yet, so would I need to wait for 6 months before I can proceed any further? If/when the "family of a settled person’ visa is granted, could my husband still apply for a permanent UK residency visa?

He does speak and understand some English, but I'm unsure whether it would meet A1 level standard. Do you know if there are any online practice tests he could do to ascertain his level?

Thank you again for your response.

[WR1]

I have a lump sum from a house sale, however, it has not been in my possession for 6 months yet, so would I need to wait for 6 months before I can proceed any further?

Savings of £62,500 to be held for a minimum of six months in total.

If/when the "family of a settled person’ visa is granted, could my husband still apply for a permanent UK residency visa?

Yes, but the route to settlement is a 5 year path. Once initial visa is granted, then he would need to extend in 2.5 years time for another 2.5 years, the same criteria must be met (minimum income £18,600 or £62,500 savings, English A1 as well as paying the health surcharge again), then after a total of 5 years, he will be eligible to ILR (permanent residency)

He does speak and understand some English, but I'm unsure whether it would meet A1 level standard. Do you know if there are any online practice tests he could do to ascertain his level?

He must pass an approved English A1 test and provide this for the visa application. More info here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... uage-tests

Thank you again for your response.

[CR001]

Yes, you would need to have the savings in an accessible account for 6 months and it must meet the level without decreasing.

No he won't immediately get permanent residency card (EU rules so not applicanle to you/him. It is called indefinite leave to remain - ILR, under the UK immigration rules when he gets to that stage after 5 years residence).

He has to provide a pass test certificate for the English A1 requirement obtained from one of the approved providers.

The process, if visa is granted is as follows :
1. Enfry learance spouse visa valid for 33 months
2. Within 28 days of expiry of the initial visa, he needs to apply for an extension, the current form is FLR(M) and will have to mee ALL the same requirements as he did for the initial entry clearnce (income/funds, English, cohabitation and pay another £500 NHS surcharge again) and should be granted a visa for a further 2.5 years
3. Within 28 days of the expiry of this 2.5 and reaching 5 years residence in the UK, he can apply for ILR, meeting the same requirementz again but a different level of English (level B1).
4. Once he has ILR, he can apply for British citizenship.

You say you have known him for 5 years but have you actually met him in person before?

[Lily Tomat]

We've never met in person, but we've got to know each other well during 5 years and it's been our dream to marry for most of that time.

I don't have any further questions at this point, but will seek your advice again if I have any other queries.

Thank you very much for all of your help, it's very much appreciated.

[CR001]

Thanks, just curious about having met him before. I am sure your relationship is real but please be cautious.

Numerous documentaries recently about non-EU people (Algerians and many others included) woo'ing for long periods and marrying only for visas to enter the UK and then leaving/divorcing the British spouse once they get to the UK, obtain ILR or citizenship and British spouse losing half their assets and suffering abuse in the process. There is an online forum for victims of this, full of useful information and horrific stories.

[Lily Tomat]

Thank you for you concern and yes I'm aware of some horror stories out there. All I can really do is go on how I feel deep inside and my intuition and gut feelings are that we respect each other, love each other and I trust him with my life.

[CR001]

Yes, we see some sad stories on this forum too, it is too common.

I do wish you all the best then and happy to help answer any questions you might still have

[Lily Tomat]

Thank you very much