overstayed for 14 yrs and married for 5yrs

hi i first came to the uk in 1988 with parents. my dad was a diplomat until 1993. my mother passed away here in 1991 i was 13 at the time. i was home until june of 1995 finishing my gcse's. i came back here in june 1995., i was given a 6months visa which i tried to change to a student visa as i was studying here, the first application was denied i then appealed but did not know the outcome as i had to move due to landlord problems. sadly my father passed away in december 1995 . in the mean time i met my wife (who is british) we had been in a relationship for 7yrs before we got married 5yrs ago. i desparately need to sort my legal status out as i can not live like this anymore. we have a lovely 5yrs old daughter

Which country are you from? Any reason why you cannot go back to that country to apply for your spouse visa?

hie john

sorry to jump into your conversation,but i wanted to ask im in a sort of similar situation i have overstayed i mean but been granted temporary admission.now i have also applied for a COA,i have a fiance and baby who are brits.am waiting for response from HO.i want to get married here and get a spouse visa which seems impossible in country from wat i have read the best thing is to go to my home country and apply from there.now am from Zim and been studying,my que? is since i missed the 1 oct 08 deadline what does that mean for me.will i not get a ban if i go back home.

angelista, how long have you been waiting for your CoA?

Coming from Zimbabwe there is a better chance that you might get your spouse visa in-UK, but don't expect it to be a quick process.

You mention a baby so I assume you are living with your spouse-to-be. Correct? What about benefits? Who is claiming the Child Benefit? And are the two of you jointly claiming Tax Credits?

vussoh, are you going to reply to my post of two days ago?