Getting married in 2021

[ijustwantmywifehere]

Hello guys,

I hope you are doing well.

I will preface this by saying that I am Muslim, hence why the dates below are so close together. Islamic tradition prohibits pre-marital relationships so there you go. I had a arranged marriage.

I am a EU national with settled status in the UK. I met my wife through video call in July, got engaged in the same month and married a few months later over Zoom through a shariah council and obtained a marriage certificate (which is not issued by an authority, only by the imam in the council). My wife is an Afghan national living in Saudi Arabia with a residency permit.

I want to get a visa or permit for my wife so she can live with me in the UK permanently.

I have looked at some of the requirements to apply for the EUSS FP or EAA Permit and legally, I don't satisfy these requirements:
* Having met at least once before 2021
* Having a relationship that is legally recognised (I believe UK law does not recognise it a relationship until you've met
* Having married before 2021 (I don't think UK law recognises a video call marriage)

If Saudi removes flight suspensions and I can visit her in 2021 and get a marriage certificate through a ceremony at the embassy, can I apply for the EUSS FP or the EAA Permit? If not, is the spouse visa the only other way?

[Zerubbabel]

Hello

For the purposes of immigration, you are not married as far as UK authorities are concerned. They strongly push back proxy marriages, marriages over Zoom and Islamic marriages even when solemnised in the presence of both parties.

So you have to wait until you can travel there, get married in a front of local Saudi authorities then see what would be your options at the time.

I don't think Embassies celebrates marriages. You probably need to see with local Saudi authorities. I don't know how flexible they are with the fact that you don't reside in Saudi Arabia. You probably need to clarify this point. Are you allowed to get married there as a visitor?

[ijustwantmywifehere]

Hello

For the purposes of immigration, you are not married as far as UK authorities are concerned. They strongly push back proxy marriages, marriages over Zoom and Islamic marriages even when solemnised in the presence of both parties.

So you have to wait until you can travel there, get married in a front of local Saudi authorities then see what would be your options at the time.

I don't think Embassies celebrates marriages. You probably need to see with local Saudi authorities. I don't know how flexible they are with the fact that you don't reside in Saudi Arabia. You probably need to clarify this point. Are you allowed to get married there as a visitor?

Hey man, thanks for your reply.
I've contacted the Afghan embassy in Saudi Arabia and they are fine with registering our marriage according to Saudi law and issuing a marriage certificate.

Once I do that, am I still eligble to apply for a EUSS FP or EAA permit, or do I have to go through the Spouse visa route?

[Zerubbabel]

If you get the application ready before June 30, 2021, you can use the EU Settlement route by showing your relationship started because Dec 31, 2020 (the documents you have in hand now will be helpful).

After that date, EU Settlement Scheme will be open only to Swiss nationals (until end 2025). If you are not a Swiss national, you have then to use the spouse visa route.