Help

[sherryandallie]

Hello,

My american girlfriend has recently come to the uk for a visit and we have gotten engaged. Our plan is to stay in the uk for the forseable future, she did not enter with a fiancee visa as at the time we did not know we were going to get engaged. Can we retrospectively apply for the marriage visa while she is in the uk? Or does she have to return to the US and apply from there? From what i understand it is frowned upon to enter into the uk under a visitors visa and then apply for a marriage visa, but not impossible is this right?

Alternativley could we get married outside of the UK and then apply for a spouse visa and return to the UK?

What would you recommend our next course of action should be as we are feeling a little lost right now.

We would appreciate any help you can give us on this issue.

Best Regards,

Sherry & Allie

[lynn132]

She can leave the country and apply for the fiancee visa - which will mean you must get married within a certain time after she gets back. Or, faster, both of you go to the states, get married, apply for spouse visa, and come back to the UK. The spouse visa will allow her to work right away, which the fiancee visa will not, and if you do the fiancee route you have to do it twice (i.e. once for fiancee visa and once for spouse visa).