Please help... I am so confused

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

From your last post, I would say that you are still somewhat confused about the meaning of the term Advanced Parole.

To help us out - would you be against having a non-official wedding in the UK? A very many states only need a days notice or less to issue a marriage licence.

By the way, notice of marriage only needs to be given 15 days before the ceremony in England and Wales, 4 weeks for not previously married people in Scotland, and 6 weeks for divorced people.

[Think~Pink 0]

Thanks Poiteen..I'm still confused about everything lol

I am not against doing anything at the moment..I just want us to be able to get married next year as we planned.

All that bothers me is the fact he will have to come over here for the giving notice thing..he could lose his job and also it seems like a lot of money for a plane ticket etc, for just a short meeting.

I also only have 1 week holiday left at work too, so we are struggling.

I have just got off the phone from the registry office at my town hall and they say I should apply for the fiance visa. From what they say, we should apply much later down the line as it is only valid for 6 months..but we cannot guarantee that it will be approved in time..I wish there was a walkthrough for these things lol

[NickyMcMillan 0]

Is it 'do-able' to have a 'non-official' wedding in the UK?

My understanding (from talking about cultural stuff in the UK) is that most officiants are pretty weird about that kind of thing. But then again, my husband is from Northern Ireland. I think some of their church officials are more 'rigid' in their views.

Yes it is possible. You just don't have a minister do the ceremony. As its not going to be official, you can have a friend do it. Obviously that person just needs to be a good public speaker. That's how me & my wife did it. We had my wife's oldest friend who's a great public speaker do the ceremony. He held a bible, nobody knew any different.

Though I agree you do have to be careful. The OP needs to understand that she can't goto the K1 visa interview showing off marriage pictures or tell the POE that she is already "married".

Think~Pink - With advanced parole, that's something you apply for once you've moved to the US and got married legally. So getting time off work wont be a problem, as you will already have left the UK by then.

I understand its all very confusing. It took me several weeks to really start to understand the whole process. I would recommend you take an evening to just read the VJ guides. So you can decide which route is best for you. Like you, until I found this site, I was lost with the whole process. Now I'm living in the US married, applying for my greencard.

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

I have just got off the phone from the registry office at my town hall and they say I should apply for the fiance visa. From what they say, we should apply much later down the line as it is only valid for 6 months..but we cannot guarantee that it will be approved in time..I wish there was a walkthrough for these things lol

No, no, no. If you're fiance does not want to move to the UK he doesn't need to get a fiance visa to get married in the UK, he needs a 'visit for marriage' visa. The difference is that the second of the two, is only entering for the purposes of getting married, not to stay.

Ok, deep breath. You have three options.

1. File K-1 (a US fiance visa). Apply straight away, get married once you get to the US. Then adjust status to get your green card. This means that once you have your K-1 visa, you immigrate to the US. You can't leave the US or work until you have got married and applied to adjust status. It is at this stage that you get Advanced Parole, and your EAD, which allow you to travel and work respectively, before receiving your green card. It is inadvisable to have any kind of marriage ceremony (even non-official) before getting married in the US after entering on your K-1.

2. Apply for a 'visit for marriage' visa for the UK. Your fiance comes to the UK for at least 16 days, so you can give notice of marriage, and have the official ceremony. Your then husband goes back to the States, and sends off a petition for you for a CR-1 visa. When you enter on the CR-1 visa, the visa in your passport is stamped and is then considered a green card. You can travel and work straight away.

3. You go to the states and get married. A lot of states don't need more than a days notice for this. You return to the UK, and you file for a CR-1. So the rest is the same as option 2.

There is a final bit of info. Once you have filed for a CR-1, you can think about also applying for K-3. This is a visa which allows you to enter the US slightly quicker than the CR-1 but you enter on the same conditions as the K-1, i.e. you have to adjust status to be able to work or travel.

Once you make your decision, I strongly suggest you look at the guides for the visa you choose, so you can learn more about the process.

[Think~Pink 0]

Thanks so much for being so patient with me..if I could buy you all a drink..I would!!!!

Poiteen, thanks for laying it all out in plain steps for me...I will go through your options with my fiance tonight, then we can decide which option would best suit us.

You have been a great help..thanks so much

[ginger1981 0]

I dunno if you have yet...but have you put down any deposits for the wedding yet? If you haven't you need not stress out so much. Also, it is advisable to be aware that the process does cost a good chunk of money. Everyone's situation is different but I know for a good many of us it wasn't easy paying all the fees. I would keep that in mind before putting any more money towards a June 09 wedding.

[Think~Pink 0]

As it happens, we haven't paid a deposit yet..we were due to do that this week! (I have bought my dress though

We discussed the options tonight and we think we are going to go down the 'visit for marriage' visa route, then deal with my paperwork afterwards. It does depend on a few things though.

I have looked in the guides section here and I can't seem to find anything about this particular visa, (although I am probably looking in the wrong place).

If we still want to get married in June 09, when should he apply for the visa so it doesn't expire?

Also, as we both have to give notice of marriage at the registrar office, over here, can we get married immediately after we have done this, or is there more waiting afterwards...basically, if he came over with a completed visit for marriage visa, for a 2-3 week holiday, would we be able to get married in this time frame.

sorry for all the questions.

Edited July 8, 2008 by Think~Pink

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

Please read the answers you have already got carefully.

This is a website for visa's for immigration to the USA, so that's why you won't find UK visa info in the guides. However, a link to info regarding the visit for marriage visa was given to you in the first reply you got:

Hi,

At one point in time, I was considering the same thing. However, we have since decided to live in the US instead of the UK. There were so many reasons why.

But here is a link that you can go to, where there is more info about the UK visas. It is a different type of procedure there.

http://www.britainusa.com/visas/articles_s...000&a=41191

Good Luck and God Bless

If your fiance was issued the visit for marriage visa, he would have to get married when he enters on that visa. You must give ...

... notice of marriage only needs to be given 15 days before the ceremony in England and Wales, 4 weeks for not previously married people in Scotland, and 6 weeks for divorced people.

General Register Office

You should be aware that if you were to apply for a K-1 immediately, you would probably have it by June 2009, although most likely you wouldn't yet have AP. If you are not wanting to be officially married until June 09, and wait until then file a CR-1, I wouldn't expect that you'll be in the US by Christmas 09.

Like I said, please read ALL of the above thread VERY carefully. Please read all of the links that we have provided. I learned all of this information through research on the internet. It's all out there if you look.

[Gemmie 142]

Just to chime in here, I was originally in the same boat as you were. It's all very confusing when you start out but it all becomes clear once you decide which route you want to take.

Our wedding is also being planned for summer 2009.

I DID want the same as you; to get married here and then move to the US. However, I would much rather apply for the one fiance visa (K1) and do it all right away without having to worry about being apart after marriage. So: How about applying for the K1, getting married in the US and having your friends and family attend the wedding too? That is our current plan, as long as people can get the time off work.

Then they can go back to the UK and you can apply to adjust your status and stay with your new husband.

Of course, it all varies on the individual and there are a few options available to you.

[*Snowdrop* 604]

Hi - I'm a UKC and my husband is the USC and we had the marriage over here in the UK and then applied for the CR1 spousal visa.

When you make your plans for the marriage visit visa you need to bear in mind the residency requirements for giving notice in the UK. (I don't think any of this applies if you will be getting married in an Anglican Church - but you have to contact the church for their own requirements)

From the registrar website..

You can get married in England and Wales as long as you have both lived in a registration district for at least seven days immediately before giving notice of marriage.

For spouses from another country you also have to give notice at specially designated registrar offices and the two of you must go in together to do it. They judge the 7 days based on the stamp your spouse gets in his passport on entry.

After giving notice you have to wait 15 days I think before you can have the ceremony.

So if you want to do it all in one trip then he will need to come over for at least 7 plus 15 days plus whatever it takes to get married.

Getting the marriage visit visa was very simple - an application form done online then sent off with a few supporting documents. My husband's came back in 5 days. I can't remember exactly now but I think it was valid for 6 months from when it was first used.

Anyway our timescale was:

Jan 07 - apply for marriage visit visa (took 5 days)

May 07 - husband came over for a 10 day visit to give notice and fulfil the residency requirement

July 07 - husband came back over for the wedding

Oc 07 - we sent off our I-130

Still waiting............

If I knew that we would have to spend the whole of the first year of our married life apart - and perhaps half of the second year, I would have seriously considered doing a K1. We had a fabulous UK wedding but being apart after you get married it VERY different from being apart before. We were used to the long distance relationship - we'd been dating for 4 years like that but I can't stress enough how awful it is being married and apart. Much much worse than when we were boyfriend/girlfriend apart and worse than being engaged and apart.

I understand the desire for the big family UK wedding but please seriously consider how you will feel waiting out the US system apart. Unless you can settle in the UK for six months after the wedding and apply for DCF which is much quicker and you get to be together while you do it.

Edited July 8, 2008 by lsma

[Gemmie 142]

That was the deciding factor with me also.

After five and a half years of long distance communication and visits for short periods, I can't handle it anymore, and the thought of having to do it after being married is even worse to me.

The K1 is the quickest route for me and if there are no glitches, I can be in the US planning my wedding by this time next year. WITH my love.

[Think~Pink 0]

Thanks for the replies

I know what you mean..we have been waiting 8 years so far, but it is absolutely impossible for my family to go over to the US and I really want them to be at my wedding as it will be the only time I get married!

If there was a remote chance I could get them over there, then I would do it in a flash, as it would solve all our problems, but it's just not feasible and I couldn't do it without them..especially my mum *sigh*

You have given me some great advice though and a lot to think about..thank you all

BTW: sorry if I was posting in the wrong place..I had no idea the foum was specifically for immigration, so thanks for bearing with me.

[msu17 0]

As it happens, we haven't paid a deposit yet..we were due to do that this week! (I have bought my dress though

We discussed the options tonight and we think we are going to go down the 'visit for marriage' visa route, then deal with my paperwork afterwards. It does depend on a few things though.

I have looked in the guides section here and I can't seem to find anything about this particular visa, (although I am probably looking in the wrong place).

If we still want to get married in June 09, when should he apply for the visa so it doesn't expire?

Also, as we both have to give notice of marriage at the registrar office, over here, can we get married immediately after we have done this, or is there more waiting afterwards...basically, if he came over with a completed visit for marriage visa, for a 2-3 week holiday, would we be able to get married in this time frame.

sorry for all the questions.

I'm probably not getting exactly what you're saying, and if so, ignore me. BUT, it sounds like you want to apply for the UK's visit for marriage visa for the 09 wedding. This will absolutely be the longest route you can take. If you can in any way have him come over like now and get married and start the process for your spousal visa, that would definitely cut down on the time apart. The way it sounds like you are planning would give you another year apart now till the wedding and then probably another year apart for the spousal visa. You're looking at 2010 till you will be living in the US.

[Think~Pink 0]

Hi msu..thanks for the input

I know this is the long way round, but it's the only option we have.

He absolutely cannot come over here any sooner, either because of the cost or because he could lose his job...and I cannot go over there for the same reasons.

It is our own fault..he has only been home for 2 weeks since his last visit..if we had done our research, then we would have known about this sooner and he could have done everything whilst here and we could have brought the wedding forward..as it is now, we just don't have a choice..unless I win the lottery lol.

[Jeraly 4]

Try not to panic too much - you have had some great advice here and some things just have a way of working out, it might take a little longer than initially planned but you'll get there if you keep at it

We didn't find this site until we had booked our wedding and everything. We had filed the paperwork but then realised that we hadn't left ourselves a lot of breathing room. As it happened (and to cut a long story short) we arranged with our wedding planner to have a non-legal ceremony in Arizona so we didn't lose any deposits - all my family came out and it was beautiful - we just didn't get a license or sign the register.

Of course this brought its own collection of issues - my brother and other family members found it hard to accept that it wasn't a "real" wedding. To Jeremy and I, it will always be considered our real wedding because it was the day we made a promise to each other - signing the paperwork isn't what we wanted our marriage to be about and in the end everyone was surprised at how emotional it was. Along with those worries, I also had to enter the US on the VWP while still in the K-1 process. I entered through Dublin and it was all fine but it was very nervewracking. I didn't mention the wedding because as far as they were concerned (they being Immigration) it wasn't a legal wedding anyway, so why complicate things.

I returned home and continued the visa process and have now moved over on the K-1. We are having our legal wedding next month - it is going to be low-key with a minister and a couple of witnesses. I'm not even wearing my dress - because February was our "real" wedding, we don't want anyone to feel they are missing out in August - and to us it is just a formality.

I don't know if this helps at all, I just thought I would share the process we took when our... plans didn't work out as we initially intended