get married in UK

[Sara & Robin 1]

we started the K-1 here in the US but i'm going over to visit him in scotland what if we get married while i'm there in the UK

Will he be able to come back to the states with me an stay ?

or

will i be able to stay in the UK with him ?

[JohnR! 5,495]

we started the K-1 here in the US but i'm going over to visit him in scotland what if we get married while i'm there in the UK

Will he be able to come back to the states with me an stay ?

or

will i be able to stay in the UK with him ?

If you marry him at this point, your K-1 is off and you need to apply for a CR/IR process. He will not be able to come to the US with you and stay, before his visa is approved.

It might be easier for you to immigrate to the UK than the other way around.

[StarGirl 13]

getting married in the middle of K-1 process disqualifies you to petition for you foreign fiancé. Thus, you will have to withdraw your petition and to start all over again with filing for CR-1/spousal visa.

So of course, you can marry at your wish, but mind the consequences.

as for "will i be able to stay in the UK with him ?" - I don't know too much about UK immigration laws, hopefully someone will answer.

[Boiler 45,525]

They changed the UK rules recently, good idea to check if you qualify.

[Holly2234 66]

There is a thread pinned at the top of this page titled something like "Before you permanently move to the US" Take a look in there to see if you qualify to immigrate to the UK.

You will probably still have to leave though. You cant normally just go somewhere, get married and stay. It would be a good idea for him to go and see an immigration lawyer for a free consultation. They know the UK processes best and you can both make your decision then.

Edited September 10, 2012 by Holly2234

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

If you're already over there, you can't stay after you marry if you entered on a visitor visa.

You can go ahead and marry on the visit but you need to have a visitor to marry visa to do this. You must also give notice to the registrar that you intend to marry -- this is either 15 days (England and Wales) or 14 days (Scotland and NI). You will NOT be permitted to remain though. You would have to return to the US and file for a spousal visa. Your husband will need to earn at least £18,600 to sponsor you, which is considerably more than the USC is required to show as sponsorship. There are, of course, all the accompanying fees for doing this. A fiancee visa to the UK is also an option, but again sponsorship is an issue. Lots of info here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/while-in-uk/marriageandcivilpartnership/

All of this costs money. Lots of it. The UK process has always been quicker but more expensive than the US process. (Trust me -- I've done it in both directions.) You've already filed for a K1. It does suck to be apart from your fiance but unless you want to spend more money, I don't see the benefit in this. You could always stay for up to six months in the UK with him, if the UK Border Agency doesn't think you're trying to illegally stay beyond that.

Getting married in the UK doesn't allow him to come to the US and stay either. You'll have to start over with a CR-1, as others have said.

[Elora & Rob 15]

your going to spend the rest of your lives together. BE PATIENT!

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

your going to spend the rest of your lives together. BE PATIENT!

[david'sgirl 134]

we started the K-1 here in the US but i'm going over to visit him in scotland what if we get married while i'm there in the UK

Will he be able to come back to the states with me an stay ?

or

will i be able to stay in the UK with him ?

If you take the route we took and marry in Scotland, you can apply for the visa online. It took a couple weeks and I went to my local office for picture and fingerprints.

Your fiance can apply for the marriage license and it has to be posted for 2 weeks in advance of your date. We did everything via mail and email and never met the registrar until the day before the wedding.

I only stayed for a week but could have remained for 6 months. Are you asking can you remain with him after you get married as in relocate to UK or are you asking if you can remain for an extended visit then go back home? The rules over there changed recently and it may be more difficult now.

Since you have already begun the process for fiance visa you may be better off continuing on that path since if you switch to CR1 you will have to pay again as well as start the waiting again from square one.

There is a wait no matter which route you choose. we wed in July but he could not come here until Feb so the Cr1 does not necessarily mean less waiting.

You can do this. Just keep reminding yourself of how good it will be when you are finally together.

Edited September 10, 2012 by david'sgirl

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I think the OP is looking for some kind of loophole to get her fiancé to the US permanently without spending time apart. So she thought marriage would put him in the fast lane to skip immigration procedures. If there was an easy way to skip all immigration, it would be published in giant red letters and the thousands of whining posts about how sad/mad everyone is wouldn't exist.

You can visit him in the UK up to 6 months if the officer at the airport puts that on your entry. He can give lesser time. Your fiancé can visit you in the US up to 90 days at a time. If you marry in Scotland, then you start over and pay again and get in line from the beginning of a slightly longer process.

Some people decide to marry in the US while the Scot is visiting on visa waiver holiday. Then he doesn't leave and a petition and adjustment of status are filed concurrently. He will be overstaying his 90 days. Often it goes well. If it goes badly and is denied, there is no appeal. He won't be allowed to use visa waiver for a long time because he overstayed. He may get a ban from the US if his overstay was a long time and the AOS was denied in the end. He can't work in the US immediately or leave the US until he gets his greencard for fear he won't get back in. People get a greencard this way, but it's a little risky and you better get it right. I am not advocating this but just telling what some do. There is a separate forum for people who adjust status from work, student, or tourist visas, so ask over there. Everybody in this UK forum is getting a proper visa from the embassy in London so don't have much experience to share if you start circumventing immigration procedures.

[Sara & Robin 1]

Thank you so much guys =) I'll just stick to the K-1 you guys made alot of sense. I booked my flight I'll be over there for 2 an half months I'll be back in US in January so hopefully by then we will have the NOA2 an be home shortly after

[david'sgirl 134]

Thank you so much guys =) I'll just stick to the K-1 you guys made alot of sense. I booked my flight I'll be over there for 2 an half months I'll be back in US in January so hopefully by then we will have the NOA2 an be home shortly after

When we opted for CR1 it was slightly quicker. Checking timelines now there is really no difference in your wait time. The added expense of starting over would probably not be worth it. Save your money for flights!

Being apart does suck but we have all been there and lived to tell the tale so at least you know there are other people who were in the same boat and are happily together now. I found that to be helpful. Check out the guides, timelines and there are forums with people in your same situation where you will all support each other while you wait.

You will love Scotland! I hope you have a really nice trip.