UK to USA

[Jennymc11 2]

Hi all,

I am new to this site and new to this whole process so forgive me if I ask any questions with obvious answers. I have read the guides but still have a few questions and any help would be so appreciated!

I am a US citizen visiting my boyfriend in the UK. I will be in the UK until May, when I will return to the US permanently. Before my boyfriend and I really researched anything, we decided that he would come over to the US as a visitor, then while he was visiting get married. Then he would return to the UK while we apply for him to come back as my spouse indefinitely. After looking at our options, I am wondering if it is better to just have him come over as my fiance.

My main question is, can we apply for his fiance visa while we are both in the UK? Do I have to be in USA? I didn't realize how complicated all of this is so any advice would be so helpful! Sorry if I am leaving any important info out. Thanks!

[lquin 0]

Hi all,

I am new to this site and new to this whole process so forgive me if I ask any questions with obvious answers. I have read the guides but still have a few questions and any help would be so appreciated!

I am a US citizen visiting my boyfriend in the UK. I will be in the UK until May, when I will return to the US permanently. Before my boyfriend and I really researched anything, we decided that he would come over to the US as a visitor, then while he was visiting get married. Then he would return to the UK while we apply for him to come back as my spouse indefinitely. After looking at our options, I am wondering if it is better to just have him come over as my fiance.

My main question is, can we apply for his fiance visa while we are both in the UK? Do I have to be in USA? I didn't realize how complicated all of this is so any advice would be so helpful! Sorry if I am leaving any important info out. Thanks!

Hi there,

Take a look at the guides section and this will have all the answers..

All the best !!

[gwenneh 7]

As long as you have a solid US address for mail to be sent to, you can indeed begin the process from the UK.

[no name 1]

I am a US citizen visiting my boyfriend in the UK. I will be in the UK until May, when I will return to the US permanently. Before my boyfriend and I really researched anything, we decided that he would come over to the US as a visitor, then while he was visiting get married. Then he would return to the UK while we apply for him to come back as my spouse indefinitely. After looking at our options, I am wondering if it is better to just have him come over as my fiance.

My main question is, can we apply for his fiance visa while we are both in the UK? Do I have to be in USA? I didn't realize how complicated all of this is so any advice would be so helpful! Sorry if I am leaving any important info out. Thanks!

Well, your post is not clear. You say he will come in as a visitor & marry then go back to the UK to return as a spouse (K-3 visa).

Yet you ask about a fiance visa (K-1) which is not needed if he is not intending to stay in the US this time around.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=compare

Edited January 9, 2007 by devilette

[Jennymc11 2]

Exactly, which is why I said that after doing some research, it might be better to have him come over on a fiance visa instead of just getting married then him having to leave and come back on a spouse visa.

If we do decide to apply for a fiance visa while we are both here in the UK, are we going to have problems due to the fact that I am not working in the US? I have been visiting and travelling Europe for 8 months, so I obviously don't have recent paystubs. I am very fortunate in that my parents have supported me and will do so until we are established and have our feet on the ground in the US, but will this be good enough to get a fiance visa approved? Thank you!

[*julez* 124]

Exactly, which is why I said that after doing some research, it might be better to have him come over on a fiance visa instead of just getting married then him having to leave and come back on a spouse visa.

If we do decide to apply for a fiance visa while we are both here in the UK, are we going to have problems due to the fact that I am not working in the US? I have been visiting and travelling Europe for 8 months, so I obviously don't have recent paystubs. I am very fortunate in that my parents have supported me and will do so until we are established and have our feet on the ground in the US, but will this be good enough to get a fiance visa approved? Thank you!

Jenny, if you don't have income you will need someone to co-sponsor your fiancee. Or, in the UK they do allow the beneficiary to self sponsor if the assets are adequate.

To your other point, its probably a bit faster to go the K1 route, which you could easily start from the UK. But as another poster pointed out above, you'll just need someone in the US to mail things to you in the UK - something that is certainly manageable.

Good luck!!!! And welcome to VJ!

[Jennymc11 2]

Thank you Julezabelle!

My parents would be more than willing to co-sponsor and send mail, so I am feeling better already. After looking at the guides, am I right in understanding that it can take about 3-4 months for a fiance visa to come through? And then when it is issued it is valid for 6 months? Thanks again.

[TracyTN 237]

The timeline depends on a LOT of factors - the service center you'll be going through, how backed up London is when your case arrives, how many people are ahead of you, the time of year, etc etc etc.

The 'processing times' link above should give you a feel for how long the service centers are taking to approve the petitions. You can add another few months on to that for processing time in London.

[Muuuuah 0]

It is valid for 6 months once issued and you can only enter the US on it one time.

[*julez* 124]

Thank you Julezabelle!

My parents would be more than willing to co-sponsor and send mail, so I am feeling better already. After looking at the guides, am I right in understanding that it can take about 3-4 months for a fiance visa to come through? And then when it is issued it is valid for 6 months? Thanks again.

If your parents will sponsor and help in other ways, you should be all set! As tracy pointed out above, the process can vary dramatically depending on various factors. For example, if your I129F is processed through CSC or VSC - CSC tends to take around 3 months, whereas VSC is typically around 1 month. Also, the completeness of your petition and evidence you submit will be factors as well. If you follow the guides here you should have smooth sailing. I would plan on a waiting time of 4 - 6 months.

Once the Visa is issued, it is valid for 6 months, and then you'll have 90 days to get married once your fiance arrives in the US!

I wish you all the best!

[Jennymc11 2]

Thanks all for your help so far. I just have one more question... My parents have agreed to sponsor my boyfriend (not quite fiance yet, but soon) since I have been travelling for so long without working. Is there somewhere on this website or another website where it tells someone what a co-sponsor should send, as far as letters, bank accounts,etc. I want to make sure we send all the correct info, and soon, because we want him to come to the states in June! Thanks again:)

[payxibka 10,045]

Thanks all for your help so far. I just have one more question... My parents have agreed to sponsor my boyfriend (not quite fiance yet, but soon) since I have been travelling for so long without working. Is there somewhere on this website or another website where it tells someone what a co-sponsor should send, as far as letters, bank accounts,etc. I want to make sure we send all the correct info, and soon, because we want him to come to the states in June! Thanks again:)

The I-134 document requirements are the same for all who fill it out. I-134 is presented at the interview and is not required to be submitted with the original I-129F petition.

[Marina + Dave 0]

Yeah, while it's good to be thinking about the sponsoring now to make sure you wont have any hiccups when the time comes, you have to get through the I-129F process before any of the sponsoring stuff!

I'm (USC) living in the UK as well with my Australian fiance, so we're in basically the same boat you are. Also, I make the required amount of money IN THE UK, but as I've been here for a while I haven't made any money in the US for ages. We've been having my parents send our mail to us here and it has so far worked out nicely. We also had a TON of information that we had to get together for the I129F and it took us AGES to get it all together. I would suggest starting to get the documents and evidence together NOW as it could take you quite a while to do that. Once you get all of the I-129F stuff together, THEN start getting the documents ready for the next step.

Good Luck!