Do I have a chance?

[Rvnscarlet 0]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here and I need some help. I met my fiance last year and I plan to move to England to marry him and live. I'm so scared that this won't be possible that my stomach is in knots. Here's our situation.

He and I met last August as friends on a game, we talked once in a while but no biggie. Then my husband cheated on me and kicked me out of the house. In NC(the state I live) you are required to be separated for 1 year prior to divorce. The divorce will happen in December 2007. So Mark(my fiance) and I have been engaged since May. My big plan was to get the divorce then start the visa process to move to the UK. We are planning on applying for the fiance visa, get married and then apply for the marriage visa. I'm taking my dog as well and his quarantine is up in mid-feb. I know I don't have a chance of being able to get the visa squared away by then because my ex owes me money and I seriously doubt I could be lucky enough to get it in time for everything to fall into place.

The facts,

Mark is out of work on disability at the moment. His parents or sister(maybe) could sponsor me instead of him but I fear they won't allow that.

The money I'm supposed to get from my ex is around 24k (US$) so that could help considerably.

I don't have a degree of any sort

My main problem is that I don't know where to start. I've read the UK Visa sites and they don't make sense to me and I'm really worried that I won't send in the right paperwork or not enough. I don't want to screw this up and I want it to go as smooth as possible. I have no earthly idea what I'm doing I just know that it's what I'm doing if that makes any sense.

Help! please!

[Jasman0717 9]

Welcome to VJ. This is a "immigration to the U.S." site so you might not be able to find what you are looking for.

[gwenneh 7]

Check out talk.uk-yankee.com and look in on the immigration forums there. Chances are if you repost this same post over there you'll get some very good, clear advice!

Best of luck. The UK visa process has just gotten more difficult, particularly where finances are concerned.

[MargotDarko 0]

You have a very good chance of making the move. It is true that is harder than before, but the money you'll receive in the divorce plus the willingness of his family to help out is excellent.

I am unsure about how they will look on the fact that you were engaged before the divorce was final and that you will be applying immediately after making the divorce final - the fact that your husband cheated on you and kicked you out of the house should definitely mean something though. However, I don't think that's any reason to not try. The process from US to UK is much shorter than UK to US and involves less paperwork. Depending on how close you live to NYC and what it would take for you to get there, you might want to consider making your application in person so you can plead your case in person and find out the results right away. However, even by mail it should only take two to three weeks.

You would fill out the application online, pay online, and then make an appointment online as well. It will tell you the types of documents to bring - but basically you'll need your divorce decree, financial info (including letters and bank statements from his mother and sister), a letter from him about wanting to marry you and where you'll live, etc. Also, how many times have you met in person? Proof of spending time together in person and proof of communicating is good.

Perhaps my view is a bit skewed as the process for me was so easy. And it may have been so easy because I applied in 2006, had a job lined up in the UK already, and my husband came with me to the appt in person, and I didn't have a divorce in the recent past. But I have never heard of a legitimate couple with a family willing to help out who have been denied.

[Rvnscarlet 0]

Gwen666 thank you for the recommendation, I'll check it out.

Margotdarko Thanks for the advise. I know that in NC(because my divorce lawyer told me so) you can do anything you want while legally separated(except get married of course). But I also understand that the people making the decisions at the embassy or wherever may not agree. So I'm hoping that won't screw me up.