.

A2Z · 25 Jul 2015 at 00:08

Scuzi said:
You think the UK system is strict?! Try the U.S.!

The problem with the US is that if you are there on a tourist visa (B2) you are allowed to get married, and can then adjust your status to stay there, as long as this was not your intention when you entered the US. Getting married and leaving is no problem. That's why they are very strict in granting people a tourist visa, as the applicant has to show proof they will return to their country, no sponsoring business.

At least with a UK tourist visa you are not allowed to change to any other visa or get married. But they do make it easier in that you can be 'sponsored' as such for a tourist visa.

I'm planning to get married on my B2 in the USA to my US girlfriend, then bring here under EU rules, which as previously posted are a lot easier and cheaper than UK rules... I don't think its right personally but might as well use it while the UK is still in the EU

trickycurve · 25 Jul 2015 at 12:04

A2Z said:
The problem with the US is that if you are there on a tourist visa (B2) you are allowed to get married, and can then adjust your status to stay there [...]

Can you still do this if travelling Visa-free (ESTA)? You can travel to the US for business using an ESTA so if you're a national of a VWP country (which I'm sure most of us here are) there's no reason to get a B2. It literally says here as well: http://london.usembassy.gov/niv/b2.html

A2Z said:
[...] as long as this was not your intention when you entered the US.

How could you prove this though? Surely if a non-US citizen travels to the US with their US boyfriend/girlfriend and gets married in the process, it would have been a planned arrangement...or at the very least on the cards? Attempting to adjust your status after that would just be coincidental, no? "You know what, I fancy staying longer!"

spoffle · 25 Jul 2015 at 12:06

Very nice how much?

dowie · 25 Jul 2015 at 12:25

trickycurve said:
How could you prove this though? Surely if a non-US citizen travels to the US with their US boyfriend/girlfriend and gets married in the process, it would have been a planned arrangement...or at the very least on the cards? Attempting to adjust your status after that would just be coincidental, no? "You know what, I fancy staying longer!"

So that would likely be planned, not coincidental. You might have a hard time convincing them that though you've planned the wedding, invited friends and family over you've now changed your mind overnight about coming back to the UK to live. I mean I guess if you can show that you've just signed a new 12 month lease on a property in the UK, had return flights booked etc..etc.. still have a full time job in the UK that you're now going to have to resign from.... then maybe you can justify it. I'd suspect for most people wanting to get married and settle in the US that they'd have quit their UK job etc...

On the other hand if you got drunk and ended up married in Vegas - well that is not planned.

Zethor · 25 Jul 2015 at 12:43

Tosno said:
If you are Romanian/Bulgarian/Polish ect you can bring your foreign non EU to Britain for FREE! None of the above applys to you.

This is a clueless statement, the Visa process is even more complicated for Poles, in example.

[TW]Fox · 25 Jul 2015 at 12:50

As this thread demonstrates it really is amazing how big the disconnect is between perception and reality when it comes to immigration. We have incredibly harsh immigration rules - which is why people pay thousands to risk everything in the back of a lorry rather than turning up on a 30 quid easyjet flight.

rubberduck · 25 Jul 2015 at 12:58

Tosno said:
UK visa system is only strict if you are British.

This.

[TW]Fox · 25 Jul 2015 at 13:11

rubberduck said:
This.

Well obviously not as British people don't need a UK Visa.

Sudden · 25 Jul 2015 at 13:11

rubberduck said:
This.

Really? I'm Indian and thought it was a fairly strict system. Was about 10 years before I got a visa allowing me to stay permanently, and i'm still not allowed access to public resources etc. (apart from NHS), despite working and paying taxes for the last 4 years, and paying exorbitant international student fees before that.

Tell me again how it isn't strict for non-Britishers?

Zethor · 25 Jul 2015 at 13:21

Sudden said:
Really? I'm Indian and thought it was a fairly strict system. Was about 10 years before I got a visa allowing me to stay permanently, and i'm still not allowed access to public resources etc. (apart from NHS), despite working and paying taxes for the last 4 years, and paying exorbitant international student fees before that.

Tell me again how it isn't strict for non-Britishers?

There's a typo in his post, what he meant was 'Long live UKIP, down with people of different ethnicities!'.

rubberduck · 25 Jul 2015 at 13:59

[TW]Fox;28355924 said:
Well obviously not as British people don't need a UK Visa.

But their husbands, wives and children may do; for which, they have to act as sponsor.

Tosno · 25 Jul 2015 at 18:23

Zethor said:
This is a clueless statement, the Visa process is even more complicated for Poles, in example.

This is a clueless statement.
https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y/poland

and lolzethor again.

Tosno · 25 Jul 2015 at 18:26

Sudden said:
Really? I'm Indian and thought it was a fairly strict system. Was about 10 years before I got a visa allowing me to stay permanently, and i'm still not allowed access to public resources etc. (apart from NHS), despite working and paying taxes for the last 4 years, and paying exorbitant international student fees before that.

Tell me again how it isn't strict for non-Britishers?

You wont need to do any of that if you marry a non British EU citizen.

So I will tell you again, it is only strict for British.

Sudden · 25 Jul 2015 at 18:28

rubberduck said:
But their husbands, wives and children may do; for which, they have to act as sponsor.

You seem to have conveniently chosen not to answer the points in my post. I thought it was fairly strict for non-Britishers.

Sudden · 25 Jul 2015 at 18:29

Tosno said:
You wont need to do any of that if you marry a non British EU citizen.

So I will tell you again, it is only strict for British.

So it isn't strict, but only if I choose to get married to someone in the EU? That seems a pretty strict bar to me...don't particularly fancy marrying someone just cause they live in the EU.

Tosno · 25 Jul 2015 at 18:33

Sudden said:
So it isn't strict, but only if I choose to get married to someone in the EU? That seems a pretty strict bar to me...don't particularly fancy marrying someone just cause they live in the EU.

But the option is there, It would save you a LOT of money and hassle if you did an arrange marriage and MANY are abusing it. Being British I have no such option to bring my wife to my country. Yet the poorest and newest members of EU that don't speak a word of English can bring anyone from anywhere in the whole wide world.

Sudden · 25 Jul 2015 at 18:40

Tosno said:
But the option is there, It would save you a LOT of money and hassle if you did an arrange marriage and MANY are abusing it. Being British I have no such option to bring my wife to my country.

But i'm fairly sure that being in the EU, those countries have their own rules and regulations for the non EU person gaining a visa for their country.

So if you went through the whole sponsorship process etc., you could then move with your spouse to somewhere else in the EU easily enough. Whereas under whatever system you're proposing to plug this 'loophole', you could sponsor your spouse, get them to come to the UK, but then not, for instance, be able to move to Germany if you wanted.

I can't even visit Europe if I want to without a lot of hassle since UK isn't part of the Schengen like most of the EU countries. So I repeat, the UK visa system is pretty strict, and not particularly friendly. If I have to marry someone for it not be 'strict' for me, I don't consider that an easy fix.

[TW]Fox · 25 Jul 2015 at 18:46

Tosno said:
You wont need to do any of that if you marry a non British EU citizen.

So I will tell you again, it is only strict for British.

It's not strict at all for British people.

What you mean is that its only strict for the non EU partners of British people, but even that isn't the case either, its also strict for non British without partners.

Tosno · 25 Jul 2015 at 19:11

[TW]Fox;28356884 said:
It's not strict at all for British people.

What you mean is that its only strict for the non EU partners of British people, but even that isn't the case either, its also strict for non British without partners.

It is strict for British, as a British citizen you alone must bare all cost of bringing your non EU wife to Britain. First you as the British citizen MUST earn minium of £18,600 a year or you have no right to have a family life in your homeland. Even if you earn £18,500 and mortgage free.

If you are Romanian you can earn £1.86, live in a flat shared by 10 and bring your foreign wife from any country in the world. So in theory anyone in the world can move to Britain if they know the right people.

So tell me again it is not strict for British people.

Zethor · 25 Jul 2015 at 19:44

Tosno said:
It is strict for British, as a British citizen you alone must bare all cost of bringing your non EU wife to Britain. First you as the British citizen MUST earn minium of £18,600 a year or you have no right to have a family life in your homeland. Even if you earn £18,500 and mortgage free.

If you are Romanian you can earn £1.86, live in a flat shared by 10 and bring your foreign wife from any country in the world. So in theory anyone in the world can move to Britain if they know the right people.

So tell me again it is not strict for British people.

You can't be so daft, must be trolling?