It all adds up!

[ejw4h9]

After reading about countless numbers of immigration experiences and now fully into the procedure myself, I was wondering about everyone's costs associated with it. I know everyone has different visas/situations, but my god! For my marriage and subsequent residence card, I've needed:
- Birth Certificate ($15USD)
- Eligibility of Marriage Cert ($10USD)
- Appostille ($4USD) x 2
- Certified Translations (80Euros)
- Residence application fee(115Euros)
- All documents locally certified (approx. 60Euros)
-...etc.

This doesn't include my spouse's docs. Gotta love bureaucracy! Something about that stamp makes it sound official!

[whirly]

It sure does add up!

It cost me just under £3000 to go from a student visa to a (failed) HSMP application, on to a spouse visa, ILR, naturalisation, and British passport...

...which does not even include plane tickets back and forth between the USA and UK...

...all those passport photos...

...days I had to take off work...

...photocopies, envelopes, stamps...

...other various associated costs...

and the distinct possibility that we might have to go through all this again for my husband if we ever move to the States. Not to mention having kids someday!

And now I am going through the thoroughly unpleasant and expensive process of obtaining a British driving licence. Almost makes me long for the Home Office!

Good luck and stick with it. It's bizarre to think that your life can be reduced to a stack of paper and some exorbitant fees, but if you're doing this for all the right reasons (and it sounds like you are), then it's worth it in the end.

[ejw4h9]

Whirly-

It's good to hear that I'm not alone in the nickle and dimed scenario! After I posted, I kept coming up with other expenses that I've incurred. It's all been worth it and I know the process wouldn't be much easier/less expensive elsewhere, but it's fairly amazing how many papers one needs. We're thinking that we'll move to the UK next summer, but the initial hurdles will have been completed here. How was your experience with Home Office? I've heard nothing but horror stories and I've been reading about the new naturalization laws. It's still a few years off before I'd even qualify, but I'm starting the thought process now. Out of curiosity, did you marry in the UK? If so, did you have to produce a marriage eligibility certificate? I got mine from the state of Illinois which, luckily, knew enough about it. However, it was a bit of a joke...they searched their state records to hand me a piece of paper that said that I've never been married in the state. An apostille later and it's an "official" document. Made me kind of laugh at the whole thing...making up an official document and all. Have your taxes been complicated?

[whirly]

You're certainly not alone, ejw4h9!

The Home Office: how can I put this? I wouldn't invite them over to dinner, but I don't really have any horror stories. Unlike many people on this forum, I had a relatively easy time with everything, partly because I married well (ha!) Presenting a well-prepared set of docs, showing that we own the flat and have healthy finances, put the HO in a better mood when I applied for both my spouse visa and ILR. My best advice: save everything whether you think you need it or not. That insignificant utility bill could come in handy someday.

Marriage certificate: we got married in New York City (I'm from California originally). We spent several hours of our wedding day running around NYC getting the long form marriage certificate, ordering extra copies, and getting the apostille, only to discover that everyone here (and in the States) accepted our normal short form marriage certificate without question. Oh well! Better safe than sorry. Getting married outside the UK seemed much easier than getting married here - plus, we had a built-in honeymoon.

Taxes: not complicated at all. HMRC takes a big chunk of my paycheck and I never even miss it (right...). Filing with the IRS is a pain but at least my salary is below the level where I'd have to pay tax in the USA as well. See, there are benefits to being underpaid!