Should I get married in the UK or overseas?

[TRC]

Hello everyone

I am looking for some immigration advice – hopefully someone here can help me

I am a British citizen and my girlfriend is from Chile. We are currently together in the UK; however, she entered the country on a visitor visa that will expire in about three months.

She would like to live permanently with me in the UK. We don’t meet the conditions for the partner visa and so it seems that the only option is for us to get married. (It’s slightly sooner than we would’ve otherwise planned it... but she’s a keeper so it’s all good )

My main question is this: does it make more sense to get married in the UK or in Chile?

(If I understand correctly…) if we get married in the UK, she needs to leave the country, apply for a marriage visitor visa whilst overseas, return on that visa, then we get married here, then once married she can apply for a family visa which allows her to stay longer. Is that right?

However, if we were to get married in Chile, I can get married to her on a standard tourist visa, so that saves us the time and hassle and applying for a marriage visitor visa. However, we would still need to apply for a family visa in order for her to stay in the UK – would it be more complicated applying for a family visa if we get married overseas? Or is the process of applying for the family visa pretty much the same regardless of where the actual marriage takes places?

And if we get married overseas, does she apply for the family visa whilst overseas? If not, on what kind of visa could she come into the UK and then switch to a family visa? (According to the gov website, it is possible - and cheaper - to apply for a family visa whilst already in the UK)

Any help would be very greatly appreciated!

We have done a lot of searching online but the information we have found on the official sites has not been able to answer our specific questions…

Thank you
Tom

[Casa]

Hello everyone

I am looking for some immigration advice – hopefully someone here can help me

I am a British citizen and my girlfriend is from Chile. We are currently together in the UK; however, she entered the country on a visitor visa that will expire in about three months.

She would like to live permanently with me in the UK. We don’t meet the conditions for the partner visa and so it seems that the only option is for us to get married. (It’s slightly sooner than we would’ve otherwise planned it... but she’s a keeper so it’s all good ) Your girlfriend won't be able to marry in the UK on a visitor visa.

My main question is this: does it make more sense to get married in the UK or in Chile? Chile, as you will only have one visa fee.

(If I understand correctly…) if we get married in the UK, she needs to leave the country, apply for a marriage visitor visa whilst overseas, return on that visa, then we get married here, then once married she can apply for a family visa which allows her to stay longer. Is that right? The considerably cheaper marriage visitor visa would require her to leave the UK after marrying and then apply for a Spouse Settlement visa from Chile.

However, if we were to get married in Chile, I can get married to her on a standard tourist visa, so that saves us the time and hassle and applying for a marriage visitor visa. However, we would still need to apply for a family visa in order for her to stay in the UK – would it be more complicated applying for a family visa if we get married overseas? Or is the process of applying for the family visa pretty much the same regardless of where the actual marriage takes places? Better to marry in Chile and then apply for a Spouse Settlement visa.

And if we get married overseas, does she apply for the family visa whilst overseas? If not, on what kind of visa could she come into the UK and then switch to a family visa? (According to the gov website, it is possible - and cheaper - to apply for a family visa whilst already in the UK) See my comment above.

Any help would be very greatly appreciated!

We have done a lot of searching online but the information we have found on the official sites has not been able to answer our specific questions…

Thank you
Tom

Do you meet the minimum income level of £18,600 p.a required to sponsor a spouse?

A1 level English from a test/test centre on the Home Office approved list. She could take the test while she is in the UK on her current visa if this is more convenient. The fee is £150.

The Spouse Settlement visa fee is currently £1,523 + £1200 NHS surcharge
(Visa fees may increase in April)