is it easier to do marriage visa or fiance visa

[amzad]

lf an American citizen marries a British, is it easier for the American to marry the British in USA and then apply for a marriage visa

apply for a fiance visa and marry in UK?

Assuming the American wants to live in Britain.

Thanks.

[mirnat]

Friends of mine were in a similar situation and they decided to go down the fiance visa route and get married within six months of her American (now) husband arriving in the UK. They do want to go back to live in the States in 2009 after her husband gets his ILR and that was the reason they were thinking of getting married in the US so that it might help her as a British Citizen to apply to live there in future, but decided it would take too long so got him over the UK as her fiance instead!

[whirly]

lf an American citizen marries a British, is it easier for the American to marry the British in USA and then apply for a marriage visa

apply for a fiance visa and marry in UK?

Assuming the American wants to live in Britain.

Thanks.

My husband (UK) and I (USA) decided to go straight down the marriage route, although it was a bit earlier than we had planned. For starters, it made more sense economically (spouse visa fee + ILR fee + BC... no fiance visa fee needed.) The other advantage was being able to work in the UK on a spouse visa, vs not being able to work on a fiance visa. We also found that it was easier to get married in the USA than in the UK - NY State, at least, doesn't have problems marrying non-USA citizens, even on tourist visas.

Am not advocating this for everyone, but it worked for us. Unlike mirnat's friends, we're planning on staying in the UK.