Spouse Visa – Does it Matter Where we Marry?

[AndrewD]

I am a UK citizen, and have just become engaged to someone from India. She is currently studying here on a Tier 4 visa, which runs until January 2020. We are planning to marry later this year, and then live together in the UK and change her visa to a spouse’s.

Now we are beginning to plan our wedding, we were wondering if where we get married would have any impact on getting a spouse’s visa. Our plan is to have the official marriage ceremony in India, and then have a blessing/celebration in the UK for friends and family who will be unable to come to India.

However, a friend of my fiancée’s suggested that we should marry in the UK to increase our chances of getting the spouse’s visa approved. I have come here seeking some advice on whether there is any truth in this suggestion and we would be better getting our marriage certificate in the UK, or if we should just marry in India as we wish to.

[CR001]

we were wondering if where we get married would have any impact on getting a spouse’s visa.

Makes absolutely no difference at all where you marry as long as it is valid.

[Robstin2014]

Hi Andrew,

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm a UK citizen and my fiancé is a US citizen on her last year of a Tier 4 Student visa.

We are getting married by documents in the UK as we both have a right to abide in the UK. If we were to wish to get married in the USA we would need to apply for a fiancé visa for the USA which I presume India has an equivalent to. - We didn't want to do this as it is costly and is more suitable if you plan on living in the country that you plan to marry in.

So the plan for myself and my fiancé is to give notice and therefore marry in the UK (just by documents in a registry office) and then have the wedding celebration in the USA, still having a priest and vows being read etc.. just not the legal part in the USA as it would have already been sorted in the UK before we leave to the USA.

For you I would suggest that you marry your fiancé just by documents in a registry office in the UK so that you are therefore making the most of the fact that your fiancé has the right to marry in the UK on a Tier 4 student visa. - you could then fly to India for the wedding, religious ceremony etc..

Hope this makes sense.

Rob

[Casa]

Do bear in mind that you will only be able to give notice to marry with a Home Office designated Registry Office. The Registrar is then legally bound to notify the HO who can then extend the notification period from 28 to 70 days in order to interview you both separately, should they choose to do so.

[AndrewD]

we were wondering if where we get married would have any impact on getting a spouse’s visa.

Makes absolutely no difference at all where you marry as long as it is valid.

That’s great. Thank you.

[AndrewD]

Hi Andrew,

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm a UK citizen and my fiancé is a US citizen on her last year of a Tier 4 Student visa.

We are getting married by documents in the UK as we both have a right to abide in the UK. If we were to wish to get married in the USA we would need to apply for a fiancé visa for the USA which I presume India has an equivalent to. - We didn't want to do this as it is costly and is more suitable if you plan on living in the country that you plan to marry in.

So the plan for myself and my fiancé is to give notice and therefore marry in the UK (just by documents in a registry office) and then have the wedding celebration in the USA, still having a priest and vows being read etc.. just not the legal part in the USA as it would have already been sorted in the UK before we leave to the USA.

For you I would suggest that you marry your fiancé just by documents in a registry office in the UK so that you are therefore making the most of the fact that your fiancé has the right to marry in the UK on a Tier 4 student visa. - you could then fly to India for the wedding, religious ceremony etc..

Hope this makes sense.

Rob

I can see why you are making that choice Rob, but like many women, my fiancée wants to have the wedding she has dreamed of in her own country, and I want to give that to her if at all possible.

Thanks for your advice, and all the best with your wedding.

[AndrewD]

Do bear in mind that you will only be able to give notice to marry with a Home Office designated Registry Office. The Registrar is then legally bound to notify the HO who can then extend the notification period from 28 to 70 days in order to interview you both separately, should they choose to do so.

Thanks for that. We have read some stuff about that, and we know there is a lot more reading to be done. I am sure I will be back here with more questions. I have already found the site very useful.

For now, we just needed to know whether marrying in India could impact my fiancée’s visa application before getting too deep into planning the wedding.

[seagul]

Most importantly the marriage should have legal status irrespective of wherever be performed. Location of marriage won't have any influence over visa success.