is it quicker to get married and switch while in UK vs Fiancé route?

[trandy]

I read that it's up to 30 working days but is that how long it will definitely take, or the maximum time it could take and maybe it could be sooner?

[AmazonianX]

I read that it's up to 30 working days but is that how long it will definitely take, or the maximum time it could take and maybe it could be sooner?

In the HO chaotic non adherence to SLAs the word definitely is off the table. Hope for the best.

[trandy]

I don't know what HO or SLA is but I need to adjust my question anyway to: when apply for a fiance visa outside the UK, what is the wait time and is there a priority/super priority service available??

[CR001]

I don't know what HO or SLA is but I need to adjust my question anyway to: when apply for a fiance visa outside the UK, what is the wait time and is there a priority/super priority service available??

HO = Home Office, or also known as UK Visas and Immigration

SLA = Service Level Agreement. For visas, this can be anything between 8 weeks and 6 months before getting a decision. Currently, some are waiting around 24 weeks, even if priority is paid for. There is no 'super priority' option from abroad.

[trandy]

Ok, thanks for the info. I just spoke to someone who said it's currently anywhere from 8-24 weeks. So there is some hope. Will get a few more answers to get an aggregate.

[trandy]

But then someone else just told me it's taking the full 6 months but not impossible for it to take much less.

[CR001]

It varies. There is no definitive answer. Some get their visas relatively quickly, others do not. Where you apply from also impacts things a bit.

UKVI is prioritising the Ukraine visa situation so anything else is taking a bit longer than usual.

[AmazonianX]

But then someone else just told me it's taking the full 6 months but not impossible for it to take much less.

That is not so much different from what you heard from here.

[trandy]

Called another law firm in Manchester who were looking at their own data and calling it 4 months currently and that the times are coming down slightly. Says they were at 6-7 months previously.

[trandy]

I was planning on getting my fiancé here on the fiancé visa and then getting married a short while later. We even started applying for apartments.

But since we found out there's no priority service, I was wondering if it's quicker to have her come here on a visitor visa and have us get married and switch to a spouse visa while here? I gather that applying from within the UK is faster.

-------- from gov website ------

Switching to a family visa
If you came to the UK on a different visa, you might be able to switch to a family visa to stay with your:

spouse or partner
child
parent
You can switch at any time before your current permission to stay in the UK expires.

======

[meself2]

I was wondering if it's quicker to have her come here on a visitor visa and have us get married and switch to a spouse visa while here? I gather that applying from within the UK is faster.

Can't do that; read the website in full.
https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa

When you cannot get a family visa
In some circumstances you cannot apply for, or switch to, a family visa.

[...]

You have a visitor visa or a visa for 6 months or less
You’ll usually need to leave the UK to apply for a family visa if either:

you have permission to be in the UK as a visitor
your visa is for 6 months or less

[secret.simon]

As @meself2 has already mentioned, you can't switch from a visitor visa to a spousal visa within the UK.

The applicant needs to apply for a spousal visa from a country where they have a right to long-term residence (i.e. where they are not a visitor). So, not only can they not apply from the UK while on a visit visa, they can't apply from any country where they are on a visit visa.

Also, any application to the Registrar or to a church to get married will need to be escalated to the Home Office, who can extend the notice period for the marriage from 28 days to 70 days, while they investigate the proposed marriage.

You can't speed up the process within the UK. So don't try, unless you have the appetite for a lot of long-term grief that can impact the entire immigration journey.

You could look at getting married abroad and then starting the spousal visa process from abroad itself.

PS: Your posts from 2019 refer to a wife that you want to bring back to the UK. You should only look at getting remarried after getting the decree absolute.