Fiancee visa questions, please advise newbie

[lightning187]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum and currently looking into applying for a fiancee visa so that my fiancee and I can get married and settle in the UK. I have done a few weeks worth of research but still unsure about a number of things. I do apologise if I ask any (and too many) stupid or obvious questions.

Background: I am British citizen (born and living in the UK) and my fiancee is a Hong Kong citizen with a British National Overseas (BNO) passport. We are planning to get married in Oct/Nov 2009 but hoping she could come over in Sep 2009 and finalise things, give notice of marriage etc.

Q1. For our situation, is the fiancee visa the correct one to apply for, which will allow us to get married and settle in the UK after marriage?

Q2. Can anyone recommend a good guide(s) on how to apply for a fiancee visa?

Q3. On the assumption that my fiancee is successful and granted the fiancee visa, will she need to apply and pay for a FLR(M) (further leave to remain) immediately after our marriage? Or will the fiancee visa cover this aspect? I guess she will need to inform the Home Office that her status has changed to married but is there a timeframe for this and any costs associated?

Q4. We have been told by the HK British Consulate that we can start applying for the fiancee visa any time up to 3 months before my fiancee's departure from HK. E.g. if she leaves HK on Sep 23rd then we can apply any time after Jun 23rd. Is this correct?

Q5. I currently own my a 2 bedroom flat. As evidence of accomodation, do I need to supply the original title deeds or will a photocopy be sufficient? If photocopy is good enough, does this need to be a certificated true copy? Can I request anything from the land registry that could help?

Q6. I've read a guideline somewhere stating the following: Evidence of accomodation in the UK (a letter from the local council or a independent surveyor to state the size and number of bedrooms etc). Is this really neccessary for a fiancee visa? Also I never knew that the local council could provide such evidence? I've had quotes from independent surveyors starting from £200.00 for such service. I still have the original estate agent brochure for my flat, with details and dimensions of all rooms. Is this good enough?

Q7. I have been told by my register office, which is also a designated one and my nearest one, that after my fiancee lands in the UK, she must reside in the UK for 9 days before both of us can give notice of marriage, which lasts 15 days, before we can actually book a date/time to get married. Are the 3 statements all correct? Ideally we wanted to get married in mid-Oct but this means we may reschedule to early/mid-Nov because the earliest possible date is about 20th Oct.

Q8. Are there any templates that could assist me in writing the sponsor's letter?

Q9. I am hoping to keep the sponsor's letter short, like 1-2 sides on A4, Then present all the supporting evidence in a folder broken down into sections. Each section will have further details written, followed by the evidence. Is this a good approach?

Q10. In relation to Q9, I am hoping to have the following sections
- Profile of sponsor including my education/work details
- My financial details
- My accomodation
- Fiancee's profile including education/work/financial details
- Our relationship details
- Our wedding plans
Have I missed out anything?

Q11. I have no phone bills or letters to support our communication. We occassional use email and send post cards. Our usual form of communication tool is MSN using the chat and phone features, which has no history/records. I do use long distance phone cards (luckily I have kept some) but mostly make these from my landline at work, which I am unable to obtain any records. Will this have any negative impact on our application? I could start using the calling cards via my mobile phone if this helps.

Q12. Do I need to provide details of debts? I currently own my flat and car and have about £10k in savings and about £5k in shares. My fiancee also has about £8k in savings too. By June I am hoping to save another £5-8k. Will this be a good foundation for our application or do we need to have more money in our banks?

Q13. My basic salary is £28k, but overall earning between £40-£60k depending on overtime. When I am producing a spreadsheet showing my outgoings and disposable income, do I base it on my basic salary or my overall salary. And will my lowish basic salary have a negative impact on our application?

Q14. Does my fiancees current salary affect our application? She currently works in a family business and is lowly paid and even sometimes not paid since she lives at home and everything is provided. Also will she need to show proof of income, employer etc?

Q15. Will my parents need to write a letter to state they support our marriage and will welcome my fiancee's arrival? And letter from friends?

Q16. Where can I find some interview questions?

Overall I am confident we are able to provide a strong case with the evidence we have, other than my fiancee's income and our proof of communications. I have been told fiancee visa's are much harder to obtain compared to spouse visas. In my cover letter I will explain our reason for chosing the fiancee visa, mainly because if we went for a spouse visa, this would mean we would be separated for a period of time, which we don't want immediately after getting married.

Sorry for such a long post and thanks for helping. Finally I would be most grateful for any advice, hints & tips that could help us with our application.

[lightning187]

Any help and advice? Thanks.

[vinny]

May apply for a Fiancé(e) visa endorsement. After marriage, apply for FLR(M) (285) and subsequently SET(M) (288).