An English man marrying an American.

[David L]

I am a British citizen and have been dating an American citizen for 4 years. We are planning to get married next year and live in the UK. My partner will apply for a fiancee's visa to allow her to enter and live in the UK until we get married but we are not sure how to go about it. Can anyone supply the information we need
After a few years we may decide to move permanetly to the USA. Should I apply for a visa for myself before we get married or after. We have not decided which country to get married in yet. It could be a neutral country, somewhere like Mexico.
I would like a green card so I will be able to work when we finally move to the USA. Would I get a green card automatically when I marry an American citizen?

Regards
David L

[midbrain]

I can tell you about the US part;
You cannot get a green card based on marriage on your own.
Your US citizen spouse will have to file a petition for your immigrant visa after you get married.

Mostly, US citizens file such petitions in the US but
since you do not wish to move
to US yet, and she is moving to UK instead, she could file an
immigrant petition for you at US consulate near your residence in UK
(check with the consulate first) after you are married and you will
get the immigrant visa in UK after some wait. Once you get an
immigrant visa, you will have to use it because it has an expiry date
on it.
Exhaustive info on US marriage green cards on www.travel.state.gov

[David L]

Thanks for the information. It's a good web site.

Regards
David L

[John]

David L, as regards your fiancée getting her UK fiancée visa, the website of the British Embassy in Washington contains lots of information. To look at their website click here.

[David L]

Thanks John. I'll take a look.

Regards
David L