# Bringing my wife to the UK



## craigv1402 (May 22, 2012)

Hi everyone, 

I recently got married to a American in April this year and we are considering our options on which side of the world to live on.

As far as applying for a spousal visa (she is over there and im in London) does anyone know how long roughly could it take. Im looking to get her to visit for the summer as she is a teacher and has time off. I was considering putting off the application until after the visit as she will have to surrender her passport, if its fairly quick i may try and get it before she comes. 

Any advice or if anyone has or is in a similar situation would be great!

Craig


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## AnAmericanInScotland (Feb 8, 2012)

Right now the spouse visa applied for from the US is taking 13 business days. 

Your wife must apply for the visa in her home country or country of residence. 

It takes a few weeks just to put the documents together in order to make the application and so, unless you are ready to 'hit submit' tonight, the wait may be longer. The following is a link to the projected timelines in the US right now-might be a good idea to bookmark it for future reference as the timelines update often as more applications arrive to the UKBA NYC hub-it is the one office for applications in the US and Canada

UK Border Agency news and updates

Additional information you should know: there is a set of proposed changes to the family migration route that includes income requirement hikes for the sponsor (you), elimination of consideration of applicant's (your wife) income, income potential, and savings, elimination of third party sponsors for accommodation and financial assistance, and the extension of the 27 month probationary visa to five years before visa holders can apply for the ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain). (See the thread titled '£25,700...' for more information, lotsa links. The thread is closed for comments but is great for info). You and your wife need to be aware of this proposed set of changes as you decide when and if to apply for your wife to come to the UK on the probationary 27 month visa. 

The following link (you may already have it bookmarked) is the place to start your search for info. Remember to bookmark, take hard copy notes, and click every available link on applicable pages so that you have a better view of the process. The site is erm, labyrinth in nature (maze simply doesn't cover it) but all the information is there. 

UK Border Agency | Husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen or settled person

If you decide to hold off on the spouse visa but she intends to visit the UK, she probably should apply for the visitor visa to avoid problems at the UK border. 

If she shows up as your wife without any sort of visa she is very likely going to be grilled for at least several minutes and even good straightforward answers and proof that she has no intention of overstaying may not suffice-she could very well be turned back right there at Immigration. Lotta of stories here on the boards recently from people who've gone through that.

Time is of the essence no matter what visa you two decide on-between the Jubilee, the Olympics and other sporting events, it being summer, and the proposed visa changes supposedly being announced for summer, the feeling is the timeline will only increase as the UKBA is swamped with applications.


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## craigv1402 (May 22, 2012)

Cheers for that, ill get on that asap!

I've been on the UKBA website but its information overload and not most of it helpful.

Thanks again,


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## AnAmericanInScotland (Feb 8, 2012)

craigv1402 said:


> Cheers for that, ill get on that asap!
> 
> I've been on the UKBA website but its information overload and not most of it helpful.
> 
> Thanks again,


The UKBA site is informative but it takes a lot of work to get to the really helpful stuff-bookmarking into a folder really helps (ask me how I know:lol!

When you decide on a visa to apply for, look for the pdf of the form and the Guidance notes. Many of us have found it extremely helpful to print those out and go through them with a fine toothed comb-there is a lot of info packed into those! 

The main trouble is that the UKBA has to try to get everything into one-size-fits-all forms and Guidance Notes, so you really want to study the things and make notes, then come here to ask for clarification. Every one here has been through several of the applications and love to help with the tips they picked up in the process.


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