# If I marry my American Boyfriend, do we have the option of living in both countries?



## sofydoll (May 4, 2010)

Hi

If I married my American boyfriend (Im a UK citizen) and lived with him and worked in Hawaii for a few years, and we then decided that after this we wanted to live in the UK (my parents would be getting old by this point and Im an only child) do we have the option to move to the UK and settle later in our lives?

Thanks


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

sofydoll said:


> Hi
> 
> If I married my American boyfriend (Im a UK citizen) and lived with him and worked in Hawaii for a few years, and we then decided that after this we wanted to live in the UK (my parents would be getting old by this point and Im an only child) do we have the option to move to the UK and settle later in our lives?
> 
> Thanks


Yes, but... Just as you have to satisfy the visa requirements for the US (and this can take some time after you're married), to move to the UK, you'll have to secure a visa for your (by then) husband - and that isn't automatic and can take some months. There is also the matter of how immigration laws may have changed by the time you decide to move...
Cheers,
Bev


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Bevdeforges said:


> Yes, but... Just as you have to satisfy the visa requirements for the US (and this can take some time after you're married), to move to the UK, you'll have to secure a visa for your (by then) husband - and that isn't automatic and can take some months. There is also the matter of how immigration laws may have changed by the time you decide to move...
> Cheers,
> Bev


In addition, there is a time limit to how long you can stay away from respective country without losing your permanent residency/settled status. In UK it's 2 years, and I believe for US it's one year if you leave without re-entry permit, and 2 years with. Rules are complicated and you can lose your Green Card (Permanent Resident Card) if you are considered to have left US permanently even if you have stayed away for a shorter period. One way to deal with this problem is for each of you to become a dual US-UK national. Both countries allow dual nationality (i.e. you don't lose your original citizenship upon naturalisation), but you have to meet quite strict rules on naturalisation for each country (e.g. you are required to live in the country for several years), and take steps to comply with obligations as a US citizen, such as filing your annual tax return. So it may mean living with your husband in the US long enough to be eligible for naturalisation as US citizen, and once that is achieved, you move to UK with a settlement visa for your husband and live for 3 years, and then for him to apply for naturalisation as British citizen. Then you are both free to live in either country, and indeed as EU citizens in much of Europe as well.


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## DavidO (May 3, 2010)

*Yes, but be aware...*

As Bev said, yes, you will each be entitled to accompany your partner in their respective country... in theory. In practice you're extremely unlikely to have any problems but it is subject to being granted a visa by the authorities.

As someone who has done it in both directions I can tell you it's much easier for your future husband to accompany you to the U.K. The procedure is fairly easy and almost automatic.

The American process is a lot more involved (sometimes requiring personal interviews with immigration authorities) but they almost always grant the visa too. It's always a bit more intensive if the marriage is recent because then they suspect an "arrangement".

I also recommend dual citizenship. I wish my wife and I had done that years ago!


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## LindyLoo48 (Jul 17, 2010)

When I did this (married an American in the states) All the red tape to bring my husband to the UK took around 2 years in total.
Mainly because they want to see that you are not marrying for convenience. not to mention the expense of starting over!
It is a huge move to make and you really want to be sure that this is what you want before making the move in my opinion...it might be better for him to make several visits to the UK to make sure that he will be happy! It doesn't work for everyone! My hubby wants to go back there , much as he loves England...He found it hard to find work as most UK Employers will choose a UK citizen over a foreigner! And he is an Electronics Technician!

I wish you both every success though and I really dont regret what I did although we a now seperated and it didnt work out for us personally!


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