Wedding Plans for a Fiance visa

[David G W]

Can anyone tell me how extensive do you have to show evidence of plans for your wedding. I would hate to book everything with deposits and not get a visa and lose all that money. Also with the fiance visa if you say you want to get married in April and have evidence of bookings but you get your visa let's say in november - you are running right up to the end of your six months. How long does it take to get a spousal visa here in the \UK????

[Breakfast]

Can anyone tell me how extensive do you have to show evidence of plans for your wedding.

I am also interested in an answer as it is a bit of a 'catch22' situation. Maybe the best thing to do is pend a few pounds to pre-book a registry office iwedding. You can then just suffer the loss on that.

Also with the fiance visa if you say you want to get married in April and have evidence of bookings but you get your visa let's say in november - you are running right up to the end of your six months. How long does it take to get a spousal visa here in the \UK????

It seems you know well in advance of what you want to do, that should make things easier! The CAF4A form asks what date you want to enter. I think if you apply months in advance of that date you should know if your visa has been granted well before you start to make wedding plans.

I think your Visa will apply from the date you enter on the VAF4A form - rather than the day the decision to grant a visa is made.

[stevewool]

when we was filling the forms for the fiancee visa and thinking of dates so we thought it could take 2 months to get here so thats what we did, but got the visaa month before,the date you put down for the wedding is as soon as possible,thats all we sent of the form , emma arrived here end of july, and we married october so plenty of time before the 6 months was up then we aplied for the flr straight away and that happened that week after the wedding, its all down to yourselves how soon you want to do it all

[mike1]

If its a registary ofice wedding you are going for you can make a provisional booking as for the reception you can do the same -just to be on the safe side

[Dr Graham]

I have it in Writing, from both the Registry Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, that since it is NOT POSSIBLE to book a Marriage Ceremony in the UK until AFTER the Foreign National has been Resident in the UK for the Qualifying Period, it is therefore IMPOSSIBLE to Quote a Date for the Ceremony or provide any PROOF, at the time of completing a Visa Application.

British Embassies and ECO's Overseas have been REMINDED of this fact and told they CANNOT Refuse a Visa Application on the grounds of No Wedding Ceremony Date or Proof.

But even with a copy of this letter attached to my Fiancee's Application, our ECO STILL Quoted the Lack of Wedding and Honeymoon Confirmation Data as one of his reasons for Refusal !!!

[joebloggs]

i think the reason they mentioned lack of wedding plans was not the main reason for refusal, but just a secondary excuse, to try and backup the main reason ??

i dont think they would refuse you on just this, they would have had other reasons,, as you've said it was ONE of the reasons..

[Dr Graham]

Yes Joebloggs, there were two other reasons quoted.

There is a LOT of confusion surrounding this area, because when we first started down this route there was a Fiance Visa ...... but when we got to the point of Making Our Visa Application the UKBA told us the Fiance Visa had been Scrapped and that we would need to apply for a Marriage Visitor Visa (VAF1F) instead.
(But only recently "Capital Visas" for one, have told me that the Fiance Visa STILL EXISTS ??? )

In my Sponsors Letter (which I had rough drafted much earlier) I made the mistake of referring (although Negatively) to some conditions which existed in the Fiance Visa, but NOT in the Marriage Visitor Visa, by saying that ..... "Although Stacy would be allowed to remain in the UK and to seek employment here after she was married .... she would NOT do so, as she had young children back in The Philippines and would probably miss them so much that she may even return to the Philippines BEFORE her 6 month Visa Expired."

I had also mentioned that our plans were to Settle in The Philippines, and that we had already made an offer on a house we wished to purchase.

The ECO seized at my comments about "Remaining in the UK", and "Seeking Employment", (ignored all comments to the contrary), then added the ZERO PROOF of a Wedding Ceremony and Honeymoon Arrangements ......... and arrived at the conclusion that Stacy may NOT be coming here to get Married, and that she would probably OVER STAY and SEEK WORK.
Therefore he REFUSED her Visa.

But worse still, he also REFUSED us the Right to Appeal his Decision !
(Except on the grounds of Human Rights Abuse or Racial Discrimination.)


It was interesting to note in the recent TV Series about the UKBA, they stated that "In the Absence of Concrete Proof that someone entering the UK was going to Break UK Immigration Law, the UKBA Must Give the Visitor the Benefit of Doubt and Allow Them Entry !
They must have Concrete Evidence of a Visitor's Intention to Break The Law, Before Entry Can Be Refused !"

Our ECO had NO Such Evidence, but Entry Was Still REFUSED.

[joebloggs]

why didn't you apply for a fiancee or spouse visa ?
your g/f was granted a marriage visit visa ? but was turned away at the airport ?

[alanp]

My fiancee went to double check she had all the documents she needed at the vfs and was told the the visa will be refused if we did not have a date for the wedding at a registry office.
I have enquired at the reg office and they will not give a provisional booking date and said they will only give a date if both parties are present. I have no idea what to do now i sent the email i got from the registry office so it could be attached to the visa application.

[Arthur Little]

My fiancee went to double check she had all the documents she needed at the vfs and was told the the visa will be refused if we did not have a date for the wedding at a registry office.
I have enquired at the reg office and they will not give a provisional booking date and said they will only give a date if both parties are present. I have no idea what to do now i sent the email i got from the registry office so it could be attached to the visa application.

I'm not surprised you're , Alan ... it's an unreasonable expectation on the part of VFS! In the circumstances - sending the email from the Registry Office will, hopefully, prove this point. And - assuming you have complied with all the other requirements - I cannot, in all truthfulness, see any valid reason for your fiancee's application being refused. Goodluck.