marrying a foreign partner

rumncoke

My son's wife (American) will be moving to UK tomorrow. Met over the internet 5 years ago and like yourself they have travelled back and forth several times. Last year she almost got refused entry - length of visit and also now had 6 month old baby.

They got married last Christmas when he went over as they knew it would make the settlement visa easier. (They had planned to get married anyway.) The rules changed on July 9th this year. Please check out
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/partners-families/

This gives all the details necessary for applying. They included so much detail with the application including photos and emails dating back to 2008

All the very best with your future plans. It is certainly a stressful time.

Savvy_Sue

Lisa_Cornwall wrote: »

My chap doesn't like the idea of me keeping him and even if married wont stay here if he cant work.

And are you happy with that attitude? Seriously, you need to consider the future.

Once you are married, his cultural background may be that you do as he says, end of. If you have children, his cultural background may be that they do as he says, end of. If your relationship breaks down after having children, his cultural background may be that they should return to Egypt with him, and stay there with his family.

He may seem very relaxed and 'western' atm, but it doesn't always last, and personally I think you'd do well to explore these things with him.

BTW, I'd recommend exploring 'assumptions' like this with any potential partner, but I think the stakes are higher when marrying someone from a very different culture.

mum2one

please dont rush into marriage so he can get to the UK, there has to be a reason why the vias been rejected.

There's just a pandoras box, children, money, will he have to support his family back at home?

I'm not saying dont be with him, but dont rush into marriage unless your 00% sure.
Is there any age difference between you both? x

fawd1

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

And are you happy with that attitude? Seriously, you need to consider the future.

Once you are married, his cultural background may be that you do as he says, end of. If you have children, his cultural background may be that they do as he says, end of. If your relationship breaks down after having children, his cultural background may be that they should return to Egypt with him, and stay there with his family.

He may seem very relaxed and 'western' atm, but it doesn't always last, and personally I think you'd do well to explore these things with him.

BTW, I'd recommend exploring 'assumptions' like this with any potential partner, but I think the stakes are higher when marrying someone from a very different culture.

I'd actually say that was a big bonus in his favour. No self respecting man likes the idea of being kept. One thing is to have a partner that works and contributes equally financially, it's quite another to be solely dependent on your partner for everything. Most women I know wouldn't want to be in this position, so why should it be a worry that a man doesn't want to be a househusband? Especially when there are no children involved? What exactly would he be doing with himself all day?

shiny76

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

And are you happy with that attitude? Seriously, you need to consider the future.

Once you are married, his cultural background may be that you do as he says, end of. If you have children, his cultural background may be that they do as he says, end of. If your relationship breaks down after having children, his cultural background may be that they should return to Egypt with him, and stay there with his family.

He may seem very relaxed and 'western' atm, but it doesn't always last, and personally I think you'd do well to explore these things with him.

BTW, I'd recommend exploring 'assumptions' like this with any potential partner, but I think the stakes are higher when marrying someone from a very different culture.

Thats a hell of a leap from him wanting to be independent!

balletshoes

I have to say, just because a man (any man) says he doesn't want to be kept, he wants to work, doesn't make him a man who's attitude is "my way or the high way".

My OH is from a different culture, traditionally where the man's word (in public anyway) is law, but we established when we got serious together that he wasn't marrying a traditional woman from his own culture, so we'd both have to compromise. And we have (him probably more than me, as the years have gone on, as we live in the UK).

I think if the OP had said something like "he can't work if he gets his visa? Thats okay, I'll support him and he'll be fine with that" she'd get a whole lot more flak.

Voyager2002

Lisa_Cornwall wrote: »

Has anyone got any advice on how to go about bringing a partner from abroad.

We have been in a relationship for 3 1/2 years he lives/studies in HK but originally from Egypt. I am in England, we maintain our relationship through skype. He has been refused his visa 3 times, I travel back and fourth to see him, when I can, we are accepted by both families as a couple, It would be nice for him to be able to visit here before we decide to marry, we now feel we will have to marry to get him through immigration (not what we wanted) We are happy not being married but want the freedom for him to visit the same as I can visit him, Its not fair I am always expected to travel. Immigration seem hell bent that he wont leave the country on a visit visa despite paying for his university in HK so in affect they are dictating us into marriage.

Anyone got any helpful advice please on how to go about sorting this without having to marry him first or is that the only option?

I suggest you have a good look at the UKBA site. It includes the Immigration Rules (all 50+ of them) and these rules are followed to the letter by the officials who grant or refuse visas.

I am very surprised that you were asked to provide photographs and proof that you had met if applying for a visit visa. Remember that the criteria, evidence required and decision process are very different for visitor's visa and visa for settlement (spouse or fiance).

For your partner to be granted a visa to visit the UK, he would have to demonstrate a good reason why he would leave at the end of his visit. The consular authorities in Hong Kong obviously do not believe that he has a good enough reason (and if he applied just as his Hong Kong visa was about to expire then I'm not surprised). Has he tried applying at the British embassy in Egypt? If he applied there, it is probable that the official would look at evidence of his family's income and social standing, and if they can afford to support a son studying on the other side of the world they are probably sufficiently wealthy to get visas for their family to visit the UK.

You are clearly thinking about marriage in the longer term, but selling your house is unlikely to help. In order to bring in a spouse, you would need an annual income of 18,200 or more, and you would also need a place where the two of you could live. People with an income a little bit less than 18,200 need to show savings of at least double the shortfall, but if you are paying more in rent then that would also be taken into account.

Someone who enters the UK as a visitor is not allowed to work, and it is not possible to extend a visitor's visa nor to change it to any other kind of visa without leaving the UK. A spousal visa give the right to work in the UK; a fiance visa does not allow work, but can quickly and easily be exchanged for a spouse visa as soon as the marriage has taken place.

Note that the rules have changed radically over the last few years, so advice based on experiences 10 or more years ago is not going to be very helpful to you. You can get lots of up to date advice from the appropriate forum at https://www.ImmigrationBoards.com

VitaK

It is strange that they don't belive he attends college. I was under the impression, that a single phonecall could confirm if he is or not.

Does the refusal documents not say why he is being rejected, and if he can appeal the decision.

As others have said already, be carefull. Putting your home on the market could potentialy put you at a disadvantage and in a vulnerable position.

Tish_P

You will probably have to marry. I know you've said you don't want to, but if you think of it as a legal arrangement rather than a symbolic one it makes enough sense to be worth considering. (Think of it as the flip side of the many threads here where posters saw marriage as completely symbolic, forgot the legal aspects, and then start complaining that they shouldn't have to share their stuff just because they signed a binding contract to share their stuff.)

Be aware that even being married is not a magic bullet. Several people close to me have had years of hassle, and thousands of pounds of expense, bringing spouses into the UK. It made me really want to slap the next Daily Mailite I heard whining about our supposed "open door policy".

balletshoes

absolutely - there is no automatic right for a spouse to come live and remain in the UK with you if they are not UK/EEA citizens.