Hi friends ,

My fiancée who has a valid six months settlement marriage visa ( also known as a fiancée visa) to the UK has just returned to Thailand with me after a three month stay in the UK.. We have not yet married in the UK and her family are now insisting we register our marriage in Thailand.

If we do this and show the Embassy the Thai marriage certificate ,will the Embassy cancel the settlement visa marriage (fiancée visa) and stamp in a settlement wife visa without fee OR demand we put in a fresh application and pay the heavy fees all over again ?

ALTERNATIVELY

If we just travel to the UK using my wife's still valid fiancée visa will the Immigration Officer at Heathrow allow my wife to enter the UK once he knows we registered our marriage in Thailand or will he deport my wife back as we married in Thailand ?

( There has indeed been a change of circumstances but the circumstance change is what the fiancee visa was issued for in the first place ! )

OR

Should we say nothing to the Immigration Officer at Heathrow , enter under the fiancée visa and just forward the Thai marriage certificate with translation to the BIA and request a full two year settlement visa now we are married ?

[The no switching of status rule clearly states that switching from a fiancée visa to a settlement visa with the named spouse is permitted on marriage and I cannot see anywhere reference stating WHERE the marriage must take place nor does the rule specify that the marriage MUST take place in the UK]

Any advice much appreciated . Many thanks

Many thanks

Paragraph 290 of the Immigration Rules, which governs fiancé(e)s states:-

(i) the applicant is seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom for marriage...

In other words will be getting married in the U.K. and, in your fiancée's case, this will not be so, a consequence of which is that her current leave would technically be invalid if she were to re-enter the U.K. having married in Thailand.

I think the two options you have are either:-

1. Marry in Thailand and apply for a second settlement visa at the embassy; or

2. Undergo a religious wedding ceremony in Thailand and then formally marry in the UK.

Scouse.