I have heard a lot of different periods of time mentioned but in conlcusion how quickly can all the paper work be done and a settlement visa to the uk obtained. Around three months? Does it ever get done faster than that?

The length of the wait depends upon how many other applications there are when you wife lodges hers as they can only conduct a limited number of interviews per day. According to the UK Visas website the waiting time as of 8/12/04 was 9 weeks. What your wife can do is tell the visa officer that she's happy to be interviewed at short notice. That way if there's a cancellation the embassy might contact her to fill this gap. However, there is no guarantee that a cancellation will occur.

Cheers,

Scouse.

I have heard a lot of different periods of time mentioned but in conlcusion how quickly can all the paper work be done and a settlement visa to the uk obtained.  Around three months?  Does it ever get done faster than that?

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Don't forget that some things can be done in parallel, so the visa need not be the determiner of the time taken. In theory, you can marry one day and have the interview the next, having lodged the application months ago. I wouldn't advise relying on collecting a translation of the marriage certificate the same day as the marriage registration, though.