Hi

My gf is with me in the uk at the moment on a tourist visa, I never wanted to make any plans for marriage until I knew she liked living in the uk and I'm happy to say she loves it here and gets on with my family & friends great.

She has been here 2 months now and we have 3 months left until we both return back to Thailand.

We have been together 1.5 yrs , I've spent lots of time in Thailand and we have travelled some Asia together but I can't live there as I have no future as I cannot work there to earn enough to support me , her and future plans for a family.

I'm 27 and she is 21, I don't own a property and we are currently staying with my parents. I have no savings but will meet the requirements for spouse visa as I earned £28000 last tax year and have proof of income.

What would be my best options for her to live in the uk on a more permanent basis.

Fiancé or spouse ??

Cheapest option ??

Cheers Bruce

Spouse, get married in thailand.

I agree and you are both in the same age range which helps.

Go for it as you have nothing to lose.

I can't see a problem.

Good luck.

get married in thailand then apply for uk.settlement,if she can learn english and is not afraid of hard work she will soon get on in the uk.just watch who she mixes with,there are some very jealous thai's living in the uk.so if she gets on she will soon feel the knife in her back there are some decent ones,in 18yrs in the uk.my wf.had very few thai freinds but plenty of farang ones.hard work and not much play gave her plenty of rewards.

she ended up the last few yrs earning 35k.a yr.and achieved great things.

good luck dai.

t.i.t.taffy in thailand.

Whether you apply for a spouse visa or a fiancee visa has to be your choice, taking into account your own preferences as to where you want to get married.

A spouse visa works out cheaper than a fiancee visa. Both cost 851 GBP ( 39,146 THB at the current rate of exchange), but the fiancee visa, although a settlement visa, only gives an initial 6 months in the UK, during which time you must marry and your wife then applies ( at further cost) for Further Leave to Remain for 30 months).

What you can do, to plan ahead, is marry in the UK now , if you want. That would mean that your family and friends could attend the wedding, and on your return to Thailand with your girlfriend/wife, you could have a Thai marriage for her family and friends.

Plus, your girlfriend can take her A1 English test while she is in the UK, which will save you time if you are intending to apply for her visa soon after her return to Thailand.

Tony M

You may find UK Settlement Visa Basics helpful.

If you do decide to marry while she is in the UK as a visitor you will need to give notice of the marriage at a designated registry office. There are 76 designated offices in England and Wales and you must both attend in person to give notice. All registry offices in Scotland and Northern Ireland are designated and you can give notice by post.

Once you have done this and waited the required time, 15 days in England and Wales, 14 in Scotland and Northern Ireland, you can then marry at any registry office or approved premises.

See here for more details and links.

A visit visa cannot be converted to settlement in the UK. Once married she will have to return to Thailand to apply for settlement as your spouse.

Also, a legal marriage in the UK is valid in Thailand and a legal Thai marriage is valid in the UK; you cannot register your marriage in both countries.

However, a Thai ceremonial marriage is not a legal marriage, to be legal it has to be registered at an ampur. So, as Tony suggests, you can have the legal marriage at a registry office in the UK and then have a ceremonial marriage in Thailand.

Edited July 2, 201313 yr by 7by7