Can you leave the country while your I-751 is being processed? Also citizenship question

[bewildering 9]

Hey,

A fellow Ulsterman? Greeting!

Get your citizenship, and then move.

Also, check out the britishexpats forum. I have no direct experience but there were several threads on there about what a nightmare the UK is at the moment for spouses. They really tightened up the rules in July 2012. You will need a job offer in the UK, AND will also have to have either 64,000 in savings OR evidence of earning above $26,000/year. Apparently the UK border agency make the USCIS look like a paragon of efficiency.

Anyway, good luck

[NigeriaorBust 4,088]

Don't forget that you have to be residing in the district you file citizenship from for 3 months prior to filing. This won't work if you are living in the US unless you have at least 3 months of vacation

[Antrim 0]

Hello bewildering. I'm actually a Spaniard, not Irish. Since I'm a EU citizen I assumed it should be easy enough for me and my wife to reside in the UK. I could easily fulfill the requirements you mention, but to be honest I wasn't expecting to have to go through any hoops. Thanks for the info.

[christeen 966]

It all gets processed in your district where you reside...

[bewildering 9]

Hello bewildering. I'm actually a Spaniard, not Irish. Since I'm a EU citizen I assumed it should be easy enough for me and my wife to reside in the UK. I could easily fulfill the requirements you mention, but to be honest I wasn't expecting to have to go through any hoops. Thanks for the info.

Ha, That is funny, Antrim is my hometown in N. Ireland.

Check things out, the UK is really, really strict.

Laughably enough, as an EU citizen you will probably have less hassle than a UK citizen - as long as your wife gets permission to live in spain before going to the UK. Many UK citizens are choosing to live for six months with their spouse in EU countries before moving to the UK together - so they can enter under EU law.

Poor UK citizens are under UK law - very strict. 30 page form to get visa, strict financial standards, huge evidence burden etc. Also almost impossible to work without visa. Also, teh border agency is overwhelmed and seemingly incompetent, with the UK parliament changing the rules constantly.

Here is a wiki

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Spouse_Immigration-UK

[Hypnos 6,579]

The so-called "Surinder Singh" method is orders of magnitude less complex than the new convoluted entry requirements for the UK. It's certainly worth looking into now that UK requirements are so strict.