Can I get a British passport?

[Geraghty 0]

I am marrying a UK citizen. We are going through the I-129F process and will live here in the US at least for a while. I am wonderng what it takes, if even possible, to get a British passport.

When I visit his family do I go stand in the "tourist" line? Can I go through with him? I'm assuming in order to gain citizenship or permanent residency I would have to be living in the UK and I would have to go through a similar process to which he is going through here to live here in the US with me. I know our children would have British citizenship.

Also, what happens if we want to move to England? Will we have to be separated for long? It's very tough, as you know, and once is enough. Just need info.

Thanks,

Sheila

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I am marrying a UK citizen. We are going through the I-129F process and will live here in the US at least for a while. I am wonderng what it takes, if even possible, to get a British passport.

When I visit his family do I go stand in the "tourist" line? Can I go through with him? I'm assuming in order to gain citizenship or permanent residency I would have to be living in the UK and I would have to go through a similar process to which he is going through here to live here in the US with me. I know our children would have British citizenship.

Also, what happens if we want to move to England? Will we have to be separated for long? It's very tough, as you know, and once is enough. Just need info.

Thanks,

Sheila

You have to be legally resident in the UK for something like 3 years for a spouse, mine took 5 years of residency but I got that through work not marriage. THe UK spousal visa is very quick to get (a matter of days not months).

[MargotDarko 0]

I am marrying a UK citizen. We are going through the I-129F process and will live here in the US at least for a while. I am wonderng what it takes, if even possible, to get a British passport.

When I visit his family do I go stand in the "tourist" line? Can I go through with him? I'm assuming in order to gain citizenship or permanent residency I would have to be living in the UK and I would have to go through a similar process to which he is going through here to live here in the US with me. I know our children would have British citizenship.

Also, what happens if we want to move to England? Will we have to be separated for long? It's very tough, as you know, and once is enough. Just need info.

Thanks,

Sheila

You have to be legally resident in the UK for something like 3 years for a spouse, mine took 5 years of residency but I got that through work not marriage. THe UK spousal visa is very quick to get (a matter of days not months).

Yep, three years is right. The first two years on further leave to remain, then apply for indefinite leave to remain and a year after that apply for citizenship. It is all much much easier and so much faster than UK to US immigration. As long as you show everything they ask for, you should be able to get further leave to remain (aka spousal visa) by mail within a week maybe two. You won't have to be separated at all. You won't need this visa until you actually move to England. You can visit for up to six months (without working) with just your passport.

Before getting a UK visa, you still have to go through the normal tourist line. After you get the visa, there's a slightly shorter line for visa holders. I imagine that your husband could come through those lines with you though.

[Teddy406 0]

I am marrying a UK citizen. We are going through the I-129F process and will live here in the US at least for a while. I am wonderng what it takes, if even possible, to get a British passport.

When I visit his family do I go stand in the "tourist" line? Can I go through with him? I'm assuming in order to gain citizenship or permanent residency I would have to be living in the UK and I would have to go through a similar process to which he is going through here to live here in the US with me. I know our children would have British citizenship.

Also, what happens if we want to move to England? Will we have to be separated for long? It's very tough, as you know, and once is enough. Just need info.

Thanks,

Sheila

You have to be legally resident in the UK for something like 3 years for a spouse, mine took 5 years of residency but I got that through work not marriage. THe UK spousal visa is very quick to get (a matter of days not months).

Yep, three years is right. The first two years on further leave to remain, then apply for indefinite leave to remain and a year after that apply for citizenship. It is all much much easier and so much faster than UK to US immigration. As long as you show everything they ask for, you should be able to get further leave to remain (aka spousal visa) by mail within a week maybe two. You won't have to be separated at all. You won't need this visa until you actually move to England. You can visit for up to six months (without working) with just your passport.

Before getting a UK visa, you still have to go through the normal tourist line. After you get the visa, there's a slightly shorter line for visa holders. I imagine that your husband could come through those lines with you though.

yeah, when I found out you just texted the embassy "Id like 2 ntr da Uk 2 marry pls" and they go "you good to go? Ok, here you go, have a good life, VOTE LABOUR" and voilá, i couldnt decide whether it was a good or bad thing.

Compared to the "Whole life / heritage in a case folder, give us your dna" approach the US takes.

I mean, on the one hand if its more secure then good, but on the other hand, when you are missing your SO, the extra security/red tape is a real bum.

[psho 0]

yeah, when I found out you just texted the embassy "Id like 2 ntr da Uk 2 marry pls" and they go "you good to go? Ok, here you go, have a good life, VOTE LABOUR" and voilá, i couldnt decide whether it was a good or bad thing.

Compared to the "Whole life / heritage in a case folder, give us your dna" approach the US takes.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

yeah, when I found out you just texted the embassy "Id like 2 ntr da Uk 2 marry pls" and they go "you good to go? Ok, here you go, have a good life, VOTE LABOUR" and voilá, i couldnt decide whether it was a good or bad thing.

Toooooooo funny!

[Fandango 1,439]

yeah, when I found out you just texted the embassy "Id like 2 ntr da Uk 2 marry pls" and they go "you good to go? Ok, here you go, have a good life, VOTE LABOUR" and voilá, i couldnt decide whether it was a good or bad thing.

Hi-larious

[homesick_american 1]

I am marrying a UK citizen. We are going through the I-129F process and will live here in the US at least for a while. I am wonderng what it takes, if even possible, to get a British passport.

When I visit his family do I go stand in the "tourist" line? Can I go through with him? I'm assuming in order to gain citizenship or permanent residency I would have to be living in the UK and I would have to go through a similar process to which he is going through here to live here in the US with me. I know our children would have British citizenship.

Also, what happens if we want to move to England? Will we have to be separated for long? It's very tough, as you know, and once is enough. Just need info.

Thanks,

Sheila

Same as what the others have said; you must live in the UK for at least three years as a permanent resident and citizenship apps take several months to process.

My permanent resident visa did not take days to process...it DID take months. The fiance visa took one day to do; the limited leave to remain visa took about six weeks to process, and the indefinite leave to remain visa took 3 months to process but that was partly due to the fact that the Home Office lost my passport while they were processing the visa and it took them a while to find it.

Permanent resident visas for spouses are not a guarantee in the UK; there are income standards and background checks so it pays to educate yourself about that. They DO take less time to process, but the UK seems to take a more cavalier attitude towards immigration than the US does.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

I'd just like to add that the line for non-citizens with visas seems to be gone from most airports these days -- I think the last time I saw one must have been two years ago. It's the visitors queue most of the time, even when I'm travelling in with my UKC husband. I just make him go get the bags and wait for me till I'm through.

[MargotDarko 0]

I'd just like to add that the line for non-citizens with visas seems to be gone from most airports these days -- I think the last time I saw one must have been two years ago. It's the visitors queue most of the time, even when I'm travelling in with my UKC husband. I just make him go get the bags and wait for me till I'm through.

Good point! I almost always go through Heathrow terminal 4, and there's still a line there, but now I'm remembering that there wasn't a special line in terminal 3 or in Bristol.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Good point! I almost always go through Heathrow terminal 4, and there's still a line there, but now I'm remembering that there wasn't a special line in terminal 3 or in Bristol.

There is still a line marked for such use at Terminal 4 but it is NEVER in use when I show up! I'm flying into T4 next Tuesday morning (I have to go to New York for fewer than 72 hours, bleh!) and I'll give an update on the line situation.

[MargotDarko 0]

Good point! I almost always go through Heathrow terminal 4, and there's still a line there, but now I'm remembering that there wasn't a special line in terminal 3 or in Bristol.

There is still a line marked for such use at Terminal 4 but it is NEVER in use when I show up! I'm flying into T4 next Tuesday morning (I have to go to New York for fewer than 72 hours, bleh!) and I'll give an update on the line situation.

I must be lucky then! Out of the five or so times I've arrived at terminal 4 in the past two years, there was only once when it wasn't open.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

My permanent resident visa did not take days to process...it DID take months. The fiance visa took one day to do; the limited leave to remain visa took about six weeks to process, and the indefinite leave to remain visa took 3 months to process but that was partly due to the fact that the Home Office lost my passport while they were processing the visa and it took them a while to find it.

If you are happy to go to Croydon and give up a day you can have it processed in a day. Things may have changed but this is what I did to get ILR (and a married friend did when she changed her fiance visa to LLR). I sat there with a book for the same length of time my husband waited for his K-1 interview (about 4 hours). I have no experience of it, but I believe a spousal visa within the US takes only a few days at the Embassy (or one day if you go in person), so the long seperation is not necessary.

My citizenship took somewhere between 6-8 weeks to process.

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

One thing to note is that the fees have recently increased to astronomical proportions. £395 to do a postal application in the UK, which takes 4-6 weeks. £595 to do it in Croydon in one day (provided you have done your research and have all documents with you). I don't know where in the US you are, but you can also apply from the US. It seems to be the same charge at an appointment, or by mail, which is $1050. This means that you can get the FLR sorted before you leave at all. and in roughly the same timescale as withing the UK.

Most things you want to know will be here: http://www.britainusa.com and there are links where you need them.

BTW the UK visa applications are no less thorough than the US, you just submit everything at the same time, rather than drip feeding the embassy paper over a number of months. In my opinion the US system seems to just be over complicated. I don't know why it's not possible to have a full list of items needed, send in the police certs, DS-230-I, I-864 and whatever else you need at the same time. Convoluted if you ask me. Finally the UK is much more forward thinking, allowing unmarried partners, and same-sex couples to apply for FLR and ILR also. (of course with a much higher burden of evidence of the genuine relationship).

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Good point! I almost always go through Heathrow terminal 4, and there's still a line there, but now I'm remembering that there wasn't a special line in terminal 3 or in Bristol.

There is still a line marked for such use at Terminal 4 but it is NEVER in use when I show up! I'm flying into T4 next Tuesday morning (I have to go to New York for fewer than 72 hours, bleh!) and I'll give an update on the line situation.

Update as promised: There was a sign for "UK Visa Holders" at immigration in Terminal 4 but the little arrow which would have directed me there had been taped over so no special line today. Judging by the state of the tape, it looked like it had been there a while...