K1 Fiancee Visa to the USA - Fiancee Visa to the UK

Fiancee visa to the United Kingdom

The only 99% failure-free way to bring your fiancee from Russia to the UK is to obtain a fiancee visa. You may ask: "why can't she come to me by a travel, visitor's or any other type of visa?" The answer is: "it is a great risk". An unmarried woman will most likely be denied any kind of visa, but a fiancee one. One of our couples tried it and the outcome was that first the woman was denied a travel visa, then a visitor's one and only after she applied for a fiancee visa, she managed to join her fiance in the UK. Good news is that not long ago the British embassy shortened the procedure of getting a visa The procedure of getting a fiancee visa is as follows: a woman goes to the British Embassy in Moscow with all the papers, stands in a queue and waits for Consul to receive her.

(He receives till 1pm by Moscow time). During an interview Consul examines her papers, asks questions and makes a decision - to give or deny a visa. After 3pm the woman can come, take her papers and fly to England at once if she likes! She will be allowed to stay in the UK for six months with no permission to work. When she is married, she can apply for a two-year extension to her visa as a wife and, if her application is successful, she will be allowed to work. Near the end of this time she can apply to stay in the UK permanently. The term of visa procedure sounds really fantastic, especially in comparison with the long procedure at the American Embassy! However, it requires a lot of preliminary paperwork and you achieve the positive result provided all the documents are perfect.

To apply for a fiancee visa, you need to fill in the appropriate application form (VAF-2) and submit the necessary documents. The applications must be submitted in person. It is the applicant's responsibility to check that the information given on the form is correct and they must sign the form themselves. Failure to observe this requirement may result in refusal of the application.

Applications will not be accepted unless accompanied by the appropriate fee (see "Entry Clearance Charges"). The fee is payable in cash, and only in Roubles.

You can download the application form in English or application form in Russian (in PDF format) from the site: www.ukvisas.gov.uk

When applying for settlement as a fiancee an applicant must have the following documents before coming to the Embassy and submitting the application:

- A valid passport with at least six months validity remaining and space to insert a visa.
- A fully completed and signed visa application form
- 2 passport sized photographs.
- The correct fee in roubles.
- Birth certificates of applicant and any children who are accompanying.
- Diploma of education.
- Evidence that sponsor is settled in the UK e.g. a copy of his/her passport or registration certificate.

- Divorce certificate or death certificate of previous husband or wife if either applicant or sponsor have been previously married.
- Six months worth of bank statements from sponsor.
- A letter from sponsor's employer confirming their current employment.
- Recent pay slips from sponsor's employment.
- Evidence of the accommodation that will be available to applicant - e.g. mortgage documents, deeds, tenancy agreement.
- Evidence of relationship, e.g. letters, e-mails, itemised phone bills, photographs, visas/passport stamps showing visits to see each other or holidays abroad together. Tip: besides the photos where a fiancee and fiance are together, it is also important to have photos of the two with girll's parents. It proves that they blessed the relationship.

2. The applicant's birth certificate, divorce certificate or death certificate of previous husband and diploma of education must be translated into English and attested by notary public.

3. The decision of Consul half depends on the contents of these papers. For instance, if he considers that the income is too small to maintain a family, then even perfectly filled papers will fail to have a positive effect on Consul.

There are some tricky questions in the form. For instance, such as "Do you want to marry for money?". Silly question, isn't it? :) It is like the favorite question of the customs officials: "Are you carrying drugs?". Even if a man carries them, he will never confess! :)) Back to the question in the form, the right answer is certainly: "No, for love". But in this case your fiancee must be ready that she may be asked at the interview: "Even if he appears to be much poorer than he told you?" This question may take a woman aback. Even if she is sincerely in love with her fiancee, the prospect of having financial problems in a alien country, without profession and language…Only irresponsible adventurous women dare to do it! But she must pull herself together and doesn't let Consul confuse her. She goes only for love and ready for everything!

One more embarrasing question concerns intimate life and it sound as follows: "Have you ever had relations like in marriage with your sponsor?" You don't believe that the form has this question?? Check it yourself - point 5.11. Moreover they even encourage writing where it was and give some other details :)). A woman shouldn't get confused and must write everything honestly. If she had intimate relations with sponsor, she must write about it. For instance, "In Turkey, while we were staying in one room from (date) till (date)". If she states that she didn't have intimate relations with sponsor, she will be asked additional questions at the interview which are not easy to answer. And the main principle she should follow when interviewed by Consul is not to lie. It is always evident.

You must attach 2 passport photographs (colour or black & white) to the front of the application. They must not be stapled over the facial area of the photograph but should be stapled along the edge of the photograph. Both photographs should be stapled on top of each other. Photographs with staples that overlap the holder's facial features will not be acceptable and such applications will not be accepted.

Photographs must also be:
1) Taken against a light background so that facial features are distinguishable and contrast against the background;
2) Clear and of good quality and taken not more than 6 months ago;
3) Printed on normal photographic paper;
4) Unmounted - 45 mm (vertically) x 35 mm (horizontally) in size;
5) Full face (without sunglasses and without a hat or other head covering, unless the applicant wears such items because of their religious belief or ethnic background).

All the documents listed above and all the words your fiancee says at the interview must prove that:

- you plan to marry within a reasonable time (usually six months);
- you plan to live together permanently after you are married;
- you have met each other;
- there is somewhere for you and your dependants to live until you get married, and you will be able to live without any help from public funds; and
- you and your dependants can be supported without working or claiming any help from public funds.

The best evidence that you are going to marry is an engagement ring. All the women that met their fiances through our dating service were asked to show it. One of our women didn't have a ring, as the ring her fiance had bought for her appeared to be big. So she showed the receipt. Consul considered it all right.

If sponsor have already started preparations to the wedding, it will be very helpful to show the evidence of it. One of our women brought to the interview the bills from the restaurants where the wedding was booked, the evidence from the church that the ceremony was really appointed and even the set of samples of cloth for wedding dress and bridal veil.

It is not necessary for a man to go to the Embassy with his fiancee, but some do to give support. Anyway, a woman is interviewed alone. What expects her at the Embassy? Here is the story from one man who went to the Embassy for interview with his fiancee .

"...I read some posts saying you must get to the embassy early. Glad that we did , we arrived at 6.10am and where 4th in the queue (froze my ass off for the next 2 hours though!!!!).
At 8.20 they opened the turnstiles , you go in after bag search , and then in an elevator up to the visa section. A man checks your application as soon as you are out of the elevator. He directs you to a window, just like at the banks in the UK. Here is where you submit your application form and collated information. Once this is submited you are issued a ticket and told to pay your application fee. You then sit and wait until your number is called in the queueing system. We waited approx one hour, and was then called into one of the inteveiw rooms together. There was a british gentleman and a russian translator. They explained that they would ask us questions separately starting with Irina, and then he would like a quick word with me afterwards.

So I left the room, 20 minutes later Irina emerged, and I went in. I was asked a few questions about Irina: how we met , what her profession is, her hobbies, about her family, where she live. Then a few questions about me, where I live, my income, do I receive any benefits, how long I have been in my job, what I do, what hobbies I have.

After only 5 minutes of questions from me he said we could collect Irinas visa at 3.00 that day!!!

We then sorted out some of the documents I had submitted with the application, he took a few and passed the rest back to me. That took longer than the questioning!!!

I emerged from the room and we started asking each other about what questions where asked, Irinas where pretty much the same as mine, but he asked her for more detail.

Before the interveiw Irina was running through questions in her head, she was a bit more nervous than I. She would ask me how she should answer particular questions. I would give the same reply each time, honestly and with the simplest and shortest answer possible! She said afterwards that if she gave a long answer it would lead to more questions about that subject, and after a few questions she soon remembered to give short answers!!! She said the other advantage for her was , the inteveiw was through an interpreter, so she would listen to the questions from the British embassy guy in english , and then think about her answer while the translater did her bit. She then answered in Russian, and added bits on when required while the translater was speaking to the embassy guy!!!!

We left the embassy and I was over the moon, I was a bit worried about Irina, she was not as happy, I asked her what was wrong, and she was worried she had given wrong answers and they would not give her the visa. It was at this point that I realised that they had not told her that she had been sucessful and could have her visa later that day!!!

We returned later that day and collected the visa , only about a 10-15 minute wait.

One thing that bothered me abpout the visa apliation process was that all the websites say to have as much information as possible, make sure you have last 6 months worth of payslips, bill, emails etc....which is fine. I had them all in date order , organised in a folder, labelled and sectioned. When we went to the window to submit the application and folder, the lady refused to take the folder and said I should remove all the documents and submit them loose!!! The reason - the folder would not fit through the hole on the counter !!! She would not take it through the door at the end of the counters either!!! So, if yo are submitting an application, use a small folder!!!!"

Contact numbers:
- (007 - from UK) 095 956 7250 - Enquiries (Russian language)
- (007 - from UK) 095 956 7352 - Enquiries (English language)
- (007 - from UK) 095 956 7440 - Fax enquiries

Please take time to look at the website of the British Embassy in the first instance. Probably you will find the answer to your query within this site.