My Nigerian fiancé is currently in Ireland on a visitors visa. We plan to marry soon and then I want to bring him to England to live with me. Is he able to enter the uk as my husband under the common travel arrangement and then process his application to stay or would he be deemed to have entered the uk illegally and face deportation?

More information needed to be able to help.
i.e. : your status? / where you plan to marry?
Why you are going to the UK?

Hi. I'm British and live in England. My fiancé is Nigerian but is currently staying in Ireland on a visitors visa with family. We plan to marry in a few weeks time once we get it organised. We want to return to England to live. We have been advised by a friend that if he simply comes over with me then, although we are perhaps bending the rules it would be get processed easily enough. My fear is that he would be considered to have entered the country illegally?

My Nigerian fiance is currently in Ireland on a visitors visa. We plan to marry soon and then I want to bring him to England to live with me. Is he able to enter the uk as my husband under the common travel arrangement and then process his application to stay or would he be deemed to have entered the uk illegally and face deportation?

UK Border Agency | Can my husband, wife or civil partner come to live in the United Kingdom? (http://ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ukresidency/eligibility/partnersandchildren/husbandwifecivilpartner/)

If you are currently outside the United Kingdom and are coming to the United Kingdom to get married or enter a civil partnership, the documents you require will depend on how long you intend to stay in the United Kingdom.

If you are coming to the United Kingdom as a visitor for marriage or civil partnership you must get entry clearance (permission to enter) for a visit for marriage or a visit for civil partnership.
If you are planning to travel to the United Kingdom to get married or register a civil partnership with someone already settled here and you plan to stay in the country afterwards, you will need entry clearance (permission to enter) as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner.
If you are applying for entry clearance as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, both people involved must be aged 21 or over.

Before travelling you should apply for your entry clearance (permission to enter) at a British diplomatic post (which issues the type of entry clearance you need) in the country where you normally live.

You will need to show evidence that you plan to enter into a marriage or civil partnership during the period for which you have been granted permission to stay (this will normally be six months).

Fees
The current fees for entry clearance are:

Fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa - £500; and
Marriage or civil partnership visitor visa - £63.

From the research I have done it appears I have 2 options. One is to marry my partner in Ireland, have him return to his home country and then for him to apply for entry as my spouse, the other is for him to return home and apply for the fiancé visa. Is either option easier or more likely to be successful? I have come across a lot of negative stories. Also both options say he must have enough money to live on 'without recourse to public funds'. Is there a set amount required? Also must he prove that he earned the money or are gifts from family acceptable?

The amount of funds is not set out as a Pound Amount but more on the discretion of the person doing the interview.
But Public Funds are different to Benefits that do not come from (public funds)
Please email me for any more information on this subject [email protected]