[Etheralled]

I am a US Citizen. This summer 2008 I got married in the US to a UK Citizen. We have documented proof from our marriage. Afterwards I returned with my husband to the UK where my 6 months as a US visiting citizen are about to expire.

I had initially applied for a Wife visa from the UK - Chicago Embassy. At the airport in the UK I unplesantly discovered I was issued a fiancé visa. NOT what I paid over $1000 for.
For the past 6 months I have played beurocratic tennis between Immigration & the Home Office each referring me back to the other. I have basically been told to go home and come back.?

I am here. The visa has expired. The US Embassy has not responded to my inquiries. And we cannot afford passage to London to go there in person.

Not long after I arrived into the UK with my husband, he was made redundant from his career of 8+ years. He has been temping but the work is very sporadic. There is no way we would be able to afford to fly me back to the US.

I had hoped I would be legally allowed to seek work by now. But with the visa fiasco, I am now just trying not to violate any laws.

PLEASE if anyone knows how I can remedy my status, please.

[lawanwadee]

Didn't you read what you submitted?

I am somewhat confused with your story.. need more details of those papers and all concerned issues.

[Etheralled]

Yes I read it.

1. I met a Scotsman while on Holiday vacation in UK. Fell in love & he proposed.

2. I tried to figure out by myself the legalities and rammifications of getting married to a foreigner (law advice is not free in the US - unless there's potential profit in it for the lawyers). Following the advice of several websites & forums I located my nearest British Embassy - Chicago. I could not reach a human being to ask for assistance. The Chicago Embassy never responded to my written inquiry, sent in March 2008. From my internet research I learned that as a spouse I would not be eligible for work in the UK for the first 6 months, presumably to acclimate to the change in culture. I wanted to be able to work as soon as possible. A date for our wedding was set in July 2008. He would only be in the US for 2 weeks. So in May 2008 (as it is customary to plan ahead in the US and I did not know how long this process would take - no where did it give an application timescale or fee until the very end of the application and after 3 hours of filling that out I did not want to go through it again) I arranged a time to fill in (together - as most the info requested pertained to him) the proper online application for acquiring a wife visa for my projected arrival time in the UK to begin July 13, 2008.

3. June 2008 I received a visa. Note for the layman - It does not clearly state on the visa that it is fiancé or wife it simply reads MARRIAGE (with spouse's name and DOB). As I applied for a wife visa, It was my assumption I received a wife visa. There was no attempt made to contact me to say there appears to be confusion as to which visa you are applying for, or are you aware you may not apply for a wife visa until after you are actually married. I had applied for a wife visa for after a time in which I would be married. My application included both the set date of marriage, that it would be in the USA and my intentions (airline tickets) to return with my husband and enter the UK to begin living as a married couple on July 13, 2008.

4. I got the marriage paperwork in order, we received our marriage license the morning before our actual marriage, were married, celebrated and later received our official marriage certificate. I then initiated officially changing my surname to reflect my social change of status.

5. At Heathrow on July 13, 2008 Immigration (officer#4159) explained that what I had was a fiancé visa and that I would need to contact the Home Office to get my status sorted. I was let into the UK with my returning husband.

6. The Home Office through email referred us back to Immigration.

7. Immigration referred us back to the Home Office.

8. Telephoned Home Office and was told that Immigration should not have let me in and that I would need to get it sorted with them.

9. My husband spent the day on the phone being sent around between various people, on hold, and several times disconnected at which he had to start again. The result was Immigration telling us, I should go home to the US apply for the correct visa and come back.

10. The US Embassy has of yet been no help. You cannot reach a human being unless physically going there in person and we cannot afford passage to London, much less airline and travel costs associated with sending me back to the US and acquiring another visa.

11. I hope that made more sense.

12. The Fiancé Visa expired as of Dec 6, 2008.

13. My 6 months as a 'visiting' US Citizen are up Jan 13th, 2009.

14. I want to be able to work & remain with my husband.