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£18,600 is for typical living expenses, it can go up or down depending on your living arrangements (mine was pegged at £9600 since I own a home free and clear, thus zero rate mortgage or rent and outside London/Home Counties). It's also not solely his/her income, it may be joint provided the income is not earned in the UK prior to receiving a work visa.
I apologize,I wanted to understand this but had a little hard time. Please forgive me. Are your numbers just for Kent or are they for what you have to make to sponsor an American?
Also, I know I said 60 days in first post but now I hear I can go for six month as a guest before I make up my mind for marriage. So at the end of six months, I fly back to usa for a week or I decide to marry him in 6 months and can I just stay there and do it there? Thank you so much.
First off, Gravesend hardly qualifies as a suburb of London, it it did, you could say South Amboy NJ, is a suburb of NYC.
Many years ago, lots of Indians, including many Sikhs, came there to work in the paper mills, absolutely nothing wrong with them, but much of the indigenous population, as does happen in U.K., didn’t like it, and although to my recall, there were never any “race riot” situations, whenever I went there, as a truck driver, there seemed to be an air of discontent.
It’s a lot better now, I have a nephew who moved there when he got married, and when his daughter was born, sold up, and moved nearer to the town centre, getting his little girl into a good local school there.
I have no idea of your situation regarding being able to live legally in U.K., but if you’re wondering if your marriage will be seen as legal, I can only say that my wife and I, both Londoners from way back, married in the U.S., and our marriage is seen as legal on both sides of the pond.
That is lovely to know b/c I have hoaky ideas of getting married in the Elvis chapel or one o those types here in Vegas. I am very silly. Most say I have to get married in both places. Maybe you are considered legally married b/c you never got a divorce, thank goodness, maybe people want me married there, if sadly a divorce occurs, it would protect me more? I lived in NYC for nearly 20 years so I do apporecaire your Amboy, NJ comparison. I thought maybe it was like a staten island type thing and Manhattan is the London in our metaphor. Are you saying noway it doesn't even deserve a staten island metaphor? Thank you.
I went to Gravesend once, but it was many years ago. I have no desire to return for a second visit. There's "government housing," which we call council housing, in every UK town and city, and I think you should at least visit Gravesend, and see where your prospective other half actually lives before committing yourself to anything.
And what do you want? Don't move to another country unless you have a clear idea of what YOU want to do, and what will happen. And if you do get married and move here, always make sure you keep hold of your American passport. Don't trust ANYONE who says they'll keep it safely for you.
Thank you. I would always hide my passport or buy a safe. Maybe I will let my good friend put it in his safe whom I have known for many years bc he lives in NYC/London. He says I can work if I want but he said the money in his town is bad so I would have to go to the city and he knows I'm exhausted of the city from NYC so that is why he said you don't have to work. I may very well be bored and get a part time job. There is also a child of his I will need to take care of at least half the time (he has her full time but I assume he wants to be hands on half the time, he is very present w her ) and I look forward to that. I need to see how intense the child and home is before I decide if I will work. He told me two miles away there was gov housing. But he said it is, "nothing like American gov housing do not worry." Meaning here we have a ton of guns ? I guess that was my guess. But knives and bats kill more groteshly. I will chk out the link. Thank you.
My knowledge is a bit dated, but the visa process is long and hard. You won't even be allowed to work until after you are married, and you won't be able to receive any government assistance for a few years either.
Find a website for American ex-pats emigrating to the uk, they will be able to help you far more.
To be honest the town is rundown and has an image problem which is why the council are trying to regerate it, and planned to change the name to Gravesnd Upon Thames.
Before i dive into them, do you do know how long I am over there and still get to vote for USA politics? If you don't know I can figure out w your links. Thank you.
Before i dive into them, do you do know how long I am over there and still get to vote for USA politics? If you don't know I can figure out w your links. Thank you.
Federally as long as you're a US citizen.
State, as long as you're a resident (and eligible to vote), unless the state permits absentee voting for expatriates.
> How is it living there? Who lives there? What is the vibe/energy/boring parents/hipsters/ or just very international and everything? ANY city in usa one can sorta compare Gravesend to? AND do you live there or just go there once in a while?
I grew up around there, around Northfleet so not far. As for who lives there? Well, it's nothing like London. Its filled with lots of working class people, with a few suburbanites. International is not how I would describe it, lol. There is a small South Asian community concentrated in the Gravesend area(never saw many myself), but other than that its very White British. The locals are very friendly, if a bit rough. Plenty of green areas. Bluewater is nearby, which is both a large and cosy shopping centre. There are lots of chavs about, so anti social behaviour is common.
> It is weird to be that close to London and the housing prices dramatically drop? Is their crime there?
Interestingly I wrote a post about Gravesend on another website a few months ago, a girl responded with a very long post on the sort crime she has experienced as a women. I've spent the best part of an hour looking for it, but to no avail. I'll post it if I find it. For me though, I didn't experience much crime, except for the odd verbal harassment from chavs(usually just hardnuts blurting stuff out).
Edit: I just remembered this and I feel it's unfair to not mention, but when I was growing up there, there was a lot xenophobia and racism. This was ten years ago, so maybe things have improved, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Good luck with everything.
> How is it living there? Who lives there? What is the vibe/energy/boring parents/hipsters/ or just very international and everything? ANY city in usa one can sorta compare Gravesend to? AND do you live there or just go there once in a while?
I grew up around there, around Northfleet so not far. As for who lives there? Well, it's nothing like London. Its filled with lots of working class people, with a few suburbanites. International is not how I would describe it, lol. There is a small South Asian community concentrated in the Gravesend area(never saw many myself), but other than that its very White British. The locals are very friendly, if a bit rough. Plenty of green areas. Bluewater is nearby, which is both a large and cosy shopping centre. There are lots of chavs about, so anti social behaviour is common.
> It is weird to be that close to London and the housing prices dramatically drop? Is their crime there?
Interestingly I wrote a post about Gravesend on another website a few months ago, a girl responded with a very long post on the sort crime she has experienced as a women. I've spent the best part of an hour looking for it, but to no avail. I'll post it if I find it. For me though, I didn't experience much crime, except for the odd verbal harassment from chavs(usually just hardnuts blurting stuff out).
Edit: I just remembered this and I feel it's unfair to not mention, but when I was growing up there, there was a lot xenophobia and racism. This was ten years ago, so maybe things have improved, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Good luck with everything.
Thanks, love your post. I am going to try and friend you here. Thus far it seems to I do it when I am not trying
Yes, I heard there was some racism that sometimes comes with lower economic places. My friends in central london that are so shocked I am moving there are the real elitist freaks putting down working class occasional racist. Well, none of my friends in Central London is offering me a 3 bedroom all to myself until I get used to he and his daughter then we all move in. To me, that is the way it should be. Every step he has taken so far is the right and proper one in my book. I visited central london and it is too manic for me. This place may not be that nice but at least you finally said there was some green there. When you live nearly 20 years in Manhattan, NY you are starving for any greenery and not highrises hovering over you where you cannot breath well. I think it is going to be a rough blue collar area but I can see friends in fast paced annoying central london once a week or once a month. I think it should be fine. I really appreciate your detailed write up. XO
Hi, fly_me,
You will need to marry and apply for a spouse visa in order to live in the UK. You need to do this before moving over. You cannot go as a tourist and change status. Your spouse must meet certain requirements to sponsor you for your visa. Is he a UK citizen? Does he earn more than £18,600 pa? Does he have suitable accomodation for you? These are some of the questions to be dealt with. You don't have to work if you can afford not to.
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/organi...nd-immigration
Ok, forgive me for being naive here. I'd like to go for six months and now I may not marry him. I like someone else. So at the end of the six months there is no way I can get married in the UK? I have to fly back to usa and return with a different status ?
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