Forum Immigration UK

[Jamie]

Hello,

Great site, I've got some questions which I hope someone can help with.

My fiancee and I have been together for 10 years. She is a Commonwealth citizen and I am a naturalised British citizen. We've been 'living together' for 7 years, but with her coming and going as a firstly under the 'working holiday visa' for 2 years and then as a tourist on 6 month intervals. We did plan to get married several years ago, but I got cold feet and well that's a different story. She did tell immigration on entry at the time about our plans and because she didn't have a 'fiancee visa', they gave her hassle at the airport and wrote a 'W' on her old working holiday visa in her passport which she always gets asked about.

I've supported her financially throughout this time and she's always played by the rules (no paid work, leaves when she should etc). We're planning to get married within the next year, but now has read that she would need get a 'fiancee visa' in her home country in order to marry in the UK. We really want to sort out our life ASAP so is considering the 'unmarried partner' route.

Should she go the UM partner route or should we just get married outside the UK and apply as my spouse? Would the Home Office look unkindly on the fact that she has basically been living here, though within their paramemeters?