Please help a naive and under informed brit wanting to marry his non UK fiance

I'm a lifelong UK citizen who's Australian fiancee is just over midway through her 2 year work visa. We've been living together for 4 months now and have just applied for a certificate of approval and intend to marry in mid April. Her work visa runs out in October (6.5 months after we're to be married).

I have heard various rumours that she would have to leave the country and re-enter on a fiancee visa before we got married or that we would have to get married outside the UK and she could re enter on a spouse visa, both of which I'd rather avoid.

Can anyone see any reason why we can't simply get married in the UK in April and afterwards apply for some kind of spouse visa or leave to remain (and work) in the UK without her leaving the UK?

Any information very gratefully recieved........

 

i'm possibly being a bit stupid and missing something but when i look @ the post you refer to above it's regarding someone who's getting married in New Zealand to a New Zealander and reentering the UK.

We are intending to get married in the UK without myself or my non UK citizen fiancee leaving the country. Does the same apply to her as to the case in the post you refer to?

Hope so!!

 

as i guessed, i was being a bit stupid.........

appreciate the info and the potentially good news, many thanks!!!

Can anyone tell me if the certificate of approval process is fairly straightforward? Either from personal experience or anecdotally, any info greatly appreciated.

I can see no reason why it should be turned down, no criminal records on either part and no history of immigration difficulties anywhere either. We have made sure to keep plenty of evidence to back up our relationship (joint bills at same address, phone bills, engagement ring(!!), family and friend statements, documents to prove we have been on 3 foreign holidays together, loads of photo evidence etc)

I had assumed it would be fairly straightforward but have been told that UK immigration can be a bit lottery like and random.