Hello all,

I've read the posts on here about applying for a spouse visa to the UK and have found them very helpful. I have a few more issues about which I would still like some advice, as my situation seems to be a bit unusual.

I am a US citizen, and my husband is a UK citizen. He had been living in the US for over ten years. We just recently moved to France where I am working on a temporary contract as an English teacher, and we would like to move to the UK together after my contract expires, at which time we would both like to look for jobs in the UK. We do not understand, however, if this will be a possible scenario, as the visa process seems to be geared toward citizens bringing their spouses once they have an established job and residence in the UK.

My husband is working on writing his PhD thesis and receives a scholarship from his US university, but he is located in France with me. He can easily show pay stubs from 6 months prior, but his scholarship will cease only 2 months after we'd like to relocate. I will have finished my contract and will be looking for work in the UK, which would ideally be our main source of income while my husband finishes his thesis. Would this be regarded in a negative light that we cannot prove income from a UK-based job?

Additionally, we are planning to find out own apartment in the UK, but only after being granted the visa. How do people deal with such a situation? We do not want to rent an apartment months before we are able to move together to the UK. His grandfather lives alone and has a 2 bedroom house. We are able to stay there for a few weeks while we look for an apartment, but how do we prove this is a temporary situation?

Is it really this difficult for us to move together to the UK after he's been gone for so long, or are the requirements more flexible than they seem depending on specificities?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.