Married couple who are AT hikers - we need your help!

[HockeyGirl]

This may sound like an odd request but please bear withme... If you are part of a married couple, or a couple who have been livingtogether, and you have hiked the trail in whole or part (at least halfway) Iwould be grateful if you would contact me on the following matter if you feelyou could help.
My partner and I met while thru hiking the trail lastyear (2012 - we are Button and Loops), we met just a couple weeks into thetrail and not long after were inseparable. We are still going strong as acouple a year and a half later but unfortunately come from different sides ofthe pond!
We are now trying to apply for a 2 year visa for Loops tocome to live in the UK, but one of our qualifying criteria is to show evidenceof a long term, sustainable relationship akin to marriage for 2 years.Our application will be sent in April 2014, but we are counting our 8 months onthe trail as part of this time.
We are now concerned that someone with no knowledge oftrial life will find it hard to believe that living together in a double tent,being together 24 hours a day and hiking the trail with all of its trials andtribulations constitutes a situation like marriage - which is obviously viewedvery conventionally in a house with bills in joint names etc.
We are hoping to enlist a little help from empatheticmarried or coupled AT hikers who might feel they could write a short statementshowing that they have done the same as us and that it counts very much as anactivity for married people to sling a pack on their back and stroll into thewilderness for months on end!
If anyone feels they might be able to help us out, pleasefeel free to contact me. Thank you and happy trails everyone :-)

[HockeyGirl]

Forgot to add - just in case you want to check out we are not fibbing - www.postholer.com/button

[Mags]

Nothing to add for advice, but I do hope this story turns out well. Good luck you both. The fact that is documented online may help, too!

[Venchka]

To a non-government type person, a thru-hike together - with no previous hiking experience - qualifies as way tougher than ho-hum typical marriage on many levels. This forum is filled with folks who started thru-hikes together and were not together by the time they got to the Smokies. I hope you find a sympathetic person to review your application.
Cheers!

Wayne

[Tuckahoe]

I am probably stating the obvious, but have yall consulted an immigration laywer? It seems to me that when dealing with issues with legal ramifications its a very good idea to be talking to a lawyer.

[illabelle]

My husband and I hike together, but we don't meet your criteria of having done half the trail - less than 30%. I can certainly say that life on the trail involves a certain level of intimacy what with being together 24/7, depending on one another, sharing responsibilities, etc. Maybe scouring trail journals and books would help you find helpful descriptions of trail life that could aid your case.

[stranger]

This is just a visa thing, I've done 3 of them, New Zealand, Australia, and now Switzerland. What you need to do is 'demonstrate' a genuine, stable relationship. How you do this is usually set out through the visa application process, but it's largely subjective.

Really what they want to see isn't 'love', they want to see joint bank accounts, signed leases, phone bills, things like that. You can also have family write letters on your behalf, get personal and professional references, etc...

Ultimately, like most visa processes, it comes down to the person reading the application. If you have been together for less than 2 years, they are likely to ask questions, I think a thru-hike would only strengthen your case, but I wouldn't spend much time talking about the trail, but about the experience together.

In other words, people who aren't committed to each other don't spend 5 months travelling around together, etc...

[stranger]

The good thing about relationships is that it's difficult to say to someone 'no, I don't believe you are in a genuine and stable relationship', so keep positive and collect as much information as you can, get as many testimonials as you can.

[j2ponies]

I guess I'm a simple (not simple minded) person. If you live like married, why not just be married..No more red tape..or have I fallen off the planet...

[stranger]

Regardless, the 2 year thing is often just a general guide, it's used in New Zealand and Australia as well, but it's not a requirement, it's a target of sorts. Either people believe you or they don't, and if it's genuine it's usually fairly obvious. Sorry for all my posts.

[Astro]

I guess I'm a simple (not simple minded) person. If you live like married, why not just be married..No more red tape..or have I fallen off the planet...

That was the same thing that immediately came to mind for me to.

[stranger]

Because not everyone believes in marriage, kinda like asking a Christian to turn Jewish.

Marriage is primarily an American institution, not many people get married outside the US in my experience.

[j2ponies]

Marriage is a God thing.no other labels. Because one doesn't believe in something doesn't make it less real.
I'm not preaching to anyone..Some don't believe in hell....it's still there..... all I meant is it would cut through all the red tape they go through.
Are they American? What's wrong with keeping American?
christian turning jewish isn't even a good analogy.

[stranger]

Marriage is a God thing.no other labels. Because one doesn't believe in something doesn't make it less real.
I'm not preaching to anyone..Some don't believe in hell....it's still there..... all I meant is it would cut through all the red tape they go through.
Are they American? What's wrong with keeping American?
christian turning jewish isn't even a good analogy.

Please don't state an opinion as fact, it makes you come across as naive. Of course 'they' are not American, hence the need to deal with the UK visa process, one person is American, the other is British.

My point was that marriage is largely an American institution, because America is largely a very conservative, Christian dominated country. Therefore YOU may think marriage is normal and 'a God thing' but understand that the overwhelming majority of people in this world would disagree with you.

[MuddyWaters]

Please don't state an opinion as fact, it makes you come across as naive. Of course 'they' are not American, hence the need to deal with the UK visa process, one person is American, the other is British.

My point was that marriage is largely an American institution, because America is largely a very conservative, Christian dominated country. Therefore YOU may think marriage is normal and 'a God thing' but understand that the overwhelming majority of people in this world would disagree with you.

The 7 billion people in the world, 9 % are not religious, and 2 % are atheist.

Most religions, and societies, have their own marriage /union customs. Pretty much about 89% of the world. Working for an international company, I know plenty on non-american people and guess what....they are all married. Yep, chinese, taiwanese, iranian, indian, muslim, european, go figure.

Less people get married today than ever before for various reasons. Women arent dependent on men where they are educated, job instability and uncertainty about the future today plays a role too. This is true in most developed countries. Married couple rates are around 50% today, down from 90% in the early 1900s.

It isnt limited to americans, or Christians.



The OP says they are a couple, but how does that work with one here and one there?
I dont get the situation, If they both stayed here together and lived together for a year afterwards, sure.

Meeting, living together for 6 months on the trail, then one went home to UK, and they just email and talk over the next year, well that probably doesnt pass the most basic smell test IF someone wanted to be an a-hole.

Wish you good luck though. Make up the best lie possible that cant be refuted.

"Applications for unmarried partner visas tend to be more difficult than those based on marriage as you need to show that you have been together for two years and that it is a permanent relationship. The requirements since April 2003 are as follows:

• You have to show that any previous relationship whether in marriage or as an unmarried couple has ended.
• You should have been living together for at least two years in a relationship similar to marriage. You will need to provide documentary evidence confirming that you have been living together for this time.

You always can just come in on passport, DONT tell them how long they will stay, they will want to see means of support for the full time, After that 6 months, you should know if you want a permanent relationship and you can get married, file a civil union, whatever. If you dont, then get on with life.

[j2ponies]

What God says is not my opinion. It is His truth. You say most of the world would disagree . I agree with that.. The majority's disagreement, is that not an opinion.?.I am hardly naive.
However, I didn't realize one of them was not an American..my apologies. I hope it works out for them whatever it is….and for you too.

[j2ponies]

Muddy water, thanks for explaining that. good information.

[Wise Old Owl]

Thanks Stranger - you saved me from typing the same thing... she needs to work on the proof - that's a little tougher - but it looks like it will work out... - my immigration lawyer was a waste of my time and money. I eventually sat down and read all the rules over the course of a month and got thru the mess of American citizenship $1400 and 8 months later, I got it done. - Going the other way would of been interesting... As I carried British birth and pass ports for the first 13 years of life.


Hey lets keep this on track...

[MuddyWaters]

I dont think they are talking wanting to change citizenship, just a 2 yr visa.

My understanding is that if you are visiting a member of the opposite sex, thats usually a strike against you for getting a temporary visa to start with.

Renouncing US citizenship requires you to pay your exit tax. US has the deepest tax tentacles of any country in the world.

[Mags]

Marriage is a God thing.no other labels. Because one doesn't believe in something doesn't make it less real.
I'm not preaching to anyone..Some don't believe in hell....it's still there..... all I meant is it would cut through all the red tape they go through.
Are they American? What's wrong with keeping American?
christian turning jewish isn't even a good analogy.

Let's keep the religious, social, or political debates away from the OP's question. If you don't know say so..and wish then good luck.

Thanks!

Any further posts will get some annoying link to animated GIF of my choice.