My Marriage visitor visa is rejected. Is it wise to apply again but for the tourist visitor visa instead?

Question

Me and my girlfriend are both non-EU. She is a student in the UK with her studies completing at the end of this year and I am a full time employee at a top company in Germany with a German Permanent residence (in Germany since 6 years already so already very near to my citizenship rights in Germany)

Along with my supporting documentation, its proven that my salary is 3455€/month (after tax) and along with the 6 month salary slips. No clue how the officer got that number wrong there. Actually it would be around 3700€/month (after tax) if I include the two bonuses (June and December) per year, that too reflected in one of the salary slips with pay of 5200€/June (after tax).

Overall (~38K-41K Pounds)/year after tax. In my opinion this is good enough salary on the UK scale too, right ?

Further, a bank balance statement of ~80000 €. Not at all sure how did the visa officer evaluate my insufficient funds?

Given the above points, I don't understand at all

1. how the officer concludes of my intention of NOT going back to Germany and staying in the UK
2. my intention to use the public funds for the expenses?

Given the high bureaucracy, I no longer intend to marry in the UK anymore but in my home country instead.

Is it wise to go for the visitor tourist visa instead as I just want to meet my girlfriend? Is it risky that although with my strong intention to come back to Germany given the entirely favorable circumstances, the officer might simply reject the second application based on the first? Although, logically we both are non EU knowing there is no chance of me claiming UK citizenship too on my fiancees behalf?

PS: I had 5 short stay entries in UK in the last one year alone (entries less than one week) which is also a proof of my intention not to STAY LONGER periods or permanently in UK.

Any answers/experiences would be highly appreciated.

Thanks and regards,

Answer 1

The rejection letter indicates that the visa officer has no problem with your financial status. The rejection was not for that reason.

Instead the officer does not consider you have provided enough evidence that you actually do intend to marry the person you indicate, or that the marriage will be a genuine one (meaning one not conducted purely for the purposes of immigrating). Note that even if he believed you would return to Germany after your visit, he would be obliged to refuse your visa if he believed you either were not going to marry, or were entering into a sham marriage.

The specifics mentioned are:

• You have not made the preparations for the wedding, such as booking a registry office or other venue.
• You have not indicated why you want to marry in the UK, rather than in Germany where you live, or in the home country of you or your fiance.
• You have not given evidence that your relationship is genuine. A certificate of singleness is of no use (many people are single, yet do not want to marry). Things that might be used to indicate a genuine relationship include: timeline of your relationship, such as where you met and what you have done together (backed up by evidence); evidence of travel to visit each other on a frequent basis; evidence of visits to each others families; photographs of you together; copies of communication between you over the period of your relationship.

To answer your actual question, a tourist visa will not allow you to get married. A wedding official will need to see your marriage visa before they will marry you. If you wish to abandon your plans to marry your fiance in Britain, and instead merely visit her, it's hard to say if that will be successful. In your favour is your track record of visits and the stability of your situation, together with the fact that the genuineness of your relationship is not a factor in a visitor visa. Against you is a visa rejection. My guess is that you would be granted one, but it's just a guess.