But getting married turned out to be the easier bit. For the most part it involved a lot of fun and frolic and the attention being heaved on me by loving family members and friends was wonderful.

Then on the wedding day a concerned friend inquired, “Have you booked an appointment with the courier service to submit your visa?” Completely ignorant that the rules had changed while I had been busy with the wedding arrangements and now an appointment needed to be made, I decided to ignore the revelation till at least the next morning. When newly wed couples are snuggled cosily, dreaming dreams of a future together, my husband and I were busy searching for the phone number and then trying to get through to the courier service.

Hardly 12 hours into our marriage and we had to face the first big shock of our new life together — the earliest available appointment was six weeks away! And no one knew how long after that it would take for the visa to come through. Despite having all the documentation in place, we could do nothing but wait it out; all the while hoping that those six weeks would go by quickly.

With more and more girls getting married and moving abroad, getting an immigrant visa is a very real and substantial problem that needs to be taken account of and one which has the potential for taking much of the fun out of the wedding festivities. Whether the visa process is undertaken before the actual wedding date after an 'in advance nikah', or afterwards, it means getting together extensive paperwork and then an endless wait for the visa to arrive. And all the while, there is the omnipresent fear that it may just be refused.

Applying for an immigrant visa for the most part is an elusive affair. The only advice available is from a relative or a friend who has gone through the ordeal. Yes, these days it is no less than an ordeal; all you have to do is have a look at the application form and the list of supporting documents required to know what I am saying.

To keep on top of this ordeal, you must have a hands-on approach. While your spouse may be doing everything possible to provide you with all the necessary information and documentation, you must stay involved at all times. A lot of the required information relating to immigrant visas to any country is available online and it is best that you do your own research as well, just in case something slips by your husband.

The golden rule for filing immigrant visas is that 'no information is too much information'— the benefit being that the clearer the information you provide, the easier it is for a decision to be made on your application. Play a clever one on the visa officers; anticipate what they may think up relating to your specific situation and provide them evidential paperwork. Don't just stick to the checklists given by the courier services as they do not list everything. Don't let your visa officer refuse and/or delay your application on account of inadequate information.

For husbands (the sponsors), there is really no alternate to a clean slate. Past security checks, the decision of the application is based on their records and not their wives. Clear employment and tax history, bank statements, accommodation information and the like will go a long way in ensuring speedy processing. According to an unofficial statement by a UK embassy official, no less than half of all visa applications submitted to them contain forged documentation, which leads to added scrutiny and thus unnecessary delays for everyone.

All said, the hardest thing for newly weds to do is to live apart in the first few months of their marriage. Fortunately for me, my visa arrived within five weeks of submission but most embassies take considerably longer processing times these days. Whether you have a few months or a year till you get married, remember it is not too early to start planning. The variety of documents that need to be attached to your application will have you running from pillar to post so the more time you have the less will be the hassle.