Visitor getting married

I'm a British national living in wales. I met a Canadian girl online at the beginning of 2007. I went over there a few times and all went well. So in March of this year she came over here on a visitors visa. Originally it was only going to be for 3-4 weeks. But one month turned into two, then three, then four and now five. We are now rapidly approaching the end of the time she's allowed to be here.
Now neither of us want to be separated, we are deeply in love and we know being together works aswell or better than we thought it would when we knew each other online. I cant afford to send her back to canada to apply for a "fiancee visa" just for her to come back again. Even if she had somewhere to go in Canada, which she doesn't. It'd basically be sending her somewhere where'd she'd have no job, nowhere to live and no one to stay with.
I've tried looking online as to what we have to do next, I've also been to the Citizen's advice bureau (utterly useless bunch of reprobates). And I'm left with the feeling of a dog chasing its own tail.
From what I can gather, we need to get married. In order to do that we need permission from the home office. For them to allow it, I need to send a form and a whole shed load of money. We need to have met (check), need to be able to support ourselves (I've been supporting us for 5 months so dont see any problems there) and may need to be interviewed.
Is this correct?
My main difficulty, if the above is correct. Is the actual details. What form? To where? How much? How long?
Help!

If your girlfriend is here on a visitor visa , she will have to go back to Canada to apply for a spouse visa or any other visa.
I understand the separation can be hard ( I have done it myself so I know) but there is not other options.
To get married in England you will need a visa but I really doubt that they will accept this if she is already in the UK. Even if you get married she cannot stay here, she will need a spouse visa and you can only apply from outside the country. Basically she has to go back in Canada and apply from there. If she overstay her visitor visa , she will be illegal and will probably be denied any type of visa.
I think the first thing would be for her to go back in Canada it will not be quick , she will probably have to sort herself out (find a job) so that you have the time and money to first get married in Canada or UK (she will need a visa for this) than stay in Canada and apply for a spouse visa (can take a few months).
You will have to show that you can support her (savings, a place to stay, wage slips) and she should have some savings too because you will not be allowed to receive any public funds . Immigration is not cheap !

Immigration website here : http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply ... espartners

Hope this helps

if u can't raise about £500 to buy a flexible return ticket from the uk to canada plus about £500 for a fiancée visa (u've said urself that u can't afford it), then how can u provide evidence when submitting ur gf's visa application that u can support her long-term without recourse to uk state funds? reading between the lines, it seems that u can just about make ends meet, without much margin for comfort.

ur gf will need to return to canada and this will be emotionally difficult, but all is not lost. u can use the time to build up some savings in ur bank account as best u can.

my gf was in an even worse position last year, having been turned back by uk immigration at gatwick airport and sent on the next plane to canada. since she was a canadian citizen who had already visited me twice without problems, this was totally unexpected. however, she had resigned from her job and terminated her accommodation to be with me for six weeks and uk immigration refused entry on the grounds that she had good insuffiicent reason to return to canada (no job, no accommodation, no close family ties and little in the bank); our explanation that she would return to canada in good time on the second half of her plane ticket so as not to jeopardise our future relationship together was not accepted. nonetheless, she was able to take up her old job again and find a different place to stay.

i have since visited her several times and we are now finalising our application for a vaf4 fiancée visa.

ian.