The Certificate of Approval Scheme (COA) is due to close on the 9 May 2011, subject to Parliamentary approval.
Any migrant that wants to get married in the UK will be required to attain a COA up until the scheme is abolished.
The government is likely to take a much tougher approach towards migrants getting married and registering civil partnerships, to combat sham marriages.
In the 2010 alone there were a reported 934 suspected sham marriages, with just 561 in the previous year.
You will still need to give notice of your marriage or registration of civil partnership to the official registry office when the scheme is closed.