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Bringing Your Foreign Fiancée to the U S
Navigating the Immigration Bureaucracy
So, in your travels abroad, or your recent foreign posting in the military, or while surfing the Internet, you have found the love of your life in a foreign country and are now ready to get married.
Having married a woman from abroad and having completed most of the requirements for obtaining permanent U.S. resident status and eventually U.S. citizenship for her and her two children, here are some of my experiences in dealing with the bureaucracy. I present this not as legal advice (when in doubt get a lawyer) but rather in hopes of helping others wade their way through this bureaucratic maze.
That being said, let me add that the best thing that ever happened to me was meeting my Russian wife on the Internet and marrying her.
What I want to convey here are some of the obstacles that you will have to navigate in bringing your intended fiancée to the U.S.
If you think it is difficult introducing your fiancée to the family just wait until you introduce her to your Uncle Sam (the old guy with the beard in the red, white and blue suit that hasn't been changed since at least the first edition of World War II recruiting posters).
The first thing to remember is that she must be your fiancée and not your wife when she first sets foot in this country. If you marry abroad, your spouse has to apply for admission to the U.S. under an entirely different set of rules which are more restrictive for her, in that these are rarely issued, and definitely more restrictive for her children than if she comes here under a K-1 Fiancée visa.
Current rules provide for your fiancée to be given a 45 day K-1 visa and her unmarried children under age 21, a 45 day K-2 visa. The two of you must then marry in the U.S. within the 45 days or she and her children will be deported. If you marry her abroad there is a chance that she and/or her children will never be allowed into the U.S. except on temporary tourist visas.
The First Step
The first step in the process is finding someone with whom you fall in love and want to marry. If this is done via the Internet, which is how I met my wife, you first have to make contact and start a relationship. Unless you live near our northern or southern border and find someone a short distance away on the other side of the border, the relationship is going to be by Internet, telephone and snail mail. However, the rules say that, before you can bring a woman into the U.S. on a K-1 visa, you must provide documentation that you have visited her in person outside the U.S. Photos, airline receipts, hotel receipts, etc. can serve as proof - the more the better. Unless you can afford to be flying off to visit foreign women every few weeks, it is best to develop the relationship as far as you can before going for the visit. In addition to email (and Internet access may be expensive for your fiancée depending upon where she lives), overseas telephone rates for calls from the U.S. to most of the world are very reasonable (a one hour call to Russia cost me less than dinner for two at McDonald's) making this a great way to build the relationship. However, the reverse is not true and calls from abroad to the U.S. are not only absolutely more expensive but, compared to incomes in many countries, are prohibitive for the local population. Snail mail and packages are slow but also a good way to build the relationship.
At this point it is a good idea to go to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service website and begin familiarizing yourself with it. The first thing you will see are numerous public relations pieces touting the work of the USCIS - just ignore these and navigate to the pages with information that you need. Work through the site to find and begin bookmarking the the pages pertaining to K-1 and K-2 visas, as well as rules and regulations, down loadable forms etc. On the one hand the amount of useful information on the site has increased considerably since I had to use it, but the amount of useless PR pieces have also increased and the navigation and indexing have not improved. You might find the www.del.icio.us social bookmarking site to be very helpful here as you can bookmark as well as write descriptive notes and apply multiple tags to the various pages for later use. Your fiancée can also join the site and you can share the links and tags with her on this site. Even if you plan to use a lawyer, I suggest that you study this site very carefully as well as search and bookmark other sites on the Internet - don't necessarily believe what these these other sites say, but they can be a good sources for questions to ask your lawyer or immigration officer. If you have a lawyer be sure to constantly ask "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" until you understand exactly what is going on. The same is true when dealing with immigration personnel, keep asking "Why?" until you understand the process. You will also find that employees at the USCIS are not only frequently ignorant of the laws they are supposed to enforce but, when you complain to your Congressman, as I did, you will be told that the law is too complicated to expect them to give accurate information. However, if you do follow advice from an immigration employee or lawyer and it is wrong, that is your tough luck.
When you are ready, schedule a trip to meet your fiancée By this time, if you have had open and honest communication, you should know her fairly well and there should be no big surprises at the other end. Do take time to study up on her country and customs but be prepared to be flexible. Books and the Internet tell you the customs in general, but people are different. Also, thanks to modern communication, many cultural differences are disappearing. Finally, understand that she is probably studying up on the U.S. and our customs as she is not only preparing for your visit but is also planning on moving here to live with you. You may find that she is more Americanized than you expected. This is your chance, and may be your only chance, to interact in person with her and decide if the relationship is go or no go. Again, be sure to take pictures and save receipts to share with your Uncle Sam.
Bringing Your Fiancee to the U.S.
When you return is when the paperwork starts in earnest. Go to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service) site, download the form to apply for the K-1 visa.
As I recall the form itself is fairly easy to complete although you will need information from your prospective spouse - maiden name if she had been married, date and place of birth, previous marriage, divorce, etc. names and ages of children, if any.
You will also have to provide similar information about yourself as well as copies of birth, marriage, divorce and other records including a photocopy of your passport and every page (including blank pages) in it.
A financial statement and copies of bank and investment records as well a letter verifying employment to support the statement will also be required.
Finally, you will have to sign an affidavit promising to support your wife and any children she brings and promise not to apply for any public aid for them for at least ten years.
Get used to this affidavit as the USCIS collects these affidavits the way some people collect stamps and you will end up submitting these affidavits many times. As to whether they ever bother to read or enforce the affidavit, I have no idea.
Depending upon the volume of applications, it can take up to a few months for your application to be approved (not really approved but, rather, having the USCIS tell you that they do not object to allowing you to proceed to the next step - bureaucrats hate to commit to anything).
At this point you have to shift over to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in your finance's home country to begin the visa process.
This will require the presentation of copies of records and an application from you to be sent to the State Department as well as your fiancée completing an application and submission of copies of more records as well as obtaining a report from her local police department showing no criminal past.
A medical exam by a U.S. Embassy approved local doctor is also required. She and her children will have to visit the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Counselor Office for an interview.
Expect to spend a couple of hundred dollars on fees here in the U.S. as well be prepared to send money to your fiancée for fees she will incur at her end.
The easiest way to send money is via Western Union but the fees are high.
I was able to add my fiancée to my credit union account and obtain an ATM card for her (by that time we were going to be married and I trusted her) however, this is no longer an option as the U.S. Patriot Act, whose rules took effect a few weeks after i did this, requires people to come to the bank and sign in person before opening or being added to an account at a U.S. financial institution.
Obtaining an extra ATM card on your account and sending it to her is not recommended.
Before I visited my wife I checked the Internet and found two ATM machines in Ryazan, the city in which she lived, both of which claimed to accept both Visa and Master Card ATM/Debit cards.
I took ATM/Debitcards from my bank and credit union accounts (one was Visa and one Master Card) to Russia with me.
When I tried the Master Card, the ATM in Ryazan, the city where finance lived, it not only kept my card but shut the ATM itself down completely.
I was able to get it back but if I had sent it to my fiancée and she had used it alone she could have been charged with credit card theft (her finance in the U.S. sent her his card - likely story!).
Don't send cash as it will most likely end up in some postal worker's or customs officer's pocket.
Finally, be careful with checks - in Russia the bank takes the check, mails it back to the U.S. bank with a letter asking for proof that it is good (which the bank probably won't do unless the check is certified).
Even if the bank does send the check back with the proper assurances you are probably looking at months before your fiancée receives the cash from a Russian bank.
Preparing to Come to the United States
In our case there were no exit requirements imposed by her government.
She had full custody of her children and current Russian passports (in Russia, like many countries, everyone is required to have a passport that is used for both internal identification as well as foreign travel).
However, depending upon the country, there may be applications and fees to pay in before your fiancee is able to leave their country and immigrate to the United States.
After completing the filing of the application for a visa you wait until your fiancée gets a phone call or letter instructing her to come and pick up her visa.
Up to this point, except for your trip to visit your fiancée, your costs have been fairly low. As I pointed out before, phone calls and mail are relatively inexpensive and there is not a much you can do other than talk and write to each other.
Fees for the application process run $200 or less, so, unless you have an attorney doing the work, there are very few expenses. But now things change.
At this point you are in a period where you and your fiancée know she will be coming soon but don't know when.
She may have a lease to cancel and may have to quit her job.
My wife was a school teacher and received notice of her final processing just before school started - her employer gave her the choice of quiting before school started or teaching the full year.
She quit, but that meant that I now had to provide support as, without her teaching job she had no way to support her and her two children while they waited for the visa to come to the United States.
Once she is given the visa you have to purchase plane tickets for her and her children.
Because airlines are required to take any passengers back to their country of origin if they are not accepted in the U.S., the airlines require that you purchase a round trip, rather than one way tickets.
There is also the cost of transportation to the airport as only a few cities in each country have airports that handle foreign flights.
My wife and her children were able to move with the three suitcases they checked on the plane. But, some women may have more and this will require shipping.
Finally, there is the financial impact of the increased family size.
The day my fiancée and her two children arrived I woke up in the morning responsible for a household of three - my two sons and myself
When I went to bed that night I had a family of six. That impacts your budget noticeably!
You will need to take a few days off from work to help your fiancée and her children settled in.
With both sets of children in their teens, I did not have any problems with them adjusting to the family.
Not that they bonded immediately with my children. They didn't. I did not force them and they did not clash. All four were mature and acted as such.
I also made no attempt to have my sons accept my wife as a stepmother and did not step into her children's lives as step-father as far as laying down rules, etc.
Of course, I loved my two new children and provided for the emotional and material needs of all four children equally - I just gave her children space while they got to know me and adjusted to the family.
The situation probably would have been different if our children were younger. However, with two still at home twenty year olds and two teenagers between us,,I basically supervised my children and my wife hers.
While there were no big differences, the rules were not always the same at first.
For instance, in Russia it is customary to remove ones shoes upon entering a home, including your own. My wife laid out slippers for herself and her two children by the door and I placed mine there as well.
The four of us wear slippers in the house while my two sons don't.
In Russia the custom is for the wife to manage inside the home and, as soon as she was settled, I began stepping back and letting her take control inside the house.
In addition to adjusting within the house, there is also the outside world to introduce them to and deal with during the first few days after arrival.
One of the first things we did was spend a day traveling around town taking care of more paperwork.
We went to the local high school and enrolled her son after producing the necessary proof that I lived and paid taxes in the district.
There was also the matter of immunizations, which he had had in Russia but the Russian immunization record (written in Russian) was not accepted by the school. The shots were obtained and he was enrolled.
I also took them to get Social Security cards. My fiancée was given one because she had the K-1 visa, but the children had to wait. As a result, when I went to file my income taxes a few months later, I had to get Tax ID numbers for them before I could claim them on my taxes.
The next year my step-children had Social Security numbers and, when I filed with these, I promptly received a letter from the IRS questioning the change. It took a trip to the local IRS office and the filing of more paperwork to clear that up.
I also had to go and file affidavits with the bank to change the number on their accounts from Tax ID to Social Security (and my daughter had to accompany me because, being over 18, she was an adult and I was not allowed to invade her privacy - the bank's rule, not hers).
Even though she was issued a Social Security card immediately, my wife could not work and on her Social Security card the office had clearly typed Not allowed to work without USCIS permission.
My wife was also able to obtain a learner's permit for driving but that expired with her visa and, before getting a new learners permit, we had to wait for her work permit from the USCIS which did not come until six months later.
USCIS Homepage
Helpful Tools and Sources of Information
Phone Cards - email is great but, so long as you and your fiancée speak the same language, the telephone is useful second tool for communication. For Americans, overseas phone calls are inexpensive.
If your long distance carrier does not offer any deals for overseas calling, then I recomment that you go online and buy a phone card.
These can be as low as one cent per minute but read the terms carefully as some round up to the nearest minute or more, have a call charge plus the per minute charge, deduct a fee every week or so, etc. But there are some that are good for 6 months or so and only charge for minutes used. Just do a Google search for Phone Cards and you will find hundreds of services.
In most non-western countries wages are low and overseas phone calls very expensive (even by American standards and our incomes are much higher). Therefore, you should not expect your fiancée to call you. Instead you should always call her as calling you could place a real financial burden on her.
If you and your fiancée do not speak the same language there are services that provide translators when you call. These are obviously more expensive but you will have to find a way to communicate in person some time. Google foreign fiancée telephone translation to find such services.
Sending Money Abroad - It is generally not a good idea to send money to a person you have just met on a foreign dating site.
There are many scams where foreign women claim to be looking for a husband in the U.S. or other western countries but are really involved in scams to get money. If the woman asks for money for some emergency (such as a sick relative) shortly after you make contact, she is probably part of a scam.
However, at some point you will have to decide whether or not to trust her. I first sent money when I was preparing to visit my then fiancée. She emailed me and said that she had found a 3 day, 2 night package bus tour to St. Petersburg that included hotel, bus tickets, museum tickets and meals for the equivalent of U.S. $90 each.
It was a great deal from my perspective but was the equivalent of two months pay for her, so I sent her the $180 to buy the tickets. When it came time for her to get ready to come to the U.S. I sent her money for her and her children to travel to Moscow for the interview at the U.S. Embassy, for the required medical exam and some other expenses related to obtaining her visa.
For Russia, the only way I could send money was via Western Union - they are fast, efficient and have offices in practically every city. For other countries PayPal may be a cheaper alternative but check first as, in many counties (Russia being one of them), PayPal can be used to make payments but not to receive money.
Don't send cash as it will more than likely end up in the pocket of some postal worker or customs officer (it is also illegal in some countries to send cash in the mail).
Checks may not be a good option because of difficulty in cashing - one friend of my wife's received a check from her fiancé in Australia. The bank took the check, wrote a letter to the Australian bank asking if it was good and mailed it with the check.
When the Australian bank returned the check verifying that the funds were on deposit, the Russian bank processed it and, when the funds cleared called the women to come and get her money. Three months after first presenting the check, the woman got her money less a substantial service charge for the special handling.
Packages and Snail Mail Letters - during our courtship I used the U.S. Postal Service to send an occasional letter with photographs (I sent a lot of digital photographs as well but while she could view them she had no way to print them) as well as some small gifts.
In addition to the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, FedEx and other services will deliver packages quickly and for reasonable prices.
Many foreign dating sites also offer services that deliver things like flowers, candy, etc. to your fiancée. With the growth of eCommerce and the Internet more and more companies, like Amazon.com, are expanding operations abroad and can be used to purchase and deliver gifts.
Getting Married
As to the wedding, it can be difficult to plan since the visa is not issued until the paper work is processed and that time can vary considerably. Once the paperwork is processed and approved, a visa is issued and is good for entry into the U.S. for a period of about 6 months. The 45 day rule for staying here starts as soon as an immigration officer at the U.S. port of entry stamps her visa and says "Welcome to the U.S."
Realistically, you have to plan on planning and having the wedding once the 45 day period starts. Also, I don't think she can leave and re-enter the U.S. on the K-1 visa.
If your fiancée is from a first world country (an economically developed nation like Canada, Western Europe, Australia, etc.) she can come here and visit you as a tourist prior to receiving the K-1 visa. Any family members who can afford the trip can also come for the wedding.
However, if your fiancée is not from a first world country but from a third world country (which includes most of the world) it will be nearly impossible for her to visit as a tourist legally and, if she comes here illegally and is caught, she will probably never be allowed to return under any circumstances.
If such a woman's family wishes to come to the U.S. for the wedding they will have to get tourist visas which can take a while and, in most cases, only male members, married couples and their children will be issued visas. Unmarried adult women will more than likely be denied a visa (Uncle Sam assumes that their real purpose in coming is to find a husband and stay so they are barred).
One possible way around this is to use the fact that marriage is both a civil and a religious affair. In most Western nations a couple has a civil ceremony before a magistrate and then a religious ceremony in a church.
The general exception is the tradition in Great Britain and her former colonies (including the U.S.) where clergymen are allowed to function as both an officer of the state (despite the First Amendment's separation of church and state) and as a representative of the church, thereby combining the civil and religious ceremonies into one.
I think this is still a loophole whereby you could have the civil ceremony in the U.S. followed by a religious ceremony in your wife's country once she obtains temporary residence status and is free to travel abroad. But check this out before attempting it.
A problem arose with our marriage. Not having any family here, we just took our children and went to the local justice of the peace and, again after filling out papers, were married within 5 minutes.
But the question arose as to how I should tell the government about this. In one of my many trips to the local USCIS office before my fiancée came here I was told that she would receive a packet of instructions upon arrival at the airport.
However, all they did was stamp her passport and wave her in. We received nothing in the mail and, with the clock ticking, I became concerned. After a number of phone calls I was finally directed to a new area of the USCIS website where I found the necessary forms and instructions.
By now the 45 day deadline was about three weeks away and as I read through the instructions for completing the forms I discovered that I not only had to submit a separate packet (the completed government forms plus copies of all relevant documents) for my wife and each of her children (except for the name at the top of the application form, the packets were identical and consisted of about twenty pages of paper each - mostly copies of documents), but also had to include a $500 check with each packet.
After completing the forms, attaching all the required copies and making copies for my records, I took the packets to the USCIS office on the south side of town during my lunch hour and they promptly rejected the packets for the two children pointing out that I needed a separate, notarized affidavit promising to support all three of them and keep them off welfare for ten years.
That was three identical original affidavits each applying to all three of them. This required a trip to my credit union on the north side of town. I returned and all three packets were accepted.
As of this writing, and we still haven't completed the full permanent residence process, let alone the citizenship process. However, the USCIS now has a total of ten original affidavits from me promising/swearing not to let my wife and her two children go on welfare.
At this point I was able to start tracking the progress of the application on the Internet although most of the time all I learned was that the applications were pending.
Finally, in late March (my wife had arrived in mid-September and the application for residency had been filed 45 days later) I finally got through on the telephone to the USCIS (there are no published numbers for the local office and all calls are by 800 number to Missouri for this step of the process and different 800 numbers for other parts of the process) to see what was holding things up.
The answer was that they were backlogged. However, upon further questioning I learned that if the processing took more than 90 days, you could file a separate application, and pay an additional $170 fee, for a work permit.
I submitted this and my wife received a work authorization card on a Tuesday in mid-May. We checked the help wanted ads and I took her around placing job applications when I got home from work. She was hired immediately and started work the following Monday.
My stepdaughter and stepson received their green cards shortly after my wife. Both can now work and drive a car and my daughter is close to graduating from college.
We are currently enjoying the two year lull between their receiving their temporary residence and waiting to start the process for permanent residence. Come spring we will have to plunge back into the bureaucratic swamp and begin working our way through the last two stages of the process.
My Wife's Long Trip to Her New Home With Me
Show with distances in
Ryazan, Russia where my wife lived before coming to the U.S. to marry me.
St. Petersburg, the city in northern Russia which my wife first visited during my first meeting with her before she came to the U.S. to marry me.
Moscow, the capital of Russia and the city in which she and her children boarded the plane which brought her to the United States.
Tucson, Arizona - 10,000 miles from my wife's former home in Ryazan and where my wife and her children settled when she married me.
© 2006 Chuck Nugent
I am french and fell in love 3 years ago on Internet with a wonderful American man. I already spent 1 year in the states with him coming back to France within the limit of my esta (90 days) and also stayed several more times for 2 or 3 weeks. We want to marry, and as i am actually in the States with him we are looking for the best way to do it, making sure that I will be authorized to come again without any problem. Would you please be kind enough to provide us your best advices. Many thanks in advance. Best Regards.
My Russian girlfriend is coming, so you're saying I shouldn't just marry her here first? email@example.com
that was quite instructing reading material. i also have met a sweet lady of 40 years old never been married hasn't ever had any children. she is from Cebu in the Philippines. we met threw a dating site called Tagged many months ago. like all country's they have there on crazy rule's to go by. i honestly think if your a mature person over the age of 21 and have no prior Criminal history then you should be the one to make the decision were it is you want to live or be married to. i think some of uncle Sam is in co hoots with other country's to screw people out of the time and mostly hard errand money.
Hi, I really like your article. I am a Ghanaian and I got hooked up wife a U. S citizen. We haven't met in person before. I asked her to come over but because of her three kids, she cannot make it. I will like to know if she can file for me to go to her on the fiancee Visa? If yes, how authentic will it be?
Hi Chuck,
Do you know of any support groups and or groups for those who have married and or are in the process of getting married to a foreigner in the states(virtually or in real life)?
It looks as you got married almost ten years ago and as someone who is interested in marrying a foreign bride(Russian/Ukrainian) I would love to talk virtually or in person with others who have had success. Per some articles I've read there is a lot more scamming going on nowadays vs. ten or more years ago.
Thank you,
Hello, I met my fiance online and I recently come back from the Ukraine from visiting her. Prior to my trip, we chatted for about 3 months and during my visit there we fall in love. I would like to know if a tourist visa is better or fiance visa a better option. She wants to come and meet my family and see the USA, but we want to get marry in the Ukraine because of her family. I was told that age could be and issue and I bring this up because I am 44 and she is 28. thanks
Hi Chuck,
I am British citizen and my fiancee is US citizen.
Please can you tell me can I go there to visit her on tourist visa and than we can apply for fiancee visa there and then or I have to go back and go through the process.
I know that I can go there with tourist visa for 6 months. At that time we can collect many pictures.
Or would be better to apply first for K-1 visa and then travel to the US
Good day, I have been to the united States twice in two years , I wish to get married soon, how true is it that I have to wait for 90 days before I can get married or submit my application for change of status ?
Thank you
I want to ask if there is a way to bring all my earning to us from third world country . since now I'm planning to live with my wife in us after I receive my immigrant visa. And whom to consult is the best.
If I don't make enough money to be a sponsor because I have 3 dependents and she has two small children is their any way around it that would be seven. And can I just sign something saying we won't get government assistance? She's in South Africa, I'm in the us. Enjoyed your article so much. Thanks John
Thanks for a great article. I plan on doing the marriage thing next year. But I was wondering - although having one official address in San Francisco, is it legally possible that practically, both me and my partner work in different cities (e.g. Seattle and Los Angeles)?
It was kinis that you did replay and thank you for taking time.
Thanks chuck!
That was really quick response.
We would talk to the solicitor but we are just fingering out in asvance.
Would it help if we get married in Italy and can I show my income instead?
Hello there
I'm a Bangladeshi citizen living in Italy .My girlfriend is an American student and we decided to live together over there.Now she's unable to sponsor a fiancé visa Because she's a student and doesn't earn enough.We don't want to apply in quota system as well.
Is there any other way to avoid showing that huge income?
Thank you
Hi there, I don't know if you're still active till now, but i'm Elma from Philippines, i am in a relationship with a parolee man from California for 6 months now. I know it's too early for us to come up to any decision or plans for our relationship. But to tell you honestly, we're really open to each other, and since the day we started chatting we are really talking about our future. He's not totally free yet, since he still needs to spend like 3 years doing some things that he needs to do while he's still on parole. He really wants me to be there with him, the soonest and not just wait for that 3 more years till he'll be completely free. Just want to ask or seek any advice. Your immediate response will be highly appreciated. Thanks!
im talking with a wonderful girl from thailand...i have met her brother here...im thinking of doing this,nervous but figured its worth a shot!...I appreciate your words of wisdom on the situation at hand!!!!but the quick and easy way does not seem to exist on relationship status ...the U.S. just makes it to hard for great people to get together!
Thank you Chuck for the very detailed explanation about the whole process. Congrats on you Love Life.
Hi Chuck,
Thanks a lot. This is very detailed and really helps
I have been doing a lot of research and I am debating between marrying my fiancée in her country and filing for an immigrant visa vs filing a K1 visa. It looks like the K1 visa is the fastest option? do you suggest I go with a K1 option? also I plan to marry her there( unofficially) and then file for K1 visa. So we will officially not be married. Is this the right way to go about it?
I am going to Russia and trying to get my visa. The visa requires a phone number for my fiancé because I will be staying with her. She does not have a phone so what do I do?
Thank you very much for the information about Western Union.
Do you know of a safe way of sending money to Russia?
good day! i just wanna ask you something, i been to the US many times like almost every month because of worki have 10 yrs visa, i live in Canada as permanent residence, and enganged almost a year with my US citizen fiancé, and planning to get married this april in the US is there any problem getting married in the US with my status?
Hi chuck,
First I would like to thank you for the article, it was very helpful. This is the first time going through this process. I'm US citizen and I have been talking to someone from Asino, Russia and we have discuss our first meeting this summer. That said, I have never been to Russia and need to apply for visa. Can you give me some advice and pointers on getting a visa to enter Russia? I would appreciate it and thank you in advance.
Hi, I am from Morocco, and i wanna get married to my boyfriend, he is from USA, and i wanna know if i can get a visa and went there where he lives and get married with him, within the period i can stay legally in USA, then do i have to come back to Morocco or i can stay there in USA and live with him for the rest of our life. hope to hear from u, and thank u
Thank you very helpful ans hives me a place ro start.
Your story and information is really helpful for me because I am in love with a guy from another country through the internet and we have been together since 2007. Due to certain complications,I wasn't sure if things would even work out with the visa. But thanks to you, I now have insight to how the future situation might be and how to approach it. I appreciate your post and how you wanted to help others with similar situations. Thank you Chuck! :) God bless you and your family. Hope all is well!
My fiancée visa is in the processing now. I am a Filipino. My concern is about my child going with me. She is 7 years old now. I am not married but my child bringing the family name of his father. Is there any papers or documents that I need to prepare to make it legal of bringing my kid with me?
It's a great job you are doing.
very nice article it's helpful! good job!
Hi Is it better to marry your fiancé in her country and then bring her back to the states using the K-3 visa or do the K-1 visa? casey
It was like watching a full- length movie! This narration would be definitely helpful to all those who are trying to get into the US through the fiancé visa. Very thoughtful of you to share this across!
Wow, what a story, useful and informative. Surely you must have so much courage and determination. Reading this hub reminds me of those novels where you fall in love with a foreigner and go through all the trials and tribulations. I am so glad you guys made it. Cheers!!
I am applying for my Fiancé visa in the next few weeks , I need to be in colorado by august for my son to start work .
I have seen my fiancé in the past few weeks and have my tickets and boarding passes etc . once in the USA what do we ghave to do next and what forms do i file when married and when can i work , i am at my whitts end with this 6 weeks of research and still no further forward .
when called the embassey ans usic my phone bill was $23 and no help .
i just want a step by step idiots guide for what forms i need to file and how much my medical and interview will cost .
hi everyone, My fiancée and i have been together for awhile now and he lives in the US. I would want to ask if getting a fiancé visa requires that the US CITIZEN must be financially stable before he can bring his fiancé over to the US? Your answers will greatly help me. Thank you in advance..
You had a lot of good information in your article, but I fear that much of it is now outdated. I recently married a filipina and am in the process of her K3 Visa. I went over there and married her in the Phiippines and under new streamlined processes, to get married over there and then apply for her spousal visa is no different than applying for a fiancé visa. In fact our visa application only cost $420.00 and all of those forms and affidavits that you spoke of, were filed along with our first application. I will have to pay for her medical exam, but the process has been cut down to about 5-7 months total., and although I don't know if you could, now we can go online daily if we desire and see just where our application is in the process. Plus with the new K3, or CR2 spousal visas, they receive their work permit the minute they arrive in the country. Hope this helps any others that are starting the process. Foreign fiances and wives can also go onto facebook and find a group called Pretty Ladies, it is a closed group but they can get invited, and they are all women engaged to or married to foreigners, Mostly Americans. Have them check it out.
the main requirement for fiancé(e) visa is u have to get married within the 90 days requirement..
Hey thanks for the info my friend. My girlfriend is Russian, I hold dual citizenship in both Sweden and USA... we are trying to decide where we belong, oh how I dread all the papers! It was heartwarming to hear your story go so smooth, I hope you all have a beautiful life!
Hi, I am a us citizen and I want to bring my fiancée who's curently living in spain to the us. We have not met within the two years that is needed for the visa, but we grow up together in Africa. I was adopted and was brought to the us in the year 2000 and ever since I have not gone back to my country. I got married and have two children but now I am divorced. My fiancée has been my best friend since childhood, after my divorce in 2009, I really wanted to go and visit him but I was hate with economic hardship single mom with two young children to support alone without child support. Now I want him to join us here in the us and I am praying that the us will give him the visa. If anybody has a suggestion please help me.
Thank You to all of You.
I owe the government medical debt because I have no insurance when I was admitted to the hospital. Now I met someone in a foreigner country and would like to get marry. Will my medical debt to the government prevent me from bringing her to the united states?
Dear just a question My girlfriend is american I am from Brasil what if we get married in Brasil? How long I need wating for go to usa ?
or if she live while in Brasil exemplo 1 year ? how is the procedure for go to us ?
My relatives live in Japan japanese/brasilian so what we can do ?
i really need to learn to proofread.. im sorry.. i guess im more upset than i thought.. and when that happends.. i seem to get some sort of computer dyslexia lol.. so please excuse all the spelling errors.. im really not as much of an idiot as it might seem lol thanks!
wow interesting read for sure! thanks!
Im planning on marrying the man of my dr eams.. im in the USA and he's in Australia.. he makes good money there working in the oil refinery business.. the more we look into all this the more aggitated we get.. trying to do the RIGHT thing.. seems to be more of a headache than doing what everyone else seems to do here (people that come to this country illegally and mooch off the system, but live here for years and years with no intentions of leaving) I myself am not working.. i lost my job in the post office due to downsizing and have been milking my unemployment being as though i cant seem to find a job that pays me what im use to (i was a corrections officer before that which i loved but lost that job unjustly because once again i did the right thing.. others did NOT) so right now and for the past year.. i didn't mooch off any welfare.. i took my unemployment since ive earned it my whole life working as a single mom.. but because im not working i cant afford to sponsor my boyfriend/fiancé.. and its hard to find sponsors that arent relatives.. they want one hell of alot of personal info.. and alot of people right now arent meeting the requirements of the 125% over poverty level with the amount of people on unemployment.. so he's over there in australia saving and selling his stuff off and working as much overtime as possible... starting to stress on him.. because out wen the family we planned on having.. too much of an expense.. were older.. age 40 for both of us... i had thought about moving there.. but once i got there.. i realized they are so far behind the times than we are over here in the usa that i didn't realize how much i was giving up to go there.. none the less having my mother giving me guilt and daughter not wanting to come there EVER to visit.. soi said i wasn't moving there and he agreed to move to the USA.. hes originally from England, so he's done it beofre.. at the age of about 20 something.. got married had a child.. now divorced 18 years later..his child off to college and m ine in her last year of highschool.. It s ure is BEautiful out there in Australia land.. but not for me to live..visit yes.. live no.. were not sure how were gonna get through all this with the sponsorship, or if theres a way around that.. being as though he;'s planning on bringing enough money here to have a place to stay for about 3 months adn buy a car etc.. but 6 months??? uggg! a work visa taking THAT long? isn't there a way to speed that up?? hes basically My support right now.. he send me money and puts it in my account directly from his.. we use s kype to talk and email and snail mail.. he's come here for a week.. and ive been there for 7 weeks.. tons of pictures, people that seen us together as a couple.. but usually it's the man that lives in the USA trying to get a wife here.. what if it's the other way around and the support comes from the man??? is there any way to get around this? we thought about him coming on a tourist visa when he planned on coming to watch my daughters cheerleading competition and getting married then him going home and us filling out the paper work for a spouse visa.. but that seems too complicated and even more risky.. im tired of the dictation of when i have to get marreid and how long i gotta wait and waiting for things to happen.. ive never ben marreid.. i dont want this dictated to me.. i want to plan a weddking.. have friends and family there to see it.. i dont know.. im just really disgusted by it all.. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated at this point.. i love him so much and i just want to live the fairy tale of happily ever after! please help
Dear Chuck..I have a very important question....im 21 and 6 years ago i feel in love wid my fiancé from Honduras...He has been living in the United states illegaly for about 7 years and we now have a 2 year old son together...I really wish that he could get citizenship here wid me in the us...Im constanly am living in fear because i love him wid all my heart & he is a wonderful man and father to my son that we had together in 2009..im just worried that one day he will get caught by the immigration & have to get deported back...And i wouldn't want my son to be wid out hes father..it would brake my heart..So i really do need help and some advice...Im wanting to get married to him but do it in the right way..Should i go to hes country and get married up their first and then come back down here or can we just get married down here in the us since hes already here...without a visa??? please help...than u..Adriana..
Chuck, your article was very informative. I had a question. I met my fiance while studying for medicine in India. I am a US citizen and he is from India. I am 25 years old and we have been with each other for about 3 years. Currently I am not employed and preparing for my boards, thus being supported by my parents. We are planning to apply for the fiancé visa. Everything seems fine until we need to show evidence of financial support. Since I am being supported by my parents, would we be able to get the visa with financial support for him being from my parents? Or will that be a problem? Please help!!
If an American girl moved in with a Thai boy back in 1974 and lived as man and wife in Thailand for that whole year and part of 1975, then the American had to go back to the US and they could not find each other for almost THIRTY SEVEN YEARS ...but now have found each other again thanks to the internet, and the Thai man wants to come to the US to marry his lost love, and she wants it too more than anything....must they spend the money for an air ticket to meet that "we have to had seen each other within the past 2 years" law? Because believe me, No 2 people have ever loved each other more deeply and have for all those 3 and a half decades. They never fell out of love.NEVER. Neither of them. They were 19 and 20 when first living as man and wife in Thailand. They are age 57 and 58 now. STILL as in love as before. Maybe even more now. But the added expense of having to fly one or the other to the other country just so a law saying the must have seen each other in the past 2 years...THAT would be a financial hardship on the Thai, and as for the American paying that ticket, it would just be taking money away from getting the marital home fixed and ready for his arrival.
Hi Chuck..I have 19 years old..Im from Romania,My boyfriend is in Romania..WE are together for three years..I have Citizenship..I am In High School,And I wanna bring him here soon I can..What I need to do ? I`m so confused..I need Help
As for a fiancé visa, I should have gotten one of those for my wife. Instead, we got married first in China.
After we got married, I found out a fiancé visa takes less time than a wife's visa.
As for the Affidavit of Support, the way it was told to me, I was responsible for my wife for 5 years (now its 10 years) or until she became a US citizen. Even if we got divorced, she got drunk, had a car accident and hurt someone, I'd still be responsible.Or if we got divorced and she ended up on foodstamps and welfare, I'd still be responsible.
Hey, does anyone here knows for how long u must be married to us citizen to gain citizenship and if u must live in the States all the time?
HI Steve, I just want to inform you that you must meet your fiancé within a 2 year period in order for your application be appoved.If you have never visited or met in person, you WILL NOT be approved. Me and my fiancé met within the 2 yr period and I am now currently in the US, waiting to marry. My suggestion to you is to contact the USCIS or go online, and they will inform you step by step. And please be aware of scammers, because she can not be approved without meeting or your filing a petition in the USA.
I read your post careful and i understand if one follow the good advice and get the right info. getting the fiancè visa is more easy.. And please i need your advice, my American Girlfriend will be coming to brasil in three weeks time for us to get married and she is currently unemployed, please i need your advice if it´s possible after the marriage in my country i will be able to use the K-1 fiancè visa?
this is my private E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
i need your advice on it..
Hi Chuck. Very important. I met the woman I want to marry a few months ago. All we have done is correspond via email. She is 29, from Russia and her parents are helping her to get here. She has everything approved and will be here in 2 weeks. We wish to marry asap. Am I going to have problems since I have never visited her. I also need to ask what type of visa she got (i assume)
I wish I had read your posts much sooner. Any advice will be appreciated and I know you cant give legal advice. Thanks so much.
my fiancée visa was approved and i went to the embassy in Nigeria for a visa interview, despite i went with everything i was needed to back my case up, mails, telephone bills, affidavit of support form my fiancée,medical results, police certificate,pictures, my fiancée boarding pass, photocopy of her American passport to support.
When the consular officer read in my mails that saw my cousin's name in the conversation with my fiancée, he asked who is Moyo and i told him my cousin who lives in Dallas, he helped us to get mails my fiancée used to send to me because in the previous times, she do post me mails but due to poor Nigeria postal services they missed in transit till now.
the consular now said he cant grant me the K1 visa as say the relationship is base on immigration purpose which is not.
My fiancée already called the uscis office but the told her, they have to get response from the embassy before they know what next.
Please i want you to advise me and my fiancée on what to do next before the approval will expires.
I will be glad to hear from you, my personal email is email@example.com
Extremely helpful, thanks!!!
i will entered in usa soon and then we have plan to married i thinkin is we have civil and the ceremony is on ohio mmmm u think our license is valid and im able to stay in usa for many years then confused thing is we have plan to marry here in phil like ceremony only w/o marriage license....... mmmmm i confused some things the reason we dont need to get marriage license is we have have already marriage license in usa coz we marry there so u think its good and reasonable this situation
i've been reading articles and blogs about this topic but yours is the only one which did not make me fall asleep..as i was typing this i am talking (ym) to my american fiancé as we always do for not less than 8hours a day almost a year now.chuck im really depressed we love each other so much and he should be here on december to get wed and to see me and my family personally for the first time but he really got sick and been living a nightmare.so now we're planning for me to be there instead through k1 visa.but when i knew that both of us must have met in person at least once within two years prior to filing the visa petition,im lost and i really dont know what to do.is there a way that he could get me a k1 visa without us personally seeing each other and all we have are conversation and voice calls history in our ym accounts,,please do reply to this,i would greatly appreciate it..thank you so much
and oh chuck have you heard of a hardship waiver..i read from somewhere that my fiancé could get this one if the two of us haven't met personally but im not really sure what this waiver covers..please help..thank you again
hello,.can i ask if im working as a prostitute and my boyfriend apply a fiancée visa for me,did you think i cant pass the visa because im working prostitute before?
thank you so much,i really need your advice.
hi. have a question. My boyfriend currently lives in guatemala. i would like to know if there is any way i can get him a visa to come visit me here. But my concern is that I am only an U.S resident. i have traveled to see him already. we been a couple for just about 13 months. can you please email me a response at firstname.lastname@example.com
I have met a girl in russia and I'd like to get married to her here and take her to the states. How is her legal process going to go? Will she be able to enter the states with a visa and then file for citizenship? Do i have to get married in the states? would it work out if i got married in russia?
Hi my guy is an american citiEn and were planning to apply for fiancé visa but when we get married and the fiancé visa expires does it mean i need to go back to paris while waiting for another visa once im married to
him? If yes - how many months do u think before i can finally be with him?? Thanksss a lot :)
Thanks for posting, Chuck!
I am still reading posts, but I am wondering if my Filipina Girlfriend, who is working in Bharain, can visit the US with her Philippine passport? It wasn't that long ago the Philippines was a US protectorate!
Thank you so much for this article. I'm currently engaged to a man who lives in the US (I live in England) and we've been looking for information on how he can help me move over. This is one of the clearest, most detailed articles I've seen so far in our research.
thanx for the information... I will start the process soon...
Chuck your posts are very informative and helpful, thanx a bunch, I hope maybe you can offer me some direction from your experience, as I met my Russian friend on the internet 6 months ago and now we are looking into getting married and bringing her here to live with me, my only major problem that I am facing now is that she has a 4 year old daughter, she is recently divorsed, and she is worried that her exhusband will not give her permision to take his daughter out of the country to live, even though he does not see his daughter or support her at all. She recently has returned back to Russia from visiting here with me for 30 days, she had a tourist visa which is still good for ten more months, she is planning on trying to get a visa for her daughter to be able to go with her on the tourist visa and hopefully spend some more time here with me, should she go ahead and apply for the fiancée visa now, and still travel here on the tourist visa while she waits? and what about the daughter, can the exhusband stop her from bringing the daughter here, even if he does not see her or support her at all? Is it true that he will have to sign permission for her to be able to come here, whether to visit or to live? Please any advice is very much appreciated...
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Wow thank you so much Chuck for your time, I will be checking back periodically to see what you and others learn! Thank you for all of the wonderful information, have a great day!
Hello, I am a US citizen (male) and I have met a Russian woman while on vacation. We are looking into what it would take for us to get married and her move to the US with me. I want to say thanks to Chuck for taking the time to write his experiences out for us to learn! She has no kids and has never been married. She read something that said she can not come here on tourist visa and get married while here on that visit, but I read that you said she can apply for K-1 while here on tourist visa. Is that still the law, or do you know any different? Do I have to provide some kind of medical exam in my paperwork too? What kind of things are they doing in this medical exam? Thanks ahead of time for any help!
nice story. will send this link to my friend who is in this situation. the only difference is she's the one who is a us citizen and her fiancée is not. thanks
Well Done Hub!
hi chuck. your blog has been very informative and help to put the process in a more structured order.
i am a UK citizen and my finance is a us citizen.
we were unsure as to what would happen if we got married while im in the USA on a travel visa and then filled for residency.
We are both very much in love and i have travelled to the us to see on several occasions.
the k-1 process seems to be the way forward but it breaks both out hearts every time i leave.
i know the time apart hurts but if it means we are together in the end, it is obviously worth, on the other hand if there is another way, like i mentioned above and i don't have to leave that would be great,,, do you know anything about this.?
thanks for your time chuck.
Very useful indeed. Thanks very much for sharing your marriage experience with us. You are a very nice couple. God bless.
Hello.I'm Mongolian and my boyfriend is American.we live in china have been together for 3 years.we planning to have a baby sometime in next year and we thought it would be better if we get married first.we will be living in china in next few years and no plan to living in American so far.I never been in USA.but I would like to go to there sometime.but not for living...where do you think we should get married? In my home country, china or USA?our plan is living in Asia in the future and travel to USA sometimes.is there any chance to do all the paperwork while we live in another country?
Dear Chuck,
you display some very interesting qualities in your writing. I am amazed by your patients, the detail in your answers and your desire to help. I enjoy the insight you provide into your perspective of how things are done in the US.
I grew up in Europe, live now in Canada and never immagined the US to have such a highly bureaucratic regime. It strikes me as most absurd that a nation would display this enormous paranoia about people requiering some sort of social assistance while spending enormous amounts of money they don't even have to try and fake a military power they can no longer pay for.
I like to congratulate you, Bela and all your kids, to having you as their head of a very unique family.
What would be your comments regarding the psychological aspects of integrating your kids with Bela's, their process of adapting to life in your neck of the woods, and also your position regarding life in another part of the world - 1st, 2nd or 3rd - take your choice.
Franto in Toronto
im an american citizen that got married to a filpina in the philippines.i never entended to bring her here to the u.s however due to my finances and recent career change,i find that i may have to bring her here afer all.now i hear its motre diificult to bring them if you marry them in their country.cant say i like that.i didn't know that really would have brought her here to marry had i known that.i still think its a better idea to live in the philippines with her and i would much prefer to do that if possible.its not important to me to live in plush america.in the philippines i can have some land and raise livestock.also coconut trees and beautiful women.america is only wonderful if you a ummmmm filipino
I'm sorry to say that I think there are more of the "I married you to get into the U.S." stories than people think.
Men really need to think with their brains rather than their penis.
Just my thoughts.
Hi Chuck, very informative post you've got there.
I'm not quite sure if you could enlighten me with this, but sure worth a shot seeing that you've become knowledgeable about this thru experience.
But the twist is we're both non-citizens, but one of his parents is: his mom is has a US citizen status and his dad has an immigrant status. They migrated to the US in the early 1990s. His dad petitioned him as a single son and we have already received his invitation to the US Embassy.
Although we love each other and at the point of ready to be married, I gave way for him to fulfill his family's american dream, since it took them years of waiting for their petition to be taken cared of. I somewhat frustrates me, but because I love him, I would assume that this would be good for him.
In our situation, what do you think would be the best route? We discussed these possibilities and researched about it on the net, yet never came across an answer fitting our situation:
1) he will complete his US stay requirement until he will be allowed to file a Fiancée visa for me and marry me in the US.
2) he will complete his US stay requirement, then fly back to our home country so we can marry, then petition me as his wife.
there are pros and cons in the two; but we were wondering which would be less tedious and less wait? or any thoughts you might want to share?
I married a guy from Nigeria 2 years ago. I recently found out that he was cheating and he told me he only married to become a US citizen. How long must we be married before that happens.. seeking an answer
Hie I'm a canadian citizen n i have a daughter who's also a canadian but my boyfriend(fiancé)also my baby's father is a US permanent resident.i've visited new york several times but this time i'm planning to go there and get married. any idea if i could stay there for more than 6 months if the paperwork is not completed.Also he works as a cashier, so do you think there would be any problem with the financial status?...well if anyone knows anything please share them with me..would be glad to take the help !! thanks
I was reading more of the stories above and read that one of the proofs can be flight tickets....me and my fiancé threw the tickets away thinking we didn't need them, also he doesn't have a job at the moment, and this worries me alot cuz i just want to be with him so bad I dont want to wait any longer, its already been two years that we been together, I just want to be with him right now and he wants to get married by the end of this summer, so it dont seem like we have much time at all
also I was wondering if me being an italian citizen but permanent resident in Canada would make it difficult for me to stay there, would be awesome if I can get answers. ty :)
I am from Canada and my fiancé is from Louisiana, we trying to get me to stay there but I cant figure out what's the easiest way to do it....like, we decided to get married but idk if we have to fill anything up before that, can anyone help me out figuring it out?
I also intend to marry an American citizen, and I'm from E Europe. Neither of us has children or have been married. So, it should be simpler. But what astounishes me is the discriminating attitude the Governemnt has there toward the less developed countries. "Their main objective is to prevent single adult women from less developed countries to marry a U.S. citizen and stay there"..."except for Western Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand". What is the rest of the world? Subhumans? What the f**k's with this attitude? This is really low of them. Really low. It shows how judgemental and narrow the American Constitution is. Anyway.....once he and I get married, we're settling somewhere other than U.S. I don't wanna grow my children in America and grow up in that society. Horrible.
chuck, yea im american, so she doesn't have to go back to the philippines? and thanks man
hi chuck, my filipina gf works in England, can I file my petition for a fiancée visa there?
Chuck, thanks for your information on how to marry out of this country. The ordeal you went through was unbelievable. They make it hard for some countries and easy for our Mexican friends. I am truly sorry that your wife had to go through so much to marry you and become a citizen. I am sure that you have a lot to share about your past lives. We have a couple in this small city who have adopted Russian Children. They were determined and won! There are so many comments, that you should write a book about your experience!
Thank you Chuck, I appreciate it. My concern was mostly having to have a cosponsor, since my fiancé didn't want one. It was hard for us to be apart 5 months, then we will have been apart another 4 months before we see each other again (if I can get things together, a friend told me visas from W. Europe are a snap). It's hard for anyone to be patient for that long, and I would hate to force him to wait. Though it would break my heart, I would have to give him the option of being 'cut loose' so to speak, rather than waiting so long for me to get all the legal stuff straightened out. I guess if he really wants to be with me, he might change his mind about a cosponsor. I definitely will see an attorney, soon. Thanks a million! I am grateful for your willingness to spend time helping other people through your own experience. The bureaucracy involved in what should be such a simple thing is a nightmare.
My fiancé is a French citizen and I am a US Citizen. I know pretty much everything about the I129 Process except one thing. I got divorced last year so my tax return for '09 won't reflect adequate income. Do you have any idea if it is possible for the financial responsibility affidavit to be based upon my current income, verifiable by several months' check stubs, or is it necessary to obtain a cosponsor if I don't have tax records yet? We really don't want to wait until Spring 2011 to apply for his visa, as we have known each other since last March, met in person twice since then, and really want to be together. Also, my family may be reluctant to help me with cosponsorship, and he prefers we don't use a cosponsor anyway. Any information would be appreciated, but certainly my next stop is an immigrations attorney, if I can find one that doesn't price me out of the ballpark just to give me the pertinent information I seek, or give me the runaround without answering my questions directly. I've been getting pretty discouraged, with the ambiguous and/or confusing language on the homeland security website, and my fiance's lack of understanding of the legal immigrations process in the US. Not to mention pretty mad at people stateside who have told me "Why don't you just forget about him and find a nice American man?". I feel like asking them "Why don't you just forget you have children, so you can have fun all the time with no responsibility?" It makes about as much sense.
i want to know i got married in santo dominigo and i did my divorce papers but got divorce before i got married what can i do now cause i want to bring my wife to this country
hi. if anyone can help me out. i've been talking to my fiancé from the philippines for about 5 years now. I have no clue what to do as far as getting her over here. Neither one of us have any children and we just want to get married and start a family together. If anyone can help me add me to yahoo messenger at laikemiller.census2010
Hi chuck!I met my hubby to be through phone last year Nov.2008.He is a co-worker of my sister in the hospital in Florida.I just knew him through phone that time and after that he always called me and our special relationhip began the next month,December 2008. Everyday he called me through his cellphone since he is not fond of using the internet.He was divorced year 2007 of December and have 5 kids.. He visited me here in Philippines last June this year and then we found out that we truly fall inlove not just in phone but also in person.When he returned to US last July,he submitted my fiancée petition to USCIS.My question is that: 1.is it possible that his petition for me as a fiancée will be denied because we are less than a year in our relationship?
2. I graduated in Bachelor of Physical Therapy but I am underboard.I am registered nurse by profession and are currently self-reviewing for NCLEX.Is there a possibility that i will be denied because of my profession?
I really find your article so helpful.Thank you so much:)
Thank you for you very informative information! This is my dilema; 4 years ago I separated from my husband and only recently filed for divorce. The divorce is final in mid October, however, I cannot re-marry for 6 months. This past year I met the man that I am going to marry. He is studying in Europe, but is a Pakistani citizen and I am wondering how is this going to affect our "marriage"? Can we be engaged while I am waiting for that 6 month period to be over? I realize that you are not a lawyer, and cannot give out legal advice, but have you had any questions of this nature? Our idea was to marry overseas where he is attending college, but from what I gather, on your experiences, it is easier to apply for a fincee visa....I cannot wait so long for to be with him, it is terrible!!!!!!! What can I do to speed things up? Would a lawyer be able to help us?
Thank You!
I got married 2 years ago, but I discover my husband don't want to work at all because immigration rules said that I have to respond for him, beside, he is using my car all the time because I have to give to him transport, and now also I realize he married me just because he wants to bring his 6 sons and daughters and at the begining he told he has only 3 what I have to do to get his deportation. thank you.
Hi Chuck! Thank you for taking the time for this article. I have been dating my fiancé for almost 10 months. I am a 39 year old female American. Born and raised, and my fiancé is 38 years old living in Dominican Republic. Both never married, nor have children. He is a Cuban/Dominican. I met him by accident via skype (an online telephone). I just came back from visiting him in July 2009, and we are MADLY IN LOVE! So, I JUST sent off my first set of forms to USCIS. I used the I-129F the fiancé Visa form they told me to fill out with information concerning myself, as well as for my fiancé. I also sent along with the asking payment of $455.00. I received a letter 2 weeks later, stating that they received the package and that our 'case number' (They gave me a case number) is pending...I will let you know the outcome as it unfolds, for I see the times have changed a bit, but we shall see....fingers crossed....they SAY on their website 3-5 months...I am not sure if this means, TOTAL time to have my fiancé here with me in the US or just on our end and then shipping the package to the Dominican Republic, to have my fiancé take care of his forms, medical exam, interview, and the criminial clearance...I am not sure, perhaps you may know? Thank you again for this information, for I did as much research as I could mostly on the USCIC website. I got a little sad tonight and decided to go on the net to see if anyone had posted anything on this matter....thank goodness I found this article. Like I said, I will post anything new :))))) I can sleep better tonight...I love your story :)Happy for all of you, for your patience, love, and guidance...
I'm Moroccan (23) engaged to an American girl (20), we are in love for more than 10 months, never met each other in person and both of us are students, what can I do to meet her there in USA (in person) ? will I apply for a K1 visa in about 2 or 3 years ? just let you know that she has no income she did not get her degree yet, it means she doesn't work and she's still living with her parents ... I need your help please & thanks
This is a fascinating article and very helpful. I am a 56 year old American woman living in the UK and in a long term relationship with a Brit. When the time comes, the process for me to get residency here will be slightly easier, but still it's full of red tape and lots of expense (the visa application costs over £500!!). Fortunately, the UK grants Americans six months leave per visit and so far I've been able to get by with leaving every six months and returning for another six months as long as I can show that I can support myself without working here or taking state benefits. Eventually we will get it all sorted but until then I do a lot of travelling back and forth!
Hi, I'm an american citizen born and raised all of my 21 years of life. I met a girl on the internet and of course we fell for each other. But we've talked for years ever since we were around 16 and 17 years of age. She is from England and we're looking to obviously get married since this is the only way around the stuff, By no means do I mean the marriage is a shame because I love her to death and would adore to marry her but my question is, She came to visit on a tourist visa and so she has pictures of proof that she came and saw me and met me and what not...... So I should be technically fine for the K1 Visa right?
Wow Chuck, thank you for your extensive reply. I am sure I speak for all other bloggers when I say YOUR ARE THE BEST! May God bless you for helping so many people. Dealing with immigration is such a tedious process, it is priceless to have someone help you navigate through it. THANKS AGAIN! and God bless you and your family.
Thanks for all your priceless information. I know you did your process years ago and things have changed but I would like to know if you know what proof is required that the marriage is legitimate after your fiancé arrives. My sister who ocassionally lives with me is applying to bring her fiancé here who she met this summer in Argentina. The thing is, she only ocassionally lives with me because she does temporary work abroad most of the year and so doesn't have a permanent address here and stays with me. She said when her finace comes they will move in with me permanently which I am okay with since I have 2 extra rooms. But I do not want her name on any of my utilities, house bills or lease etc. She asked if she can use my address on her immigration application and I said okay as long as it is okay with immigration. My question is do you think this will be a problem for her? Will they ask her for proof of address such as name on bills etc.? Does she have to have her own residence in her name? Will immigration request her records? Or is it enough for me to verify with them that she lives here with me and it is fine for her finace to live here also.
thanks I am looking to bring my fiancée to the us and ur article really hepled
Chuck, I've been reading several of your hubs and they are amazing. Thanks for sharing all these useful information!
This was informative thanks. I have two questions how do you prove that you talk on the phone when you are using phone cards? Secondly I am having a problem with a question on the I-129F form which is place of birth. She was born in !973 which was still Soviet and her birth certificate actually says RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic) so what should I list on place of birth. USSR, Russia or RSFSR, also the Birth Certificate says Leningrad or is it St. Petersburgh firstname.lastname@example.com
hi i also read this from thsi website http://www.ezvisa.us is that site official? me and my boyfriend want to have the fiancé visa and then get married in the US, we want it to get started ASAP, but the thing is i also thought about getting the facts straight before doing business with some random law firm i found on the net. can you do electronic filing for K-1 visas? coz that's what they do too and they say it makes the whoel process faster. do u also have any idea as the approximate costs of K-1 visas with the forms and everything, also with usual lawyer fees? it would be really helpful.any information you can provide is really importantthanks and God bless
I've been there, survived through that, but I don't even want to think of it now. The whole process was just awful!!! I came here on a K-3 visa, as a non-immigrant spouse of a US citizen. It took 7 months before I got the visa to be able to come to my husband. The fiancé visa would have been faster, but we wanted the wedding in Romania, for all our big family there to be able to attend. In our culture it is a very important event and it would have been impossible to get all of them here to the US.
Anyway, we survived the 7 months of separation and the nightmare of papers and more papers and evidence (which was not over once I came, cause we had to file for the next stage and the next).
Some friends who did the same as we did but half a year later got through in about 3 or 4 months, so much faster. I guess the uscis has improved in the meantime.
Thank you Chuck for all the informations it really helps, I just wanna know how many months the whole processing did it take ? me and my fiancée were never married before so how much time do you think it will take for us ? .Thank you Chuck
Very interesting Hub, my finacée and I plan to get married in US and we don't know what can we show to the consular like a proof of our relationship, can some pictures of us together and some letters that she sent me before help ? Thank you.
Thanks Chuck,
I'll look at some of these websites. My main concern is her happiness. I guess I worry about her maybe getting homesick. the Chinese culture is very family oriented and it is quite a sacrifice for her to move. We have talked about this quite a bit and she feel ok about leaving her homeland. We have known each other for over a year and I have visited her and her family back in June and I will go back this January. We are truly in love and I'm truly concerned about her adjusting to the American life. Thanks for your help, I'm very glad I stumbled across your site.
Thanks again,
Thanks for the info Chuck,
The reason I ask this is because my wife will want her daughter to finish highschool in China before she comes over here to live with us. So if we get married this summer, she would like to go back for the school year approximately 10 months. I was just wondering if there are any time limitations.
I have one more question, do you know of any websites or blogs on adapting to our cultural differences? Thanks
I am in the process of getting my fiance over here on a K1 Visa from China. I know this is a long process and we are patiently waiting. I have a question for you, I hope maybe you can help me out. After we are married can my wife travel back to her country and if so for how long?
I am thinking of meeting a woman abroad and trying to get married. The only concern i have is i had a criminal past when i was younger (8-10 years ago). Nothing major i was busted with pot a couple times and 2 dui's also 1 2nd degree assault (basically a bar fight)
I moved past all that a long time ago it was just partying no domestic violence or anything like that ive never hit a woman in my life. Im 31 now i have a 3 year old son and am just looking to settle down is my past going to hold me back?
hello. I have a question about marrying someone abroad. Do you abslotuely have to have met them before in person before both of you would to be able to marry each other? I found the love of my life online and I need help on how to get him here to me so we can be together. Thanx if u can help me.
Your site is very helpful, interesting and knowledgeable, great job!
My girlfriend and I intend to get married but we have some questions please. She is a Mexican citizen liviing in Monterrey MX and has 2 children ages 6 and 11. All of them have Mexican passports and US tourist visas that don't expire for at least 6 more years. She is divorced and has full custody of her children. According to divorce paperwork the father has visitation rights for a few hours 2 days a week. He actually only sees them for a few hours maybe once a week. I understand somewhat the fiance visa process from reading on this but there is not much information regarding kids that are being brought into the US. We are guessing that the father will makes things as difficult as possible. Are you familiar with how we can bring her and the kids here if the father objects to this? My income is fine and I will be able to support them. Also, she intends to start working here as soon as legally possible so any help with this is appreciated. I don't intend to "adopt" them but just want her and the kids here all together. Also, do you know if there is a time when she will be "restricted" from travel during any of the application processes? She intends to go back and forth often to visit a sick parent. Any help and info appreciated .
All you guys marrying these forein wives. They are using you for a green card. If you do get a divorce from them. You will be obligated to support them for ten years because they can not file for goverment assistance for 10 years. You legally have to pay.
I met my Russian fiance here in the U.S. She was working through a student-work program at the time. She is back in Russia now. My question is: is there a minimum salary I need to be making in order for her to be granted a Visa? What are they looking for as far as a bank statement, etc? I am a twenty-eight year old college graduate, but my degree is in Literature and I probably make quite a bit less per year than some others who are marrying Russian brides. Is this going to be a problem? I am by no means destitute and have other means of support, but I am certainly not a wealthy man, if you look at my wages.
That's a tough question.
First, you'll have to find the legal requirements for an American citizen to marry a Peruvian IN PERU. That's the first step.
my fiance is american and im from peru , we want to get marry here and do pappers living here (Peru) , How long it's going to take that process? , How much iis it? , she is scared if that process won't work , we want to live here for a while and after go to usa togethere is that pposible?.
Good question... The BCC (border crossing card) pertains to Mexican nationals only. That said, other nationalities may hold a B1 or B2 visa. It's commonly known as a BCC B1/B2 visa laser.
It appears that people from Canada can apply for a B2 visitors permit for an extended stay (over six months). According to this website, (https://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/visa_b2.html) if you hold a B2 you are eligible for AOS (adjustment of status).
Note: Because of the constant changes with immigration laws and opinions in the USA, I highly recommend one hire an immigration expert. Short on funds? Contact the Catholic Church... they can assist you in finding options.
P.S. If you apply for an adjustment of status, have your attorney complete work permit and overseas permission travel documents. Don't leave the USA before permission is granted. Overseas travel without permission is considered abandonment of application.
Plus, there are different rules on travel depending on how long you've been in the USA.
Little known secret option for holders of BBC (border crossing card)... if you are married and your partner holds a valid border crossing card, apply for an AOS (adjustment of status).
You'll be able to process the documents in the United States.
P.S. Was lucky... found an extremely professional lawyer by word of mouth. He broke away from a large firm ... My traffic ticket lawyer referred him.
Wow, I must say that she is a very lucky girl to have you beside her!!! Very informative article, alot of time and detail information has been put.
I got married with my husband overseas, then came to the States where we started to have a family,,,,,, four kids, and he persued his profession as a MD. Now, after 16yr. and 4 children who are in their teens, I have come to understand that my husband who is now a citizen is interested in getting remarried to someone overseas in Middle East. I am very hurt, but I have found evdience which proofs what I say to be true. I am wondering can he bring someone to the States while he is married with me too?? The only thing that is bothering me is that our marriage was proformed overseas, and the only thing I did once we arrived here was to get my marriage certificate translated and stampted by the embassy of the country which we were officially married in. Therefore I don't have an actually American certificate but one that has been attested by the foreign embassy in America. Along with that our bank account or his work papers state that I am his spouse ofcourse our tax return and all. Any thoughts in a issue like this???? Thank for taking the time. All the best for you and your family.
Enjoying your posts.
This is a very specific question, wondering if anyone has come across:
I am Canadian, My finacee (US citizen) would be petitioning me under k-1. we are in love , and have a child. The only setback we see is: her income level, probably just under the range specified. However: I have an aunt whom has been a US Citizen for 25 yrs - could she be a co-sponser?
Oh my goodness really enjoyed reading your hub of course I have an invested interest ..hahaha..my new Husband is American.
Its a really long story ( as Successful Internet Relationships tend to be )...but the bottom line is I flew to the USA to meet Him then ( eventually ) he came to my country ( New Zealand ) , after a long engagement we just recently married , even though I will be accomanying Him early next year to the U.S.A to live.
I have three young adults sons but they will not be coming to the States wit me so it was important for me to marry here ,so they could attend.
I dont understand why it would be more difficult for me as his wife than say as his fiancee, I beleive you but I just dont get it...why??doesnt seem logical at all somehow.
Thankyou so much for sharing your experiences and the knowledge you have gained......much of it bought back familiar memories indeed.
In fact just when you think you have reached some goal , a new horizon challenges be it Govt bureaucracy, or family dynamics.....
My best wishes to you all !!! ( check out my first hub on long distance relationship etc).... ).....guess it's written more from a females perspective though I did try to tone that down a little...haha
Don't even think about a foreign spouse if you are planning to have children. You run a serious risk of having your children abducted to the foreign country when your spouse eventually gets homesick. This can happen within months, years, or even a decade after your children are born and the situation always becomes messy, expensice, heartbreaking, and disastrous for the children. Statistics show that European mothers and Arabian fathers are the worst offenders; however, as director of America's Stolen Children Network (StolenChildren.net), I have aided many grieving left-behind American parents from every continent in the world over the past ten years. Thus, the problem is not limited to Europe or the Middle East. The best solution (if you plan on having children) is not to marry anyone from a foreign country. On the other hand, if you and your partner have agreed that children are out of the question, then, by all means, there is no reason to restrict yourself in any way in this regard.
--Chris, Director, StolenChildren.net
i married a russian girl before she went home to finish collage . what do i need to do for papperwork before she tries to come back to the u.s.
Really great article. As an immigration lawyer I just thought I'd say that this article was very informative from many perspectives. I've seen the effect the process can have upon couples going through it and it seems that more information out there helps people deal with some of the frustration. Showing people that there is light at the end of the tunnel is helpful too. I have some other informative sites on https://hubpages.com/misc/US-Immigration-from-Thai... that can help people better understand this process.
Wow, this is an excellent post. I have moved to the States to live with my American husband... that's almost 9 years ago now. A lot has changed since I came over. This post is very informative. Thank you.
I am currently working on bringing my fiance to the United States. I met her last year when I was working in Ethiopia as a medical volunteer. She was a student at this school next to where I was staying and we became friends and started a relationship. This continued after I left the country to come back here and after we decided to get married I have been working on getting a visa for her to come here to the US so we can live together and get married. I am all set to send in the initial paperwork and since it is just her and me, she has no kids, do you think the whole process will take very long? I know that after I send in the initial paperwork she will have to go the US embassy to get the next set of paperwork filled out, but do you have any advice for me as to what I can expect or need to do? She has told me she is ready to come here and I am looking forward to when she does, but I am hoping to help her get a job soon, or maybe even take some classes at the university where I am going to medical school so she doesn't feel alone or bored while I am in class. I am expecting to bring her here next year, thinking it will take awhile for things to clear. I look forward to hearing what you have to say, thanks.
Thanks so much for this informative Article!
Wow what an indepth account! I am so glad my H2B (From NL) had an easier time getting into England... But it's worth all that effort when it's all over.
Long distance relationsips make a relationship stronger I think. Its hard, but it's worth the fight.
Lovely! You have a very interesting and informative topic here. Great post! Thumb's up!
love the truth to it...
Great Post. I am a russian immigrant. My husband and I met in USA in college then I had to return to Russia due to visa requirements for two years. In 2000 we came back and we had to go through paperwork at the russian embassy and consulate in Russia.
I received my green card in 2000 and it is sad that when people want to do everything legally it takes so much time and so much effort and there are thousands of illegal immigrants who live and prosper in US.
Again great information. Things changed in Russia in the past few years and I think America needs to make changes as well in dealing with foreign marriages. America is a diverse culture country today.
Thank you
Tatyana Gann
CEO Global Mentors Marketing Group
Hi Chuck, dont know why , but your pages always come with Full information. really good info to share with us. very interesting and helpful. thanks
I'd like someone to bring me in...
Hi Chuck
Nice post. Everyone tries to make their marriage and honeymoon sound like an adventure.......but you really had one.
hi, i just read your entire entry it was very informative, im hoping to touch US soil via K-1 visa, and this will very much be useful for me some day :)
Hi Chuck:I enjoyed reading your hub. I was searching online about visas, and your experience was helpful. My case is way different. I'm a 30 yr old woman. Last year I went to study abroad in spain, ended visiting Morocco (Casablanca,its located in Africa). I met someone(now fiance). When I returned to the States, I found out I was pregnant. I went to get help in an immigrations services here in San Diego, CA. They told me that in order to bring my fiance, I had to be in a relationship with him for two years and have proof of it. Well, I didn't qualify for such because I only had half of year in knowing him. The second choice was to go back and get married abroad (in Morocco), then come back and file a visa as spouse. We tried to get married last December, but because some paper work was missing, we couldnt. I was 6 months pregnant and came back devasted because I couldnt stay longer because my airplane ticket was almost due and needed to come back to the states for my pregnancy appointments. So, the plan was to go back on summer after my pregnancy and get married over there.On February, we turned one year of knowing each other. On March, Our son was born. Right now, I'm in CalWorks(TANF), looking for a job at the time. I believe I have done a lot here these past months, but how I need his support. He cannot even send money because in Morocco they have a law that people cant send money from them. You cant imagine my despair.Care and patience are in the equation for success..and trust me that I have been patience on this matter, and will need to be more patient because there still some way to go.I've read the last comment you had of "Molej", it sounds like they told me in immigration services my case will be like, but they certainly told me it will be easier to get married first.Also I read the fiance's visas take longer than that. Well, thank you for sharing. If you have any comments regarding my case I'm all ears and of course if anyone who read this has any comments ..they are welcome to share their thoughts, opinions or by experience is the best :D
Thank You :D
I went a different route from you with my wife. My wife is Peruvian and we got married in Brazil and then she came here to the US. She has been here for almost 2 years now. I stayed in the US through the whole process and my wife continued her university in Brazil.
She talked the local Brazilian government about the documents that was needed to get married there. I think it was around 5 documents, some just affidavits, this had to be notarized by the State government and the Brazilian embassy here in Washington DC. I sent all of these to my wife, she took them to have them translated. Then she went to the court in Brasilia and they told her they would contact her when we would be married. We got married July 15, 2005.
Once I returned I started the process of getting her a visa. I filed a petition with the USCIS with supporting documents (marriage certificate translated, some other forms). The approved this and I had to do financial part, showing I made enough money to sponsor her. My parents agreed to co-sponsor, because I did not make enough. I had just graduated university. We filled this out sent in the supporting documents (mostly taxes). This was approved, and everything was sent to Rio de Janiero to the embassy there.
They contacted my wife about the medical physical and the date of the interview at the embassy. She went to the embassy they asked her one question, if she had ever been to the US? She said no, she had not been here before. They approved the visa. She had to enter the US with in 6 months.
She came here after she finished University. When she first came to Miami, she had to sign some documents at the airport. She received her green card about 2 weeks after she was here.
The whole visa process took about 9 months total. A long process with a lot of forms and documents.
From my understanding, if a US citizen is married to a foreign national in a foreign country as long as this is legal and valid in that country, the US government recognizes the marriage also. When the citizen submits the petition to the USCIS, he or she presents his or her evidence showing that the marriage is legal and valid.
Not sure about children, we have none and this was our first marriage for both of us. It maybe more complicated if this was different.
This is the route we took, other than taking a long time and dealing with the paperwork, it was not that bad actually. My wife had to finish up university in Brasilia, so the process lasted almost until the graduated from university.
From reading about both visas, fiancee visa and getting married in another country. To me the fiancee visa seemed more complicated. This may not be the case.
Interesting hub! It will be extremely helpful.
Useful information! Great hub.
"First of all, the United States generally does not grant visitor visas to single adult women from most countries in the world, the exception being Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Western European nations and a couple of other economically advanced nations. The objective is to prevent single women in less developed countries from coming to the U.S. on a tourist visa with the objective of marrying an American and staying here.
Further, foreign nationals who marry Americans while in the U.S. on visas other than Fiancee visas risk not only being deported when their temporary visa expires but can also be forever restricted to temporary visits to the U.S. on tourist visas."
This highly depends on the type of Visa that the person is using to enter the united states. L-1, H-1 (work visas) are seen as dual intent, which gives the holder the freedom to apply for a greencard, either through marriage or through work without jeopardising their status as indicated on the Visa.
As for adult females generally not being given tourist visa's, this also highly depends on the country. I work for a company that has many branches around the world, some in so-called "third world" countries and there has never been a problem with either a tourist or work visa for both single men and women of adult age. I believe that this mainly applies to Eastern european countries.
My previous comment was meant for timeclocknomore. I didn't mean to forget your post Chuck, but sometimes senior moments get the better of me. Very informative from a very personal perspective, and I hope you wouldn't mind if I mention you in my similar blog. Thank you!
You might want to check on Vonage phone service. Just a few minutes ago, I had a call from someone in San Diego, CA using her Vonage phone in the Philippines, as she is studying there now for a year. This is the 2nd time I heard about it and I might check into the specifics at some point. I call the Philippines a lot and even with the 13c/min card, I still spend a minimum of $60. Her vonage is only costing her under $30 including taxes. The first time I heard about it was when my friend came to the US, her cousin sent a vonage phone with her back to the Philippines so they can talk more often. Sometimes, she would take the unit to her mom, so she can use it to. That's what you call maximum usage--how you're going to send the unit there would be the question. I thought you have to have both units to avail of the privileges...but I don't have one and when that lady called she said it was okay. That's why I will research further...let me see if this is worth a blog.
Sorry, I mean't to use my profile page, not the "Search Results to my Hub."
Excellent post! This is definitely one of the better hubs I've seen on this website.
Regarding your statement, "overseas telephone rates for calls from the U.S. to most of the world are very reasonable (a one hour call to Russia cost me less than dinner for two at McDonald's) making this a great way to build the relationship.", were you using phone cards or another product/service?
Very good advices. Thanks!
Great Hub!! It's glad to see a case where everything went well (more or less). My business partner's company helps arrange trips to the Ukraine and Russia for men interested in meeting women overseas. Most of the time everything works out well, but some clients have seen difficulties involving paperwork, etc.
My company provides staffing and recruitment services, with a great deal of our workers coming from overseas. It is definitely a different atmosphere over there. The people are wonderful, and they are very family-oriented. It is great helping them find jobs and employment in the USA, and it is great seeing people meet, fall in love, and grow old together.
I met a woman from Russia online. It has only been a few weeks though. Your hub has enlightened me greatly. She has said that she is a nurse in Russia. Would she have difficulty getting a green card? She says she doesn't have a telephone, how could I talk to her if I call? We have just been communicating via the internet so far. Do you have any suggestions?
Nice, I'm try to follow this objective.
Fiori Online
great info
Thank you :)
Really detials info and helpful. Thanks
Great infor Thanks
Hey Chuck,
Great information and it helped a lot, but I have a question. I am about to become a US citizen(been here for most of my life) and I want to bring my girlfriend over here. She is from Western Europe(Spain, so am I but I lived most of my life in the US). I know that she can come to the US on the allowed three month visit, but my question is simple, do I have to fill out the k-1 visa if she is from Western Europe? Also can I marry her in Spain instead of here? I see the trouble that someone can go through if the person is from somewhere other than 1st world countries. Hopefully you can answer these questions to the best of your ability.
hey this is a very helpful article and I had a question.
In the begining of the article you mention that it is a bad idea to marry abroad, well my fiance lives in finland which is exempt from certain visa requirements, and we planned on marrying while she was here, wasnt planning on dealing with the k-1 visa, does this make things just as difficuilt as if I were to marry her abroad?
Hope that made sense.
Great information!!!
I have been in a relationship for about a year-and-a-half with a Russian girl. I visited her last February in her city. I filled out and submitted all of the required forms to USCIS, along with proof and documentation of our relationship and my visit. About a month ago, I received a letter stating that the USCIS had approved our application to proceed to the next level. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow had an ssigned case number for my fiancee. She completed the required medical exam, and presented all of the required documentation. I also sent her financial records and a letter form my employer, along with the Affidavit of Support. I am divorced, and have three children from my previous marriage. I provided copies of my divorce papers to the USCIS when I made my initial application with them. At the time of my fiancee's appointment at the embassy, she was asked by the interviewer if she was aware of my divorce and children. She has know about this from the very beginning. She answered "yes". The interviewer then told her that I would have to provide copies of my divorce papers. That day I faxed the copies of my divorce papers to the embassy. My fiancee was told by the interviewer that once he received my divorce papers, he would review all of our documents, and let her know if the visa had been approved. My question is: Is this normal procedure for these people at the embassy? If so, then how long should it take before my fincee hears an answer from them? I am legally divorced, and I do pay child support every month. Is there anything about this situation that would cause the embassy to reject us? If you have any insight into this type of situation, I would appreciate some advice. Thanks.
Nice hub, well written. Very interesting. I guess it will be helpful for some people.
Hey chuck i have some questions, maybe you can help, i have a fiancee in the dominican republic he has a visa to come to the US, and will be here within four months, i am to go live with him and his parents, and he wants to get married there, if we do get married what are the consequences? could he get deported if we get married, will he be able to get residency here? He also asked me to decide what i wanted to do as he said i could travel that way and we could marry in the dominican, if i do this could i get into trouble? chuck my fiancee has a visa to be in the US for 10 years, he says he dosen't plan to take up residence here because he loves his country and i don't care where we live as long as were together i will be happy, chuck give me some answers before we mess up somewhere. we would greatly appriciate it.
Quite an adventure you went through. I did not know your wife is Russian :) Say hello to her.
Hi Chuck,
Congrats, you have found someone you love over the internet , finally bringing her to US is definitely not an easy task.
Happy for you. :)
amount it costs now is alot more and they are looking for more and more proof that me and my fiance is serous
Excellent article! You must have put a fair bit of time into this one.
welldone great blog on the important subject matter
Great hub with cool advice - does it matter which country my fiance is from i.e. Phillipines as opposed to Thailand or Ukraine?
Nice article!
Have a good day. I read the story of your marriage it is almost the same with me. Me and my husband met online also and now we are married. My question is what last name am going to use in filling paper work for adjustment of status? 'coz my friend that was get married with american man also told me that she still use her last name during when they file their paper works and me i use the last name of my husband but we didn't submit yet the forms.
Thank you Chuck,
I have a question, I have a lawyer doing my paperwork for her visa, I plan on getting married as soon as I touchdown in the US due to i work overseas and must be back within 7 days is this allowed? Also can you tell me, if you can what paperwork i need to start immedatley once i hit US Soil? I know Greencard and SSC anything else and should i stay at least 14 days?
I certainly like to hope that this will come in handy... I need to work on my Slavic languages I think...
This is an excellent and enlightening article.
As a Danish citizen who married a US citizen in 1984, I remember much of the endless paperwork that went on... although I also remember (at least at THAT time) that there seemed to be different rules and regulations, depending on the nationality of the non-US citizen. In my case, I seem to remember Denmark having some kind of "preferred status," so the process wasn't as complex as it COULD have been. But even then... there were other complicating factors, since I had actually lived in several different countries (no uncommon for Europeans) and had to provide police records from four different nations.
Your story was very interesting. I am going through the same thing, but I am a female. I am a US born and raised citizen, never been married, and no kids. Does this make my chances greater for a smoother K-1 Visa app. process? Is there any reasons why my fiance visa would be rejected? or how long does it take for the visa to be issued after the interview process?
I knew the process was time consuming and frustrating, but I never fully comprehended what actually took place. There has to be a better way to handle this process. Thanks for the education.
Put pictures or something to break up the text!