K-1 or K-3? Lawyer or none?

[hyperbad 0]

Hello all,

I am new here and have found lots of great information already. I am engaged to a Hong Kong girl since last year and we have a wedding planned for November 28th of this year in Hong Kong.

My main question is wether we should apply now for a K-1 and then not get married during the ceremnoy on Hong Kong and then get married legally after the ceremony back in the US? Or we could apply for a K-3 after the ceremony but we of course want to be together and in the US after the wedding!

Also, is it easier with a lawyer? Would anyone recommend using one?

And, has anybody had any experience with marrying someone from Hong Kong?

Thanks!

[Old Dominion 26]

Hello all,

I am new here and have found lots of great information already. I am engaged to a Hong Kong girl since last year and we have a wedding planned for November 28th of this year in Hong Kong.

My main question is wether we should apply now for a K-1 and then not get married during the ceremnoy on Hong Kong and then get married legally after the ceremony back in the US? Or we could apply for a K-3 after the ceremony but we of course want to be together and in the US after the wedding!

Also, is it easier with a lawyer? Would anyone recommend using one?

And, has anybody had any experience with marrying someone from Hong Kong?

Thanks!

Quickest thing to do is apply for the K-1 and marry in the U.S. when (or if) the visa is granted in 6-9 months. Waiting until after marriage can delay her visa by up to another year. A lawyer won't help you much unless you just can't figure out the petition forms by yourself.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello all,

I am new here and have found lots of great information already. I am engaged to a Hong Kong girl since last year and we have a wedding planned for November 28th of this year in Hong Kong.

My main question is wether we should apply now for a K-1 and then not get married during the ceremnoy on Hong Kong and then get married legally after the ceremony back in the US? Or we could apply for a K-3 after the ceremony but we of course want to be together and in the US after the wedding!

Also, is it easier with a lawyer? Would anyone recommend using one?

And, has anybody had any experience with marrying someone from Hong Kong?

Thanks!

Quickest thing to do is apply for the K-1 and marry in the U.S. when (or if) the visa is granted in 6-9 months. Waiting until after marriage can delay her visa by up to another year. A lawyer won't help you much unless you just can't figure out the petition forms by yourself.

K-1 is generally much faster, but you will need to go throught the Adjustment of Status process after she arrives and you are married, not a big deal and you get to be together while you do it. You will have to wait to get "legally married" in the USA but you could of course have an "unofficial" ceremony in Hong Kong. You do NOT need an attorney and it will only slow theprocess and increase costs to do so. My fiancee from Ukraine arrived in the USA about 6 months to the day from when we filed the I-129f petition and it could have been 2 months sooner but for our own personal considerations. Figuring 6-8 months for the process is about right. She has been here 4 months and we will have our AOS interview next week, she will (hopefully) receive her green card at that time...about 10 months total from filing petition to receiving green card. Not one penny wasted on an attorney! You will get better, faster and much cheaper assistance from this site.

[hyperbad 0]

Hello all,

I am new here and have found lots of great information already. I am engaged to a Hong Kong girl since last year and we have a wedding planned for November 28th of this year in Hong Kong.

My main question is wether we should apply now for a K-1 and then not get married during the ceremnoy on Hong Kong and then get married legally after the ceremony back in the US? Or we could apply for a K-3 after the ceremony but we of course want to be together and in the US after the wedding!

Also, is it easier with a lawyer? Would anyone recommend using one?

And, has anybody had any experience with marrying someone from Hong Kong?

Thanks!

Quickest thing to do is apply for the K-1 and marry in the U.S. when (or if) the visa is granted in 6-9 months. Waiting until after marriage can delay her visa by up to another year. A lawyer won't help you much unless you just can't figure out the petition forms by yourself.

K-1 is generally much faster, but you will need to go throught the Adjustment of Status process after she arrives and you are married, not a big deal and you get to be together while you do it. You will have to wait to get "legally married" in the USA but you could of course have an "unofficial" ceremony in Hong Kong. You do NOT need an attorney and it will only slow theprocess and increase costs to do so. My fiancee from Ukraine arrived in the USA about 6 months to the day from when we filed the I-129f petition and it could have been 2 months sooner but for our own personal considerations. Figuring 6-8 months for the process is about right. She has been here 4 months and we will have our AOS interview next week, she will (hopefully) receive her green card at that time...about 10 months total from filing petition to receiving green card. Not one penny wasted on an attorney! You will get better, faster and much cheaper assistance from this site.

Thanks for the info!

If I apply for a fiance visa now and she wants to visit me for 2 months, 4 months from now. Will she have any trouble getting in to the country on a travel visa? Will the application for a finace visa affect this in anyway?

What if instead, we delay her visit until after the K-1 is passed and get married before the ceremony in Hong Kong. Will she be able to leave the US and travel to Hong Kong for the ceremony?

[youtube 0]

It won't probably make much difference. but either way, she won't be able to travel to the US unless she already has a travel visa in place before you filed.

If you try to get it afterwards, it most likely will not be granted.

good luck