New around here and finding everything a little daunting...

[BritBeth 0]

Hey guys!

I have just joined this site in the hope that my situation may become a bit clearer to me through the help of you guys!

My boyfriend and I are thinking of getting married. He is American I am British and we have been together a year next month. The prospect of being able to live together as a married couple is exciting but the process and paperwork isn't and all seems very daunting...

We are really not sure how to proceed. We have been reading a million websites and have talked things over but a little advice would be brilliant.

Which is the best way to proceed? Is it better to file for a fiancee visa or for me to go visit him there on a temporary visa waiver and get married whilst i'm over there? In terms of time for processing etc which would be the best opition as I would like to get out there ASAP as you can imagine!!!

Also in your opinion is it best to seek the advice and services of an immigration lawyer throughout the process or once explained can the paperwork and process be easy enough for us to handle ourselves. We're pretty clued up kids but it is rather scary with all the different numbers of forms and different things we need to do for working etc...

I think I've probably bombarded you with enough questions for my first post... I'm sure i'll have LOADS more for you if thats okay....

Finger's crossed someone can help me...

Thanks in advance

Beth XXX

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Hey guys!

I have just joined this site in the hope that my situation may become a bit clearer to me through the help of you guys!

My boyfriend and I are thinking of getting married. He is American I am British and we have been together a year next month. The prospect of being able to live together as a married couple is exciting but the process and paperwork isn't and all seems very daunting...

We are really not sure how to proceed. We have been reading a million websites and have talked things over but a little advice would be brilliant.

Which is the best way to proceed? Is it better to file for a fiancee visa or for me to go visit him there on a temporary visa waiver and get married whilst i'm over there? In terms of time for processing etc which would be the best opition as I would like to get out there ASAP as you can imagine!!!

Also in your opinion is it best to seek the advice and services of an immigration lawyer throughout the process or once explained can the paperwork and process be easy enough for us to handle ourselves. We're pretty clued up kids but it is rather scary with all the different numbers of forms and different things we need to do for working etc...

I think I've probably bombarded you with enough questions for my first post... I'm sure i'll have LOADS more for you if thats okay....

Finger's crossed someone can help me...

Thanks in advance

Beth XXX

Hi Beth and welcome! I'm fairly new to this also, but for sure, DON'T come here on a tourist visa with the intent that you will marry him - you would end up with all kinds of legal problems.

From what I read and learned is that the K-1 Fiance Visa is the best route to go if you intend on marrying.

I used this website to help me put together my I-129F application with any lawyer. If you want to save money, I'd avoid using a lawyer as they are no guarantee your application will be processed any more effeciently.

Hope that helps!

Edited June 11, 2006 by StevenJinky

[pnd629 0]

Welcome to VJ!

Most people here will tell you not to get married while you are visiting the U.S. on the VWP--it could be viewed as fraudulent. When you enter the U.S. on VWP, your stated purpose is to visit--not to get married. It could cause you problems later. From what I have read in other posts here, the fiance visa process is faster than getting married and petitioning for a spouse to enter the U.S.--but I don't know for sure.

As for using a lawyer--we didn't. This site can answer nearly every question about the process. If your case is fairly simple, you can file all the paperwork without the help of a lawyer.

Good luck!

[motu 5]

If you have the time to learn the process - read the guides here, see the example forms here and read the forums and follow people's timelines - you will realize that you can do it yourself whether you go for a K1 or K3. A lawyer will cost you anywhere between $2000 to $5000 or more. I was able to figure out everything on my own and have even sent people my filled out forms and packets to help them - so I am sure others will help you as well. Don't be afraid to ask for help in the forum or through emails to individuals. We all know how it is and are willing to share. Good Luck

[gwenneh 7]

Is it better to file for a fiancee visa or for me to go visit him there on a temporary visa waiver and get married whilst i'm over there?

Coming to the UK on the visa waiver or a tourist visa will not allow you to marry your boyfriend, not even in a simple registry office ceremony-it is illegal, and no one will marry you. You would have to lay out the £400 or so for a fiance visa to do that. The up-side to that is that if you live close to a British Embassy, you can have your visa in less than a day; the down side is then you have to go home to file the K-3 for your new spouse. Direct Consular Filing is not available in the UK to anyone not permanently settled here, by which they mean you need to have Indefinite Leave To Remain granted-so K-3 would be your only option, if you want to get married here and then live in the US.

Getting a fiance visa for the US takes more time than for the UK, but if your goal is to live in the US this is the best (cheapest) route given the restrictions on marrying here in the UK without the proper visa. The UK is not a particularly difficult country to file for (unlike some poor folks from what are considered "high-risk" countries) and if you have a straightforward case-no messy divorces and no criminal records-filing it yourself is entirely possible with the help of the guides. As you can see from my own timeline, we got through the process at lightning speed with the help of VJ. The idea of using a lawyer never crossed our minds; indeed, there have been some "lovely" stories about how lawyers can needlessly complicate things!

Good luck on your journey, and may you both be together soon!

[gwenneh 7]

Urg...you know, I really shouldn't be replying to posts being half-asleep! For whatever reason, I read the post that YOU were the USC and HE was the Brit! I must have spent too long in the sun today!

*ahem*

Coming here on the VWP with intent to marry, stay and adjust status is illegal. If the USCIS decides to call you on this-and they might-you can face a ban from the US and fines out the wazoo. Coming here on the VWP to marry with the intent to go home at the end and have your spouse file for a settlement visa for you is not. Should you go that route, the burden of proof will be on you to prove that there was no immigrant intent-the USCIS does not take people trying to skate around their policies lightly, and can make trouble for you when applying for the proper visa or adjusting status. It is highly, highly unadvisable-mostly because they're on the lookout for people who *are* trying to misuse the VWP, and even legitimate married on the spur of the moment people who are technically NOT abusing the VWP (a quickie Vegas marriage, for instance) have some pretty high hurdles in front of them when trying to prove that there was no prior immigrant intent!

K-1's have changed somewhat since the implimentation of the new IMBRA law, but I see no reason that the UK still wouldn't be one of the less complicated countries to file for. You also have the option of coming here to marry and then going back until the K-3 can be filed, but as I pointed out the USCIS frowns on this, it's not easy to prove you had no immigrant intent, and in my own opinion makes an already stressful process MORE stressful.

And now I'm going to go NOT answer any more posts until my head is cleared! Good luck, and hope I didn't confuse you too too much!

[Cristy 4]

Agree with everyone else. Don't try to do it on a tourist visa, it is illegal to plan that.

Read the guides and the FAQ above, there is tons of info to go through.

[Vagina Journey 0]

Welcome to VJ

[BritBeth 0]

Thank you so much for all your replies!!

No doubt I'll be posting again soon as i trawl through all the info in front of me! X