k1 or CR1? Decisions...

[penguin1031 0]

My fiance and I have been together for 17 months and engaged without a ring for 5 months (waiting to do it in person) We are looking at all the options that are available to us. Originally we found the K1 and that was the route that we were set on. Now we have found the CR1 which seems like a good way to go too. My fiance is coming over in June and we don't know whether to get married then and have her leave the country to apply to CR1 or just go on with the K1 process and get married at a later date.

My questions are; Which option is best for our situation, CR1 or K1? Would it be more difficult to get the CR1, having only a few weeks of marriage before application?

Thank you for reading

[canadian_wife 1,808]

Whether K1 or Cr1 is a personal decision. We went with the cr1 because it was cheaper, and allowed for immediate work and travel

Look at the link below, the k3 is no longer offered but it is a good comparason guide, pros and cons, for each visa

good luck

http://www.visajourney.com/content/compare

[Dakine 26]

My fiance and I have been together for 17 months and engaged without a ring for 5 months (waiting to do it in person) We are looking at all the options that are available to us. Originally we found the K1 and that was the route that we were set on. Now we have found the CR1 which seems like a good way to go too. My fiance is coming over in June and we don't know whether to get married then and have her leave the country to apply to CR1 or just go on with the K1 process and get married at a later date.

My questions are; Which option is best for our situation, CR1 or K1? Would it be more difficult to get the CR1, having only a few weeks of marriage before application?

Thank you for reading

CR-1 is a MUCH easier and better visa. You get the 2 year GC shortly after arriving in the US. No need to adjust status as a K1 does. AOS can be a long and stressful process. Also the bene can be denied. LOTS of other reasons CR-1 is better than K1. CR-1 takes a bit longer than the K1. That's about the only advantage of the K1.

CR-1 can work right away, get SSN, Get drivers license, No AOS interview and pay over 1 K for AOS etc.

Edited March 27, 2011 by Dakine

[amykathleen2005 441]

I would say another main thing to look at is whether you would rather be apart before or after you got married. It gets kind of awkward explaining why your foreign spouse up and left the country right after the wedding......

[penguin1031 0]

Thank you for all your advice.

The thing I am worried about is the evidence. Will it cause problems if we have only been married for 2 weeks? In your experience what is good and reliable evidence to provide?

Thank you for all your help.

[canadian_wife 1,808]

We were married for 4 days before we filed. No issues

We used pictures, e-mails, bording passes, letters and cards as evidence

Good luck

[JoannaV 174]

We married, spent two weeks together, then were apart for 3 weeks, then I visited again and we filed CR1. No problem at all.

So long as you don't have to make a special trip to get married (which you won't as you are making a visit before doing anything anyway) then CR1 is the better option. The only other argument against it is if you have a personal feeling that you don't want to be apart after marriage. So that's one reason some people go the K1 route, but if you're happy to get married and will have the opportunity to do so then go for it!

Assuming you two have actually met in person in the past 2 years, you could of course file for the K1 RIGHT NOW which could potentially cut your time apart down a little bit. Though this was not the choice we made.

Edited March 28, 2011 by JoannaV