Laos engagement necessary

[Dhow 0]

I am having some trouble finding out information about what is required in Laos for me to file a K1 visa application in the USA.

On the USA side of things, the process is well documented and clear. However, I am getting mixed messages (or no information at all) about what, if anything, is required by the Laos government. Some people tell me that we must have an official engagement party which will yield an official document stating such ceremony has been performed. Does any one know if this is true? (Like Thailand, this is a big deal. But outside of local customs, what bearing does this have on the legal process?)

Maybe I am over-simplifying this but isn't it up to the US and not the foreign gov't to approve or deny the application? I am suspicious that I am getting mis-information about this because there are lots of people here in Laos offering to "help" for a tidy fee (ranges from $1000 - $5000).

Background (if needed): I am a natural born US citizen. My fiancee is a Laos citizen. We fit all the requirements for me to legitimately bring her to the US along with plenty of documentation of a long-term relationship. Also there are absolutely no "typical" obstacles such as criminal records, financial hardship, previous k1 applications etc.

[pushbrk 12,569]

I am having some trouble finding out information about what is required in Laos for me to file a K1 visa application in the USA.

On the USA side of things, the process is well documented and clear. However, I am getting mixed messages (or no information at all) about what, if anything, is required by the Laos government. Some people tell me that we must have an official engagement party which will yield an official document stating such ceremony has been performed. Does any one know if this is true? (Like Thailand, this is a big deal. But outside of local customs, what bearing does this have on the legal process?)

Maybe I am over-simplifying this but isn't it up to the US and not the foreign gov't to approve or deny the application? I am suspicious that I am getting mis-information about this because there are lots of people here in Laos offering to "help" for a tidy fee (ranges from $1000 - $5000).

Background (if needed): I am a natural born US citizen. My fiancee is a Laos citizen. We fit all the requirements for me to legitimately bring her to the US along with plenty of documentation of a long-term relationship. Also there are absolutely no "typical" obstacles such as criminal records, financial hardship, previous k1 applications etc.

The Laos government has no say in what you need before you file a petition for your fiance(e).

[Dhow 0]

I am having some trouble finding out information about what is required in Laos for me to file a K1 visa application in the USA.

On the USA side of things, the process is well documented and clear. However, I am getting mixed messages (or no information at all) about what, if anything, is required by the Laos government. Some people tell me that we must have an official engagement party which will yield an official document stating such ceremony has been performed. Does any one know if this is true? (Like Thailand, this is a big deal. But outside of local customs, what bearing does this have on the legal process?)

Maybe I am over-simplifying this but isn't it up to the US and not the foreign gov't to approve or deny the application? I am suspicious that I am getting mis-information about this because there are lots of people here in Laos offering to "help" for a tidy fee (ranges from $1000 - $5000).

Background (if needed): I am a natural born US citizen. My fiancee is a Laos citizen. We fit all the requirements for me to legitimately bring her to the US along with plenty of documentation of a long-term relationship. Also there are absolutely no "typical" obstacles such as criminal records, financial hardship, previous k1 applications etc.

The Laos government has no say in what you need before you file a petition for your fiance(e).

Thank you, Pushbrk. I suspected that was the case. However, during the brief time between my post and your reply, I found this on the US Dept. of State website. It seems that we, the US, have conceded to a few requirements - possibly to keep diplomatic relations up to par. Here is the URL that clearly explains things. http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_755.html

I think will head over to the embassy tomorrow and sort this out.

Thanks again for your reply.

[Shub 78]

Dhow, the K-1 visa works on the basis that you will get married in the US.

Unless I'm missing something, the page you linked to pertains to marriage in Laos, which I assume is not what you're planning on doing if you're applying for a K-1. Therefore, I would think it's irrelevant to your case!

[pushbrk 12,569]

Dhow, the K-1 visa works on the basis that you will get married in the US.

Unless I'm missing something, the page you linked to pertains to marriage in Laos, which I assume is not what you're planning on doing if you're applying for a K-1. Therefore, I would think it's irrelevant to your case!

It better be irrelevant because if you marry in Laos, K1 is not for you.

[eric_and_teresa 10]

Thank you, Pushbrk. I suspected that was the case. However, during the brief time between my post and your reply, I found this on the US Dept. of State website. It seems that we, the US, have conceded to a few requirements - possibly to keep diplomatic relations up to par. Here is the URL that clearly explains things. http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_755.html

I think will head over to the embassy tomorrow and sort this out.

Thanks again for your reply.

I agree with the previous posters. If you read that link carefully you'll see that it says "MARRIAGE IN LAOS", if you are applying for a K-1 that means you'll be getting married in the U.S. not in Laos. Those rules do not apply to you. Unless you do want to get married in Laos, in that case you'd have to apply for a K-3 (Spouse Visa) not a K-1 (Fiance Visa)

[Dhow 0]

Thank you, Pushbrk. I suspected that was the case. However, during the brief time between my post and your reply, I found this on the US Dept. of State website. It seems that we, the US, have conceded to a few requirements - possibly to keep diplomatic relations up to par. Here is the URL that clearly explains things. http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_755.html

I think will head over to the embassy tomorrow and sort this out.

Thanks again for your reply.

I agree with the previous posters. If you read that link carefully you'll see that it says "MARRIAGE IN LAOS", if you are applying for a K-1 that means you'll be getting married in the U.S. not in Laos. Those rules do not apply to you. Unless you do want to get married in Laos, in that case you'd have to apply for a K-3 (Spouse Visa) not a K-1 (Fiance Visa)

YES!!! That link was an oversight on my part - which i realized later. To be safe, I will confirm with the US embassy in Laos that I no not need to have an engagement ceremony in Laos prior to submitting the K1 petition. While culturally, the engagement is a very big deal in Laos, I can see no legal requirement, despite what Laotians might tell me. If I understand the process correctly, all paperwork for a K1 petition is performed by the US government only and no Laos official is contacted. If my fiancee was from a "free" country, I would not even be asking this, but things here are quite different. Thank you all for you input.