Advice needed

[ostim 0]

I'm looking for some advice from some of you who might have been in a situation similar to mine. My fiance and I are planning on being married in Bolivia a week before flying back to the US. He is a Bolivan and I am from the US. I moved back to the US to study a few months ago (I lived there for nearly 4 years), so we can't go through an early civil ceremony to get paperwork out of the way for the spouse visa. We'll have a two month window while I'm down there which most likely won't be enough time to get a spouse visa even if we could get all the paperwork required by the Bolivian government done to go through the civil ceremony earlier than our church wedding. We have many details of the wedding, reception, and honeymoon already in place so waiting to get married in the US isn't really an option.

I was planning on applying for the K-1 visa to ensure that he'll be able to fly back with me to the US. My idea was to present the paperwork regarding our Bolivian wedding once we were safely back in the US. What I need to know is if our marriage in Bolivia will invalidate the visa or if we'll run into any problems trying to use it or presenting paperwork showing that we actually got married before his entry into the US.

I appreciate any and all advice!

Ostim

[KarenCee 3]

If you marry, you'll need to file a K-3...the K-1 is for fiances only. Even then, filing a K-3 will not ensure he can come back to the US with you, not til you have completed the K-3 process. Read the guides on here regarding these visas. You will get your questions answered there. Good luck.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

A wedding before entry to the states will invalidate the K1 you will either have to apply for a K3 or wait and get married in the States.....

Kezzie

[ostim 0]

Hmm, I was afraid that might be the case. Maybe we'll do the church ceremony there and the civil ceremony in the US. There must be some way to have our cake and eat it too.

Thanks for the quick replies.

[KarenCee 3]

Hmm, I was afraid that might be the case. Maybe we'll do the church ceremony there and the civil ceremony in the US. There must be some way to have our cake and eat it too.

Thanks for the quick replies.

Any ceremony performed may look like a legal thing to the government....so I'd be VERY careful about that. Better read the guides and the FAQ's before you do anything. Just MHO

[Jaylen Brit 0]

Well - just be aware that you can't just marry and then fly directly to the US - that's not the way you do it alas.

The visas can take anything between a month to a year and trying to emigrate without the correct paperwork is illegal and could result in the non-USC receiveing a BAN from entering the US in future.

Please make sure you know the right course to follow and not risk a ban.

Best of luck

[ChristinaM 0]

Sadly, there is no way to have your cake and eat it in this case!

K3 if you're insistent on marrying before you come, otherwise is it so bad to marry in the US and have the religious ceremony after the event? AP doesn't take that long to process.

Good luck, don't lie to POE officers

[Peter Miami 0]

Ditto to all the previous posters.

Peter Miami

[meauxna 15]

If I were in yoiur situation, I would contact the Consulate and ask about filing a petition for my spouse with them:

http://lapaz.usembassy.gov/english/consular/IVFilPet.htm

You can read more about the process first, and what questions to ask by reviewing the DCF Guide here at visajourney.

[apeach601 0]

I agree there is no way that you will be able to do this. Be careful...

[ostim 0]

I'm glad I asked about this. You guys have convinced me of the error of my scheme. I've talked with my fiance and we're going to see if the La Paz consulate will do the direct consular filing for us (it looks like we'll have to get special permission since I am no longer considered a resident). If not, we might do the US wedding.

I really appreciate all your input. We won't be lying to anyone - at least on purpose.

Ostim