Traveling after Marriage

[BMJ 0]

Xaos and I plan to get married in October, and are praying that all the paperwork will be finished by then (I sure would hate to start this whole process over again if it doesn't all go through in time). Sadly his mother has health issues that will not allow her to fly to the states to our wedding. Because his sister and brother have had to help get her to medical appointments they have missed as much work as they are allowed and will not be able to fly here either. While we will have plenty of friends at the wedding it isn't the same. I will end up marrying Xaos (Mark) without ever having met his family.

One of the things we talked about was flying back to England about a year after the wedding, (would be the first time I have been outside the USA) and do the whole visit all his family in England, hop around Scotland, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, etc. My only concern is... after we are married, are we even allowed to go overseas? Is there like a time frame that says we have to stay in the states for x amount of days before we can travel?

Thanks !

Edited May 15, 2008 by BMJ

[Sal and Jay 2]

Xaos and I plan to get married in October, and are praying that all the paperwork will be finished by then (I sure would hate to start this whole process over again if it doesn't all go through in time). Sadly his mother has health issues that will not allow her to fly to the states to our wedding. Because his sister and brother have had to help get her to medical appointments they have missed as much work as they are allowed and will not be able to fly here either. While we will have plenty of friends at the wedding it isn't the same. I will end up marrying Xaos (Mark) without ever having met his family.

One of the things we talked about was flying back to England about a year after the wedding, (would be the first time I have been outside the USA) and do the whole visit all his family in England, hop around Scotland, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, etc. My only concern is... after we are married, are we even allowed to go overseas? Is there like a time frame that says we have to stay in the states for x amount of days before we can travel?

Thanks !

Hi There

Once you get your advance parole or green card you can travel, as K1 is a one entry visa you would not be allowed back in the states without those.

Good luck with your journey.

[motu 5]

After you get your greencard or AP - you are free to do as you please - once filing for citizenship, they do want to know how long you were out of the country but generally a few weeks here and there wouldn't make any difference. No, you are not confined to stay here with your greencard. Good Luck

[DakotaK1 1]

My only concern is... after we are married, are we even allowed to go overseas? Is there like a time frame that says we have to stay in the states for x amount of days before we can travel?

Thanks !

Yep I agree to the guys above.

You will need to file the AP (Advance Parole) with your AOS,as soon as you have that you are legally able to leave the US for a vacation/to look after your familiy

Or with the green card of couse.

Edited May 15, 2008 by DakotaK1

[nane1104 146]

Your question about travelling after marriage already has een answered, but I'd like to add something regarding your situation:

My family wasn't able to travel to the US for our wedding so my fiance came to Germany to "pick me up" when I entered the US with my K-1 and two days before I left, we had a wedding ceremony in Germany. Nothing official, just a ceremony in the church with wasn't legally recognized. Like that, I had a wedding with family (we already knew that we wouldn't have a big wedding in the US anyway), he was able to meet all my folks again and they could see him again since we knew I wouldn't be able to travel for a while.

It was the perfect solution for us and I can only recommend it.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Your question about travelling after marriage already has een answered, but I'd like to add something regarding your situation:

My family wasn't able to travel to the US for our wedding so my fiance came to Germany to "pick me up" when I entered the US with my K-1 and two days before I left, we had a wedding ceremony in Germany. Nothing official, just a ceremony in the church with wasn't legally recognized. Like that, I had a wedding with family (we already knew that we wouldn't have a big wedding in the US anyway), he was able to meet all my folks again and they could see him again since we knew I wouldn't be able to travel for a while.

It was the perfect solution for us and I can only recommend it.

If you decide to try something like this, make darn sure it isn't legal or official - have the person 'officiating' be a family friend and not a religious offiiate - and is basically a gathering of friends and family where you declare your love and committment to each other - not where you hold a 'wedding ceremony'. Do NOT make any reference to this in any other way than a family farewell party or send-off when you get to the border, nor refer to each other as husband and wife until after your marriage in the US. If even a whiff of something that smells like a wedding gets to border or immigration officials by an unconscious reference to this 'marriage' or my 'husband/wife' it can get you denied entry as being married and not still engaged even if it wasn't anything legal.

[nane1104 146]

Your question about travelling after marriage already has een answered, but I'd like to add something regarding your situation:

My family wasn't able to travel to the US for our wedding so my fiance came to Germany to "pick me up" when I entered the US with my K-1 and two days before I left, we had a wedding ceremony in Germany. Nothing official, just a ceremony in the church with wasn't legally recognized. Like that, I had a wedding with family (we already knew that we wouldn't have a big wedding in the US anyway), he was able to meet all my folks again and they could see him again since we knew I wouldn't be able to travel for a while.

It was the perfect solution for us and I can only recommend it.

If you decide to try something like this, make darn sure it isn't legal or official - have the person 'officiating' be a family friend and not a religious offiiate - and is basically a gathering of friends and family where you declare your love and committment to each other - not where you hold a 'wedding ceremony'. Do NOT make any reference to this in any other way than a family farewell party or send-off when you get to the border, nor refer to each other as husband and wife until after your marriage in the US. If even a whiff of something that smells like a wedding gets to border or immigration officials by an unconscious reference to this 'marriage' or my 'husband/wife' it can get you denied entry as being married and not still engaged even if it wasn't anything legal.

Like I said, it wasn't legal never signed anything and we weren't declared husband and wife either. But other than that, we said our vows and everything. And I made sure I only wore my engagement ring when I crossed the border. Officially and legally I was unmarried at the POE, which is the important thing.

We celebrate the wedding ceremony in Germany as our anniversary though.