marriage & residency

[pdog 0]

situation is as follows - I live in Canada, have ties there, am the CEO for an international, Canadian based company. I am setting up an American branch of the company right now, but will probably not employ anyone for the next 6 months while I get things organized.

Basically right now I am trying to decide what I need to do to be able to work and promote the company in the states, what I need to do if I decide to stay here as well...because...

I have met a girl I have known for 3 years and we are now thinking about getting married, she is a US citizen, I am Canadian.

Should I get married before my 6 month stay is up? should I stay in the states if I do? Will this help or hinder a permanent residency application?

I cant find many resources about this on the internet and am trying to educate myself on the best way to handle all of this and be able to stay in the United States and build this branch of the company.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[NickD 203]

situation is as follows - I live in Canada, have ties there, am the CEO for an international, Canadian based company. I am setting up an American branch of the company right now, but will probably not employ anyone for the next 6 months while I get things organized.

Basically right now I am trying to decide what I need to do to be able to work and promote the company in the states, what I need to do if I decide to stay here as well...because...

I have met a girl I have known for 3 years and we are now thinking about getting married, she is a US citizen, I am Canadian.

Should I get married before my 6 month stay is up? should I stay in the states if I do? Will this help or hinder a permanent residency application?

I cant find many resources about this on the internet and am trying to educate myself on the best way to handle all of this and be able to stay in the United States and build this branch of the company.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

For me at the time, immigration was a lot of work and a mass of confusion, well it still is a mass of confusion if you try to use logic, and I had more money than time. As my wife was working for an American based company before we were married where they were shifting people around all over the place, asked her to find which immigration firm they were working with, got the name and contacted them. Talked to an attorney, actually several times before making a commitment as not only the best way to handle our situation, than signed a contract with him for a flat fee. Always like to agree on a flat fee first. Can say that his fee for my wife and daughter was less than the total immigration fee price tag, And I read just enough where if I screwed up, would lose that fee and would have to start again. Plus losing all that time, also learned this process is rather slow.

Still had a lot of work to do on our part as he gave me a list of evidence he needed and ran up a bit of a postage bill in sending a bunch of stuff overnight, but I felt I was in good hands. Also one of the cheapest bills I ever paid to an attorney, estimated when it was all over, must have averaged about 35 bucks an hour. Everything was done right and I was actually pleased to pay his bill, paid half first and the balance when my wife and daughter received their green cards. But was very disappointed they were only good for two years.

If you are setting up an international company, may need to get into bed with a good immigration firm as you can anticipate future problems. Can say as far as marring your gal, you do have several options.

I was a CEO of a fortune 500 company, but taking life a bit easier now and having a lot more fun, CEO's do not have a life of their own.

[lucyrich 20]

situation is as follows - I live in Canada, have ties there, am the CEO for an international, Canadian based company. I am setting up an American branch of the company right now, but will probably not employ anyone for the next 6 months while I get things organized.

Basically right now I am trying to decide what I need to do to be able to work and promote the company in the states, what I need to do if I decide to stay here as well...because...

I have met a girl I have known for 3 years and we are now thinking about getting married, she is a US citizen, I am Canadian.

Should I get married before my 6 month stay is up? should I stay in the states if I do? Will this help or hinder a permanent residency application?

I cant find many resources about this on the internet and am trying to educate myself on the best way to handle all of this and be able to stay in the United States and build this branch of the company.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

You may want to discuss your options with an immigration attorney. But it certainly doesn't hurt to get some basic info here.

You're posting this in the US Citizenship forum, but you're at least three years away from citizenship (with paperwork delays, more likely closer to five years, maybe more).

In order to become a US Citizen, you've got to first get a Green Card, and then hold that Green Card while living in the US with your US Citizen spouse for three years. Or, if you're not married to and living with a US Citizen spouse, you've got to hold the Green Card while living in the US for five years.

Temporary visits outside of the US are allowed, but your primary residence must be inside the US the entire time. The rules about spending time outside the US can be complex.

If this is something you want to pursue, you have to start the Green Card process by either getting a visa (K-1, K-3, or CR-1), or by entering the US via another legal means and adjusting status.

One option would be as you suggest, marrying while in the US legally, and then staying in the US and adjusting status. If you choose this route, be aware that you can't leave the US before receiving either your Green Card or an Advance Parole document.