Need Some Advice For My Fiancee and I She is 17

[srogue 0]

Hello all. I became engaged to my fiancee a couple of months ago. She is 17 right now, and will turn 18 in 6 months. She has done alot of work already towards getting her paperowrk done, including birth certs. and other IDs and the like, and has everything she needs for a passport. Her aunt, who introduced us, told her to go to DSWD and when she went there, they refused to give her a clearance, saying that the marryng age in the Philippines is 18. However, for one, she won't be married in the philippines, she would be married here, and the age of consent is 16. Second, she wouldn't be getting her visa and leaving the country till she was 18 anyway. However, she is working with an agency there that has an attorney and they say she has everything she needs for the passport and has taken the processing fee and has started processing it, and just needs her parents, who are consenting, to meet her there in cebu in a few days to complete everything. Anyone know if she will be able to get the passport alright?

Next question, anyone forsee any other hicups with the visa process for us with her being 17? Should I go ahead and submit the i-129f, I have everything done and ready to mail the package tomorrow. If there will be any major problems, our backup plan is to marry a few days after her birthday when she turns 18 if we can't even start the visa process until she is 18, but if we can at least start it and get the process moving so that she can come over soon after she is 18, that would be good too.

Given this, what do you all think is the best option for us to get her here in the US the fastest?

Thanks much!

Edited July 29, 2008 by srogue

[srogue 0]

Also, if I submit the I-129, how much of it could we get done, and how much of a head start could we have on it before she turned 18?

Thanks

[one...two...tree 2,762]

You are assuming much there. First, she is a citizen of her country and under the jurisdiction of their laws. Do you know what the age of consent is in the Philippines? You need to have her consult with someone in her country - perhaps contact the local CFO office because as far as I recall, she will need her parents written consent if she is under 25 according to Phillipine Law.

May I ask, why the rush to marry? Is there a big age difference between the two of you?

[srogue 0]

You are assuming much there. First, she is a citizen of her country and under the jurisdiction of their laws. Do you know what the age of consent is in the Philippines? You need to have her consult with someone in her country - perhaps contact the local CFO office because as far as I recall, she will need her parents written consent if she is under 25 according to Phillipine Law.

May I ask, why the rush to marry? Is there a big age difference between the two of you?

Yes, I realise she is a citizen of her country and under their jurisdition. But as far as the K-1 visa goes, it states on it that she must be legally able to marry in the jurisditction in which she will be married, not in the jurisdition of her home country. But yes, that is also why I am concerned with the processes in the Philippines too. She has two relatives here where I live and they both have been through the process before, the only difference being she is 17 at the moment, and her relatives are in their 20s.

Also, we already have her parents consent, I went to the Pilippines last month and spent a month there with her and her family. We had been in contact with each other for about five months now. My aunt introduced us, who is also her cousin. No, there isn't a big age difference between us, we will be each others first marriage, neither one of us having been married before.

Also, what rush to marry? When she turns 18, we will have been in contact with each other nearly a year, and engaged for about seven months. If waiting to marry for a year is a rush, then my grandparents must have been light speed, they married each other after only a month and it lasted 50 years.

Edited July 29, 2008 by srogue

[prettynpink 0]

Hi im happy that you find the woman you want to marry..I think it will be wise to wait a little longer till she is at the legal marrying age which is 18 here in PI...Then you can start the paperwork afterthat but still she needs to have her parents consent ..

God bless and COngratulations on your engagement...

[ruby_jade 0]

i actually have a friend whos 17 when they met, they waited a couple of years until they started the k1 process, at 19 shes now with her fiance in the states.... shes a member of VJ also...

[srogue 0]

Let me just reiterate, I just want to be able to get a start on the visa process. I have no visions of her leaving the Philippines until she is 18 anyway. My main concern here is that the next seven months aren't fruitful as far as the visa process is concerned. I would like to be able to have her join me sometime soon after her 18th birthday. I will do whatever it takes, even if I have to wait until she is 18 to start everything of course, but would prefer to be able to get the visa sooner, rather than over a year later.

[srogue 0]

Hi im happy that you find the woman you want to marry..I think it will be wise to wait a little longer till she is at the legal marrying age which is 18 here in PI...Then you can start the paperwork afterthat but still she needs to have her parents consent ..

God bless and COngratulations on your engagement...

Thank you very much Yes, one of her cousins here believes as you do, that we should not do anything visa related until she is 18, and that we should just marry each other after she is 18, and file the combination i-129f and i-130, or whatever it is that combines the spouse visa with the fiance visa for faster processign time or whatnot.

Her other cousin believes we should get started on the paperwork right now, and get the i-129f filed tomorrow.

So yeah, that is why I am here seeking advice haha.

Thanks again.

Edited July 29, 2008 by srogue

[Dakine 26]

One thing that may pop up is her relatives having introduced you. I've "heard" USCIS takes a closer look at such cases.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

You are assuming much there. First, she is a citizen of her country and under the jurisdiction of their laws. Do you know what the age of consent is in the Philippines? You need to have her consult with someone in her country - perhaps contact the local CFO office because as far as I recall, she will need her parents written consent if she is under 25 according to Phillipine Law.

May I ask, why the rush to marry? Is there a big age difference between the two of you?

Yes, I realise she is a citizen of her country and under their jurisdition. But as far as the K-1 visa goes, it states on it that she must be legally able to marry in the jurisditction in which she will be married, not in the jurisdition of her home country. But yes, that is also why I am concerned with the processes in the Philippines too. She has two relatives here where I live and they both have been through the process before, the only difference being she is 17 at the moment, and her relatives are in their 20s.

Also, we already have her parents consent, I went to the Pilippines last month and spent a month there with her and her family. We had been in contact with each other for about five months now. My aunt introduced us, who is also her cousin. No, there isn't a big age difference between us, we will be each others first marriage, neither one of us having been married before.

Also, what rush to marry? When she turns 18, we will have been in contact with each other nearly a year, and engaged for about seven months. If waiting to marry for a year is a rush, then my grandparents must have been light speed, they married each other after only a month and it lasted 50 years.

Well, all I can say is you're at the right place (VJ) to find plenty of info on K-1 visas. I'd recommend you start reading everything you can, starting with the Guides (see top menu).

[srogue 0]

One thing that may pop up is her relatives having introduced you. I've "heard" USCIS takes a closer look at such cases.

That would be a bummer I would think that would be less of a problem than meeting via a broker or some kind of business. Nothing more old fashioned than having relatives introduc two people they think would be a good match for each other, which was absolutely the case for us.

[srogue 0]

Well, all I can say is you're at the right place (VJ) to find plenty of info on K-1 visas. I'd recommend you start reading everything you can, starting with the Guides (see top menu).

Thanks much. This site truly is a pool of knowledge. Between it and my uncle and another friend, who both have been through the process, I have my i-129f ready to file. I just hope that maybe someone on here has had experience with a fiancee who was 17 when starting the visa process, and turned 18 at the end or in the middle of the process. However, as you suggested, I may have to talk to an attorney in the Phi. to find out our best options with the issue of her being only 17 at this point in time, with regards to getting the process started and making some progress over the next few months.

[Allan_D 0]

One thing that may pop up is her relatives having introduced you. I've "heard" USCIS takes a closer look at such cases.

Why would USCIS do that? To be introduced by relatives is the preferred culturally acceptable way for courtships to begin in the Philippines.

[filirican 3]

all i can say is good luck! i don't think age will be a big problem here since its for a "fiance" visa unless of course if the age gap is too far. by the time u may get approval she will be 18 and would be legal to get married here in PH..and as u have mentioned also u got her parents consent..so i think ur good to go but im not really sure..just my own thoughts! good luck!

[*JG* 2]

File it and see what happens. I hope you are both emotionally prepared for how long and difficult this journey can be and then the grueling adjustment process that follows. At 18, I was no where close to being ready for something like this.

I wish you luck.