Cr 1 or DCF --Please help!!

[devilfishlane 0]

Hello

I'm confused. You might be too after reading this. I'm a US citizen and my girlfriend is Colombian and has been visiting me for 3 months now on a US tourist visa in Florida.(The visa is up on June 15 on this trip ) We also have a child together, that was born in Colombia , but has a US passport. In two weeks we are going to live in the Bahamas. I am starting a new job there and have a resident card and work permit for the Bahamas. My girlfriend is coming along on a 30 day tourist visa(with a possible 30 day extension) We plan to marry in the Bahamas and apply for either a CR1 or DCF or ? She plans to visit her family at the end of June in Colombia with a 3 day stop in the US beforehand

What are my options filing in the Bahamas?

Can she fly to the US , then on to Colombia for a visit on her US tourist visa, if she hasnt received the papers to travel, otherwise?

Any other advice?

Thank you for your time

[kaffy 2]

DCF is for a CR1(or IR1 if you have been married longer than 2 years) visa. DCF simply means you file directly with the Consulate/Embassy rather than filing it the traditional route through USCIS & NVC.

In most cases you need to be a resident for 6 months or longer before you qualify for DCF.

[devilfishlane 0]

DCF is for a CR1(or IR1 if you have been married longer than 2 years) visa. DCF simply means you file directly with the Consulate/Embassy rather than filing it the traditional route through USCIS & NVC.

In most cases you need to be a resident for 6 months or longer before you qualify for DCF.

If that is the case , what are my options ? Will she have to just come and go ever 2 months(lenght of tourist visa in the Bahamas) (between the US and the Bahamas)until 6 months passes?

If we marry now in the US (she has been in the US for 3 months) , I read that she can't leave until she receives AP...

Anything else we can do?

Thank you

Edited March 11, 2009 by devilfishlane

[txladykat 1]

If you can get her residency in the Bahamas, its best she stay there with you and file DCF. How long do you plan to be in the Bahamas? Once the visa is issued, it must be used within 6 months. After you marry in the US, she can leave. The AP is for those who have filed to adjust status after marrying (and remaining) in the US. For example, if she was in the US visiting and you got married on a whim and she decided to stay, you file to adjust her status to a legal resident. If you do this, then you cannot travel without the AP. Now, some will tell you "this is illegal"....not really, it is illegal if you came to the US with the intent to marry then adjust status, it is not illegal if you made the decision to marry AFTER you entered the country.

How long are you going to be living in the Bahamas? This will determine how and when you file for her visa.