Bring spouse through military??

[Maju 3]

This story is a little complicated. I'll give the basics. My wife's sister(who is Peruvian) just married a man with dual citizenship (U.S. and Panama). Nice Guy but man's family was not really in favor of the marriage. Man's Father advised him to quit job and get job where man's sister works. What he was told about the job was misleading and can not make enough money and needs to find a new job to support wife. Man's Father is now giving advice for Man to join U.S. Military, saying he could support her with the money from joining and it would help to bring wife here. I think the man's family is trying to sabotage marriage. I would like to give my sister-in-law and husband advice but I don't know how being a dual citizen would affect a K-3 visa. I also know nothing about being in the military and how one would bring a spouse here that way. If someone could help. Thanks

[Catt 6]

This story is a little complicated. I'll give the basics. My wife's sister(who is Peruvian) just married a man with dual citizenship (U.S. and Panama). Nice Guy but man's family was not really in favor of the marriage. Man's Father advised him to quit job and get job where man's sister works. What he was told about the job was misleading and can not make enough money and needs to find a new job to support wife. Man's Father is now giving advice for Man to join U.S. Military, saying he could support her with the money from joining and it would help to bring wife here. I think the man's family is trying to sabotage marriage. I would like to give my sister-in-law and husband advice but I don't know how being a dual citizen would affect a K-3 visa. I also know nothing about being in the military and how one would bring a spouse here that way. If someone could help. Thanks

I really hope that your sister and her husband know what they are signing up for, if he chooses to join the military, especially in these times of very frequent deployments.

My own husband is Army, and he loves his job. But the frequent times spent apart during pre deployment training and the actual deployments are hard, and it is not fun to see a loved one go off to war.

Also, please do not believe anyone that tells you that having a spouse in the military means the partner gets a free and instant ticket to the US. Some steps of the immigration process (for example of the K-3 visa and IR-1/CR-1 process) can, under certain circumstances, be expedited. But this is not guaranteed. And you will have to do your research about that, since not all the bases know about this yet/even the CIS military helpline will tell you that it is only possible with actually deployment orders in hand (which is incorrect). (You could check out the threads "expedite tips" and "military spouses" in the IR-1/CR-1 Forum. They discuss military expedites.)

I would think that, if getting his wife to the US were the only reason to join the military, this man might end up very unhappy. Can they not find a co-sponsor? (check out the income requirements of the Affidavit of Support (I-864)).

Edited May 12, 2009 by Catt

[luisymelanie 0]

Hello. I am an officer in the U.S. Army. I can tell you that being in the military gave me ABSOLUTELY ZERO LEVERAGE to get our K-1 (Fiance Visa) request expedited. The only time being in the U.S. military helps expedite things faster is if YOU ARE THE NON-CITIZEN. You can get your citizenship sooner by belonging to the military. When I was in Iraq they would have mass citizenship ceremonies for military members.

I would say get a co-sponsor and stop listening to the family. The folks here on VJ are the ones with the experience and knowledge. You may want to consult with a lawyer. Usually an initial consultation is $100-$200.

Take care and best of luck.

[Catt 6]

Hello. I am an officer in the U.S. Army. I can tell you that being in the military gave me ABSOLUTELY ZERO LEVERAGE to get our K-1 (Fiance Visa) request expedited. The only time being in the U.S. military helps expedite things faster is if YOU ARE THE NON-CITIZEN. You can get your citizenship sooner by belonging to the military. When I was in Iraq they would have mass citizenship ceremonies for military members.

I would say get a co-sponsor and stop listening to the family. The folks here on VJ are the ones with the experience and knowledge. You may want to consult with a lawyer. Usually an initial consultation is $100-$200.

Take care and best of luck.

That is not necessarily the case in general. The K-1, K-3 visa and the IR-1/CR-1 applications for a non-US citizen spouse of a US citizen in the military can and do sometimes get expedited. This is not only the case when the soldier has actual deployment orders in hand, but also happens in between deployments.

But, as my previous post makes clear, I completely agree with you on the couple looking at alternatives.

Timewise, the husband joining the military would not make sense. Even if his wife might be able to get to the US sooner than normal (which is not guaranteed), they would most likely have to miss eachother for extended periods of time, if he is deployed.

If the main reason is a financial one, then indeed, a co-sponsor can help. If the man's dad really wants to help them, then maybe he could be the co-sponsor ...