Should I marry my girl before trying to come to USA?

[Nik+Heather 121]

She comes to the US with a tourist visa and you get married here and then you do the paperwork and tell them she's not leaving, but you might need a lawyer, I don't know how that works, but I heard that they don't like it when you do it that way,

Uhhh. NO. "They" don't like it. It's ILLEGAL to enter on a tourist visa with intention to stay and adjust status. Don't know how it works? Don't give out this advice to people.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

The best way is K1 visa, you ask for permission, you wait and go through all the stuff like the rest of us. or

You get married now, and get K3 visa and wait and go through all the stuff and then bring her here or

She comes to the US with a tourist visa and you get married here and then you do the paperwork and tell them she's not leaving, but you might need a lawyer, I don't know how that works, but I heard that they don't like it when you do it that way, you might have more interviews if you do it that way, but if she is in danger, then what can you do.

Either way, it's very expensive, the prices have really gotten high

Errr.... excuse me???? What you are suggesting is illegal activity. Not cool and certainly against the Terms of Service. Reported.

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

I wish to marry my fiancee from Ukraine. I am a U.S. citizen living in Europe and can not return to Ukraine for 6 months. She is a widow with a young son, owns her own flat and a business (on paper). Ukraine does not let single woman leave easily. These are my possible options: Marry her in Ukraine by proxy (not present) and then get her a visa to USA (not likely). Get her a visa to go to her brother in Spain and marry her there. This seems to be the best option, but how do I get her to USA afterward? Does getting married first make it easier to get into the USA? What would be necessary to accomplish this? She is not in a safe situation in Ukraine and needs to get out. Please help.

The best way is K1 visa, you ask for permission, you wait and go through all the stuff like the rest of us. or

You get married now, and get K3 visa and wait and go through all the stuff and then bring her here or

She comes to the US with a tourist visa and you get married here and then you do the paperwork and tell them she's not leaving, but you might need a lawyer, I don't know how that works, but I heard that they don't like it when you do it that way, you might have more interviews if you do it that way, but if she is in danger, then what can you do.

Either way, it's very expensive, the prices have really gotten high

By way of example, and not as a limitation, you agree that when using the Service, you will not:

• Condone or instruct, either directly or indirectly, others on how to commit fraudulent or illegal immigration activities in any way, shape, manner or method.

visajourney terms of service

[Ladylethal 12]

The best way is K1 visa, you ask for permission, you wait and go through all the stuff like the rest of us. or

You get married now, and get K3 visa and wait and go through all the stuff and then bring her here or

She comes to the US with a tourist visa and you get married here and then you do the paperwork and tell them she's not leaving, but you might need a lawyer, I don't know how that works, but I heard that they don't like it when you do it that way, you might have more interviews if you do it that way, but if she is in danger, then what can you do.

Either way, it's very expensive, the prices have really gotten high

Errr.... excuse me???? What you are suggesting is illegal activity. Not cool and certainly against the Terms of Service. Reported.

Big NO NO.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

As others have mentioned it is a serious violation of the Terms of Service of VJ to recommend or suggest any illegal immigration activity.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

What happened to the OP?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

She comes to the US with a tourist visa and you get married here and then you do the paperwork and tell them she's not leaving, but you might need a lawyer, I don't know how that works, but I heard that they don't like it when you do it that way,

Uhhh. NO. "They" don't like it. It's ILLEGAL to enter on a tourist visa with intention to stay and adjust status. Don't know how it works? Don't give out this advice to people.

WHAT THE...

NO, you cannot do this. As Nick points out it is illegal to enter on a tourist visa with intent to marry and adjust status. Get caught at this and you WILL be leaving with a lifetime ban on ever coming back! Besides that, it is nearly impossible for a single Ukrainian woman to get a tourist visa.

[TwoTravelers 0]

Lots of good advice here and some bad but be sure you visit the USCIS website (uscis.gov) and read all the details. It can be intimidating and it's a whole lot of bureaucracy but it has the guidelines that you will need to follow for whatever route you choose to take. The best advice I can give you is read everything you can on that site that could potentially pertain to you and then when you have questions come back to this site and ask around. At least that way you will have your own knowledge to weed through the true and false info.

For sure don't have her just come to the States and get married unless her life is in some kind of SERIOUS danger. Since the USCIS does not give it as an option it's just a bad idea. She could be at a much higher risk of being deported or "sent away" until you file the proper paper work and bring her in the right way. I know someone it happened to. She was sent back to her country for about 8 months until the proper paper work was filed and processed.

Don't know for sure but if you can prove some kind of relationship and have seen each other in person in the last two years then the I-294F sounds like your best option. Here is the info from USCIS on who is eligible...

Who is Eligible

U.S. citizens who will be getting married to a foreign national in the United States may petition for a fiancé(e) classification (K-1) for their fiancé(e). You and your fiancé(e) must be free to marry. This means that both of you are unmarried, or that any previous marriages have ended through divorce, annulment or death. You must also have met with your fiancé(e) in person within the last two years before filing for the fiancé(e) visa. This requirement can be waived only if meeting your fiancé(e) in person would violate long-established customs, or if meeting your fiancé(e) would create extreme hardship for you. You and your fiancé(e) must marry within 90 days of your fiancé(e) entering the United States.

You may also apply to bring your fiancé(e)'s unmarried children, who are under age 21, to the United States.

Check out this link to the USCIS website...

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

Good luck to you!

[clueless_in_usa 8]

Alternatively, if she cannot get a tourist visa to go to Spain and you cannot go to Ukraine for 6 months, you could file the K-1 visa (which is what this thread is for actually). Also, I'm not sure how complicated it would be for the two of you to marry in Spain. It seems to me that it would be better for you to apply for a K-1 visa since you say you cannot get to Ukraine for at least 6 months and it is not guaranteed that she could get a visa to go to Spain, not to mention all of the legalities that would have to be gotten through for two people, neither of them Spanish, to get married in Spain. (I live in Brazil for example and for two Americans to get married here, or any two nationalities that aren't Brazilian) is a pain in the a$$. It can be done, but it's a serious pain!). Spain might be the same. Why do you two need to get married first?

I'm gonna guess that you are not aware that there is a visa for your fiancee to leave Ukraine and THEN marry you in the US. As others have said,

If for some strange reason you are opposed to the K-1 visa, then I personally think it would be easier for you to get yourself back to Ukraine, than for the two of you to try to get her a visa to Spain and then try to go through all the hassle of marrying in a foreign country. If you can get yourself back to Ukraine within the next 2-3 months, then you can marry her there and apply for the CR-1 visa. But, if you can't get there within 2-3 months, then you might as well apply the K-1 visa.

IF the OP is not being scammed, let us assume that the lady is really in some kind of danger and he is doing the right thing helping her. However, whatever the situation, let us state the facts regarding some of the proposed solutions:

1) Getting granted a tourist visa to Spain (Shengen Visa) for an unmarried Ukrainian woman who has to "escape" and already has a brother in Spain, is something short of a miracle, especially if this woman has never traveled to Europe before, and has no strong ties to her home land

2) Assuming that her brother has a lot of money and can write a letter of support to help her get the visa, getting married in Spain is not very easy. In fact, it is one of the most difficult countries to marry, especially for foreigners. But it can be done

3) Even if hurdles 1) and 2) are overcome and the OP can actually marry this woman in Spain, THE US CONSULATE IN SPAIN WILL NOT GRANT ANY VISA TO A PERSON WHO IS NOT A LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT OF SPAIN. The visa to the US has to be obtained in the country of residence of the beneficiary

Whatever way you skin the cat, it is not going to be easy to escape from Ukraine, unless she escapes to a former CIS (soviet) country. And just as others said, if you are not sure of the circumstances, you should make sure that you are not being scammed.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

What happened to the OP?

He went to Ukraine and now cannot escape. There are no computers in Ukraine, the government does not allow them, because people use them to find fiancees and escape!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Alternatively, if she cannot get a tourist visa to go to Spain and you cannot go to Ukraine for 6 months, you could file the K-1 visa (which is what this thread is for actually). Also, I'm not sure how complicated it would be for the two of you to marry in Spain. It seems to me that it would be better for you to apply for a K-1 visa since you say you cannot get to Ukraine for at least 6 months and it is not guaranteed that she could get a visa to go to Spain, not to mention all of the legalities that would have to be gotten through for two people, neither of them Spanish, to get married in Spain. (I live in Brazil for example and for two Americans to get married here, or any two nationalities that aren't Brazilian) is a pain in the a$$. It can be done, but it's a serious pain!). Spain might be the same. Why do you two need to get married first?

I'm gonna guess that you are not aware that there is a visa for your fiancee to leave Ukraine and THEN marry you in the US. As others have said,

If for some strange reason you are opposed to the K-1 visa, then I personally think it would be easier for you to get yourself back to Ukraine, than for the two of you to try to get her a visa to Spain and then try to go through all the hassle of marrying in a foreign country. If you can get yourself back to Ukraine within the next 2-3 months, then you can marry her there and apply for the CR-1 visa. But, if you can't get there within 2-3 months, then you might as well apply the K-1 visa.

IF the OP is not being scammed, let us assume that the lady is really in some kind of danger and he is doing the right thing helping her. However, whatever the situation, let us state the facts regarding some of the proposed solutions:

1) Getting granted a tourist visa to Spain (Shengen Visa) for an unmarried Ukrainian woman who has to "escape" and already has a brother in Spain, is something short of a miracle, especially if this woman has never traveled to Europe before, and has no strong ties to her home land

2) Assuming that her brother has a lot of money and can write a letter of support to help her get the visa, getting married in Spain is not very easy. In fact, it is one of the most difficult countries to marry, especially for foreigners. But it can be done

3) Even if hurdles 1) and 2) are overcome and the OP can actually marry this woman in Spain, THE US CONSULATE IN SPAIN WILL NOT GRANT ANY VISA TO A PERSON WHO IS NOT A LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT OF SPAIN. The visa to the US has to be obtained in the country of residence of the beneficiary

Whatever way you skin the cat, it is not going to be easy to escape from Ukraine, unless she escapes to a former CIS (soviet) country. And just as others said, if you are not sure of the circumstances, you should make sure that you are not being scammed.

I really wish you would not refer to somone "escaping" Ukraine. You know, that connotation is insulting to Ukrainians and is a sensitive subject. I also have, myself, a very deep respect and care for the people of Ukraine who are some of the friendliest and most hospitable people I ever met on earth. The government of Ukraine can be frustrating to the "eyes popping out of head" degree, but the people are great.

That other countries, including ours, makes it difficult for them to obtain tourist visas is NO reflection on their ability to leave. It would be VERY easy for this man's fiancee to "escape" Ukraine if he simply follows the rules for filing one of the family based visas. Kiev is one of the easiest, if not THE easiest consulate to deal with regarding family based visas and I, for one, am damn glad I had to deal with them. You can get a K-1 interview, as of today, in FOUR days at the Kiev consulate. Try that anywhere else. The OP seems to apply all sorts of clandestine restrictions to his own situation which, again, are no reflection on the country of Ukraine. If anyone is in danger in Ukraine it is because of some personal situation. Provided she boils the water before drinking, she is in no danger from the government or civil unrest or war or anything else we would normally consider "danger".

[payxibka 10,045]

3) Even if hurdles 1) and 2) are overcome and the OP can actually marry this woman in Spain, THE US CONSULATE IN SPAIN WILL NOT GRANT ANY VISA TO A PERSON WHO IS NOT A LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT OF SPAIN. The visa to the US has to be obtained in the country of residence of the beneficiary

Not completely true, if married in Spain a K-3 would be issued in Spain. One of those visa oddities.

[pushbrk 12,910]

3) Even if hurdles 1) and 2) are overcome and the OP can actually marry this woman in Spain, THE US CONSULATE IN SPAIN WILL NOT GRANT ANY VISA TO A PERSON WHO IS NOT A LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT OF SPAIN. The visa to the US has to be obtained in the country of residence of the beneficiary

Not completely true, if married in Spain a K-3 would be issued in Spain. One of those visa oddities.

And one of the rare reasons whey K3 is not totally dead, just virtually obsolete.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Great job Gary, pushbrk, and payxibka. The OP is now in a fetal position sucking his thumb. I love it