which is better, getting married or engaged?

[medo442 0]

hi all,

i was introduced to this website by someone who told me that it can be useful for me.

am an Egyptian man who is in love with an American girl. we r planing to meet eachother and probably geting married, but the problem is. i dont know which is better, geting married and apply for a spouse visa or just get engaged and apply for a fiance visa?. my girlfriend cant live in Egypt, she is still studying and she wants me to move and live with her there.

i can see from posts here and there that things r too complicated and that it is too hard for married ppl to get together in the USA. am confused, so plz i need someone to guide me.

looking forward to ur replies.

[Otto 83]

Visa Journey is a great site and much of the information you will need can be found in the Guides.

A great place to start is HERE.

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Hi Medo, nice to see you on here... Its me Tamara & Adam

[~ameriptian~ 54]

Welcome to VJ!

The link that Karin posted is very helpful!

If you and your girl are meeting for the first time, I would not recommend that you get married in this same visit. Cairo Consulate is not an easy one, and male beneficiaries tend to be under AP (Additional Processing) that can last for long months after the visa interview. They will most likely need a lot of evidence and will do further investigation.

We had our K1 in a little over 7 months which was not too bad. However, we will need to file for Adjust of Status after getting married and that's a lengthy process.

Take your time and see what option is best for you and your fiancee. Don't hesitate to ask any questions anytime!

This link is helpful too: The Guides

[medo442 0]

Visa Journey is a great site and much of the information you will need can be found in the Guides.

A great place to start is HERE.

thank u for the help! or better say "Danke sehr"

[M.O 6]

read the guides and you will decide for yourself which one is better...

[medo442 0]

Welcome to VJ!

The link that Karin posted is very helpful!

If you and your girl are meeting for the first time, I would not recommend that you get married in this same visit. Cairo Consulate is not an easy one, and male beneficiaries tend to be under AP (Additional Processing) that can last for long months after the visa interview. They will most likely need a lot of evidence and will do further investigation.

We had our K1 in a little over 7 months which was not too bad. However, we will need to file for Adjust of Status after getting married and that's a lengthy process.

Take your time and see what option is best for you and your fiancee. Don't hesitate to ask any questions anytime!

This link is helpful too: The Guides

thank u for the help. well, am afraid that i didnt understand fully what did u mean. do u mean that it is better to get engaged instead of getting married?

my fiancee cant come again but next year. also there r some problems facing us. at first we were planing that she would come and live with me in Egypt, but then there r some reasons that she cant come for, like she still study at university there and has 2 years left! so she really cant live with me cuz in that case she will have to quit her study, which i will not accept, she wont do it either.

so, the only chance is this year, cuz she can afford plane tickets, her guardian will come with her so she will see me, my life and my family, and also if we decided to get married so she will help cuz my fiancee is under 21 so she needs someone to aprove her marriage according to laws here.

so that is really a brief on our problems. we do love eachother and we feel comfortable with eachother. we just want to do the marriage thing cuz we already know that it will take along time.

so that is why i was wondering if geting married is better or just engagment. i will look it up in the links that i got from u and from Otto. thank u guys once more.

[medo442 0]

read the guides and you will decide for yourself which one is better...

thank u, it did help me alot.

[~ameriptian~ 54]

thank u for the help. well, am afraid that i didnt understand fully what did u mean. do u mean that it is better to get engaged instead of getting married?

my fiancee cant come again but next year. also there r some problems facing us. at first we were planing that she would come and live with me in Egypt, but then there r some reasons that she cant come for, like she still study at university there and has 2 years left! so she really cant live with me cuz in that case she will have to quit her study, which i will not accept, she wont do it either.

so, the only chance is this year, cuz she can afford plane tickets, her guardian will come with her so she will see me, my life and my family, and also if we decided to get married so she will help cuz my fiancee is under 21 so she needs someone to aprove her marriage according to laws here.

so that is really a brief on our problems. we do love eachother and we feel comfortable with eachother. we just want to do the marriage thing cuz we already know that it will take along time.

so that is why i was wondering if geting married is better or just engagment. i will look it up in the links that i got from u and from Otto. thank u guys once more.

It's always better to meet more than once people the interview stage whether married or engaged, however meeting once does not always mean you will be denied. (We only met once before the interview, and our fiancee visa got approved.. We were lucky, but this is not always the case for everyone).

I cannot decide for you which visa route you and your girlfriend/fiancee should took, this is up to you both. I'm just saying that it will not look good at the interview stage if got married married in the first visit, especially if you cannot meet again in the next year. The Consular will be very interested in seeing evidence of an ongoing relationship between you and your fiancee/wife (if you decide to go for a spousal visa), and will be interested in knowing how many times you've seen each other in person and the time you spent together during each visit.. I'm not trying to discourage you or scare you here, just weigh your options and see which route is best for you.

As a general advice, do take LOADS of pictures when she visits...take pictures of both you, both of you with your family, friends, etc. Keep a record of your online communication since you started communicating (emails, chat logs, phone calls, etc.). Whether you decide to get married or engaged, it will always look at the interview stage if you have a wedding or an engagement party.

Good luck with whatever you decide and don't hesitate to ask more questions anytime!

[medo442 0]

It's always better to meet more than once people the interview stage whether married or engaged, however meeting once does not always mean you will be denied. (We only met once before the interview, and our fiancee visa got approved.. We were lucky, but this is not always the case for everyone).

I cannot decide for you which visa route you and your girlfriend/fiancee should took, this is up to you both. I'm just saying that it will not look good at the interview stage if got married married in the first visit, especially if you cannot meet again in the next year. The Consular will be very interested in seeing evidence of an ongoing relationship between you and your fiancee/wife (if you decide to go for a spousal visa), and will be interested in knowing how many times you've seen each other in person and the time you spent together during each visit.. I'm not trying to discourage you or scare you here, just weigh your options and see which route is best for you.

As a general advice, do take LOADS of pictures when she visits...take pictures of both you, both of you with your family, friends, etc. Keep a record of your online communication since you started communicating (emails, chat logs, phone calls, etc.). Whether you decide to get married or engaged, it will always look at the interview stage if you have a wedding or an engagement party.

Good luck with whatever you decide and don't hesitate to ask more questions anytime!

thank u Aya for taking time to write me all this! i did get to know more information from what u have said. and i will sure keep these ideas in mind. i just have to think wisely about the whole thing.

thanks for the help

[True Love at Last 15]

Salam medo442.....If your girl is under 21 and still in school (not working, I assume)...does she have someone that will sponsor you? If she is at least 18 years old she shouldnt need a guardian's permission to marry.

The decision we made was very simple, the Fiance Visa (K-1) allowed us a shorter time apart and when he was with me here in the US, it didnt matter how long the process took. We were together and that was all that mattered to us.

My husband and I met only once in Egypt, before applying for the Fiance Visa. You can see our timeline below.

Good luck to you in your journey.

[LRA 0]

I think it is a plus she is brining her "guardian" with her to visit you. You would be wise to get pictures of both her and her family member with you and your family members. Additionally, I would capture copies of their entry/exit stamps in their passports as well as boarding passes....for the both of them to submit as evidence.

[~ameriptian~ 54]

So many typos in the original message, was typing in a hurry .. The below post is an edited one.

It's always better to meet more than once before the interview stage whether married or engaged, however meeting once does not always mean you will be denied. (We only met once before the interview, and our fiancee visa got approved.. We were lucky, but this is not always the case for everyone).

I cannot decide for you which visa route you and your girlfriend/fiancee should take, this is up to you both. I'm just saying that it will not look good at the interview stage if got married on the first visit, especially if you cannot meet again in the next year. The Consular will be very interested in seeing evidence of an ongoing relationship between you and your fiancee/wife (if you decide to go for a spousal visa), and will be interested in knowing how many times you've seen each other in person and the time you spent together during each visit.. I'm not trying to discourage you or scare you here, just weigh your options and see which route is best for you.

As a general advice, do take LOADS of pictures when she visits...take pictures of both you, both of you with your family, friends, etc. Keep a record of your online communication since you started communicating (emails, chat logs, phone calls, etc.). Whether you decide to get married or engaged, it will always look good at the interview stage if you have a wedding or an engagement party.

Good luck with whatever you decide and don't hesitate to ask more questions anytime!

thank u Aya for taking time to write me all this! i did get to know more information from what u have said. and i will sure keep these ideas in mind. i just have to think wisely about the whole thing.

thanks for the help smile.gif

You are welcome!