Worried ... 18 and married.

[VJnCaramel 0]

Hey everyone!

I am a little bit worried about our upcoming Interview ...

and i would be very glad if you could give me some advice!

So, I entered the US on a Tourist Visa (i had no intention to get married)

I have proof of that (Flight ticket back to Germany, had a job & apartment,...)

anyways ... I visited my BF here and after two weeks here, we were laying in bed and talking about our

future together ... flying back and forth is so expensive and we just wanted to be together.

so he asked me to marry him and stay with him in the US. I said yes

(it's always been very hard not seeing him - i think you all have been thru the same thing ...)

2 months later we got married (my parents, both grandparents, brother, cousin and friends flew over here on a very short notice, his family came to our wedding - everybody was happy that we got married )

and we filed for AOS in December.

Now my concern is that there's gonna be a problem about my age/age difference.

well, I am 18 years old right now and my hubby is 26.

We were introduced via myspace by a mutual friend - his brother about 3 years ago.

and maybe you see were the problem could be.

At this time I was 15. When we started dating I was 16 and he was 23.

That is perfectly legal in Germany ...

but what about california??

I visited him about 6 times in the last 3 years and he visited me about 35-40 times (he works as a freelance video editor and had some freelance work in Germany - we sent his lufthansa flight-record-thing as evidence too)

He grew up in Germany - lived there for almost 20 years (His parents were stationed over there)

He speaks fluently german and knows everything about the german culture (or however you'll call it)

So I am really worried that there's gonna be a problem about that ...

Or do you think the officer won't even care about it, because we are married now ...

Thank you so much for your help and input

xx

You might have bigger problems that the age issue There is a unwritten 30/60 days marriage rule when getting married on a tourist visa. In other words you are likely to incur a lifetime ban if you get married too early. From what I have read in your post, you got engaged after 2 weeks and married 60 days later. Thats pretty close to the threshold. Please have a look at this post http://www.visajourney.com/forums/lofivers...hp/t235619.html. If they assume that you decided to get married before coming here then you could incur a lifetime ban. Having a job and apartment at 18 is not enough ties. If you owned property and have held that job for several years then thats a different story. If you didn't have tenure at your last job, then the only other thing that could indicate ties would be the salary and at 18 I don't think you would be making all that much. Please figure your story out before going to that interview. Please seek legal counsel on this issue. I think you might be able to abandon your adjustment of status and go home and file IR/1 visa.

I wish you all the best and will be praying for you this night. I only regret is that you didn't come to us sooner. Maybe one of us would have pointed you to going back home and seeking a K1 visa.

[payxibka 10,045]

You might have bigger problems that the age issue There is a unwritten 30/60 days marriage rule when getting married on a tourist visa. In other words you are likely to incur a lifetime ban if you get married too early. From what I have read in your post, you got engaged after 2 weeks and married 60 days later. Thats pretty close to the threshold. Please have a look at this post http://www.visajourney.com/forums/lofivers...hp/t235619.html. If they assume that you decided to get married before coming here then you could incur a lifetime ban. Having a job and apartment at 18 is not enough ties. If you owned property and have held that job for several years then thats a different story. If you didn't have tenure at your last job, then the only other thing that could indicate ties would be the salary and at 18 I don't think you would be making all that much. Please figure your story out before going to that interview. Please seek legal counsel on this issue. I think you might be able to abandon your adjustment of status and go home and file IR/1 visa.

I wish you all the best and will be praying for you this night. I only regret is that you didn't come to us sooner. Maybe one of us would have pointed you to going back home and seeking a K1 visa.

Getting married too early incurs a lifetime ban? Please...

Really is not an issue unless she misrepresented herself to the CBP at entry...

[Laura & Kyle 16]

You might have bigger problems that the age issue There is a unwritten 30/60 days marriage rule when getting married on a tourist visa. In other words you are likely to incur a lifetime ban if you get married too early. From what I have read in your post, you got engaged after 2 weeks and married 60 days later. Thats pretty close to the threshold. Please have a look at this post http://www.visajourney.com/forums/lofivers...hp/t235619.html. If they assume that you decided to get married before coming here then you could incur a lifetime ban. Having a job and apartment at 18 is not enough ties. If you owned property and have held that job for several years then thats a different story. If you didn't have tenure at your last job, then the only other thing that could indicate ties would be the salary and at 18 I don't think you would be making all that much. Please figure your story out before going to that interview. Please seek legal counsel on this issue. I think you might be able to abandon your adjustment of status and go home and file IR/1 visa.

I wish you all the best and will be praying for you this night. I only regret is that you didn't come to us sooner. Maybe one of us would have pointed you to going back home and seeking a K1 visa.

Seriously? There were a lot of IFs in your reply. There could be just as many IF statements made about a K-1 application or a IR/1 visas. With anything, there are always some kind of risk. The OP is looking for advice regarding her situation in the present.

This is just not to you, but I wish others would stop suggesting to people who are already starting to proceed with the AOS adjustment to go back home or to turn around and go back home and seek a K1 or IR/1 visa. It's not supportive, nor helpful in this situation. Seriously, I wish there was a "safe" forum for those going through the AOS process who didn't go through K1, K3, IR/CR1.

[lovelyalex 99]

This is just not to you, but I wish others would stop suggesting to people who are already starting to proceed with the AOS adjustment to go back home or to turn around and go back home and seek a K1 or IR/1 visa. It's not supportive, nor helpful in this situation. Seriously, I wish there was a "safe" forum for those going through the AOS process who didn't go through K1, K3, IR/CR1.

here here!!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

You might have bigger problems that the age issue There is a unwritten 30/60 days marriage rule when getting married on a tourist visa. In other words you are likely to incur a lifetime ban if you get married too early. From what I have read in your post, you got engaged after 2 weeks and married 60 days later. Thats pretty close to the threshold. Please have a look at this post http://www.visajourney.com/forums/lofivers...hp/t235619.html. If they assume that you decided to get married before coming here then you could incur a lifetime ban. Having a job and apartment at 18 is not enough ties. If you owned property and have held that job for several years then thats a different story. If you didn't have tenure at your last job, then the only other thing that could indicate ties would be the salary and at 18 I don't think you would be making all that much. Please figure your story out before going to that interview. Please seek legal counsel on this issue. I think you might be able to abandon your adjustment of status and go home and file IR/1 visa.

I wish you all the best and will be praying for you this night. I only regret is that you didn't come to us sooner. Maybe one of us would have pointed you to going back home and seeking a K1 visa.

I think the above poster is using unnecessary scare tactics and you have little reason to worry. You have a well established relationship. You have proof that you intended to return home to Germany after the visit. He has lived and worked in Germany and you have been dating for a number of years in Germany. He now lives in the US and on a visit to him, you decided you didn't want to have to spend more time going back and forth, that you wanted to live together as husband and wife. You were not engaged when you entered. You became engaged 2 weeks after your arrival. You planned a wedding for 2 months later at which both of your families attended. You are from a country that is a low risk for immigration fraud. The difference in your ages is not that great and will become 'less' as you both get older. There really are no real red flags on your situation from what you have said.

There is no rule that states marriages that happen less than 90 days after arrival in the US are fraud. If you had entered the US and got married 2 weeks later then you might have to address the issue of intent upon entry but that did not happen. Your time line is very real and very believable. DO NOT ABANDON YOUR AOS application. There is no reason to expect you will have difficulties in adjusting status. Bring to the interview proof of your intent to return to Germany after this visit, ie, having to tie up your affairs from a distance (ending employment, breaking lease, selling belongings, etc.). Have your parents and your in-laws write affidavits of their knowledge of when you became engaged and decided to remain in the US. Bring lots of evidence of how you have joined your lives together in a valid relationship after your arrival in the US. I have every confidence that you will be perfectly fine.

Good luck .

[Nyte 1]

I think the OP will be fine.

I also think that too many people on VJ mistake USCIS Adjudications officers as Law Enforcement officers. They aren't.

[Bern. 3]

Hey Steffi, how are you?

I wouldn't worry about your age, I mean, it's just a number right? As long as you have strong proof of an on-going relationship, then age should not matter, and don't worry about being 18 and married, it's really not a big deal. I did the same thing lol! I mean, in the end, it's YOUR life, do what you feel is right. =)

Edited March 5, 2010 by Bern.

[krautlaus 7]

Okay. I hope I don't offend you too much krautlaus but I think you REALLY should have looked up the term "statutory rape" before you insinuated Bob was being heartless...

I swear this is the last OT post here from me!

Yeah I do know what that specific term means. You have a point, definitely. Bob just took it a little further - saying the girl married her (alleged or not) rapist. I personally think the term (not necessarily the law) "statutory rape" is bullsh!t. I feel like it must have been coined by someone who has no idea what rape really is...

Again, good luck to the OP. You're pretty safe. Don't let them scare you Just smile and don't lie.

[snivvel 0]

Good luck from me as well You'll be fine.

[v333k 59]

I think at this point, the interviewing officer is concerned with how old you are AT THE MOMENT and not how old you were. If the US looks at each and every single relationship, then most people, men and women, committed statutory rape, since most two people dating had to be around the 17/18 years of age and one is always older than the other, so for an instant in life, one was above 18 and one was under 18.

Therefore, I think that they don't care as long as while you are sitting in front of them, you are both consenting adults above 18 years of age. If they do ask, then you can honestly explain about Germany and its laws and how your parents were OK with your relationship.... that should suffice.

[v333k 59]

Oh, if you can bring the following to the interview it may help if the subject arises of your visit to the US with the intent to marry. As you said, your boyfriend proposed to you on xx/xx/xxx and your family rushed to coming to the wedding - you can provide them with information on when the tickets were booked which should be dates after the proposal and it should be also closer to the wedding date. If the wedding was planned a long time ago, then the tickets will show several months when they were purchased.

I hope I am making sense.

[jundp 191]

Oh, if you can bring the following to the interview it may help if the subject arises of your visit to the US with the intent to marry. As you said, your boyfriend proposed to you on xx/xx/xxx and your family rushed to coming to the wedding - you can provide them with information on when the tickets were booked which should be dates after the proposal and it should be also closer to the wedding date. If the wedding was planned a long time ago, then the tickets will show several months when they were purchased.

I hope I am making sense.

Good advice, as well as the advice from Kathryn.

Good luck.

[Ines86 0]

Just wanted to wish you good luck!

BTW I also get asked all the time if I'm not too young to get married and I'm 5 years older than you!

So don't listen to them!

[besaangel 18]

Yes, we have A LOT of pictures. Like I said my whole family flew in from Germany and I think even that is enough proof that our marriage is real ...

I've heard so many times now, that I was too young to get married, but I can only say, that we are truly in love.

Of course we could get a divorce in 5 years, but a couple in their late 20's or 30's too - i think.

and I am married now for 6 months already and it's not easy being in the US, doing all the paper #######. I haven't seen my family since our wedding.

okay, his family lives 5 min from our apartment away and they help us a lot ...

I still think that I did the right thing and I was just a little worried about that under 18 thing ...

But I will be truthful at our interview and we'll see ...

thanks for your advice!!

Age is pretty irrelevant if you ask me... sorry about the discrimination though. Although I am a few years older than you- hubby and I got married two months ago- we're both 22 but we've been together for 4 years (this year'll be five)... so people on the outside know little or nothing about your relationship and will think u r too young and you should "EXPLORE"- complete garbage if you ask me... you and he knows best

[Tom&Steffi 0]

We had our interview yesterday! It took about 45 minutes. The officer only said "so you were 15 when you met and 18 when you got married" I said "YES" and that's it. We got approved right on the spot.

And before that, about 3 weeks ago, I traveled on Advance Parole to Germany and back without any problems!!

So Thanks to all of you who gave me realistic advice and did not try to scare me or wanted me to cancel my petition (BullS***)

We had no problems and our big photo albums helped A LOT.