A doozy: Both live abroad, and she's Iranian

[soko 0]

I have what is increasingly turning out to be a very complex situation. I'm a U.S. citizen living in South Korea. My girlfriend of almost a year is Iranian, and she's here in South Korea as well earning her master's degree. She was denied a tourist visa. I wanted her to meet my family, but the embassy said she didn't present enough evidence of strong ties to Korea (despite the fact she has a full scholarship that also pays living expenses). Also, they said they don't have experience with Iranians and recommended that she apply for a tourist visa in Dubai or Istanbul.

I would like to propose to her in a few months. Does anyone know if we can apply for a fiance visa even though I - the U.S. citizen - live abroad? The goal would be to get a K1 and then move to the U.S., where we could get married. All the information I've found implies that the U.S. citizen currently lives there. Would it be better to just get married in Korea and then apply for a K3? We don't really want to be apart if at all possible. Also, any guidance on whether we should apply for the fiance visa here or in Dubai? Thanks in advance for any/all help...

[tglea 0]

I have what is increasingly turning out to be a very complex situation. I'm a U.S. citizen living in South Korea. My girlfriend of almost a year is Iranian, and she's here in South Korea as well earning her master's degree. She was denied a tourist visa. I wanted her to meet my family, but the embassy said she didn't present enough evidence of strong ties to Korea (despite the fact she has a full scholarship that also pays living expenses). Also, they said they don't have experience with Iranians and recommended that she apply for a tourist visa in Dubai or Istanbul.

I would like to propose to her in a few months. Does anyone know if we can apply for a fiance visa even though I - the U.S. citizen - live abroad? The goal would be to get a K1 and then move to the U.S., where we could get married. All the information I've found implies that the U.S. citizen currently lives there. Would it be better to just get married in Korea and then apply for a K3? We don't really want to be apart if at all possible. Also, any guidance on whether we should apply for the fiance visa here or in Dubai? Thanks in advance for any/all help...

Yes you can. You will just have to send the 129f to the correct location in the US. Also, it would be wise to have someone that can get your mail at the address you use for the USA. You could also get married in Korea and do the K3 or CR1 visa. I would suspect that it would be quite difficult for two foreigners to get married in a foreign country. Just my thought.

It would also be wise to read the guides as they will give you some good info to make your decision on which route to take. http://www.visajourney.com/content/guides

Edited March 22, 2010 by tglea

[messi 0]

my fiance and are are both out of the country as well, so i did a lot of research on this. if you have lived in korea for at least 6 months and have established residency (i.e. you are legally working or something and are not there as a tourist) it is probably better to get married there and then apply for a CR1. from what i found, marriage in a third country, in particular if it is the country where you are filing, is not really a problem. you should be able to do direct consular filing, which sounds like it is almost always faster than going through USCIS/NVC.

after all of our research we wanted to go this route, but unfortunately we are just on an extended travel and did not meet residency requirements, so we're doing K-1 instead. gathering the necessary materials can be tedious from out of the country, but at least we are together while we wait.

good luck!

[SunDrop 59]

Yes you can, as long as there's someone who can receive your mail.

You also need to consider how you might meet the qualifications as her sponsor however, and whether the interviewing consulate accepts co-sponsors. Your best bet on getting information about that would be in the regional forum. Some countries don't accept them at all, others insist that it's an immediate relative. Presumably you have continued to file taxes from abroad, as you are required to do this as a USC. If not, do so asap.

Take a moment to read through the comparison guides to see which visa would best suit you and yours, considering circumstances.

Just a note, the K3 is now defunct. If you decided to marry and then apply for an immigrant visa, it would be a CR-1.

[Gevalicious 2]

Um, both of us live abroad as well, Chad and I met on working holidays in New Zealand and then we traveled together for another 2 years,and we decided to engaged in Thailand,then applied in Australia. We wrote an email asking the consulate first and when they said YES ,we started.

So, i think your case should be almost the same,but better to ask the consulate in the country you both live first.

I am from Thailand and Chad is from USA.,we both decided to apply here because we need Chad's parents to be a co-sponsor, the embassy in Bangkok doesnt take any co-sponsor for k1 anymore.

goodluck,

Gev