Marriage in Hong Kong

[Carla.N 0]

Hi everyone,

My fiance (USC) and I plan to file for CR-1 Visa. Marriage registration in VN is very complicated, the applicants have to prove they have no mental illnesses by getting a medical exam, Affidavit of single status and Certificate of No-marriage records, Bio info sheet [What have you done and where have you lived since the age of 15, History of marital status, Family Info (Parent's name, DOB, Place of birth, Current address)], Power of attorney if you are not available to submit the application...and must have interview at Dept of Justice. It a nightmare and takes a long time as well.

We are thinking about getting married in Hong Kong. Anyone Vietnamese here get married in Hong Kong ? Any advice and info will be greatly appreciated

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

This is why most people with a fiancee in Vietnam file for a fiancee visa. Getting married in most US states requires only some form of identification. My wife came to the US with a K1. We went to the county clerk's office (no appointment) and walked out 20 minutes later a married couple - no medical tests or interviews required. The difficulty of getting married abroad is precisely why the K1 visa exists.

People choose the CR1 route either because they are already married when they decide to move to the US, or because they've already tried to get a K2 and been denied. Your chances of being approved for a CR1 aren't really any better than your chances of being approved for a K1.

[BurningFinger 5]

My wife and I married in Singapore before we started the CR1 process. She ultimately got the pink slip at the interview and lives with me now in the US. My wife, who is Vietnamese, was asked a lot of questions about why our wedding was in Singapore instead of Vietnam. I prepared my wife for this and she answered all the questions correctly at her interview.

A few questions though. When and how did you first meet your girl? How many times have you been to Vietnam to visit her? Did you have an engagement ceremony? Do you have any red flags such as divorce by either you or your girl? Were you introduced to each other by family members? Does your girl have family living in the US? I think those questions are more important then what country you want to go to go get married. I think this information can help us give you better advise.

[Huong and Phung 0]

Well, getting married in Vietnam and all of those steps that you've mentioned doesn't take that long. If you're here right now planning to get married in HK, you should tell her to go get all of those records. The mental exam takes 2 minutes max but you have to wait a couple of hours to get the paper. it takes us 5 weeks to get our marriage certificate. interview was a piece of cake just the mental exam was a pain cuz of the hospital. Well, it's worse than our Rest Areas that you've seen along the freeway. but with 100,000 vnd, you can jump in front of the line and get tested fast. With a little bit more money, you can get your file sooner too. $ is the way to go.

[Anh map 2,098]

It's demonstrating a bona fide relationship that is the key to obtaining the visa (spouse or fiance(e)). The steps for getting married in VN are small potatoes compared with the steps preparing for your spouse's interview. As stated already, be prepared to be asked why you chose to marry there.

Do some reading in this regional forum to get a feel for the process. You will find experiences that run the gamut from quick and easy to long and drawn out.

[ScottThuy 140]

IMO if getting married in HK is just to avoid the VN process its not a good idea as it adds a new variable into the mix... a new source/country for documentation and added explanation of why there... if its done in VN it can be coupled with traditional VN celebrations to show a commitment to the family and culture..

[Teacher Mark 53]

A few questions though. When and how did you first meet your girl? How many times have you been to Vietnam to visit her? Did you have an engagement ceremony? Do you have any red flags such as divorce by either you or your girl? Were you introduced to each other by family members? Does your girl have family living in the US? I think those questions are more important then what country you want to go to go get married. I think this information can help us give you better advise.

I think the O/P is female.

Where did you learn English Carla? Your writing is top notch.

I agree with the others that say you should do it here. I've known people that married in Singapore and Thailand, but they intended to make their home in Vietnam.

[luckytxn 2,264]

If it is such a hassle to do it in VN that you take the time and money to get married somewhere else then that shows not enough patience that is needed to even go through this process. The norm in VN that the consulate looks for to issue the visa is for a engagement party and a wedding attended by family. It can be done as said before and I know others that have done it but be very prepared in showing a lot of relationship proof. and a skeptical interviewer.

[BinhJerome 14]

As many people have stated, if you get married outside of Vietnam, expect questions as to why. When I was in the consulate in Vietnam a few months back there was a CO there going to marry a Vietnamese woman, but he was going to get married in Cambodia or Thailand, I can’t remember which for sure. The point I am trying to make is that they know why a person would marry outside of Vietnam, because it is a pain. The choice is yours, you can use it to your advantage, you can say you went to HK to have a honeymoon as well as the wedding, just don’t forget the engagement ceremony in Vietnam. Also get duplicates or triplicates of all documents you get in HK this way you have plenty to show them. Ultimately this is your choice on how to do it, and only you can decide if it is right for you or not. Don’t let anyone pressure you into getting married in Vietnam. If you decided to go the Vietnam route there are services that can help that start about $300 USD, and the process can be done in a month, depending if you live in HCMC or the countryside is the big issue, living in the countryside means traveling back and forth a few times, for my mental exam they simply asked me if I had any head injuries, and who the president of the US was. Granted we paid 200,000 dong but it was not really an option, the guy looked at us and pointed at an envelope we got out the wallet and we started putting money in, when we got to 200,000 dong he shook his head and smiled. We also got the results back the same day, so all in all it took us about 3 days to get the required paperwork for her and me, and the entire process took 34 days from start to finish with the help of the service, so depending on if your fiancé has enough time to spend in Vietnam waiting on signing the marriage license it really isn’t that bad or hard, it seems much harder than it is. From my experience it was waiting the 34 days that was the worst. Good luck if you marry in HK and let us all know what it is like there.

Jerome and Binh

[Carla.N 0]

I should have given more info about our situation from my first post. My fiance is a native American, divorced once, exactly 15 years ago. We have been together for 6 years, had engagement 5 years ago and specially we have a 4 years old son who has dual nationality, American and Vietnamese. He comes to visit me at least twice a year. We filed for K1 visa last year and already have interview appointment date set. Eventually we decided to cancel the interview because of my mother's situation. She has been seriously ill. I want to be there for her when the time has come. I've heard about those who came to the US with CR-1 visa, they can have GC as soon as they arrive to America and can leave the country much faster with less problem. Moreover, my fiance is now worried that we have once filed for K1, the consulate may give us a hard time. For those reason, we want to file for CR-1 visa this time.

My fiance will be down here in VN in December. Right now he does not know for sure if he can stay for 6 weeks, he is sure that he can stay for 4 weeks. I live in HCMC, I think we will be able to get a marriage certificate done in VN if I submit the application before he comes to VN. He hates going through the process in VN which he called bullshit. The trip to HK to get married (airline tickets, visa, hotel...) is much more expensive than getting married down here in VN yet less stress. He still wants to get married in HK.

There is one thing I am not clear is IMBRA. Same petitioner, same beneficiary. Do we need the waiver when we file for visa again ? It's been more than a year since our last approved petition, do we need to wait 2 years to file again ? Do you guys think we will have a hard time with the USCIS and the consulate in the future ?

Thank you to all of you for the useful information and advice. I do truly appreciated very much.

[Dau Que 6]

I should have given more info about our situation from my first post. My fiance is a native American, divorced once, exactly 15 years ago. We have been together for 6 years, had engagement 5 years ago and specially we have a 4 years old son who has dual nationality, American and Vietnamese. He comes to visit me at least twice a year. We filed for K1 visa last year and already have interview appointment date set. Eventually we decided to cancel the interview because of my mother's situation. She has been seriously ill. I want to be there for her when the time has come. I've heard about those who came to the US with CR-1 visa, they can have GC as soon as they arrive to America and can leave the country much faster with less problem. Moreover, my fiance is now worried that we have once filed for K1, the consulate may give us a hard time. For those reason, we want to file for CR-1 visa this time.

My fiance will be down here in VN in December. Right now he does not know for sure if he can stay for 6 weeks, he is sure that he can stay for 4 weeks. I live in HCMC, I think we will be able to get a marriage certificate done in VN if I submit the application before he comes to VN. He hates going through the process in VN which he called bullshit. The trip to HK to get married (airline tickets, visa, hotel...) is much more expensive than getting married down here in VN yet less stress. He still wants to get married in HK.

There is one thing I am not clear is IMBRA. Same petitioner, same beneficiary. Do we need the waiver when we file for visa again ? It's been more than a year since our last approved petition, do we need to wait 2 years to file again ? Do you guys think we will have a hard time with the USCIS and the consulate in the future ?

Thank you to all of you for the useful information and advice. I do truly appreciated very much.

My response is specific to the BOLD/ part of your input. I guarantee you with that mentality, you will FAIL trying to obtain the VISA. The Greencard is intended only for responsible adults who wish to come to the US, work and pay taxes. It's not intended to be used as a tool to leave the country as you pleased.

The CO will have 2 questions for you:

1) Why so long from Engagement to wedding?

2) Why marrying outside the norm (in VN)?

Having a child together is NOT a strong evidence of Bonafide relationship. The father has waited so long to begin the immigration process for both mom and the child. This will raise the CO's eyebrows!

[BinhJerome 14]

I think you will be fine since it was you he filed for. I do not like to say anyone will fail because I am not a CO. Since you will be going from a K1 to a CR1 you will not need to worry about the IMBRA filing act if I am not mistaken it was set up for K1 visas. As far as the last comment about why so long from an engagement party to a wedding the CO might ask, but with the situation of your mother being ill and you both deciding to wait on the last visa the CO should understand, just be prepared to answer any questions that might arise. As I said though you should be fine even if you decide to get married in HK instead of Vietnam, good luck.

Jerome and Binh

[lindal24 1]

Eventually we decided to cancel the interview because of my mother's situation. She has been seriously ill. I want to be there for her when the time has come. I've heard about those who came to the US with CR-1 visa, they can have GC as soon as they arrive to America and can leave the country much faster with less problem.

My response is specific to the BOLD/ part of your input. I guarantee you with that mentality, you will FAIL trying to obtain the VISA. The Greencard is intended only for responsible adults who wish to come to the US, work and pay taxes. It's not intended to be used as a tool to leave the country as you pleased.

The CO will have 2 questions for you:

1) Why so long from Engagement to wedding?

2) Why marrying outside the norm (in VN)?

Having a child together is NOT a strong evidence of Bonafide relationship. The father has waited so long to begin the immigration process for both mom and the child. This will raise the CO's eyebrows!

I thought she was referring to the fact that with a CR-1 she could leave the US and go back to Vietnam to visit her mother easier and more conveniently, if her mother was on her deathbead, than a person with a K-1 who has only one opportunity to set foot on land and get married before being able to leave....not necessarily that it was easier to get into the US with a CR-1 than a K-1

[Carla.N 0]

@Dau Que: You got me wrong. I don't think you read my words carefully. It is NOT my intend to go to the US to get GC or to leave VN faster and easier by using CR-1 visa. I would not be stupid to cancel my K1 visa the 1st time if that was the case. Come to the US with K1 visa, before you can leave the US you have to get married and do some other paperworks. You leave the US without travel permission, you will be in a big trouble. There's no way you can get it done in a couple days. You know that, don't you ? Everyone has to work, we are not only responsible for ourselves but also our child. I just wanted to leave the US at anytime for my mom in the future. That's all.

With 6 years ongoing relationship, we have more than enough strong envidence to prove that it's a bonafide relationship. As Jerome and Binh said, I am not a CO either. I don't know if they will reject us or not. We will let you guys know how it goes.

Once again, thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for your deeply-felt words and great info. May you all health and happiness.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Don't worry about the IMBRA. It only applies to I-129F petitions - K1 and K3. It doesn't apply to immigrant visa petitions that use the I-130.