Questions on IR-1/CR-1 and K-1

[OnlyOzzie 0]

Hello there fellow VisaJourney people,

I know lots of you have been through the journey and this websites rocks!! So hopefully I can get some help/advice on my questions because I am ready to jump into the journey but before I did I wanted to get some things clear!!

1. What is better/faster (K-1) or IR-1/CR-1? Me and my fiancee can get married in Mexico (Civil (by court)) or get married here (US). I know IR-1/CR-1 requires to be married (Which we could get married (Civil (by court)) in Mexico before starting to file). But what would make the legalization immigration smoother/faster? Getting married in Mexico and then filing for the IR-1/CR-1 or go the K-1 route?

2. On the IR-1/CR-1 you need to be married. For how long do you need to be married before filing the IR-1/CR-1? Can you get married and start filing process within a few days of getting married? (That is the reason for Question #1. Is K-1 or IR-1/CR-1 is better/faster. Because if IR-1/CR-1 is faster, fiancee and I, can get married in Mexico and then start the filing process for IR-1/CR-1 immediately)

3. On the I-864 Affidavit of Support what is a qualifying amount?? Would $55,000.00 be good enough for baby son, fiancee, and me? How is the amount needed to qualify computed? How is it determined if the earned amount is enough? Basically will $55,000.00 a year be enough to show/qualify for support for my fiancee (Along with my baby son and myself) or do I need to make more money that $55,000.00?

4. What has other people uses to show evidence that bona fides a marriage? I know there a list of what they accept but if you get married and immediately file how can you show any of the items they list?? What is the most common thing on the list that everyone sends with packet (Examples of what others have sent)?

I know these questions might sound mindless but it's better to ask than to later be sorry!! I appreciate any/all help!! Getting antsy to start the journey and have my fiancee here next to me!! :-)

~Ozzie~

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

1. CR-1 is the better option if you can get married easily and quickly (I don't know Mexican marriage laws). It means she will get a greencard upon entry and thus can get a driving license, work etc. Plus it's cheaper. Plus it means her family can be at the wedding.

2. You can petition immediately, if you have the marriage cert- in some countries, it takes a few days or weeks to get that.

3. You make plenty of money (more than double the minimum amount!), so you will be fine.

4. When you are newly married and living apart, it is more about a bonafide relationship. So photos over the years of the two of you, the child's birth cert if he's yours, evidence of you visiting her- hopefully several times- that sort of thing. Keep in mind most of this will only be needed at interview; by that time you will be married half a year or likely closer to a year, and can have put her as your next-of-kin on documents etc.

[Mrs O. 29]

Question 3:

You can check exact amounts needed here:

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864p.pdf

[tea4two 0]

Agree with everything that Penguin wrote....

We had all the paperwork together and filed the I-130 petition within days of getting married overseas. We sent all our past and planned travel itineraries (Yahoo/Travelocity printouts) and a MS Word document with about 20 pictures and captions of who/what/where/when over our engagement, wedding and honeymoon. The pictures were really the only things that we had to wait a few days for to send out the package, to get friends and family to send some shots from the wedding itself.

[OnlyOzzie 0]

Thanks Penguin and tea4two...

Ok so I took Penguins advice and went to Mexico to get married (Civil Law Only on April 15th, 2011). So there wasn't a wedding party afterwords and in Mexico Civil Marriage doesn't condone an actual Marriage for the Family (Parents). So there was no honeymoon (Parents don't allow it until you get married by religion). So we have a few pictures taken while getting married at the local court in Mexico. We have a few pictures when we went to go eat with the witnesses and a friend of hers and a few friends of me from Mexico. So would sending those pictures show a bonafide marriage? I know part of the filing the I-130 is to show evidence of bonafide marriage. So what would be the best things to send to show a bonafide marriage?? Also, it asked for a Translated Marriage Certificate (I got married in mexico so its in spanish). Can I translate it? I remember there was somewhere around this site a same document that had some wording about certifying that the document was translated by me and that I certify that I am capable of translating or something of that sort. Anyone have a link to it? I searched and searched an cannot find it.

So questions:

1. What will show proof to USCIS that its a bonafide marriage if I just got married and she is still over there and I am over here.

2. Can I translate the Marriage Certificate and if so how would I translate it (Format Wise - Obviously I cannot duplicate the Marriage certificate to make in in Spanish so how would I format it?? Just lay it out like the Marriage Certificate given to me).

3. Where can I find the declaration that I translated the document and I am able to translate it? I know there was a sample but I couldn't find it.

Thanks to all again,

~Ozzie~