whats the best approach?

[Calvin hobbes 0]

Ok heres the story. I met my girlfriend 3 years ago when she was here in florida for the summer on vacation/volunteering at a stable working with horses. Well we fell in love and have somehow managed to maintain a long distance relationship for 3 years. She is from switzerland just for the record. I have made several trips there and she has made several trips here. She even got an internship in miami for 6 months where we lived together because i said i would never marry someone whom i had not lived with for an extended period of time. She is currently finishing up her masters degree in switzerland and she will be done somewhere around september/october of 2012. My question I guess is what would be the most pain free process to get married. Would it be better to apply for the fiance visa or would it be better to have her come here on a vacation visa and then just get married. Or would it be better if i went there in say march and got married over there and then did all of the paperwork so hopefully it is ready by the time she is done with school? I really have no idea how this stuff works I have done some research and everything I read gives me a different answer. Also everybody's stories are different so thats why i figured i would paint you guys a picture so i can try and figure out what I should do. I am hoping since we have some time to get ready for this that will make it easier. I am open to any suggestions. I also need to keep into consideration her work permit or whatever it is called when she gets here.

[canadian_wife 1,826]

http://www.visajourney.com/content/compare

Here is the comparason guide. Different things are important to different people. For us, the spousal visa was best because it was cheaper and allowed immediate work and travel plus automatic residency upon entering

The K-1 Fiance visa and the Cr-1 spousal visa are the 2 visas you are going to choose from. She cannot come over to the US, marry with the intentions of staying. That is visa fraud.

K-1 does not allow for work and travel upon entering the US, it is more expensive as well but also slightly quicker

Good luck

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

Both the fiance and spousal visa take most of a year to complete, with the K1 (fiance) visa being slightly faster, but that doesn't matter in your case. The CR-1 spousal visa means she gets a greencard upon entry, and it's cheaper, so I would choose that personally, but some people don't want to be apart after the wedding.

If you chose the CR-1, get married sometime this year- it doesn't matter where- then start the process, and she should have the visa a couple of months before she wants to travel- she will have 6 months to use it.

[Married2009 32]

You can marry her here in the States, but to plan for her to fly over, marry and adjust status is illegal. My husband flew here, we married, and he flew back to Canada to start the process.

Edited May 24, 2011 by Married2009

[Krikit 1,165]

I would go for the CR-1 visa but you have to weigh out what's important to you as a couple. There are too many stories on here where a couple has gone through the K-1 process, only to have added stress and trauma when the beneficiary has had to abandon the Adjustment of Status (AOS) stage or get put through additional stress trying to obtain Emergency Advance Parole (AP) in order to get back to their home country when a crisis has occurred.

Edited May 24, 2011 by Krikit

[Calvin hobbes 0]

I would go for the CR-1 visa but you have to weigh out what's important to you as a couple. There are too many stories on here where a couple has gone through the K-1 process, only to have added stress and trauma when the beneficiary has had to abandon the Adjustment of Status (AOS) stage or get put through additional stress trying to obtain Emergency Advance Parole (AP) in order to get back to their home country when a crisis has occurred.

thanks guys i guess there is no easy way to do this stuff...It is nice to see so many people in similar situations, makes things not seem so weird. I am sure i will be on this site a lot in the next year or so. Thanks for the input.

[ScottThuy 140]

legal immigration is not easy no matter which path is chosen...

[Sunny123 44]

Ok heres the story. I met my girlfriend 3 years ago when she was here in florida for the summer on vacation/volunteering at a stable working with horses. Well we fell in love and have somehow managed to maintain a long distance relationship for 3 years. She is from switzerland just for the record. I have made several trips there and she has made several trips here. She even got an internship in miami for 6 months where we lived together because i said i would never marry someone whom i had not lived with for an extended period of time. She is currently finishing up her masters degree in switzerland and she will be done somewhere around september/october of 2012. My question I guess is what would be the most pain free process to get married. Would it be better to apply for the fiance visa or would it be better to have her come here on a vacation visa and then just get married. Or would it be better if i went there in say march and got married over there and then did all of the paperwork so hopefully it is ready by the time she is done with school? I really have no idea how this stuff works I have done some research and everything I read gives me a different answer. Also everybody's stories are different so thats why i figured i would paint you guys a picture so i can try and figure out what I should do. I am hoping since we have some time to get ready for this that will make it easier. I am open to any suggestions. I also need to keep into consideration her work permit or whatever it is called when she gets here.

Like others above have said the spousal visa cr-1 would be the probably your best option. Since she she isn't moving her till after she obtains her degree in 2012. prolist: Cheaper a + Greencard apon entry a + not having to file for ajustment of status a+ not having to file for removal of conditions a + can work right away a +

Just a note I read you thought maybe going to Switzlerand to get married. They have a new law as of 2011 that foreigners can only marry in Switzerland if they have a residency permit.

Edited May 27, 2011 by Sunny123

[Married2009 32]

Like others above have said the spousal visa cr-1 would be the probably your best option. Since she she isn't moving her till after she obtains her degree in 2012. prolist: Cheaper a + Greencard apon entry a + not having to file for ajustment of status a+ not having to file for removal of conditions a + can work right away a +

Just a note I read you thought maybe going to Switzlerand to get married. They have a new law as of 2011 that foreigners can only marry in Switzerland if they have a residency permit.

If they have been married less than two years when she does her POE, she will get a 2 year conditional green card, and have to remove conditons before the card expires.

[Sunny123 44]

If they have been married less than two years when she does her POE, she will get a 2 year conditional green card, and have to remove conditons before the card expires.

ooh didn't know that!!

[Calvin hobbes 0]

ooh didn't know that!!

I have a lot of research too do because I do not know what 90% of the abbreviations mean on this site. Is there a cheat sheet for all of these. I am still in the beginning stages of this process so please bear with me.

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

Yep, there is a list of abbreviations here: http://www.visajourney.com/content/us-immigration-abbreviations