CR-1 or K1

[photocanuck 0]

My fiancee and I are trying to decide whether to go the K1 or CR-1 route for me to immigrate to the states. Here is our situation:

I am Canadian and living and working in Ontario. My finacee is American and stationed in Alaska. We are thinking of going the CR-1 route because we are having to live apart right now anyways and this way I would become legal all in one shot and be able to start working in the states as soon as it goes through, plus it seems to be about $1000 cheaper than the K1.

If I understand correctly this would mean I could not travel to the US but he could still travel to Canada?

I'm just nervous about running into a major road block that would keep us separated for a lot longer than the estimated processing time. Or is there anything else that we should be aware of going this way?

Any comments and input into this decision is greatly appreciated!!

[Inky 1,111]

Of course you can travel to the US. You just need to bring proof of returning to Canada as usual.

[Done--Really 331]

Most of the time you WILL be able to travel to the US so long as you have tons of documentation showing strong ties to Canada--job, own/lease real estate, return tickets, etc. But there is no guarantee that you won't be turned back at POE, so there is some risk involved.

Any roadblocks should be minor unless there is some criminal or immigration violations in your past--yours, not hers--so you are correct that CR-1 is cheaper and as you said you have to live apart for now anyway so why not save the money.

[jennie ann 15]

Yes, you can definitely still travel to the US for visits during the process, but be aware that they CAN turn you away at the border. Just be prepared with your return ticket, proof of ties to Canada (employment letters, lease agreements, etc.), as well as documentation of your visa process (NOAs and other correspondence from USCIS or NVC). They just need to be convinced that you are truly there for a visit and don't intend to stay.

[charity1214 3]

My fiancee and I are trying to decide whether to go the K1 or CR-1 route for me to immigrate to the states. Here is our situation:

I am Canadian and living and working in Ontario. My finacee is American and stationed in Alaska. We are thinking of going the CR-1 route because we are having to live apart right now anyways and this way I would become legal all in one shot and be able to start working in the states as soon as it goes through, plus it seems to be about $1000 cheaper than the K1.

If I understand correctly this would mean I could not travel to the US but he could still travel to Canada?

I'm just nervous about running into a major road block that would keep us separated for a lot longer than the estimated processing time. Or is there anything else that we should be aware of going this way?

Any comments and input into this decision is greatly appreciated!!

That was the dilemma/decision we had as well and decided on CR-1. But, he (the Canadian) HAS been able to come visit me in the US and I have visited him in Canada and it's been no problem. Showing proof that you have "ties" to your home in Canada was all he needed. Good luck!

[janice.kamel 0]

cr1 is better

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Duplicate thread from the K-1 forum moved here and merged with existing thread in CR-1 forum as OP is considering CR-1 over K-1 and this will keep all of the information in one location. Duplicate post has been removed.

[photocanuck 0]

Thanks for the comments, very helpful!

One more question...we weren't planning on having the formal wedding ceremony until a few months down the road so would just legally get married now. However, we were wanting to have the ceremony in the states so his family could attend. Would it be incredibly risky to try and do it while the CR-1 is being processed? So I (the Canadian) would travel to the US for a few days and then back to Canada.

Or should we wait until the whole process is complete which would be quite a bit further away?

[Done--Really 331]

The risk of being turned back is small, but finite--do it right with the proper docs as everyone has said makes the risk close to zero.

[photocanuck 0]

Thanks again, this is really helpful for us newbies!

Also, will it make a difference if we are legally married in the US or Canada to start the process?

[Done--Really 331]

You can get married in Patagonia if you like--it makes no difference whatsoever

[Alex B 9]

I live in Seattle, my wife in Vancouver.

Every time at the border they ####### up their ears when she says she's coming to visit her husband. She then goes to her envelope with a copy of the petition, NOA-1 & now NOA-2, mortgage statements, pay stubs etc. They've never once actually looked at them. She's never been turned away. Her just having the docs with her get her comments like, "I see you're following the process". She's also got a Nexus card so I'd imagine they get a whole load of information coming up on their screen when she scans that. You may want to get the nexus card before applying for the CR-1, it does seem to help at the border. We always cross at Peace Arch.

I'd definitely go the CR-1 route. We had the same dilemma and decided that the ability to work on arrival and not having to AOS in the US made the CR-1 preferable. On the down side you'll have to go to Montreal which for you isn't too bad but sucks big time for us.

And on the final point, we got married last December in Vancouver. Absolutely no problems with this. It did take the BC government about 3 weeks to get our marriage certificate to us so that was the delay on filing the I-130s.

Alex.

Edited June 5, 2011 by Alex B