Getting married in Cambodia

[gavp333 0]

Sorry, I meant if you wished to stay in Cambodia...

[RaginKhmer 6]

Sorry, I meant if you wished to stay in Cambodia...

Assuming that you mean if you, the foreigner, were to marry a native Khmer woman would you need to acquire a new Cambodian Visa on an annual basis then yes, you will need to apply for a new visa every year. Be aware that while basically anything can still be bought in the Kingdom of Wonder, regulations are slowly tightening and the Ordinary Visa that is extendable to a year will likely become more difficult to obtain. IIRC the price and name (Work Visa) of this visa changed as of 1 OCT 14 per the Dept of Interior. I cannot verify this because I bought mine in September of this year at the going rate of $285.

The only way to avoid purchasing a yearly Visa is to have a truck load of money and apply for citizenship.

[Tearyhappy 0]

Hello! My finance is live in Cambodia. And we decided to do K1 visa . I visited her 1 time already .i didn't propose her yet , because I want to propose when she arrive the US . My question is , will it hurt the interview because we didn't do any engagement party there ? Will it be ok if I didn't propose her there ?

[Seh-n-Chru 0]

Hello Theary. Although I am not a lawyer, I am somewhat famiiliarized with the process of pursuing a K1 visa for a Cambodian fiancee (woman). It is my honest hope that your situation would be better than how mine played out.

In order of most important to least important (in my experiences/opinion) for this "non-immigrant" visa process to yield the intended results are:

- Patience: Not even joking. This will be a LONG process despite what the US govt. guidelines for I-129F petition/K-1 visa says

- Tenacity: You MUST visit your fiancee MORE THAN ONCE (within 1 to 2 years time). I know, the USCIS paperwork even says right on it, "must meet at least once within 24 months". PP Embassy is like its own world. Different rules, different standards.

- Preparation: Present SOLID proof of a legitimate engagement ceremony. If you are familiar with Khmer tradition, you know what I am talking about. If not, ask your fiancee to fill you in. Think wedding lite. $$$ to $$$$ WILL be spent depending on pronvice/commune/sangkat.

- Reputation: Even though you only want to become engaged you should STILL BE ABLE to meet the legal requirements of getting married to a Cambodian woman (both the USCIS and the Cambodian Govt. requirements). Aka, $2500 monthly income, proof of (lack of) criminal history, single status affidavit, etc.

- Persistence: Be very prepared (now) that even if you cross all your T's and dot all your I's, your petition may still be denied. I cannot get into more detail, but I am sure others who have gone/are going through this process recently can fill you in more.

That's about all I can think of for now. Sorry if anything is vague. I just want to help avoid any more heartbreak in anway that I can. If you really love your promised one, do NOT take this process lightly and do NOT give up at the first (or second, etc) sign of trouble. Always keep hope alive an always remember, true love never fails.

P.S. Not sure if this will clarify one of the earlier posts about needing permission from the PP consulate to get engaged.. You NEED the permission to MARRY, not to get engaged. You still can request it, but it does not play any part in your initial packet of documents sent to USCIS.

I wish the best of luck you you both.

[mysoeng 2]

Hello Theary. Although I am not a lawyer, I am somewhat famiiliarized with the process of pursuing a K1 visa for a Cambodian fiancee (woman). It is my honest hope that your situation would be better than how mine played out.

In order of most important to least important (in my experiences/opinion) for this "non-immigrant" visa process to yield the intended results are:

- Patience: Not even joking. This will be a LONG process despite what the US govt. guidelines for I-129F petition/K-1 visa says

- Tenacity: You MUST visit your fiancee MORE THAN ONCE (within 1 to 2 years time). I know, the USCIS paperwork even says right on it, "must meet at least once within 24 months". PP Embassy is like its own world. Different rules, different standards.

- Preparation: Present SOLID proof of a legitimate engagement ceremony. If you are familiar with Khmer tradition, you know what I am talking about. If not, ask your fiancee to fill you in. Think wedding lite. $$$ to $$$$ WILL be spent depending on pronvice/commune/sangkat.

- Reputation: Even though you only want to become engaged you should STILL BE ABLE to meet the legal requirements of getting married to a Cambodian woman (both the USCIS and the Cambodian Govt. requirements). Aka, $2500 monthly income, proof of (lack of) criminal history, single status affidavit, etc.

- Persistence: Be very prepared (now) that even if you cross all your T's and dot all your I's, your petition may still be denied. I cannot get into more detail, but I am sure others who have gone/are going through this process recently can fill you in more.

That's about all I can think of for now. Sorry if anything is vague. I just want to help avoid any more heartbreak in anway that I can. If you really love your promised one, do NOT take this process lightly and do NOT give up at the first (or second, etc) sign of trouble. Always keep hope alive an always remember, true love never fails.

P.S. Not sure if this will clarify one of the earlier posts about needing permission from the PP consulate to get engaged.. You NEED the permission to MARRY, not to get engaged. You still can request it, but it does not play any part in your initial packet of documents sent to USCIS.

I wish the best of luck you you both.

Seh-n-Chru,

Could you share more about your experience and why you were denied? It seems like you know a lot about the PP Embassy. I'm just starting out the process and my main concern is that my fiance's English is a little shaky. We met in PP last November and have communicated ever since but we don't have proof of that meeting other than my plane ticket (no pictures together). I'm going back in June and will have the engagement ceremony based on your advice, but will that be enough? I'm wondering if I need to meet him a third time before starting the K1 application so we can document it with pictures. Thanks.

[RaginKhmer 6]

Seh-n-Chru,

Could you share more about your experience and why you were denied? It seems like you know a lot about the PP Embassy. I'm just starting out the process and my main concern is that my fiance's English is a little shaky. We met in PP last November and have communicated ever since but we don't have proof of that meeting other than my plane ticket (no pictures together). I'm going back in June and will have the engagement ceremony based on your advice, but will that be enough? I'm wondering if I need to meet him a third time before starting the K1 application so we can document it with pictures. Thanks.

I am not Seh-n-Chru but I can give you my $0.02. While you don't have picture evidence of your first meeting you likely have some sort of email/chat/skype/etc correspondence from the time correct? Your plane ticket coupled with the Khmer Visa in your passport plus printed out emails/chats/phone call logs are perfectly acceptable evidence. Remember it's all about the details so if both of you are clear on details from your past trips (places you both went, activities you did) you'll pass that first smell test. Even if you met on say Nov 1 but didn't start electronically communicating until you returned to the US on Nov 15 that is ok. Likely your messages will show words along the way of "I really liked that Suki Soup restaurant you took me too last week" or "I'm really happy I met you when I was visiting Cambodia".

Of course a 3rd trip does nothing but help the situation.

[mysoeng 2]

I am not Seh-n-Chru but I can give you my $0.02. While you don't have picture evidence of your first meeting you likely have some sort of email/chat/skype/etc correspondence from the time correct? Your plane ticket coupled with the Khmer Visa in your passport plus printed out emails/chats/phone call logs are perfectly acceptable evidence. Remember it's all about the details so if both of you are clear on details from your past trips (places you both went, activities you did) you'll pass that first smell test. Even if you met on say Nov 1 but didn't start electronically communicating until you returned to the US on Nov 15 that is ok. Likely your messages will show words along the way of "I really liked that Suki Soup restaurant you took me too last week" or "I'm really happy I met you when I was visiting Cambodia".

Of course a 3rd trip does nothing but help the situation.

Thank you for the response. That was VERY helpful. The scenario you described is exactly correct (met once in Cambodia and started electronically communicating when I returned to the US). We met in a nightclub and only spent one night together before I had to go back so my communication from that time is only along the lines of "nice to meet you in PP". I'm hoping that coupled with my plane ticket and Khmer visa will be enough to prove the first visit. I can do another visit before applying, but I would really prefer not to have to delay the beginning of the whole application process by another 6 months to allow for funds and vacation time for the 3rd visit. Our chat records start from that time onward though.

My other question is how important is the method of electronic communication as evidence of the relationship? We text and video chat using the Line app so I only have screenshots of all our texts and call times. Should we be using Skype instead?

And I keep reading conflicting arguments about the importance of me accompanying him to the interview in PP. Some say it helps, some say it doesn't matter. Any thoughts?

[csmstading 0]

Is there any work around for the age rules on foreigners over 50 marrying a Cambodian Woman? is it a rule or law that a court or a certain official can waive ??

[RaginKhmer 6]

Thank you for the response. That was VERY helpful. The scenario you described is exactly correct (met once in Cambodia and started electronically communicating when I returned to the US). We met in a nightclub and only spent one night together before I had to go back so my communication from that time is only along the lines of "nice to meet you in PP". I'm hoping that coupled with my plane ticket and Khmer visa will be enough to prove the first visit. I can do another visit before applying, but I would really prefer not to have to delay the beginning of the whole application process by another 6 months to allow for funds and vacation time for the 3rd visit. Our chat records start from that time onward though.

My other question is how important is the method of electronic communication as evidence of the relationship? We text and video chat using the Line app so I only have screenshots of all our texts and call times. Should we be using Skype instead?

And I keep reading conflicting arguments about the importance of me accompanying him to the interview in PP. Some say it helps, some say it doesn't matter. Any thoughts?

Re: which communications method is best. That choice is really up to you and how easy it is to pull and print the messages for documentation purposes. They take screen shots, flat printed chat logs,everything. The investigators assume there is some falsification to the entire thing from the onset and all forms of communication can be faked. So just stick with what works for you. Remember, it's all about the details. Chat logs matching the applicants responses to interview questions, etc.

On accompanying or not accompanying, it does nothing except bolster the truthfulness of the application if you go. I suspect the "it doesn't matter" reports are more a statement that your absence from the interview wont be viewed as a negative rather than it being insignificant if you are present. I was unable to accompany my spouse to the interview for CR1 but the question was raised as to where I was. From the tone of the interview experience my presence would have been "extra credit" if you will but for others it could be that one piece that ties the whole application together as truthful. My spouse concluded the interview and was granted the visa soon thereafter.