Jump to content

8 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Honduras
Timeline
Posted

Hello all! I'm a new member here although I've been reading all the great information everyone has to share for a few months. I'm currently living in Honduras through a mission organization as a teacher at a bilingual school and my fiance and I are recently engaged. We're about to start our visa process, but I keep going back and forth about which is best. Currently I'm under contract to teach through the end of June and we were hoping to marry at the end of the year. He is a Honduran citizen and works as a teacher at a group home for street children. We've been together for 2.5 years (1 year long distance and the last year and a half here in Tegucigalpa) and we're anxious to get married. However, both of us are kind of in the same boat. Our jobs provide our individual housing, transportation, and living expenses with very little else left over, which means realistically we can't afford to move in together right now should we marry. I'm planning to move back to the US in June to work, and my parents have already agreed to be co-sponsors. We had originally agreed that a K-1 visa would be best, but all the waiting and uncertainty and more waiting and more waiting and more waiting makes me feel very overwhelmed. So, I guess I want to know your advice: Should we get married and try to file for the K-3 from separate countries so soon afterward? Still go for the K-1? Also, how do you all cope with the whole process? Maybe it's because I'm living in Honduras and trying to think of how I will plan a wedding in the US, especially when I don't have any idea when it might happen, but right now this feels like a very big mountain in the way of my wanting to live a normal life. Has anyone else felt that way? What do you do to not get discouraged? Thank you in advance!

Posted (edited)

Hello all! I'm a new member here although I've been reading all the great information everyone has to share for a few months. I'm currently living in Honduras through a mission organization as a teacher at a bilingual school and my fiance and I are recently engaged. We're about to start our visa process, but I keep going back and forth about which is best. Currently I'm under contract to teach through the end of June and we were hoping to marry at the end of the year. He is a Honduran citizen and works as a teacher at a group home for street children. We've been together for 2.5 years (1 year long distance and the last year and a half here in Tegucigalpa) and we're anxious to get married. However, both of us are kind of in the same boat. Our jobs provide our individual housing, transportation, and living expenses with very little else left over, which means realistically we can't afford to move in together right now should we marry. I'm planning to move back to the US in June to work, and my parents have already agreed to be co-sponsors. We had originally agreed that a K-1 visa would be best, but all the waiting and uncertainty and more waiting and more waiting and more waiting makes me feel very overwhelmed. So, I guess I want to know your advice: Should we get married and try to file for the K-3 from separate countries so soon afterward? Still go for the K-1? Also, how do you all cope with the whole process? Maybe it's because I'm living in Honduras and trying to think of how I will plan a wedding in the US, especially when I don't have any idea when it might happen, but right now this feels like a very big mountain in the way of my wanting to live a normal life. Has anyone else felt that way? What do you do to not get discouraged? Thank you in advance!

Hi!

Try reading through this guide as it may help you decide: http://www.visajourn...content/compare

You may have some perceptions of the process that the guide may clear. I don't think the K3 is used much anymore, with most couples who are already married filing the CR-1. There is a similar waiting period for either CR-1 or K1, so which you choose will depend on your particular situation and preference.

Edited by brian_n_phuong
Posted

First of all, forget about the K-3. It's essentially an obsolete visa. If you get married first, you'll be filing for a CR-1 Conditional Resident immigrant visa.

Improved USCIS Form G-325A (Biographic Information)

Form field input font changed to allow entry of dates in the specified format and to provide more space for addresses and employment history. This is the 6/12/09 version of the form; the current version is 8/8/11, but previous versions are accepted per the USCIS forms page.

Filed: Lift. Cond. (apr) Country: China
Timeline
Posted

If you were to get married, it would be the CR-1 that your spouse would be applying for (K3 in practice is practically nonexistent even though it's still on the books).

After reading your post, my two cents for your situation is this, stick with the original plan and pursue the K1.

Our journey:

Spoiler

September 2007: Met online via social networking site (MySpace); began exchanging messages.
March 26, 2009: We become a couple!
September 10, 2009: Arrived for first meeting in-person!
June 17, 2010: Arrived for second in-person meeting and start of travel together to other areas of China!
June 21, 2010: Engaged!!!
September 1, 2010: Switched course from K1 to CR-1
December 8, 2010: Wedding date set; it will be on February 18, 2011!
February 9, 2011: Depart for China
February 11, 2011: Registered for marriage in Wuhan, officially married!!!
February 18, 2011: Wedding ceremony in Shiyan!!!
April 22, 2011: Mailed I-130 to Chicago
April 28, 2011: Received NOA1 via text/email, file routed to CSC (priority date April 25th)
April 29, 2011: Updated
May 3, 2011: Received NOA1 hardcopy in mail
July 26, 2011: Received NOA2 via text/email!!!
July 30, 2011: Received NOA2 hardcopy in mail
August 8, 2011: NVC received file
September 1, 2011: NVC case number assigned
September 2, 2011: AOS invoice received, OPTIN email for EP sent
September 7, 2011: Paid AOS bill (payment portal showed PAID on September 9, 2011)
September 8, 2011: OPTIN email accepted, GZO number assigned
September 10, 2011: Emailed AOS package
September 12, 2011: IV bill invoiced
September 13, 2011: Paid IV bill (payment portal showed PAID on September 14, 2011)
September 14, 2011: Emailed IV package
October 3, 2011: Emailed checklist response (checklist generated due to typo on Form DS-230)
October 6, 2011: Case complete at NVC
November 10, 2011: Interview - APPROVED!!!
December 7, 2011: POE - Sea-Tac Airport

September 17, 2013: Mailed I-751 to CSC

September 23, 2013: Received NOA1 in mail (receipt date September 19th)

October 16, 2013: Biometrics Appointment

January 28, 2014: Production of new Green Card ordered

February 3, 2014: New Green Card received; done with USCIS until fall of 2023*

December 18, 2023:  Filed I-90 to renew Green Card

December 21, 2023:  Production of new Green Card ordered - will be seeing USCIS again every 10 years for renewal

 

Posted

Fair enough. Thanks. I'm just trying to decide whether we should marry first or not.

Listen, dont let some anonymous people on a website tell you how to file! This is a personal decision that only you can make

Do some research to find out your options, and then pick the one that fits YOUR desires!

Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Honduras
Timeline
Posted

Hi!

Try reading through this guide as it may help you decide: http://www.visajourn...content/compare

You may have some perceptions of the process that the guide may clear. I don't think the K3 is used much anymore, with most couples who are already married filing the CR-1. There is a similar waiting period for either CR-1 or K1, so which you choose will depend on your particular situation and preference.

Thanks. I hadn't seen this before. I had originally ruled out all "already-married" visa options as we were not planning to be married first so I hadn't even looked at them. This is very helpful.

Posted

Thanks. I hadn't seen this before. I had originally ruled out all "already-married" visa options as we were not planning to be married first so I hadn't even looked at them. This is very helpful.

Great !!

Here is the CR-1 Guide if you want to see some more details beyond the "Comparison Chart":

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

 
Didn't find the answer you were looking for? Ask our VJ Immigration Lawyers.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
- Back to Top -

Important Disclaimer: Please read carefully the Visajourney.com Terms of Service. If you do not agree to the Terms of Service you should not access or view any page (including this page) on VisaJourney.com. Answers and comments provided on Visajourney.com Forums are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. Visajourney.com does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. VisaJourney.com does not condone immigration fraud in any way, shape or manner. VisaJourney.com recommends that if any member or user knows directly of someone involved in fraudulent or illegal activity, that they report such activity directly to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You can contact ICE via email at Immigration.Reply@dhs.gov or you can telephone ICE at 1-866-347-2423. All reported threads/posts containing reference to immigration fraud or illegal activities will be removed from this board. If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by contacting us here with a url link to that content. Thank you.
×
×
  • Create New...