Where should we get married, US or Indonesia?

[sapodilla 0]

Hi, I believe my question has been asked dozens of times, sorry to all, but I need a clearer explanation about the right way and fastest way to be together with my American boyfriend after marriage. I am Indonesian citizen, my boyfriend is a U.S. citizen, live and work in Seattle, WA. We are planning to marry ASAP and not to long to be apart after married. Actually we wanted to get married in Indonesia (we met there and my parent is there), but considering he had not lived and worked in Indonesia (he will be in Indonesian tourist visa if ever we married here):

1. Is it possible to file the I-130 through U.S. Embassy in Jakarta soon after marriage? Or should he file it to USCIS in Seattle after he went back?

2. If you still have to file the USCIS, how long is the process of K-3 Nonimmigrant visa, while waiting for pending approval of I-130.

Thank you so much if anyone could help me.

[TimeTravel 78]

1. Is it possible to file the I-130 through U.S. Embassy in Jakarta soon after marriage? Or should he file it to USCIS in Seattle after he went back?

2. If you still have to file the USCIS, how long is the process of K-3 Nonimmigrant visa, while waiting for pending approval of I-130.

Thank you so much if anyone could help me.

1 - You guys can file it right away as soon as you guys get marriage license.

2 - K3 is almost dead, so you can follow the process of CR-1. It takes almost same amount of the time, but the fact is that CR-1 is more faster.

If you guys want to get together really asap, then your guy can apply for K1 - Fiance visa.

[sapodilla 0]

@iwaiting: Thanks! Did you mean we can file I-130 (CR-1) through US embassy in Jakarta? If K-1 Fiance Visa is faster, how long in average will it take to process?

[canadian_wife 1,822]

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

Look at the comparason guides, you are looking at months for this process to be complete. The K-3, as you can see in the guide, is more expensive and takes longer than the Cr-1 spousal visa

Time apart is almost a given, you should probably accept that now to prevent disapointments

Good luck

[angelo gutierrez 6]

@iwaiting: Thanks! Did you mean we can file I-130 (CR-1) through US embassy in Jakarta? If K-1 Fiance Visa is faster, how long in average will it take to process?

k1 process is 3-4 months, sometimes 5 months.

[Laure&Colin 558]

k1 process is 3-4 months, sometimes 5 months.

This is not true, 4 months is the amount of time K1 filers usually spend in USCIS service centers alone...

Less than 6 months is really not the norm.

[Laure&Colin 558]

Hi, I believe my question has been asked dozens of times, sorry to all, but I need a clearer explanation about the right way and fastest way to be together with my American boyfriend after marriage. I am Indonesian citizen, my boyfriend is a U.S. citizen, live and work in Seattle, WA. We are planning to marry ASAP and not to long to be apart after married. Actually we wanted to get married in Indonesia (we met there and my parent is there), but considering he had not lived and worked in Indonesia (he will be in Indonesian tourist visa if ever we married here):

1. Is it possible to file the I-130 through U.S. Embassy in Jakarta soon after marriage? Or should he file it to USCIS in Seattle after he went back?

2. If you still have to file the USCIS, how long is the process of K-3 Nonimmigrant visa, while waiting for pending approval of I-130.

Thank you so much if anyone could help me.

1- no, Indonesia doesn't have a USCIS field office, so you can't file directly with them (anyway your spouse would have to be a resident in Indonesia even if they did to be granted this process). So you will have to file with USCIS in the USA, but NOT in Seattle. There are rules to follow on where to send the petition, please read the guides about it.

2- K3 visas are obsolete. You will be filing for a CR1 visa. The average amount of time from filing to getting the visa is about 9 months. The approval of I-130 is just the 1st step of the process, and that step nowadays takes about 6 months.

For the immigration process, it doesn't matter where you marry, as long as it is a valid marriage.

[sapodilla 0]

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experience, info and suggestion! I got the picture of how long I should wait and now preparing how to manage my anxiety in the months of waiting . Of course, I'm happy for you all, congrats!

[pushbrk 12,898]

1- no, Indonesia doesn't have a USCIS field office, so you can't file directly with them (anyway your spouse would have to be a resident in Indonesia even if they did to be granted this process). So you will have to file with USCIS in the USA, but NOT in Seattle. There are rules to follow on where to send the petition, please read the guides about it.

2- K3 visas are obsolete. You will be filing for a CR1 visa. The average amount of time from filing to getting the visa is about 9 months. The approval of I-130 is just the 1st step of the process, and that step nowadays takes about 6 months.

For the immigration process, it doesn't matter where you marry, as long as it is a valid marriage.

This is the correct information. I would like to correct an earlier response though. Your husband can file the petition by mail as soon as he has all the papers ready, including a Certified Copy of a Marriage Certificate, not just a marriage license. There are some US States where the marriage license and marriage certificate end up on the same page of paper but it is not the norm. Even then, the license is not a certificate of marriage until the marriage takes place and a Certified Copy of a Marriage Certificate can only be obtained AFTER the marriage is legally registered in the local jurisdiction.

If you marry in Indonesia, you'll need not only a Certified Copy of the Marriage Certificate but a Certified translation of that certificate to go with all the other forms and supporting documentation.

Unfortunately for all of us who went through, are going through or will go through a visa process, there's no immediate way to be together unless the US Citizen is able to remain abroad with the foreign spouse.

http://www.visajourn...content/compare

Look at the comparason guides, you are looking at months for this process to be complete. The K-3, as you can see in the guide, is more expensive and takes longer than the Cr-1 spousal visa

Time apart is almost a given, you should probably accept that now to prevent disapointments

Good luck

Technically, since the K3 is unobtainable, it takes "FOREVER" instead of just longer. Best to stop explaining it this way. Attempting to obtain a K3 visa will simply make the CR1 or IR1 visa process take longer.

1 - You guys can file it right away as soon as you guys get marriage license.

2 - K3 is almost dead, so you can follow the process of CR-1. It takes almost same amount of the time, but the fact is that CR-1 is more faster.

If you guys want to get together really asap, then your guy can apply for K1 - Fiance visa.

Only foreigners apply for visas. Your guy can file a petition, which when approved allows YOU to apply for a K1 Fiancee visa.

[sapodilla 0]

@pushbrk: I appreciate your help for giving new info and different views to the earlier posts. My BF is gathering info from USCIS office and will keep all the suggestions/tips here as a guideline. I might need help again after this. Thanks to you all.

[pushbrk 12,898]

@pushbrk: I appreciate your help for giving new info and different views to the earlier posts. My BF is gathering info from USCIS office and will keep all the suggestions/tips here as a guideline. I might need help again after this. Thanks to you all.

Here's another guideline. Once you're married, get rid of the boyfriend. I don't understand why your boyfriend is helping you and your fiance with all this.

[sapodilla 0]

Thanks for teasing me while I was in confusion for a moment! Well, I will use my BF and Fiance to get all the info and documents needed before marriage, and will use my Husband to do the paperwork and petition...

[pushbrk 12,898]

@pushbrk: I appreciate your help for giving new info and different views to the earlier posts. My BF is gathering info from USCIS office and will keep all the suggestions/tips here as a guideline. I might need help again after this. Thanks to you all.

Seriously, you're better off avoiding asking USCIS anything. They don't have anybody available to you that understands the whole visa process, as they do not issue visas. I gave you the correct information, not just "different views".