any ideas on the best way to marry my american fiance?

[pax 0]

Ok. let's clear this up.. just cause I said he sucks at research doesnt mean he can't file paperwork. And I knew that the Local office probably wasnt gonna be the one to file out, but its alot easier for him to make a phone call and find out then me. And its not gonna hurt for him to do a little bit of research either. LOL

There's no one to call on the issue. You can go to www.uscis.gov and it will tell you where to file the paperwork.

I'm not trying to be mean, I'm really not. I'm just getting a sense that you're not quite understanding what people are trying to tell you. And doing your homework before you start this process has a value you won't know until it's too late if you don't do the homework.

VisaJourney is full of sad stories of couples who rushed headlong into the process without reading up first and ended up making mistakes--some minor that were fixed quickly, and some major that set them back for months. I can't stress enough the importance of you both being on the same page and doing some research. Neither part of a couple can shepherd the other through this process; both of you have to work together, and that's going to include doing at least some preliminary research and answering some questions.

This probably sounds patronising, and you're probably asking yourself who the hell I think I am to tell you all this. I'm truly sorry if it sounds this way. But believe me when I tell you that you and your sweetie need very much to be on the same page as much as possible. He may not enjoy or be especially good at looking stuff up, but Google is the easiest thing in the world and VisaJourney isn't all that much harder.

Welcome, invite your sweetie to join us, and good luck.

[send80 0]

*sigh* i guess when I was "clearing" things up, I should of made it clear that my fiance is not incompitant and that he is active as well in organizing and gathering information of what we have to do, I just do the majority of it (as I work from home and have more time to do this), and he really isnt the best at it... he admits it.

We constantly are sending eachother offlines/messages while online and e-mails of what we have found.

So doing research online for the last year (minimum), reading all the Governement websites, joining forums and discussing/asking questions that's not researching?

I posted a list of everything I have found so far to be scrutinized and people have replied and told me the corrections that need to be made and have also given links (thank you sooooo much by the way).

If this is not taking your time and doing research then what is?

[pax 0]

Doing that research is great. It absolutely is. Some of what you posted simply concerned me, as it was not correct, and while most mistakes in this process aren't "fatal," as it were, some of them can set you back quite a bit.

I don't mean to imply that your fiance is incompetent. Some people prefer not to get involved with the paperwork, and in that case it's not a bad idea to hire a good immigration attorney. It's money that may or may not be well-spent in any given case, but it's your decision to make.

I don't mean for you to take anything I've said personally. One point of bringing these issues up in a public forum is so that many people can benefit from individual experiences and ideas. We're all here to help each other and I hope we can all help you too.

[send80 0]

LOL ok... lets stop... lol

the e-mail that i had sent him and that i posted here to be scrutinized was a general description of what forms had to be filed, the cost and POSSIBLY where (he's in the states and has better access to certain things then I do cause of this, including friends who have been through similar situations as well) the first form is to be filed. Not an exact description of everything that had to be done (that one link that was posted by Zyggy I beleive, was exceptionally helpful and ty again).

SO what other faults did you find Pax? (honest question here).

[raymaga 25]

Hi send80!!!!

I'm a Canadian who married a U.S. citizen and we went the K-1 Visa route. You can definitely do the paperwork yourselves and it will save you a lot of money. My fiance and I did the paperwork whenever we were together and then just gathered the individual required documents for ourselves.

The K-1 Visa process involved sending in the I-129F petition with all the required documentation (which is completely laid out in the "instructions" for the I-129F form on the USCIS website. If you print the I-129F, the instructions print along with it.

After your I-129F is approved, you will need to have a medical exam and then have your K-1 interview. After the Visa is issued, you have 6 months to enter the U.S. with it, and then 90 days to get married after your date of entry.

After marriage, you will send in Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) and Form I-765 (Employment Authorization) and Form I-131 (Advance Parole.... if you want to leave the U.S. to travel before your AOS is approved). You do not send in Form I-765 before you are married. You must send the I-765 in either along with or after the I-485, but not before the I-485.

You do not apply for a SSN while still in Canada. You should go to the SSA office no sooner than 2 weeks after your arrival in the U.S. to apply for your SSN card, to make sure you are in their system. It takes up to 2 weeks for you to be in their system after your arrival thru a POE into the U.S.

Good luck with your journey and don't hesitate to ask any more questions and also read the "Guides" at the top of the page here on VJ to get some more information and examples, etc.

[meddykomp 0]

*sigh* i guess when I was "clearing" things up, I should of made it clear that my fiance is not incompitant and that he is active as well in organizing and gathering information of what we have to do, I just do the majority of it (as I work from home and have more time to do this), and he really isnt the best at it... he admits it.

We constantly are sending eachother offlines/messages while online and e-mails of what we have found.

So doing research online for the last year (minimum), reading all the Governement websites, joining forums and discussing/asking questions that's not researching?

I posted a list of everything I have found so far to be scrutinized and people have replied and told me the corrections that need to be made and have also given links (thank you sooooo much by the way).

If this is not taking your time and doing research then what is?

I think that you will do just fine. It is really just a matter of the two of you sitting down and deciding which route to take. If neither of you cares where you get married, based on current timelines, it will probably be faster with a K-1, however, these things change so the timframes can alter after you start your process. Personally I would (and did) choose where you get married based on where you can have the wedding that is what you want the wedding to be and not by timelines since the timelines change. Best Wishes.

Angel

[pax 0]

Yes, Rayma's right--you can't apply for a Social Security Number until you physically arrive in the States with your visa.

I'm not trying to pick individual faults with what you're doing! Really, that's not the point. I mean, if you really want, I'll take a look at your list and see what I can see, but I'm no more of an expert than anyone else who's already on the successful end of the initial visa process. Lots of people can, and will, give you great ideas about getting through it.

As far as where you have to file the petition, no one with an Internet connection is going to get different or better information depending on where they live. You have to file where you have to file and nothing short of relocation will change that. That's Nebraska.

This is all the information I have gathered in regards what needs to be done:

File form I129f (fiancé visa - $170.00) with USCIS in Indianapolis (double check this is the right place).

http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-129f.htm

http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/ind...tm#anchor235776

Need:

- passport

- divorce certificate

- Police certificate from BC, ON & AB.

- Medical Exam (vaccinations?)

- Two DS-156 forms

- One DS-156 form

- Two nonimmigrant visa photos

- Evidence of fiancé relationship.

After marriage:

- Form 1-485 ($325.00) to adjust status or register perm. Residence.

- 1-864 affidavit of support.

- 1-765 ($180.00) to work before marriage. (Apply for SSN before I go to the US).

I'm going to again suggest that you read through the guides and timelines on VJ. They will spell everything out that you'll need for each step of the process. Specifically, they'll break down the initial petition filing and the actual visa application, which are two very separate and distinct processes handled by two different government bodies in two different countries. Conflating the two can get you in trouble. Your initial "needs" list contains items that you need at different points in time, and you can't submit forms like the DS-156s until you're asked to do so.

For example, the DS-156 forms don't come into play until you, the non-USC, make the visa application on the basis of the approved I-129F petition. And you're missing a few of the forms you'll need--not that that's a big deal, because your particular Consulate (Montreal or Vancouver) will provide you with the forms they want when they want them.

As well, when you file to adjust status after marriage, you'll also have to include a biometrics fee of $70 with your application. You may wish to file for AP (Advance Parole) to be paroled back into the U.S. should you need to leave the country before you have your green card.

This is largely stuff you will pick up along the way, but you're not doing yourself any favors by going in with inaccurate information. And forms and procedures do change, and they could change, and you may face certain issues that are unique to Canadian consulates or even to your particular case. Your mileage may vary, as they say. But please, please, please don't take this personally. Any time that anyone spends pointing out any omissions or mistakes to you is time they're trying to save you and your sweetie in the long run.

Edited February 27, 2006 by pax

[send80 0]

Actually I am on a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE dial up connection (24.0kps), so alot of sites either do not load period or take way to long to load and the website to get the information where to apply was one of them, and I was drained from a day of research (among other things) so left it for my fiance to do lol. That is where the Indy information came up and why I told him he had to research it.

As for the SSN, I was going by information given to me from a government website (have no idea which one though)... thank god someone caught that, ty so much.

Was it you Pax who gave me that Link? I have it saved and have forwarded it to my fiance (butthead's still sleeping lol He works afternoons).

ARe you sure that Canadians have to pay a biometrics fee? Or is that a different fee I am thinking of?

Im not here to fight, just here to get helpful advice. ty for everything.

[Peter Miami 0]

Good luck which ever way you decided.

Peter Miami

[pax 0]

ARe you sure that Canadians have to pay a biometrics fee? Or is that a different fee I am thinking of?

Im not here to fight, just here to get helpful advice. ty for everything.

Yes, absolutely. It doesn't come into play until AOS, so don't worry too much about it right now.

We all started off with a million questions and a bad case of nerves. No worries. Stick around and share your story with us as you go along; you'll find that VJers are great cheerleaders!

[kaydee457 13]

To go over there and just get married would be an illegal act... This is because when entering as a visitor, one must have the intent of being a visitor and return home before your preiod of authorized stay ends. You have admitted that you have no intention of entering the US as a visitor, but wish to marry your fiancee and adjust status.

Admittedly, I haven't read through every single post in this thread but the above statement is only true if she intends to immigrate and adjust status. I don't read that in the OP's original posting.

Coming to the USA to get married is not illegal. It is not illegal to get married in the USA. It's perfectly fine to marry, then return home and apply for a K3.

It's not illegal to enter with the intent to get married; it's illegal to do so with the intent to adjust.

[pri 0]

Send80

No offences

I would suggest you go one step at a time firts apply it si a long road you worry about SSN later. You can do your reasearch here on VJ there is a lot of Info in the posts here and the members here tell you their experience which they might hv faced which not necessarily mean that you may have similar obstacles.. Its that Simple

[pax 0]

It is not illegal to enter the States as a visitor with the intent to marry, return to one's home country, and wait out a spousal visa. 100% okay.

It is also not illegal to enter the States as a visitor, fall in love, and decide to marry impulsively and stay and adjust status.

It *is* illegal to enter the States as a visitor with the intent to marry and stay put.

[meauxna 15]

I am a Canadian engaged to an American and plan on marrying as soon as possible

It might be more fruitful for you to decide if you really mean 'marry as soon as possible' or 'move to the US as soon as possible'.

Two different things, with different approaches.

[Cassie 8]

other things you will need....

copies of your fiance's and your LONG form birth certificates (the little laminated cards we get in Canada don't cut it). Your fiance will need his to send in a copy with the I-129f.

a Canada wide records check (without fingerprints if you do not have a record) performed by the RCMP -- you won't have to get a records check from the three provinces you mentioned, the Canada wide check is sufficient.

the medical exam will be performed by an approved Civil surgeon in the province you currently reside in. Usually you have to wait until your petition makes its way to the Montreal or Vancouver Consulate and you receive what we call "package 3" with all teh forms, letter, etc. Take your vaccination records with you to this appointment, and the doctor will fill out the forms. (Some people have incomplete vaccination records, many go to their regular doctor and get blood titres to ascertain what, if any shots they need).

We have what is called the Canuck Clearing House threads -- look in the regional forums under Canada (for the most current one) and in my signature below (for the older one) for the links. There's a ton of links and info in them. And feel free ask us questions.