Can't get a passport to meet fiancee

[MedRoni 161]

If you cannot get a passport because you are behind on child support you may want to think about a longer term plan for meeting your fiance. The flight/trip costs for you will be one nice chunk of change, then immigration process is another... and you will need to meet the financial support requirements. It could be difficult for her to get a visitor visa here, so maybe Skype and call for now... while looking into all the necessary requirements and steps to bring her over while working on getting the passport.

I wish you the best of luck... one step at a time~!

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

Correct me on this please.... I thought giving child support is only if your child is 18 and below. But this man is supporting more than 23 years? So your child/children are more than the age for support? How long can a man give child support then?

Many hard working parents, mostly Fathers, are caught in a vicious cycle of child support arrearages. While the child support obligation could end at 18 (some go to 21 and even longer if higher education coverage is written into the divorce decree), it is the arrearage that causes the issues. Mostly.

It is usually not the support itself that causes issues but the arrearages which can be caused by loss of employment, medical condition or fabrication of facts by a vindictive Ex. The state collects $2 from the Feds for every $1 collected in child support payment so the interest of the state is to create a situation where by a payee is stuck in the cycle (follow the money).

OP has my full sympathy and support and I don't even need to know his story and he deserve his own happiness too wherever he might find it. I personally think it is unconstitutional to tie in child support arrearages (not support) to credit profiles and governmental benefits including passport, etc. I personally know two international sales people that lost their jobs due to loss of passports. It's a silent epidemic.

OP, I wish you nothing but the best in your journey but you will need to get your passport back and travel to meet your Fiancee. You do not need to pay the full balance to get your passprot but will have to negotiate and demonstrate a payment pattern. Hopefully this hasn't caused you to loose your livelihood.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Go to mexico without a passport and meet your fiance there, if she can get a tourist visa for Mexico.

[Peter_Pan 661]

Really? Can you please correct me on this? I thought that marrying on a tourist with intent to stay was visa fraud and resulted in a lifetime ban. I guess marrying on a tourist visa and then returning your home country is acceptable.

It happens every day and no one is getting banned for it. I know people who came in the US later than I on a B1 visa, married, adjusted, and already have a green card in their pocket, meanwhile, i did it the right way and still waiting for mine.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

When a parent chooses not to pay they rack up owed child support. Most states put a heavy penalty ( interested ) on owed support. If the father loses employment they can get the support lowered to the legal minimum for the number of children. If the state pays welfare while the parent isn't paying support the amount of the welfare is frequently added to the amount owed. I know a man that fathered more children than he should and even while they were still pre school aged he had a 100k child support bill. The interest on the owed amount was over 800 a month.

[Operator 1,927]

Here's my dilema. I want to marry a girl who is in the Philippines. I can't get a passport because the Texas Attorney General put me on the "no passport" list because I am behind in my child support. I am making $1,200.00 a month payments and have been paying child support for 23 years. One of the requirements for a K-1 visa is that I meet my fiancee within 2 years of filing for the visa. Since I cannot go to the Philippines to meet my fiancee, or marry her there, is it possible that she could get a K-1 visa to come to the U.S. to meet me, or marry me here?

She can apply for a B-2 visa to travel to the US to meet you.

Tourism and Visit (B-2):

• tourism
• vacation (holiday)
• visit with friends or relatives
• medical treatment
• participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations
• participation by amateurs in musical, sports, or similar events or contests, if not being paid for participating
• enrollment in a short recreational course of study, not for credit toward a degree (for example, a two-day cooking class while on vacation).

You'll see that on that list it does not list get married.

This will satisfy the requirement of meeting within the 2 years prior to submitting the I-129F.

[bigdog 376]

The K-1 requirement is what it is, pay off your exhisting debts before taking on a new one. This process is expensive and takes a combinaton of time, money and patience.

[buddylewis 3]

Let me clarify my situation. As a law enforement whistleblower in the state of Texas I was used as an example bythe Texas Attorney Generals Office. I became disabled, could not work, and the Attorneys Generals Office would not reduce my child support. $30,000.00 worth of attorneys could not get it done. That's Texas for you.

My "kids" are 21 and 23 with lives of their own. I have been paying child support for 23 years and will probably pay for the rest of my life (after they add on interest and penalties). The amount is arrearage is more than $50,000.00. That's way too much for me to pay off, or I would have already done so. My payments are guaranteed to them because they take half of my disability (unless I die).

So because of this I cannot leave the country? I cannot marry a foreign national? Ever? If the Immigrations can make exceptions for the meeting rule for "tradition" and "strong cultural beliefs", can they not make an exception for not legally being able to meet because I can't get a passport? There is something wrong with this picture?

[Cathi 5,758]

During her intrview with the USEM for tourist visa just make her sure she's not going to tell the consul about the plans of marrying you once she got there. Automatically she will be denied.

coming to the US on a visitor visa with the intent to marry, stay and adjust status is illegal and carries a lifetime ban with no appeal or waiver. What you are suggesting to the OP, to not inform the CO that she intends to come and marry and adjust status is going to get her banned. Never EVER lie to immigration. If she comes and hey marry, then she returns to her country to finish the visa process is perfectly fine and legal. The OP needs to be clear of intent, which he would have if she came and adjusted status...a big no no

Edited April 29, 2013 by mimolicious

[belinda63 3,038]

As to the child support issue, I sympathize fully having been caught in the trap myself.

You must meet your fiance in person within two years of filing. The only, slim chance you have is to have her apply for a tourist visa. She can legally come to the US, marry you (or not), leave the US, file for the CR-1 (or K-1) and proceed from there. If she is denied for a tourist visa multiple times then you might, very slim chance, qualify for a hardship waiver.

Have you looked at the entire process as it is costly and time-consuming. There are also certain income requirements which must be met.

[Operator 1,927]

This has nothing to do with your immigration question but I can't get my head around how you pay for 23 years and still get behind. Were you not paying the agreed upon ammount?

[Hilario 13]

I wish you well OP, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't marry my Philippines lady, I guess I do, I would find a way some how some way!!

Good luck!

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

Let me clarify my situation. As a law enforement whistleblower in the state of Texas I was used as an example bythe Texas Attorney Generals Office. I became disabled, could not work, and the Attorneys Generals Office would not reduce my child support. $30,000.00 worth of attorneys could not get it done. That's Texas for you.

My "kids" are 21 and 23 with lives of their own. I have been paying child support for 23 years and will probably pay for the rest of my life (after they add on interest and penalties). The amount is arrearage is more than $50,000.00. That's way too much for me to pay off, or I would have already done so. My payments are guaranteed to them because they take half of my disability (unless I die).

So because of this I cannot leave the country? I cannot marry a foreign national? Ever? If the Immigrations can make exceptions for the meeting rule for "tradition" and "strong cultural beliefs", can they not make an exception for not legally being able to meet because I can't get a passport? There is something wrong with this picture?

The system is criminal, those of us that have expereicned it understands. Those that haven't been in the situation will turn their nose up and of course come up with a lame example of some outlandish true deadbeat that willingly does not pay support.

Those that are willingly not paying support are in jail. People like you who are struggling but still paying shoudl be looked at closely. But they won'r becuase of the incentive of money for every chidl support collected by the state.

They will also say just go to court and get your award reduced, yeah right. Those of us iinvolved in it know this is near impossible. And even if you have money to pay a Lawyer they are all in it together.

Keep your head straight, try to set up a payment arrangement with the AOG. They can work with you based on your track record with them.

Note: If you were sstill married and you got disabled, will you loose your passport? No, so you're being victimised.

I support you and wish you nothing but the best in your journey.

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

This has nothing to do with your immigration question but I can't get my head around how you pay for 23 years and still get behind. Were you not paying the agreed upon ammount?

If one looses a job, one gets arrested, etc then the money owed gets accumulated, iinterest is like 25% so it's easy to get into 10, 20, 30, 50k in arrears.

It's a viscious cycle.

Liek our issues with immigration, unless one is exposed to that system them America doesn't really know. The publicised example most like to use is some elaborate character who knocked up 3 Women, have 6 kids and dodges paying support. Most are not like that.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Let me clarify my situation. As a law enforement whistleblower in the state of Texas I was used as an example bythe Texas Attorney Generals Office. I became disabled, could not work, and the Attorneys Generals Office would not reduce my child support. $30,000.00 worth of attorneys could not get it done. That's Texas for you.

My "kids" are 21 and 23 with lives of their own. I have been paying child support for 23 years and will probably pay for the rest of my life (after they add on interest and penalties). The amount is arrearage is more than $50,000.00. That's way too much for me to pay off, or I would have already done so. My payments are guaranteed to them because they take half of my disability (unless I die).

So because of this I cannot leave the country? I cannot marry a foreign national? Ever? If the Immigrations can make exceptions for the meeting rule for "tradition" and "strong cultural beliefs", can they not make an exception for not legally being able to meet because I can't get a passport? There is something wrong with this picture?

You obviously didn't read my Mexico suggestion. You can travel to Mexico by land with no passport and she can meet you there. I'd do that instead of idly complaining about things, personally.