WHAT TO DO?

[fitz 0]

My girlfriend and I would like to get married as soon as she gets a divorce. She is here with me in the US on a visitors visa. One of the things I'd like to know is if we get married will she loose her visitors visa? The other is what is the time frame of being in a relationship with respect to Immigration and a bonafied relationship? By the time she gets her divorce and we are ready to marry it will be just inside a year.

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

She can still visit with her tourist visa.

A one year relationship is fine, many got approved with much less. It';s great that you can spend some significant time together on visitors visas, that will help prove the bonafides of the relationship.

[Pinkrlion 2,724]

Before you begin to plan anything, she must be divorced. I would wait until that is finalized. She is able to visit as long as she does not have an overstay.

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Progress Reports to General Immigration-Related Discussion; topic is not a case status update.

[sus 70]

I am assuming she is the Jamaican, and will get divorced in Jamaica? That process alone will take around a year, possibly longer - so if she hasn't filed it yet, do that ASAP. You cannot file anything / marry until that is done - until then, she can continue to visit on her visitor visa.

[NickD 203]

In Venezuelam it's a man's world, woman have very few rights, while my wife's husband deserted her seven years prior to our meeting, she was afraid to apply for a divorce from fear the state would kick her out of her condo into the streets. But that wasn't true, would never do that with minor children living at home. Kind of a guy that looks into stuff like this.

But then when she did apply, was told by her divorce attorney, would take at least three years. I got her phone number and called her, she could understant some English. Just told me to transfer 1,500 bucks and she would talk to the judge. This was on a Thursday afternoon at 2:00 PM, next morning, my wife called me to tell me her divorce was finalized.

But living in the state of Wisconsin wasn't good, the only state in the natiion where you have to wait 6 months after a divorce to get a marriage license. Again no exceptions, not even a legal separation of seven years counts. So we waited another six months, good thing was, doing that time, we didn't break it off.

[sus 70]

That type of divorce no longer happens in JA... there was a huge expose a few years back, and the process is time consuming and under strict scrutiny.

[NickD 203]

I know of one person that didn't want to fool around her home country, a childhood friend of my wife. With a tourist visa, just went to Las Vegas and got a divorce in about five minutes. She had no property to settle in a court of law, just wanted to get the heck out of there. Property settlement, alimony, and child support is good reason to get that divorce in your home country.

She just took her personal items and anything else she could carry on the plane, didn't pay that close attentions, but recall there is something like a 24 hour wait in Las Vegas before you can marry again. And her US citizen husband was not from Wisconsin. To the best of my knowledge, she had no problems with the USCIS. Her USA divorce is not recognized in Colombia, she doesn't care, but is recognized here.

Just something to look into, can find all this stuff on the web, heck, even a spouse.

[Jawaree 718]

Divorce in Jamaica is like pulling teeth , have a family member who is judge and even she had to go

thru a long 36 mths. ..the under table biz no longer works in Jamaica, many are being locked up

trying to moved things without regards to the laws. I say spend a little time in Vegas & get divorce

there if no property or kids R involved.