filing while travelling abroad, any advice?

[coreyjschmidt 0]

I just got engaged!!!

my fiancee is from Russia, I normally live in Alaska, and work as a self employed carpenter there.

we met in India, now we're travelling in southeast asia. I've been out of America for 8 months on an extended holiday (including 6 months in india)

any advice on which visa to apply for? we are open to marrying any time, but want the easiest option to get us to USA together with her able to stay and without having to spend time apart. We may get social budaya visas to stay up to 6 months in Indonesia, or we may possibly go back to India, where we could both stay up to 6 months. for countries like these, my savings can easily support us for this time.

thanks in advance for any advice or helpful info pertaining to our situation.

Corey

[agnesb 47]

I just got engaged!!!

my fiancee is from Russia, I normally live in Alaska, and work as a self employed carpenter there.

we met in India, now we're travelling in southeast asia. I've been out of America for 8 months on an extended holiday (including 6 months in india)

any advice on which visa to apply for? we are open to marrying any time, but want the easiest option to get us to USA together with her able to stay and without having to spend time apart. We may get social budaya visas to stay up to 6 months in Indonesia, or we may possibly go back to India, where we could both stay up to 6 months. for countries like these, my savings can easily support us for this time.

thanks in advance for any advice or helpful info pertaining to our situation.

Corey

Hi Corey,

I'm affaid there is no "easy" options if it comes to immigration. Regardless where you send you petition from(either for fiance or spousal visa), your fiancee, the beneficiary, has to be a legal resident of the country where she'd have to attend an interview, at the US consulate. As both processes for fiance and spousal visa are longer than 6 months it seems your 6 months residency in either India or indonesia would not be enough, assuming your fiance would be able to apply in that country whilst on a tourist visa. Having a reliable postal address is also crucial in my opinion to receive notifications by post in the petition stage (which usually is the us adress of the us citizen, or abroad address of the us citizen if filling from abroad) and then the interview stage (which normally is the current legal residency of foreign finace(e)). Hope it makes sense and again, I could be wrong as this is quite unusual situation.

Also at the interview stage you'll have to prove you have enough income and/or assets to support your fiancee or spouse when back in US or find a co-sponsor.

Read the visa guides on this website, do some research and make your decision then come back and read the guides again to ensure your visa journey will go as smoothly and quickly as possible. Good luck.

[coreyjschmidt 0]

Hi Corey,

I'm affaid there is no "easy" options if it comes to immigration. Regardless where you send you petition from(either for fiance or spousal visa), your fiancee, the beneficiary, has to be a legal resident of the country where she'd have to attend an interview, at the US consulate. As both processes for fiance and spousal visa are longer than 6 months it seems your 6 months residency in either India or indonesia would not be enough, assuming your fiance would be able to apply in that country whilst on a tourist visa. Having a reliable postal address is also crucial in my opinion to receive notifications by post in the petition stage (which usually is the us adress of the us citizen, or abroad address of the us citizen if filling from abroad) and then the interview stage (which normally is the current legal residency of foreign finace(e)). Hope it makes sense and again, I could be wrong as this is quite unusual situation.

Also at the interview stage you'll have to prove you have enough income and/or assets to support your fiancee or spouse when back in US or find a co-sponsor.

Read the visa guides on this website, do some research and make your decision then come back and read the guides again to ensure your visa journey will go as smoothly and quickly as possible. Good luck.

Thanks for the help : )

looks like we will use an embassy in Russia and use our parents addresses in our respective countries. Do you know would it be acceptable to use a scanned signature printed on the forms, so our parents could print the forms and write the checks to save international mailing time?

[Pitaya 2,577]

~~Moved from K-1 Process to General Immigration Discussion Forum~~

~not K-1 related, inquiry is researching visa options~

[agnesb 47]

Thanks for the help : )

looks like we will use an embassy in Russia and use our parents addresses in our respective countries. Do you know would it be acceptable to use a scanned signature printed on the forms, so our parents could print the forms and write the checks to save international mailing time?

All signatures must be original not scanned.

[coreyjschmidt 0]

Thanks for your help.

another question. Can the payment come in a separate letter from the rest of the packet? as it may not be possible to purchase a money order here, but I could get help with that from my mother. Alternately, I could send her the packet, have her put the money order in it and send it on to the lockbox...

[Ozz777 23]

Thanks for your help.

another question. Can the payment come in a separate letter from the rest of the packet? as it may not be possible to purchase a money order here, but I could get help with that from my mother. Alternately, I could send her the packet, have her put the money order in it and send it on to the lockbox...

Yes, do the latter. Send the packet to mom, have her put the check in and send it on its way.

[coreyjschmidt 0]

thanks again!

here's another couple of questions based on the fact that my fiancee and I , now out of USA, plan to first visit family In MO after getting the k1 visa, then live in AK for a while, as I can start up my old self employed construction business again and start earning immediately:
1. what's the procedure to get all correspondence about the visa sent to parents house in MO, but have the official address of my residence as in

AK?

2. Can we Marry in MO, but file for AOS in AK?

thanks so much

corey

[NikLR 13,232]

1) Only the notice of actions towards the petition is done via mail. You can also recieve texts or emails for both. Sometimes the email doesn't work for the NOA1 however, but you can put down your parent's address as a mailing address I believe? (I'd have to double check the forms)

2) yes you can marry anywhere and AOS anywhere. BUt if you fly from MO to AK, make sure there isn't a layover or if there is, that you do not leave the international section of the terminal. A K1 is a one time use visa, once your fiancee (or wife after marriage) leaves the USA, they cannot come back in unless they already have advance parole (travel document) or their green card.