France/America couples

[Aloha 0]

Hello everyone!

I just got my interview date for the K-1 Visa and I'm so excited that I had to tell someone

Ferline : Sophie is right, that's not often at all!!!

I had a long distance relationship with my american for 6 looooooooooong years, and I used to go to the US about 6 times a year. 50 % of the times I had problems at my port of entry (that's why I ended up always scheduling my connecting flights 3 to 4 hours after getting into the port of entry), and most of the times I would just tell them that I was gonna go see my boyfriend (because, just like you, If I said i was gonna go see friends the officer would just go mad and ask me if I was taking him for a fool because no one goes to the US 6 times a year just to see friends) sometimes I would even add that I was going to see my boyfriend to try to convince him one more time to come and live with me in France (which was true, at that time none of us really wanted to leave our carriers and social lifes...).

If you have a letter from your employer and everything, it should be fine... they might give you a hard time (and god sometimes they can be mean! ) but they will most likely always stamp your passport... specially if they see that you've been there a lot and always went back to France, respecting your tourist visa:)

I wish you all the best! And maybe just like me and my american, soon you'll be planning the wedding. At the beginning, my parents and sister where all scared about me going to the other side of the world with a "stranger" (and I was scared myself) but after long years with my american coming for christmas, coming for some of the family vacations and everything they are more excited than me with the planning of the wedding and even with the K-1 visa procedures

Good luck with everything!

Mince, je viens de me rendre compte que j'ai poste avec le compte de mon cheri... désolée... Le post quote ci-dessus vient de moi

[Frenchwife 1]

Hi guys

I am in the US for holidays

and got some bad news from NVC

I posted under NVC

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=0#entry3118601

could somebody help me?

this is about the certification of our wedding certificate

NVC said I did not send original or certified copy while I did

it is a french wedding certificate from a little town (2 weddings a year or so)

they provided a copy (a photocopy) with certification from the maire "pour copie conforme le maire signature date tampon et tralala

I sent it without translation et cela na pas eu l'air de convaincre

Edited July 15, 2009 by Frenchwife

[Orc 0]

Hello,

Can anyone please advise how to go about registering our marriage at the French Consulate in D.C.? What documents are needed? I guess the marriage certificate needs to be translated? What was your experience like? We did not do the "la publication des bans" before our marriage since we did not know about it, will that still be ok? Appreciate your help!

[EasternDE 35]

http://www.consulfrance-washington.org/IMG...STE_MARIAGE.pdf

T'as pas du chercher bien longtemps. ^^

[Ferline 0]

Sophie, Aloha and Lili,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience...I'm leaving in Friday for 2 weeks and I can't wait to be already out of Newark Airport!!! I've read that Newark Airport was farder than other POE such as JFK about immigration...Anyway I'll let you know how it goes..that always gets me worried...I'm always wondering if they ask me "Do you have a US boyfriend? " Should I be totally honest and say yes and then have the risk of being send back to France or should I just say "no" and make everything easier...

My boyfriend and I talked about getting marry in about 3 years but being far from each other may actually speed us the weeding...that's why I've been looking at VJ and K1 visa..

Anyway, I wish everyone great vacations / safe travels to the US if any of you are going there over the Summer!

Ferline counting the days left until friday ))

[Lili 3]

Sophie, Aloha and Lili,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience...I'm leaving in Friday for 2 weeks and I can't wait to be already out of Newark Airport!!! I've read that Newark Airport was farder than other POE such as JFK about immigration...Anyway I'll let you know how it goes..that always gets me worried...I'm always wondering if they ask me "Do you have a US boyfriend? " Should I be totally honest and say yes and then have the risk of being send back to France or should I just say "no" and make everything easier...

My boyfriend and I talked about getting marry in about 3 years but being far from each other may actually speed us the weeding...that's why I've been looking at VJ and K1 visa..

Anyway, I wish everyone great vacations / safe travels to the US if any of you are going there over the Summer!

Ferline counting the days left until friday ))

Always, I repeat ALWAYS be honest at POE. If they ask if you have a boyfriend, you say the truth. Never EVER lie, it will come back and bite your butt. Be honest and straight to the point!

Have a safe travel to the US! Don't worry about Neward being your POE, it will go fine I am sure. Make sure you have documents showing that you are intending to return to France and all will be well.

Once again, have a safe trip!

[Ferline 0]

Sophie, Aloha and Lili,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience...I'm leaving in Friday for 2 weeks and I can't wait to be already out of Newark Airport!!! I've read that Newark Airport was farder than other POE such as JFK about immigration...Anyway I'll let you know how it goes..that always gets me worried...I'm always wondering if they ask me "Do you have a US boyfriend? " Should I be totally honest and say yes and then have the risk of being send back to France or should I just say "no" and make everything easier...

My boyfriend and I talked about getting marry in about 3 years but being far from each other may actually speed us the weeding...that's why I've been looking at VJ and K1 visa..

Anyway, I wish everyone great vacations / safe travels to the US if any of you are going there over the Summer!

Ferline counting the days left until friday ))

Always, I repeat ALWAYS be honest at POE. If they ask if you have a boyfriend, you say the truth. Never EVER lie, it will come back and bite your butt. Be honest and straight to the point!

Have a safe travel to the US! Don't worry about Neward being your POE, it will go fine I am sure. Make sure you have documents showing that you are intending to return to France and all will be well.

Once again, have a safe trip!

Thanks Lili!!!

[Ferline 0]

As I said, I'm letting you know how it went with the US immigration officer...SUPER EASY- it looks like the more I'm worried, the nicer they are & the easier it becomes ...funny!

Anyway, the officer asked me 2 questions and that was it off I was to meet with the love of my life that have been waiting for me for more than 2 hours at the airport as we couldn't land to Newark due to strong wind ....

Now the next step before filing is the hard discussion I need to have with my family to let them know that I will move to the US. I don't know if it was the same thing for you but for me this whole situation is like " there is a big elephant in the room ( me moving to the US) that everyone sees but nobody says anything & everybody deeply hopes it will fade away (me ending not moving there). But this won't happen, he is the one and even if it's hard to realize that I will be far from my family, I want to stay with him and start our life together & our family...

Now, after reminding myself that I won't see him until december, I'm going to eat chocolate & liquorice and cry...

I hope you're all well & enjoying your times with your SO wherever you guys are..

Ferline

[Cécy 44]

As I said, I'm letting you know how it went with the US immigration officer...SUPER EASY- it looks like the more I'm worried, the nicer they are & the easier it becomes ...funny!

Anyway, the officer asked me 2 questions and that was it off I was to meet with the love of my life that have been waiting for me for more than 2 hours at the airport as we couldn't land to Newark due to strong wind ....

Now the next step before filing is the hard discussion I need to have with my family to let them know that I will move to the US. I don't know if it was the same thing for you but for me this whole situation is like " there is a big elephant in the room ( me moving to the US) that everyone sees but nobody says anything & everybody deeply hopes it will fade away (me ending not moving there). But this won't happen, he is the one and even if it's hard to realize that I will be far from my family, I want to stay with him and start our life together & our family...

Now, after reminding myself that I won't see him until december, I'm going to eat chocolate & liquorice and cry...

I hope you're all well & enjoying your times with your SO wherever you guys are..

Ferline

Good luck with the wait until you see him again.

Talking with the familym I kind of skipped that part because while I kept on visiting him and my family kind of guessed what would happen, it's not until after an extended stay and while in the US that we decided to get married and live together in the US. But after a year here I'm sure my family had it figured out.

I hope you have a good dialogue with them and that they understand what makes you happy.

I'm going home in a month after 3 years away... it's going to be weird.

[Lili 3]

Good luck with the wait until you see him again.

Talking with the familym I kind of skipped that part because while I kept on visiting him and my family kind of guessed what would happen, it's not until after an extended stay and while in the US that we decided to get married and live together in the US. But after a year here I'm sure my family had it figured out.

I hope you have a good dialogue with them and that they understand what makes you happy.

I'm going home in a month after 3 years away... it's going to be weird.

I second that. You have to make yourself happy first.

Hi Cecy, how are you? Me too, I am going to France in less than two weeks after 4 years away. Oh boy! Culture shock here we come lol!

[Cécy 44]

I second that. You have to make yourself happy first.

Hi Cecy, how are you? Me too, I am going to France in less than two weeks after 4 years away. Oh boy! Culture shock here we come lol!

I know right. Especially when from previous trips back I know that's when the cultral shock hits the most. I've already seen pictures of Toulouse (google map) that made me realize how much things have changed.

But I'm also super excited because I'm in touch with a bunch of my cousins and we are planning to see each other and that's really exciting.

[Lili 3]

I noticed that you are also taking your hubby, is it his first time?

[Koakland 0]

Hello,

Can anyone please advise how to go about registering our marriage at the French Consulate in D.C.? What documents are needed? I guess the marriage certificate needs to be translated? What was your experience like? We did not do the "la publication des bans" before our marriage since we did not know about it, will that still be ok? Appreciate your help!

I am so sorry that I didn't respond earlier. You have probably already figured it out. But in case someone else is wondering, I'll post an answer. My (French) husband went to the consulate and got a list of documents that he needed. It included our American wedding cert but he did not translate it. They accepted the English version. We didn't do the publication des bans either. I think my husband said that we didnt do it because we needed to get married right away for immigration purposes - so he could get work authorization as soon as possible. It worked because we got our livret de famille this week. I hope that helps.

[Cécy 44]

I noticed that you are also taking your hubby, is it his first time?

He's been to France before but I did not know him then. Also he went to Paris, Normandie and Angers, not the South and he didn't have the best experience because his trip coincided with the one of the G.W. Bush so Americans weren't seen so kindly.

So let's say it's his first trip with me and first trip to the Sud-Ouest. He still doesn't speak any French though... I tried motivating him, I got him Rosetta Stone in French with the help of my family 2 years ago... But he isn't making the effort. He says he never has time.

[Lili 3]

I noticed that you are also taking your hubby, is it his first time?

He's been to France before but I did not know him then. Also he went to Paris, Normandie and Angers, not the South and he didn't have the best experience because his trip coincided with the one of the G.W. Bush so Americans weren't seen so kindly.

So let's say it's his first trip with me and first trip to the Sud-Ouest. He still doesn't speak any French though... I tried motivating him, I got him Rosetta Stone in French with the help of my family 2 years ago... But he isn't making the effort. He says he never has time.

lol Your family lives in the Sud-Ouest too? My family lives in the Charente Maritime. Haha about the Rosetta stone...I got the Rosetta Stone to my hubby about a year ago and he has been trying to do it every single day. He does say that it is hard sometimes about how Rosetta doesn't explain why a sentence structure is such and such. Maybe your hubby got frustrated and just gave up. You should tell him that you are willing to help him out as long as he studies half hour each day (or at least few times a week). If you stop a week or more, it is counterproductive as he may forget what he learned and just have to start over. Or you can try bribing him!

Paris is okay and all but it is not representative of France, I am sure he will have a better time with you this time.