So many decisions to make and no real answers!

[JA_Martinez 81]

This is all such a slippery slope. I'm the USC, my husband is a Philippine National living in Japan. I knew him in HS, just found him 2.5 yrs ago, married him (in Japan) in Feb this year. I studied and researches this stuff for two years and consulted with four attorneys to make sure we understood every option. What we've gleaned from all of that information (and now from the vast knowledge and experiences I read on VJ), all options have hurdles, all options take a very long time to process. IR-1's/CR-1's clearly make the permanant entry to the US a WHOLE lot easier and way less costly because everything is done...green card, Soc Sec #, work authorization, etc....only have to apply to remove conditions at the end of the two years of marriage. Coming to the US in any capacity and starting from here obviously makes the distance thing go away, but the process is the same and costly. In our case, we chose to file for the CR-1 then a K-3 right behind it. One or the other will process first...the K3 (if it actually does anything) will bring him earlier and then we finish everything fr@om here (time and money). He's working there, owns his home and car, and has a dog...best option for us all the way around seems to be to wait the CR-1 out because of the benefit of him being able to work there then work here....but its all extremely difficult. The wait time is long (seems for everyone coming from anywhere). What I have read here and everywhere is the there is no adjustment of status of any kind on the VW program....because you would not be here on a visa...you would have to go back to the UK to start the process regardless. You could clearly come back on the VW to visit while your visa application is in process, BUT you really gotta prove then that you intend to go back...a job, and possibly then a letter from an employer, a return ticket, etc but you CANNOT stay here on a VW...the consequences are pretty damaging. Once the visa application process has started, you're in the game. If you want to get aroumd the VW thing and the entire wait to be together thing, apply for a tourist visa, come over on vacation (with proof that you don't intend to stay), at 60-90 days in, get married here and start the process from the US.....but you're here for the duration (way shorter because its all processed here), and spend the extra money. This is the one thing every atty told.me and every immigration law book says very loud and clear "...the US Govt assumes that every foreigner coming to the US intends to stay...you have to prove them wrong..", wherever you do it from. Read and study alot. Visit a couple of attys while you're here...free consults are helpful...attys are only necessary if you have a complicated case otherwise spend that money on your visa. This is alot, sorry. Just do your homework. Good luck!!

[JA_Martinez 81]

K1 visa's tend to go through a great deal more scrutiny and take longer to process.

[quitepainful 56]

i am not sure about the phillippines but you should really do some more research, because the IR1 / CR1 takes alot longer to adjudicate than the K1 if you look at the approvals over the last 2-3 months!!!!

sorry the first post was way too long for my attention span