Getting married on a tourist visa?

[Ighaepero 2]

Hi, guys. I have a friend, who is American, who wants to get married with her boyfriend, who is Chinese. She's asking me if he can come here, get married to her on the tourist visa, and then return to Shanghai for a while. Since I know absolutely nothing about this (my fiancee and I are K1) I'm posting here on my friend's behalf. In her own words:

"If my bf come to the States with tourist visa and we get married here in New York, then when he goes back to Shanghai, do we need to do anything to change his status or can just let him go without doing anything, and he can still come into to the States without trouble?

Or what if we get married and stamped something on his passport (meaning he changes his status), can he still come and go with tourist visa?

Basically he wants to stay in Shanghai for a period of time after getting married, but he wants to visit me every half year, so he needs to keep his tourist visa until I apply for green card for him."

Thanks for any feedback.

[David & Diana R 1,005]

Hi, guys. I have a friend, who is American, who wants to get married with her boyfriend, who is Chinese. She's asking me if he can come here, get married to her on the tourist visa, and then return to Shanghai for a while. Since I know absolutely nothing about this (my fiancee and I are K1) I'm posting here on my friend's behalf. In her own words:

"If my bf come to the States with tourist visa and we get married here in New York, then when he goes back to Shanghai, do we need to do anything to change his status or can just let him go without doing anything, and he can still come into to the States without trouble?

Or what if we get married and stamped something on his passport (meaning he changes his status), can he still come and go with tourist visa?

Basically he wants to stay in Shanghai for a period of time after getting married, but he wants to visit me every half year, so he needs to keep his tourist visa until I apply for green card for him."

Thanks for any feedback.

If your friends boyfiend comes to the US on a tourist visa with the intent of getting married/immigrating that is VISA fraud. If he gets caught there could be a very long ban from him ever applying or entering the US again.

[Big Baby 11]

Assuming he's not using her to obtain a green card while keeping his life in Shanghai intact, which is a big assumption (how else can you explain somebody wanting to be separated from his new wife except for semiannual conjugal visits?) ... there is the possibility that he would be denied a visitor's visa - esp. if he explained what you just explained here - and then when he applied for his married visa, he'd have to explain why he was denied. Or, if he was approved, and then got married in the US on a tourist visa, he'd have to explain this on his married visa application...how he used a tourist visa not to tour the USA but b/c he planned to get married in order to obtain a green card while maintaining a Shanghai residence. Good luck!

[Ighaepero 2]

Thanks for the responses, guys. Though I'm sure she'll find the "good luck" somewhat ironic.

[Pitaya 2,577]

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

~General visa inquiry, not K-1 related~