Another CR1 vs K1 Ponderer...

[Just Kelley 4]

So my boyfriend (Brazilian) tried to come to the USA over the holidays and his visa request was denied due to the interviewer not being satisfied that he'd provided enough ties to prove he'd be returning to his home after the new year. He brought his proof of property ownership (he owns 3 apartments), his bank account info, and his hotel reservation information/purchased round trip airline ticket reservation. He's self employed so he doesn't have a typical pay check.

No worries - we decided to spend the holidays in Europe instead and had a wonderful time. Flash forward to now: we're engaged, very happy, and preparing to celebrate our engagement in Punta Cana in May!

But we're not at all sure what's the best immigration application for us, moving forward: the CR1 or the K1. Ideally, we'd prefer to marry in his country in a small wedding with his family and then return to the USA for a post-wedding party with my family. Is this even an option? For now, living in the USA is necessary. I own a business and my presence is needed here but, even if we have to have a long distance marriage for a while, we're committed to making it work. We've been in a long distance relationship for more than two years - we'll just travel the world together until the USA powers that be say we both can live here in Chicago, lol!

Additional questions: is the fact that I've been married before an issue? I've been divorced for 4 years (my now-ex-husband left me in 2007 in pursuit of the daughter of a friend of mine). We also wondered if our age gap (I'm more than 10 years older but we're both over 25) is of concern.

Thanks for any relevant wisdom anyone can share!

Edited February 3, 2014 by Just Kelley