a few beginner's questions

[adam and ekemini 0]

ok i'm new here so please go easy on me. (i kid, everybody here seems overwhelmingly friendly!)

so, i did a silly thing and fell in love w/ a british girl. i'm american. when i proposed, i had no idea how complicated the immigration procedure would be. i guess i thought we'd just get married and then, boom, she'd move to the US.

not so easy.

I think i have a better idea now of how to begin this process.

We'll get the K1 visa.

She'll come to the states and we'll have the courthouse wedding. (we intend to have the actual church wedding ceremony in London and that's where this get's sticky... but i'll get to that in a sec.)

We'll apply for the AOS and EAD. ok, here is where it gets hazy. ..

as i understand it, she cannot leave the US until AOS is approved? unless we get an I131?

How long does it take for AOS to go thru? How difficult is it to get an I131?

What am I missing? Anybody have any advice?

Is it possible to have a wedding date set without all this paperwork complete?...

Thanks,

Adam

[sarah and hicham 3]

ok i'm new here so please go easy on me. (i kid, everybody here seems overwhelmingly friendly!)

so, i did a silly thing and fell in love w/ a british girl. i'm american. when i proposed, i had no idea how complicated the immigration procedure would be. i guess i thought we'd just get married and then, boom, she'd move to the US.

not so easy.

I think i have a better idea now of how to begin this process.

We'll get the K1 visa.

She'll come to the states and we'll have the courthouse wedding. (we intend to have the actual church wedding ceremony in London and that's where this get's sticky... but i'll get to that in a sec.)

We'll apply for the AOS and EAD. ok, here is where it gets hazy. ..

as i understand it, she cannot leave the US until AOS is approved? unless we get an I131?

How long does it take for AOS to go thru? How difficult is it to get an I131?

What am I missing? Anybody have any advice?

Is it possible to have a wedding date set without all this paperwork complete?...

Thanks,

Adam

bonjour,

For AOS- you can file for Advanced Parole in order to be able to travel before she gets her greencard. It should take around 90 days or less to get it although in rsome cases it takes longer.

If there is an emergency she can go back to the UK with emergency AP in the case that someone is ill or some other kind of emergency.

I would not reccomend making wedding plans before she gets her visa. You just never know what can happen. Last spring a lot of people were hit with "IMBRA" slowing down their process and even causing their visas to be revoked upon re approval so as you can see you just never know what might happen.

As far as how hard it is to get an I-131- you can send in the applicated along with the I-485 (AOS paperwork) and they will usually process it within 90 days like I said. You don't have to send in too much with that application- it isn't difficult.

Good luck,

Sarah

[Alex+R 0]

If you want to have the wedding in London, why not get married in London first and then do the K3 visa? Or an immigrant visa?

Just because most people will tell you it's a bad idea to plan on a wedding date before getting the visa. Even if you wanted the wedding in the US, like Sarah said, there's no guarantee of when it will come. Some pretty weird stuff can happen in this process.

Good luck!

[1HappyGuy 45]

You should understand that getting married in England will change the filing status from K-1 visa to K-3. You won't be able to apply for the K-3 until you are married. If the idea is to have a marriage ceremony in England and then come to America using the K-1 process, then the marriage in England can be only ceremonial and not official.

The processing times for K-1 and K-3 are similar but the timing is different. Talk with your fiancee and understand the differences. Read the guidelines and FAQ's regarding the K-1 so that you are familiar with the process.

As to applying for Advanced Parole (AP) that is up to you. If the process for obtaining a green card goes smoothly the AP isn't necessary and is just a waste of money. Before your file for AP research the timing of the AOS (green card process) in your area. You might decide to just file for permanent status. Remember, we have a pretty good relationship with UK so a few questions directly asked at the U.S. embassy could solve quite a number of problems.

[adam and ekemini 0]

You should understand that getting married in England will change the filing status from K-1 visa to K-3. You won't be able to apply for the K-3 until you are married. If the idea is to have a marriage ceremony in England and then come to America using the K-1 process, then the marriage in England can be only ceremonial and not official.

The processing times for K-1 and K-3 are similar but the timing is different. Talk with your fiancee and understand the differences. Read the guidelines and FAQ's regarding the K-1 so that you are familiar with the process.

As to applying for Advanced Parole (AP) that is up to you. If the process for obtaining a green card goes smoothly the AP isn't necessary and is just a waste of money. Before your file for AP research the timing of the AOS (green card process) in your area. You might decide to just file for permanent status. Remember, we have a pretty good relationship with UK so a few questions directly asked at the U.S. embassy could solve quite a number of problems.

i should clarify, the courthouse wedding in the US would be for legal purposes... the ceremony in London (4-5 months later) would be for friends and family. so yes... only ceremonial and not official.

thanks!

[onesassygirl 0]

i should clarify, the courthouse wedding in the US would be for legal purposes... the ceremony in London (4-5 months later) would be for friends and family. so yes... only ceremonial and not official.

thanks!

if you don't want to go through the K-3 process, what would be the repercussions of doing the ceremonial wedding first so you can set a date (just don't sign the marriage license!), and then coming over on a K-1? has anyone done this before?