I-129F K1 Visa - Traditional Wedding (Vietnam) without marriage certificate

[CoBu 0]

Hi All,

We are working on our K1 Visa; already received NOA2 and waiting for paper works at NVC forwarded to Vietnam.

We are also planning to have a traditional wedding for our friends and families in February.

Is it safe to mention this at the Interview or should my fiance hide it?

Thanks for all the help.

Regards,

[msbau764 245]

Hi All,

We are working on our K1 Visa; already received NOA2 and waiting for paper works at NVC forwarded to Vietnam.

We are also planning to have a traditional wedding for our friends and families in February.

Is it safe to mention this at the Interview or should my fiance hide it?

Thanks for all the help.

Regards,

You SHOULD NOT have a wedding or ceremony. Some petitioners have had their visas denied for this reason. One petitioner did not mention it and somehow the CO knew about the ceremony and did not issue visa. If you want to get marriee before coming you need to apply for a marriage visa Edited October 5, 2014 by msbau764

[CoBu 0]

do you know which country? for Vietnam, the traditional wedding is important for my fiance. We don't want to wait until after our marriage to fill the papers that is why we are doing K1 so she can be here sooner.

[VFittipaldi 30]

Nobody is going to tell you that it is ok to do that. If you want to than go ahead but you will not be approved if you mention that.

[msbau764 245]

Nobody is going to tell you that it is ok to do that. If you want to than go ahead but you will not be approved if you mention that.

not only is it not okay, he is at risk for being denied a visa for this very reason. even ceremonies that are not official weddings have resulted in denials. The OP is taking a risk.

[msbau764 245]

do you know which country? for Vietnam, the traditional wedding is important for my fiance. We don't want to wait until after our marriage to fill the papers that is why we are doing K1 so she can be here sooner.

what you are doing is technically fraud and is not allowed under the spirit of the K1 visa. you can go to the US, get married, and after she receives her green card go to Vietnam and then have a traditional wedding. if not, you should get married in Vietnam and apply for marriage visa, not a fiance visa.

[VFittipaldi 30]

not only is it not okay, he is at risk for being denied a visa for this very reason. even ceremonies that are not official weddings have resulted in denials. The OP is taking a risk.

Agreed.

[frontgear 194]

Stay engaged until your fiancee is approved for the K1 Visa, then have the wedding anyway you want. Not only that it conforms to the VIetnamese tradition but also satisfies the K1 requirement.

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

Stay engaged until your fiancee is approved for the K1 Visa, then have the wedding anyway you want. Not only that it conforms to the VIetnamese tradition but also satisfies the K1 requirement.

That is incorrect. If they have a legal wedding before she arrives in the USA, the K1 is null and void, as it requires the legal wedding to take place in the USA.

Even if it is a ceremonial wedding only, it is extremely risky. If immigration at the airport or at any later stage sees wedding pics/ mention of them as husband and wife etc, they can be denied.

What IS an option is go to the US on the K1, get quickly legally married in the court house, apply for AOS, then once she has her EAD and travel permit, go to Vietnam for a honeymoon and to have the traditional wedding.

[BatonRouge Bill 2]

Just have a Dam Hoi...

[CoBu 0]

Thanks for the help everyone.

"What IS an option is go to the US on the K1, get quickly legally married in the court house, apply for AOS, then once she has her EAD and travel permit"

Let say we get approved in Dec for K1 and she travels to US right away and fill out all the forms, will travel permit be done by Feb?

since there are many "fake" cases in Vietnam, we figure it would be best to plan and mention to them about our traditional wedding in Vietnam during the interview.

Regards,

[msbau764 245]

Thanks for the help everyone.

"What IS an option is go to the US on the K1, get quickly legally married in the court house, apply for AOS, then once she has her EAD and travel permit"

Let say we get approved in Dec for K1 and she travels to US right away and fill out all the forms, will travel permit be done by Feb?

since there are many "fake" cases in Vietnam, we figure it would be best to plan and mention to them about our traditional wedding in Vietnam during the interview.

Regards,

Cobu, it is illegal to be married and go to the US while on a K1 visa. You will be denied if it is discovered that you had a traditional wedding. Why the rush to get married in February in Vietnam? Just move it to March or April. Problem solved. But if you insist on complicating things, go ahead and have the traditional wedding. You have been given answers to your questions; however, you seem to have made up your mind on the matter and want people here to encourage you. While in the US, you can file for Advanced Parole, which would allow your fiance to travel outside of the United States while her green card is processing. Possibly, you would have that ready before February, possibly not.

[_Paul&Jesica_ 70]

You SHOULD NOT have a wedding or ceremony. Some petitioners have had their visas denied for this reason. One petitioner did not mention it and somehow the CO knew about the ceremony and did not issue visa. If you want to get marriee before coming you need to apply for a marriage visa

Agreed!!!! If the CO has any suspicion that a marriage already exists, then the K-1 will be denied. Don't take such risks and never lie to the CO about anything.

[_Paul&Jesica_ 70]

do you know which country? for Vietnam, the traditional wedding is important for my fiance. We don't want to wait until after our marriage to fill the papers that is why we are doing K1 so she can be here sooner.

Then get married there and file for CR-1/IR-1. If you get married but withhold that information from the US Embassy, your fiancee risks a lifetime ban to the US for fraud.

When you complete the petition for visas, you declare that you are being truthful and that you understand the requirements.

Cobu, it is illegal to be married and go to the US while on a K1 visa. You will be denied if it is discovered that you had a traditional wedding. Why the rush to get married in February in Vietnam? Just move it to March or April. Problem solved. But if you insist on complicating things, go ahead and have the traditional wedding. You have been given answers to your questions; however, you seem to have made up your mind on the matter and want people here to encourage you. While in the US, you can file for Advanced Parole, which would allow your fiance to travel outside of the United States while her green card is processing. Possibly, you would have that ready before February, possibly not.

More importantly, K-1 requires that you are married within the United States. You can't get married in any other country, even after the K-1 is approved.

[_Paul&Jesica_ 70]

Thanks for the help everyone.

"What IS an option is go to the US on the K1, get quickly legally married in the court house, apply for AOS, then once she has her EAD and travel permit"

Let say we get approved in Dec for K1 and she travels to US right away and fill out all the forms, will travel permit be done by Feb?

since there are many "fake" cases in Vietnam, we figure it would be best to plan and mention to them about our traditional wedding in Vietnam during the interview.

Regards,

No one can give you a precise answer for how long it would take to receive EAD/AP after filing. Typical time frames are 60 - 90 days. If you get approved on December 1, and file for AOS say by mid-December, then it might be possible to receive the EAD/AP by mid-February. I would say a safer bet is that you could have it by mid-March and then have traditional wedding in April or May.

Also check if you can do this as well since getting married at the courthouse still means that you are already legally married. This might affect your ability to have a traditional wedding in Vietnam.