Fiance Visa or Marriage Visa? Best Option

[Gosia & Tito 199]

Thanks. I think this lawyer i had the consultation with said they processed them out of California, Texas, Nebraska, and Vermont and she checked each of them on some website and said all but California were processing apps from May 2014 still. California was only like 5 months back. But I also didn't get a very good vibe from her, so she may not have been giving completely accurate information. I'm aware if we go K-1 route, we need to get married here, not there. That's why I'm trying to make a decision now. If K-1 is the better option, I'll start the filing process this week. If we go the marriage visa route, I have to wait until we plan on doing that on Feb 7th in Mexico.

If you are going to marry , don't bother with the K-1..money out the window

Also, the load and time of the centers changes dramatically with not much notice.

Even if your petition ends up in CSC; as time goes by, it might turn to be the slower place.

And times for K-1 and CR also change. How it is today can change (and often has) in the next 2-3 months

Basically, it is not going to be fast, either way.

Rather than thinking which is faster, for which you have no control; I'd look at it for mthe point of view of what is more in line to what you both want: a nice big wedding with family, etc? A small more on the private side ceremony? Eloping?

Not to take the romantic out of it: cost wise, it is more efficient to do the CR1 (visa related costs only)

[NikLR 13,227]

I agree... People always want "whichever is faster" instead of taking everything into consideration and asking "which is better for us?"

[j&ana 363]

I agree with the above post. People usually do what is the fastest with out weighing all the pros and cons take some time then decide and then if you still believe getting her over here the fastest is what is more important then K-1 is probably the best

Me and my wife decided to do the spousal visa because we felt that was more important to married there, then getting her over here faster,as her mom and dad and family could see her get married. My parents had pass away a long time ago so it will not had been as special for her as it was there

Edited January 13, 2015 by j&ana

[agrabs 241]

We did the K1, but if we had it to do all over again, we would do the CR1. Both my husband and I greatly underestimated how difficult those months of staying home and not being able to work would be for him. We got married about 6 weeks after he arrived and by the time he finally got the EAD/combo card he had been here about 5 months. Doesn't sound too bad except in our state you can't get a driver's license until you have the combo card, also, you can't travel out of the country, so she can't go back home until you get the combo card. Without anything to do all day, it is easy to get homesick. Also, after just finishing up with all the stress of dealing with USCIS for the K1, the fun starts all over again with Applying for adjustment of status. It took almost a year for my husband to get the green card, while not a big deal, its still stressful waiting on it. I know you want to be together asap, but from what I understand the time difference in the CR1 and the K1 is months and not years, in hindsight for us, the benefit of having the green card on arrival would have been worth the extra wait.

[msbau764 245]

We did the K1, but if we had it to do all over again, we would do the CR1. Both my husband and I greatly underestimated how difficult those months of staying home and not being able to work would be for him. We got married about 6 weeks after he arrived and by the time he finally got the EAD/combo card he had been here about 5 months. Doesn't sound too bad except in our state you can't get a driver's license until you have the combo card, also, you can't travel out of the country, so she can't go back home until you get the combo card. Without anything to do all day, it is easy to get homesick. Also, after just finishing up with all the stress of dealing with USCIS for the K1, the fun starts all over again with Applying for adjustment of status. It took almost a year for my husband to get the green card, while not a big deal, its still stressful waiting on it. I know you want to be together asap, but from what I understand the time difference in the CR1 and the K1 is months and not years, in hindsight for us, the benefit of having the green card on arrival would have been worth the extra wait.

Yeah, in hindsight the K1 isn't that great of an option as I thought it would be. It may take 10 months for us TSC filers to get the k1 visa.

[brian_mosher 9]

Thanks everyone. We had a talk today and decided that our best option is going to be to go ahead and have a legal wedding in Mexico next month for her family, as planned, and just wait and file for the CR-1 then. I can't believe it's going to be another whole year before we can be together, but I guess it's just something that has to be dealt with in this situation. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts on here and I'm sure I'll be asking a ton of questions as I start to file those forms.

[j&ana 363]

Thanks everyone. We had a talk today and decided that our best option is going to be to go ahead and have a legal wedding in Mexico next month for her family, as planned, and just wait and file for the CR-1 then. I can't believe it's going to be another whole year before we can be together, but I guess it's just something that has to be dealt with in this situation. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts on here and I'm sure I'll be asking a ton of questions as I start to file those forms.

congrats and it is good that you thought and discuss it over. Mexico is not that far from the usa so maybe you can visit some before the process is over and do not be afraid to ask questions on here

Edited January 13, 2015 by j&ana

[Enigma23 68]

Thanks everyone. We had a talk today and decided that our best option is going to be to go ahead and have a legal wedding in Mexico next month for her family, as planned, and just wait and file for the CR-1 then. I can't believe it's going to be another whole year before we can be together, but I guess it's just something that has to be dealt with in this situation. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts on here and I'm sure I'll be asking a ton of questions as I start to file those forms.

I think that's the perfect choice for you guys!! It alleviates a lot of headache and honestly some petitions get approved CRAZY fast and other take normal time... so really you lose nothing.. And this way when she arrives everything will be handled. no extra stress!! Adjusting to "new everything" is enough... :-D

Best Wishes and really enjoy your lovely wedding!! God Bless and guide!

[agrabs 241]

Thanks everyone. We had a talk today and decided that our best option is going to be to go ahead and have a legal wedding in Mexico next month for her family, as planned, and just wait and file for the CR-1 then. I can't believe it's going to be another whole year before we can be together, but I guess it's just something that has to be dealt with in this situation. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts on here and I'm sure I'll be asking a ton of questions as I start to file those forms.

Congratulations! I think you are making a wise decision. Good Luck on your Visa Journey!