Kind of complicated story.. ideas appreciated~

[fozzie 41]

The "big deal" that we've tried to get this girl to understand is that the USCIS most likely have issue with their petition, given her age and all. Never mind that she will be legal at 16. Can't you people seem to understand that cases like this can sometimes give rise to possible fraud i.e using someone to come to the States? Yes, I read all of her post. Yes, I have read that she loves her bf and his family loves her. They will have to PROVE it in a big way I'd wager. I didn't judge this girl, I only gave mature advice and a realistic view of how expensive this whole process is. Coming here with no education is a dangerous thing too, and what IF things fall apart...there IS that to consider as I'm sure many of y'all on here have read stories. Just look at the forum Effects of Major Family Changes on Immigration Benefits. There are stories of good relationships gone bad. Most of us were trying to get this girl to look at this realistically.

Now, judge me on that.

Wow...relax already. Do you have any kind of proof that backs up your theory that this can SOMETIMES give rise to possible fraud? Or better yet that the USC will most likely have issues with their petition? Its legal for her to marry in the USC's state at the age of 16. Legal. This we know. Her parents are giving consent. That consent goes in the petition. Im not seeing what the problem is. She seems intelligent enough to take into consideration the costs both financially and emotionally. Oh and last I read she already had a mother...I dont understand why you're so obsessed with her welfare.

I am not sure that she has got her parents consent yet as their relationship does not seem to be that good.

Alsoo, it may be legal but if she were old enough to make this decision by herself she would not need parental consent. You can't vote until 18....I think that 16 is too young to get married as there are too many changes in a person that happen between 16 and 18, even 20, heck I am 26 and still changing! But what i do know now is that i would not have been ready to get married at 16.

I say again, good luck and i hope it works but if she chooses this road she should at least be prepared for the hardships it willl bring.

[DA BOMB 1]

I just briefly skimmed through all 5+ pages of this thread, and I've gotta say all you folks who try to give relationship advice and your opinions on what a 15-year old should be doing with her life should be ashamed of yourselves! That's obviously not why the OP came her and posted her questions. She wanted advice on how to get a visa, not lectures on what she should be doing in her personal life!

Ok, let's play this game. You then should 'be ashamed for giving us advice and giving your opinions of what a vj poster should be doing.' Not to mention you're sat here judging us for being judgemental...as well as freely admitting you're judging us based on a 'brief skim' of the posts.

But that's ok, eh?

The bottom line is, this is a community of people, not a paid immigration help desk. We're going to interject personal opinion..cos let's face it, this site is based on opinion. Other than one outburst on this thread, everyone here has been very respectful. No one's flaming the OP or anything like that....I see a bunch of people trying to enlighten someone that this may not be as easy as she may think. And I think that's pretty great.

Cos if she goes away from this and it forces her to think of how she can best protect herself during and after this process, then it was all worth it. You see it as judgement...I see it as well-meaning food for thought from people who know the process and the ramifications just that much better...and are trying to point out very important issues that the OP needs to address.

After awhile all your efforts to save the girl from the big bad visa process will be in vain and your longwinded comments will be just for your entertainment purpose alone. Not that I disagree with your motivation to inspire or enlighten - but you come across as brash and ready for an argument then patch it up with by saying you're not categorizing or chastising her.

She finds a moment in the madness to set the record straight with a defensive tone and you basically knock her down again by telling her not to "lash out in a strop" and "if you didnt want your personal life commented on then dont bring it up." It was a verbal knock down and listen to what I have to say masked with artificial empathy for her situation. Why then are you so ready to attack when someone like JamesT opposes the majority who took it upon themselves to lecture her? It appears you are all posting for eachother but addressing the post to Hibara.

[Caladan 19]

1) You'll need parental consent either to marry (and then file for a K3 or CR-1) or to come here at age 16 on a fiancée visa. Without that, you can't be legally married, or legally marry, which is the point of the visa.

2) I picked up the impression that one reason you're considering this is that your boyfriend can't often come here to visit you, and this would get you to the U.S. to visit him. Just keep in mind that the K-1 isn't a getting-to-know-each-other visa, and as an Australian, you can come over easily for tourism. So if anywhere you're thinking that your only way to the U.S. to be with your boyfriend is just marriage, you have other options.

3) This process will take some time. Figure between six-nine months for a K-1, about a year for the CR-1. This is not a fast process; you could even finish up your high school degree while filing.

[malka 0]

I just briefly skimmed through all 5+ pages of this thread, and I've gotta say all you folks who try to give relationship advice and your opinions on what a 15-year old should be doing with her life should be ashamed of yourselves! That's obviously not why the OP came her and posted her questions. She wanted advice on how to get a visa, not lectures on what she should be doing in her personal life!

Ok, let's play this game. You then should 'be ashamed for giving us advice and giving your opinions of what a vj poster should be doing.' Not to mention you're sat here judging us for being judgemental...as well as freely admitting you're judging us based on a 'brief skim' of the posts.

But that's ok, eh?

The bottom line is, this is a community of people, not a paid immigration help desk. We're going to interject personal opinion..cos let's face it, this site is based on opinion. Other than one outburst on this thread, everyone here has been very respectful. No one's flaming the OP or anything like that....I see a bunch of people trying to enlighten someone that this may not be as easy as she may think. And I think that's pretty great.

Cos if she goes away from this and it forces her to think of how she can best protect herself during and after this process, then it was all worth it. You see it as judgement...I see it as well-meaning food for thought from people who know the process and the ramifications just that much better...and are trying to point out very important issues that the OP needs to address.

After awhile all your efforts to save the girl from the big bad visa process will be in vain and your longwinded comments will be just for your entertainment purpose alone. Not that I disagree with your motivation to inspire or enlighten - but you come across as brash and ready for an argument then patch it up with by saying you're not categorizing or chastising her.

She finds a moment in the madness to set the record straight with a defensive tone and you basically knock her down again by telling her not to "lash out in a strop" and "if you didnt want your personal life commented on then dont bring it up." It was a verbal knock down and listen to what I have to say masked with artificial empathy for her situation. Why then are you so ready to attack when someone like JamesT opposes the majority who took it upon themselves to lecture her? It appears you are all posting for eachother but addressing the post to Hibara.

Speaking of posting for your entertainment, as far as I can tell, your only post directed to Hibrara has been something like, "You go, girl."

I'll bet she's still reading these posts. She's awfully young. Does anyone have practical advice for her? She wants to be with her boyfriend and his family. She wants to finish high school. Her home life is not helping, and she's naturally leaning toward people who are promising to care for her. Why? Because she's young and clearly needs a support net that her parents aren't giving to her. But --- she may be trading her youth and freedom for that support. That may well be what she needs to survive, but if there is any way she could have that support without the lifelong commitment, I'll bet she and her boyfriend and his family would all be thrilled to know about it. So far, a family-based visa like K-1 or the CR-1 is the only way she sees to be in the States permanently. Maybe she does need to get married. But it is a HUGE decision and she deserves some warnings about the consequences. Immigration officers are going to raise their eyebrows just as we do - they're human, too. It would be great if there could be some more posts that suggest ways she could get a visa to be in the States without marriage. This is a family-immigration site, but maybe people who have had experience researching other visas could make some suggestions. She seems to think that student visas are out of the question. Are they really? They seem so ideal... visa and studying wrapped into one package!

[DA BOMB 1]

Speaking of posting for your entertainment, as far as I can tell, your only post directed to Hibrara has been something like, "You go, girl."

We've been corresponding in PM to avoid the lynch mob.

[msu17 0]

1) You'll need parental consent either to marry (and then file for a K3 or CR-1) or to come here at age 16 on a fiancée visa. Without that, you can't be legally married, or legally marry, which is the point of the visa.

2) I picked up the impression that one reason you're considering this is that your boyfriend can't often come here to visit you, and this would get you to the U.S. to visit him. Just keep in mind that the K-1 isn't a getting-to-know-each-other visa, and as an Australian, you can come over easily for tourism. So if anywhere you're thinking that your only way to the U.S. to be with your boyfriend is just marriage, you have other options.

3) This process will take some time. Figure between six-nine months for a K-1, about a year for the CR-1. This is not a fast process; you could even finish up your high school degree while filing.

Yay for #3! Please seriously consider getting your HS degree (or GED equivalent) before you move here. That is really great you have his family to work for, but what if you hate the job/get bored of it in 10 years. OR you are 35 and decide you REALLy want to go to college and become an accountant for instance. You will be SO glad you have your HS degree. You've got the time with the visa process, why not get the degree? You dont have much to lose, and you'll *probably* save yourself a lot of time in the future if you decide to get another job or go to college etc.

Edited March 6, 2007 by msu17

[doc_cute 0]

I wont get cover contraversial part of this, Im sure you will get enough of that from the other people here.

Work experience and education are not considered in family imigration visa such as the K-1. They are considered for other types of visas.

You need to be considered legally able to marry. Even though 16 is the legal age in some places for marriage, you might run into issues with that. Waiting another two years until your 18 before starting this process might be a good idea. There may come questions about the legitamcy of the relationship since you are still not considered an adult. It wont be very fun to wait 6 months or more for the interview and pay all the fees only to get denied because of your age.

You need to have met each other within the two years prior to filing the I-129F form. You will need to provide proof of the meeting. Anything from photos, to reciepts to boarding passes will help.

Your fiance (or willing co-sponsor) will need to be also prove that he/she makes 125% of the poverty guidlines. Or has enough assets to meet that level for 3-5 years.

Fees total about $1000+ over the whole process, but not all of it has to be paid at once. It is proposed that the fees will increase in 2008. Inital filing is $170. Visa interview and medical could cost $200+ depending if vaccinations are needed. AOS after you get stateside is $500-$800 depending if you decide to file for AP and EAD as well. later on, you will have to pay a fee for removal of condtions, but thats two years after the AOS.

[doc_cute 0]

I wont get cover contraversial part of this, Im sure you will get enough of that from the other people here.

Work experience and education are not considered in family imigration visa such as the K-1. They are considered for other types of visas.

You need to be considered legally able to marry. Even though 16 is the legal age in some places for marriage, you might run into issues with that. Waiting another two years until your 18 before starting this process might be a good idea. There may come questions about the legitamcy of the relationship since you are still not considered an adult. It wont be very fun to wait 6 months or more for the interview and pay all the fees only to get denied because of your age.

You need to have met each other within the two years prior to filing the I-129F form. You will need to provide proof of the meeting. Anything from photos, to reciepts to boarding passes will help.

Your fiance (or willing co-sponsor) will need to be also prove that he/she makes 125% of the poverty guidlines. Or has enough assets to meet that level for 3-5 years.

Fees total about $1000+ over the whole process, but not all of it has to be paid at once. It is proposed that the fees will increase in 2008. Inital filing is $170. Visa interview and medical could cost $200+ depending if vaccinations are needed. AOS after you get stateside is $500-$800 depending if you decide to file for AP and EAD as well. later on, you will have to pay a fee for removal of condtions, but thats two years after the AOS.

hello dan + genvita

since u have written sumthng about knowing for 2 years

let me put an eye on tht i got married thru a matrimonial site to my husb and we knew each other for a monht

kinnda feels strange but it was so god we are happy and my CR-1 IS in process

we have phone bills messenger records , e mailes eveyrhtng frm the time of 1 month before marriege till date

do u think my interview will have prob coz i knew him only since 1 monht before my marriage

thanks,

me was kinnda curious!

[doc_cute 0]

At the moment, I'm a 15 year old Australian girl engaged to a 20 year old US citizen. I'll be turning 16 on the 13th of April, and I'm wondering how I can go about getting a visa to be able to live with him. When I turn 16, I'll be legal in my country, and also in his state. To get married we'll need consent from my parents, which is no problem, as they've already agreed. I know it sounds controversial, but I'm really worried about which visa path I take, because I don't want to screw anything up for myself and not be able to come over to the US.

Also, my father said he called the American consulate here and said that since I have no work experience and no skills, I don't have a much of a chance of attaining any visa. I'm actually curious to know if this is true or if he's lying to me. Sorry to be so dramatic, I'm just kind of in a pickle here. Advice/suggestions very welcome!

Additionally, if anyone knows about the total fees they've had to pay and how long it took them, that kind of information would be really great too.

girl why dont u take a student visa or something to united states n then get married to him

tell your partner to support u ,

why u wana take strange steps be careful before doing anythng which can ruin your life n career

good luck

[Fandango 1,439]

I just briefly skimmed through all 5+ pages of this thread, and I've gotta say all you folks who try to give relationship advice and your opinions on what a 15-year old should be doing with her life should be ashamed of yourselves! That's obviously not why the OP came her and posted her questions. She wanted advice on how to get a visa, not lectures on what she should be doing in her personal life!

Ok, let's play this game. You then should 'be ashamed for giving us advice and giving your opinions of what a vj poster should be doing.' Not to mention you're sat here judging us for being judgemental...as well as freely admitting you're judging us based on a 'brief skim' of the posts.

But that's ok, eh?

The bottom line is, this is a community of people, not a paid immigration help desk. We're going to interject personal opinion..cos let's face it, this site is based on opinion. Other than one outburst on this thread, everyone here has been very respectful. No one's flaming the OP or anything like that....I see a bunch of people trying to enlighten someone that this may not be as easy as she may think. And I think that's pretty great.

Cos if she goes away from this and it forces her to think of how she can best protect herself during and after this process, then it was all worth it. You see it as judgement...I see it as well-meaning food for thought from people who know the process and the ramifications just that much better...and are trying to point out very important issues that the OP needs to address.

simply because they d

After awhile all your efforts to save the girl from the big bad visa process will be in vain and your longwinded comments will be just for your entertainment purpose alone. Not that I disagree with your motivation to inspire or enlighten - but you come across as brash and ready for an argument then patch it up with by saying you're not categorizing or chastising her.

She finds a moment in the madness to set the record straight with a defensive tone and you basically knock her down again by telling her not to "lash out in a strop" and "if you didnt want your personal life commented on then dont bring it up." It was a verbal knock down and listen to what I have to say masked with artificial empathy for her situation. Why then are you so ready to attack when someone like JamesT opposes the majority who took it upon themselves to lecture her? It appears you are all posting for eachother but addressing the post to Hibara.

Hey, that's your opinion to which you're entitled...but if you're going to judge me for commenting when it wasn't asked for, then I ask you to do the same to yourself with your comments to me and others here Seems a little bit ironic that you find it's ok to share your opinion yet you begrudge others from doing the same. And as you say my comments are made in vain and done for my purposes only...I could ask you what you feel yours are meritwise when you address me in this circular argument as far as who has a 'right' to post and what the parameters for each post are. I really have no problem with you voicing your opinion...but I find it so strange that you clearly hold yourself to a different set of rules than you do for everyone else.

Oh, and I also think some you're playing a little fast and loose with terms like 'attack' because that soooooo wasn't an attack on James. Trust me.

[Hibara 0]

posting one more time, because it seems some of you guys can't shut up even though i'm gone.

regardless of anyone's opinion, no, i don't think i know best. i think i know my situation, and i think i know at the moment what some of my plausible options are and what i'm currently not able to pursue.

as i said originally, i do have parental consent for getting married, and although the relationship with them is extremely, extremely strained, they've promised that they'll provide written consent for whatever i need to do.

i may seem defensive to some of you, and to be honest, the constant berating of people posting the same thing over and over again "it's a bad idea", "go back to school", "you're an inexperienced teenager who couldn't possibly know what's best for herself" bothered me at first. now it's just kind of old news, and i've come to expect it from most of you.

i am aware of the dangers. of my marriage not working out, of ending up alone, of even being deported, or ending up pregnant (which i do not plan on any time even -remotely- soon. and both my boyfriend and i are pro-choice). but if anyone thinks that the possibilities of things not working out scares me into crawling under a rock and disregarding my hopeful plans, they're really quite wrong. i wanted information on a K1 visa at the time of original post, because i didn't know much about my options. a couple of you have been really helpful, and i now know that i have a few more options that i can pursue, and i am mindful that i've obtained at least a little help from here. but assuming i haven't thought about the consequences is a little dull, i'm not mindless enough to think moving to another country and marrying at 16 doesn't come loaded with equally good and bad possibilities.

for the record, this is also not a "strop". i'm pretty calm at the moment and have tried to be previously, but would you refrain from defending yourself if people were telling you that you're heading into a trainwreck?

[JoeMama 0]

posting one more time, because it seems some of you guys can't shut up even though i'm gone.

regardless of anyone's opinion, no, i don't think i know best. i think i know my situation, and i think i know at the moment what some of my plausible options are and what i'm currently not able to pursue.

as i said originally, i do have parental consent for getting married, and although the relationship with them is extremely, extremely strained, they've promised that they'll provide written consent for whatever i need to do.

i may seem defensive to some of you, and to be honest, the constant berating of people posting the same thing over and over again "it's a bad idea", "go back to school", "you're an inexperienced teenager who couldn't possibly know what's best for herself" bothered me at first. now it's just kind of old news, and i've come to expect it from most of you.

i am aware of the dangers. of my marriage not working out, of ending up alone, of even being deported, or ending up pregnant (which i do not plan on any time even -remotely- soon. and both my boyfriend and i are pro-choice). but if anyone thinks that the possibilities of things not working out scares me into crawling under a rock and disregarding my hopeful plans, they're really quite wrong. i wanted information on a K1 visa at the time of original post, because i didn't know much about my options. a couple of you have been really helpful, and i now know that i have a few more options that i can pursue, and i am mindful that i've obtained at least a little help from here. but assuming i haven't thought about the consequences is a little dull, i'm not mindless enough to think moving to another country and marrying at 16 doesn't come loaded with equally good and bad possibilities.

for the record, this is also not a "strop". i'm pretty calm at the moment and have tried to be previously, but would you refrain from defending yourself if people were telling you that you're heading into a trainwreck?

You got pizzazz lady! Glad to see you came back to set your record straight! As you can see, your topic has been fairly heated on here!

Edited March 8, 2007 by altimixdj

[TSK 0]

shoop da woop :energetic:

I have read the entirety of this topic, and despite the fact that there was a -lot- of passive-esque animosity on here, it's really uplifting to know that those of you that were positive emerged, and at least the -vast- majority of you went about things with an air of authority.

Edited March 8, 2007 by TSK

[The Molinas 0]

Also, my father said he called the American consulate here and said that since I have no work experience and no skills, I don't have a much of a chance of attaining any visa. I'm actually curious to know if this is true or if he's lying to me. Sorry to be so dramatic, I'm just kind of in a pickle here. Advice/suggestions very welcome!

Additionally, if anyone knows about the total fees they've had to pay and how long it took them, that kind of information would be really great to

No work experience---> impossible to get a work visa, since the work visa is for skilled workers...

student visa------------> if you intent on going to college and get your education, try this one....

Fees are charged for the following:

Filing an Alien Fiancé(e) Petition, Form I-129F (4170)

Nonimmigrant visa fee (need to be paid before the interview)

Medical examination (costs vary from post to post)

Fingerprinting fees, if required

Other costs may include translation and photocopying charges, fees for getting the documents required for the visa application (such as passport, police certificates, birth certificates, etc.), and expenses for travel to the embassy or consulate for an interview. Costs vary from country to country and case to case.

Edited March 8, 2007 by The Molinas

[msu17 0]

Just a thought (been mulling over this for the last few days...) and please correct me if I have this wrong! Could you file for a student visa to do an exchange with an American HS and then while on the visa marry and do AOS? Not sure if this would be any faster (since you'd probably have to wait till August for fall semester)/possible on a HS exchange program. Just a thought! Sure wish my fiance could have stayed and adjusted his status on his J visa!

EDIT: And please dont think I'm telling you what to do, just a thought to give you more time to be together

Edited March 8, 2007 by msu17