K-1 "legal marriage" question!!!!

[Jrozzler 17]

So I have a question about the K-1 visa. I know that when it gets approved and your fiancé comes into your country, you only have 90 days to marry but how long does your fiancée have to enter the country before the visa expires?

I ask that to also ask this next question lol. If there is a period of time.... Say 6 months that we have before the visa expires could I travel to my finances country and get unofficially married like with a religious ceremony and cake flowers, family etc.... And then both of us come to America and legally get married at the court house and sign the papers as long as it's within 90 day?

Hope that makes sense!!! Thanks Guys

[AliciaBenCampbell 2]

hey !

actually this is what i did.. cause our whole process took 1 year and 7 months and we had our wedding paid and planned for sept 5 and i just got approved yesterday. so we had a wedding we just didn't make it legal. Our lawyer said as long as you don't make it legally binding and the officiator is OK with it.

[Jrozzler 17]

That's good to know!! Why did your case take so long?

[teeak 224]

I believe the visa expires 6 months after the medical exam. I think you should just be careful depending on what country your fiancee is from. In some countries, a religious ceremony is considered legally binding.

Edited October 7, 2015 by teeak

[Jrozzler 17]

Ok well she is from Canada. Any knowledge on if it's legally binding there?

[teeak 224]

Ok well she is from Canada. Any knowledge on if it's legally binding there?

Doubt that it's legally binding in Canada, but looks like the other poster will be able to better tell you since they share the same country.

[Pitaya 2,577]

So I have a question about the K-1 visa. I know that when it gets approved and your fiancé comes into your country, you only have 90 days to marry but how long does your fiancée have to enter the country before the visa expires? With your visa, you can apply for a single admission at a U.S. Port of Entry within the validity of the visa, which will be a maximum of 6 months from the date of issuance.

I ask that to also ask this next question lol. If there is a period of time.... Say 6 months that we have before the visa expires could I travel to my finances country and get unofficially married like with a religious ceremony and cake flowers, family etc.... And then both of us come to America and legally get married at the court house and sign the papers as long as it's within 90 day? No, the K1 visa is good only for a single admission at a U.S. Port of Entry.

Hope that makes sense!!! Thanks Guys

Welcome to the forum.

Your questions are understandable, and have been asked in different ways numerous times. Review the numerous previous similar/same-themed postings in this forum. You have to get legally married in the US within 90 days of your arrival. Any type of "marriage" ceremony unofficial, religious, et cetera, performed in your home country, prior to your US entry, may be grounds for K1 visa refusal by the interviewing embassy/consulate. Review the DOS K1 Nonimmigrant Visa FAQs for a good overview of the K1 Process: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/family/fiance-k-1.html Many people have the marriage ceremony in the US and then after filing for AOS/EAD/AP (check out those procedures), return to their home country for a family celebration.

Good luck on your immigration journey.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

Doubt that it's legally binding in Canada, but looks like the other poster will be able to better tell you since they share the same country.

Wrong. canada is one of the places that this cannot happen. In Canada a wedding is a wedding, symbolic or not. My father is a pastor from Canada. If the officiant is legal to perform marriages then you cannot Edited October 7, 2015 by Transborderwife

[AliciaBenCampbell 2]

we had a ceremony in the USA... and it was not legally binding. Our officiator knows our case and what was going on. and it took so long cause there was many screw ups and long wait times from the texas service center.,.. when i went to my interview yesterday.. they actually said that is super embarrassing how long this all took and screw up's shouldn't be happening like that.

[Jrozzler 17]

Wrong. canada is one of the places that this cannot happen. In Canada a wedding is a wedding, symbolic or not. My father is a pastor from Canada.

My uncle is a pastor from the states and he would be marrying us but we would just be doing it in Canada. Bo legal documents would be signed it would just be a ceremony for her family before we come to the states to legally get married

[Transborderwife 4,666]

My uncle is a pastor from the states and he would be marrying us but we would just be doing it in Canada. Bo legal documents would be signed it would just be a ceremony for her family before we come to the states to legally get married

I wouldn't risk it personally.

[Jrozzler 17]

Ok just to clarify because I don't know if my question made sense.

My fiancé is Canadian, I'm American, she wants to get married in Canada so the thought was that when her visa gets approved, i would go to Canada and have a ceremony, no documents or anything, then bring her here to the states and within the 90 day time frame we could legally get married in my home state of Colorado.

Just clarifying , so this is a no can do?

[baron555 934]

Say 6 months that we have before the visa expires could I travel to my finances country

Yes, you can do that

and get unofficially married

No such thing, marriage is marriage.

like with a religious ceremony

For sure no way.

and cake flowers, family etc

Have a party? Yes by all means do this. Just don't call it or make it look like a marriage ceremony.

.... And then both of us come to America and legally get married at the court house and sign the papers as long as it's within 90 day?

This is what most folks do. Tell your fiancé that this is what you two will do, then after AOS, you both can return to Canada and do the big shebang all over again.

Hope that makes sense!!! Thanks Guys

Just clarifying , so this is a no can do?

The risk is that during AOS, or later, this comes up somehow and USCIS believes it was a marriage. Then you've just committed visa fraud and possibly risk a lifetime ban. Your gamble.

[Jrozzler 17]

Haha I liked the way you put that lol.

[templeton 120]

No one here can tell you for sure. I think you need to proceed under the pretense that what you're proposing could come back to haunt you later in the process. It's risky.

You're much safer planning something back in Canada AFTER the official wedding once you can travel again. In our case we held a big party for our one year anniversary.