Getting married in USA and returning solo to Ireland to file?

[MartinTWD91 0]

Hello all.

new to the forums, just made an account. I wanted to ask a question.

I live in Ireland and my girlfriend lives in Ohio. I just came back from a 9 day visit 2 weeks ago and we are talking about me moving there and being together permanently. I plan on making another visit in a few months.

my question is, while I'm there, could we get married in the USA, I return home to Ireland and file for a spouse visa? would we run into any problems?

any advice would be great. thank you.

[teeak 224]

Yes, you can do that. As long as you go back home and continue with consular filing, it should be no problem.

[MartinTWD91 0]

Yes, you can do that. As long as you go back home and continue with consular filing, it should be no problem.

Thank you so much for the reply.

[MartinTWD91 0]

Martin- your plan is sound

xero- we generally recommend you make your own thread for your own case. But in brief- if she is resident in Belfast she will interview in London. Never in the USA. Yes, she should be able to use the Visa Waiver program while you are waiting. Total processing time from filing to interview is currently around a year, so you have some time to go.

Thank you for replying.

we are looking into our options. we also considered the fiance visa, but thought this would be the better option? just wanted to ask for some advice, so thank you.

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

Well, the K1 fiance visa is quicker, but it costs more and means the beneficiary cannot work or travel for 3+ month after arrival.

The CR-1 takes longer, but you can work and travel right away and it is cheaper. Personally, I think the CR-1 is better but your circumstances may make the fiance visa better.

[MartinTWD91 0]

Thank you for the advice.

yes, that would be the only downside if we did the K1 fiance visa. definitely going to look into both, thank you again.

[mallafri76 1,012]

Many of us have done it that way, us included. Just make sure you bring strong ties to your home country, in case the CBP officer asks for it when you fly over.

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to What Visa Do I Need - Family Based Immigration forum; OP is considering different visa paths (K1 and CR-1).

[RJS7 5]

Might be a bit late with my input here but my wife is from Ohio and I'm from Ireland, although we both live in Ireland. We got married in Ohio this year and when I was passing through Dublin pre-clearance I told the officer that I was going to the US to get married and I didn't have any problems. I brought documentation like a letter from my employer, utility bills etc to show I have strong and current ties to Ireland, but the officer didn't ask to see anything like that.

That being said, he did ask if we both lived in Ireland, which we did at the time (and still do). So since your future wife lives in the US, that might put a different spin on things - just be prepared to evidence that you intend to return home after being married.

Totally separate from immigration matters, when you go to get your marriage licence be prepared to be split up and both answer some questions about your relationship. I can't remember exactly what they were, but it was 5 or 6 written answers needed to questions like where you lived, how long have you know each other etc. Basic stuff like that. We had to do this as I didn't have a US social security number. Also, check with the probate court in the county that you intend to be married for any docs you will need to get your marriage license. I brought my birth cert as well as my passport for example. It's easy to order a certified copy of your Irish birth cert if you need it.