Quickest Way To Immigrate...

[wallmarshall 0]

Hi All,

So, in a nutshell, this is our situation. My girlfriend and I are trying to figure out the quickest way possible to get me to the US to be together permanently (and be able to work, of course). Having read through numerous threads, we are still unsure as to what is our quickest route, so here is the scenario:

1. I am a UK citizen living in the UK (I have never lived in the US)

2. She is a US citizen living in the US (she has never lived in the UK)

3. I have no 'in demand' skills professionally (i.e. I am struggling to find a company who will Visa sponsor me)

4. We want to get engaged / married regardless

Our question is, what is the quickest possible solution to our problem? Getting engaged and applying for Fiance Visa? Or getting married either in the US or UK then applying for Spouse Visa? and if marriage is the quicker option, which country should we marry in (i.e. who will process the Visa quickest)?

Living in hope...

Thank you!

W & P

[Wenche&Jason 8]

Hi, the absolute quickest way is K1 Visa,.. however you're not able to work until you have your GC processing finalized. The CR-1 visa does take longer (our "journey" has taken 10 months so far, interview after 11 months) , however it is cheaper, and you can start working right away when entering the US.It does not matter in what country you marry,..the time frame is the same as long as you have all the legal documents in order.

Regardless of what route you choose, it is time consuming and frustrating... it is the same for all of us. All we want is to be with the one we love..right.

Good luck on your journey!

Hi All,

So, in a nutshell, this is our situation. My girlfriend and I are trying to figure out the quickest way possible to get me to the US to be together permanently (and be able to work, of course). Having read through numerous threads, we are still unsure as to what is our quickest route, so here is the scenario:

1. I am a UK citizen living in the UK (I have never lived in the US)

2. She is a US citizen living in the US (she has never lived in the UK)

3. I have no 'in demand' skills professionally (i.e. I am struggling to find a company who will Visa sponsor me)

4. We want to get engaged / married regardless

Our question is, what is the quickest possible solution to our problem? Getting engaged and applying for Fiance Visa? Or getting married either in the US or UK then applying for Spouse Visa? and if marriage is the quicker option, which country should we marry in (i.e. who will process the Visa quickest)?

Living in hope...

Thank you!

W & P

[Boo&Mica 157]

Hi, the absolute quickest way is K1 Visa,.. however you're not able to work until you have your GC processing finalized. The CR-1 visa does take longer (our "journey" has taken 10 months so far, interview after 11 months) , however it is cheaper, and you can start working right away when entering the US.It does not matter in what country you marry,..the time frame is the same as long as you have all the legal documents in order.

Regardless of what route you choose, it is time consuming and frustrating... it is the same for all of us. All we want is to be with the one we love..right.

Good luck on your journey!

You can work before your GC is received using your EAD ( work authorization ) which takes like 2-3 months to arrive after you file for it

[C-ma'am 684]

**Post moved from K1 process and procedures to What visa do I need? Where similar posts are discussed

[Pennycat 880]

Hi All,

So, in a nutshell, this is our situation. My girlfriend and I are trying to figure out the quickest way possible to get me to the US to be together permanently (and be able to work, of course). Having read through numerous threads, we are still unsure as to what is our quickest route, so here is the scenario:

1. I am a UK citizen living in the UK (I have never lived in the US)

2. She is a US citizen living in the US (she has never lived in the UK)

3. I have no 'in demand' skills professionally (i.e. I am struggling to find a company who will Visa sponsor me)

4. We want to get engaged / married regardless

Our question is, what is the quickest possible solution to our problem? Getting engaged and applying for Fiance Visa? Or getting married either in the US or UK then applying for Spouse Visa? and if marriage is the quicker option, which country should we marry in (i.e. who will process the Visa quickest)?

Living in hope...

Thank you!

W & P

Fiance visa (K1) is the quickest path to being together, spouse visa (CR1) can be the quickest way to a green card. Luckily, you can get work authorization before the green card comes in, though some employers may see it as a "risk" to hire you (because work authorizations are temporary). That's a bit of a risk, but not a huge one.

It basically boils down to where and when are you going to wait for your green card. CR1s come with a green card automatically-- so they immigrate and get a green card all at once, K1s need to immigrate, marry, apply. The time difference between CR1s and K1s is basically the green card. So, you want to wait for it abroad, separate, or in the US, together? There's no right or wrong answer, everyone's situations are unique.

Keep in mind, too, that to apply for the CR1, first one or both of you must travel, you get married, you get the marriage certificate and *then* you can apply. I understand that your girlfriend would need a visa to come to the UK to get married, but I am unclear on that--sounds like a pain in the neck to me, so do it in the US or a third country.

K1 you could apply for tomorrow as long as you've seen each other once in the last 2 years. You just need to sign a letter stating that you intend to get married within 90 days of your arrival in the US. I have read that scanned copies of that letter have become acceptable (don't quote me on that, find someone who applied in the past 6 months). But just like the marriage part of CR1 can delay the ability to apply for the visa, the marriage part of K1 can delay the ability to apply for the green card and work authorization. Even if you get married the day you land and have all the paperwork set and ready to go (literally no one does and it would be insanely difficult), you still need to wait for your marriage certificate which can take a few weeks, depending on the jurisdiction.

So there's no right answer here. But the choice really is "together quicker, or working quicker", which is a terrible position to be in but.... welcome to the club :/