wanting to marry a spanish citizen

[fairy tale 0]

Like the title says, I joined the air force recently and my girlfriend is not in the U.S. She currently lives in Bolivia but she is a dual citizen (spain/bolivia). As far as I know she can come to the U.S. easily with her EU passport (visa waiver program).

 

if we were to get married during her short stay here (she's coming next month), how would that go (regarding her visa)? I did some research but this is all new to me. This is what I have in mind, I have no idea if it's possible

 

get married in the U.S., she goes back to bolivia, file cr-1/i-130, wait until her visa gets approved, she comes back to the u.s. to live with me when all the paperwork is done and she's allowed to stay in the u.s. permanently

 

As you can see it is not absolutely necessary (although it would be nice) for us to be together during the time it takes for her visa to be approved. Also does the fact that I'm in the military affect the visa process at all? Just wondering.

 

Is my "plan" good? dumb? legal? What do I need? If my "plan" is not adequate, what steps do I need to take then? Our goal is to marry and live together in the U.S (or wherever the air force sends me, but you get the idea). Thank you for reading

[Crazy Cat 41,460]

It sounds like a good plan.  It is perfectly legal for her come to the US via VWP, marry, then return to her country.  It would be visa fraud if she came to the US with the intention of staying and adjusting status.

Being in the military, in itself, does not affect the CR-1 visa process.

 

Good luck

 

GB, SMSgt, USAF-Ret.

[Crazy Cat 41,460]

This guide describes the process and the procedure for CR-1 visa:  http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

[fairy tale 0]

Thank you for the quick response sir! My main concern was the legality of my plan. As far as I can tell, you married a taiwanese national, right? How long did the process take? How soon after I marry her can I enroll her into DEERS and get her an ID?

 

I know i could ask some of these questions to the personnel on base but today is a holiday and I really wanted to get an answer to all of this soon. Again, thank you!

[Crazy Cat 41,460]

1 minute ago, fairy tale said:

Thank you for the quick response sir! My main concern was the legality of my plan. As far as I can tell, you married a taiwanese national, right? How long did the process take? How soon after I marry her can I enroll her into DEERS and get her an ID?

 

I know i could ask some of these questions to the personnel on base but today is a holiday and I really wanted to get an answer to all of this soon. Again, thank you!

1.  As described, your plan is sound.

2.  Yes, my wife is from Taiwan.  We started our CR-1 visa journey in late April 2016.  She received her visa on May 12, 2017.....so it took about 13 months, which seems to be the average at this time. 

3.  You might be able to enroll her in DEERS while she is here for the marriage, but you will have to supply the required documents.  The problem will be if they require a SSN.  I have heard of cases where the DEERS office was able to generate a DOD number for spouses without a SSN.  Talk to your Personnel Office.  In our case, we enrolled my wife a few months after she arrived here.

Feel free to PM me if you want.

 

 

[Londonergirl 133]

I came to the US on a K1 visa. I was able to get an ID card from Deers straight after we got married. But they only gave me a temporary ID (I think it was 3months or so). When I received my SSN (Only like 2 weeks after) I took it to deers where they issued me a new ID. 

I don't think you should apply for an ID before she actually lives here. I don't even think that's allowed? If she visits you she should be able to get on the base with a visitation pass. 

Edited February 19, 2018 by Londonergirl