White House Staffers Meet With Citizens Who Say They Were Victims of Marriage Fraud

[Unidentified 2,930]

1 minute ago, RLA said:

I don't think there's a way to prevent scams as long as some petitioners are almost willfully oblivious.  

 

A get-to-know-each-other-before-you-marry phase inside the US would help some people, but I don't think you could mandate that.  And anyway, I think such a phase would benefit immigrants more than petitioners, as the immigrants would be able to get to know the place where they're going to live.  

 

One way to introduce such a phase might be to extend the K1 validity to 6 or 12 months, make it multiple-entry, and make it possible to travel during AoS.  That way both the petitioner and the immigrant could take their time to get to know each other in the US.  If you do that then it'd be fait to require the immigrants to leave if they get divorced before RoC.  

worst case scenario we're going to have people coming over, bailing on their partner and choosing to stay here illegally. 

 

The last part will just open a can of worms for scammers who already have a partner in their own country, marries a USC only to eventually bring over the partner from the home country. If they can travel in and out how they want, they can just avoid the USC most of the time and spend time with their true love back home. 

8 minutes ago, NoProblem said:

Find out how many of those are single and available in your area in your age group based on your mutual criteria etc.  I think there can only be a few.  Who you want to marry or end up becoming a good satisfied couple is a lot more complicated.  I think chances of hitting the right person is as good as being hit by lightening in NYC.

I'm pretty sure you have about the same chances of finding someone in the US as you have in another country. 

[NoProblem 69]

4 minutes ago, Orangesapples said:

Nope. The affidavit of support is almost never enforced, so it's not a real risk. The beneficiary has to completely uproot their life to come live in the US, quit a job, leave family behind, etc. Gender also has nothing to do with anything. 

 

Your assets before you got married are your own no matter what. Only marry someone from a foreign country because you love them and they happen to be from another country. If you specifically look for a foreign bride then something is not right.

There are many risks, most folks want to come and live in the US and the petitioner is usually providing for visa, housing, food, security, car etc.  Its not like when I came in on F-1 visa, life was tough and it took many years of handwork to get to where I am.    I had to sometimes sleep in my car when I moved to Chicago as my work authorization was delayed.  Its much easier to come to US on fiance visa and get settled.

 

Lawyers can make many things possible even get a prenup tossed out.  A claim of physical abuse can cause the petitioner to lose much even his or her US job.  

> If you specifically look for a foreign bride then something is not right.
Everyone is different and there is no saying where you find your love, its not something 'wrong' to find someone in your previous country.

[debbiedoo 2,339]

10 minutes ago, Orangesapples said:

Your assets before you got married are your own no matter what.

only if you sign a prenup....

[NoProblem 69]

1 minute ago, debbiedoo said:

only if you sign a prenup....

Nowadays prenups are getting tossed out for minor things.. even when the beneficiary was provided his or her own lawyer.

[Scandi 4,166]

1 hour ago, E & J 2018 said:

I know you must marry within 90 days...… I'm just saying that you should have a little more time to make the decision to go forward with the marriage. Personally, I plan on waiting until day 85, before we will marry to make sure we are both in agreement. There are many things that can come into play...…. Read the boards and there are many examples..... 

It's not a "try before buy" visa, you should ALREADY have decided that you 100% want to marry the person you bring to the US, BEFORE you start the visa process. That's why letters of intent to marry are required, and have to be signed by both petitioner and beneficiary.

 

If you're not ready to get married you simply DO NOT start the visa process.

Edited July 11, 2018 by Scandi

[RLA 323]

2 minutes ago, Unidentified said:

worst case scenario we're going to have people coming over, bailing on their partner and choosing to stay here illegally. 

 

The last part will just open a can of worms for scammers who already have a partner in their own country, marries a USC only to eventually bring over the partner from the home country. If they can travel in and out how they want, they can just avoid the USC most of the time and spend time with their true love back home. 

I agree that my scenario would not do anything to prevent people from staying illegally, but it wouldn't make that problem worse, either.  People can and do go underground even with the current K1 system.  And anyway, those cases are not the ones where the USC would be required to financially support the immigrant.  

 

I don't see avoiding the USC as a potential problem in my scenario.  I  fact, the USC would have the chance to observe their fiancé's behavior for several months before committing to marrying them.  

[Orangesapples 1,954]

13 minutes ago, debbiedoo said:

only if you sign a prenup....

Do people not understand basic principles of the law? Only things you acquire during marriage are considered communal property. 

 

The K1 visa is hard enough on the beneficiary already. There's also quite a long waiting time for a green card, so if the marriage falls apart in the meanwhile, no green card and no legal status. 

[yuna628 9,677]

57 minutes ago, Unidentified said:

But again: if the petitioner can't go visit he/she should find someone closer to home. He doesn't HAVE TO find someone abroad, that's a choice. USC's have roughly 162.85 million options at home. (Numbers based on a quick google search of the US population from 2017 and then dividing it in half, does not take in consideration that women/men does not make up 50/50 of population, for small children and the elderly etc.)

 

You're saying 90 days isn't long enough to set up a wedding? 

We did go through long periods of being unable to visit each other due to finances, work, school etc.. that did not in any way mean that we were less committed to each other and determined to see things through. We once went a couple years not visiting, that was very hard, but we did it. I know our story isn't the typical norm, where there are so many couples on VJ complaining the end of the world if they can't be with each other every waking moment... but love finds a way if you're really serious about things. We live in the most technologically connected era of our history, and couples should make use of that. And yes, during my time I've seen many couples 'self destruct' as it were due to never being able to get over the distance or have an inherent lack of trust in each other (one person I know was driven nearly over the edge) when their long LDR blew up in the very worst of ways. But the thing is I knew the moment I laid eyes on him that he was the guy for me, and me for him. And for whatever adversity, lack of funds, and distance we worked through it together. We always visited each other's homes instead of hotels. We knew very quickly our faults or dislikes. We argued, we worked it out just like anyone else. Nearly three years soon into this marriage, but we've still spent years and years together just in various forms. I think GGama set it all into my DNA though.... from late 1800s to early 1900s she was my family's first LDR... imagine how that worked.. boat trips for months and things called letters!

 

If a person cannot get together a wedding within 90 days... they're going to have a hard time I think.

4 minutes ago, Scandi said:

It's not a "try before buy" visa, you should ALREADY have decided that you 100% want to marry the person you bring to the US, BEFORE you start the visa process. That's why letters of intent to marry are required, and have to be signed by both petitioner and beneficiary.

 

If you're not ready to get married you simply DO NOT start the visa process.

Well said indeed. But it seems to be a pervasive myth among some.. particularly in those who have no idea about the process and favor that TLC show which keeps promoting that 'try-before-buy' myth.

[IndigoPhantom 35]

4 hours ago, ThomasNC1988 said:

I would think the main thing to remember if it seems too good to be true it probably is. It is not always a good thing to judge a book by its cover but sometimes you can look at a picture of a couple and think something is amiss here. That's not to say some 20 year old girls from 2nd and 3rd world countries don't really truly love 65 year old white men, but your money and that green card probably din't hurt your chances. Then you have the ones that bring their fiance here and the fiance goes straight to living with relatives or friends and for some reason the USC still marries them and files AOS. It is hard to admit when you are made a fool of and it is hard to tell a family member that you think the "love of their life" is conning them but sometimes people just need to step up and face the truth.

 common....with that age gap thats just about the added bonus on top of the green card and a path to an 'easy' living.

[E & J 2018 132]

58 minutes ago, Scandi said:

It's not a "try before buy" visa, you should ALREADY have decided that you 100% want to marry the person you bring to the US, BEFORE you start the visa process. That's why letters of intent to marry are required, and have to be signed by both petitioner and beneficiary.

 

If you're not ready to get married you simply DO NOT start the visa process.

I'm guessing you are the beneficiary...… It's not a try before you buy, proposal. 

 

Of course you are 100% sure and everything is beautiful, love is in the air and your love will last forever.  How many people have thought this when they were getting married and now they find themselves divorced.

 

The letters of intent aren't worth the paper they are written on and have nothing to do with what I'm saying.

 

All I'm saying is that you should have more time to actually live together in the United States, so BOTH parties are fully happy with this new life and the life long commitment they are about to make to each other.

 

A change of heart can happen with the petitioner or the beneficiary.

 

This will benefit both parties.

 

Yes, the beneficiary is leaving their home country, possibly selling a home, leaving a job, etc.....

 

This is the risk they are taking.

 

I know that if I sold everything and left this country and then wanted to come back home, I would have many options with family and friends to live with them, while I re-establish my life.

 

The USC should not be on the hook for them for 10 years! What if they were blindsided and scammed?  If the marriage does not last atleast three years, they should have to return to their home country or at least leave the USA. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

3 minutes ago, E & J 2018 said:

I'm guessing you are the beneficiary...… It's not a try before you buy, proposal. 

 

Of course you are 100% sure and everything is beautiful, love is in the air and your love will last forever.  How many people have thought this when they were getting married and now they find themselves divorced.

 

The letters of intent aren't worth the paper they are written on and have nothing to do with what I'm saying.

 

All I'm saying is that you should have more time to actually live together in the United States, so BOTH parties are fully happy with this new life and the life long commitment they are about to make to each other.

 

A change of heart can happen with the petitioner or the beneficiary.

 

This will benefit both parties.

 

Yes, the beneficiary is leaving their home country, possibly selling a home, leaving a job, etc.....

 

This is the risk they are taking.

 

I know that if I sold everything and left this country and then wanted to come back home, I would have many options with family and friends to live with them, while I re-establish my life.

 

The USC should not be on the hook for them for 10 years! What if they were blindsided and scammed?  If the marriage does not last atleast three years, they should have to return to their home country or at least leave the USA. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I see what the point is that you're making, I have to disagree. USCIS is not in the business of facilitating people's romantic relationships. If you want to spend time under the same roof with someone and get to know them face to face before getting married, it's very possible without having a longer grace period between POE and marriage. That's where your effort must come in. Visit one another - on both sides, not just the US, in my opinion - multiple times, as much as possible, before applying for a K1 visa. My husband and I are certainly not made of money, and I don't have loads of vacation time at my job, but we made it work. It took us two years into our relationship to get to the point where we were ready to file. That's how much time we needed to see one another in person enough times to feel ready to get married. After all - the K1 is a FIANCE visa. Meaning you should have already made the decision to get married prior to filing, not use the time of the K1 visa pending to come to that conclusion. There is no "dating" or "boyfriend/girlfriend" visa for a reason. The K1 is not such visa.

 

To the argument of "visiting someone is not the same as living with them" - sure, but that's still not a strong point, in my opinion. There are many couples from same countries who choose not to live together until they get married for other reasons, without immigration being a factor.

[Boiler 45,558]

13 minutes ago, E & J 2018 said:

I'm guessing you are the beneficiary...… It's not a try before you buy, proposal. 

 

Of course you are 100% sure and everything is beautiful, love is in the air and your love will last forever.  How many people have thought this when they were getting married and now they find themselves divorced.

 

The letters of intent aren't worth the paper they are written on and have nothing to do with what I'm saying.

 

All I'm saying is that you should have more time to actually live together in the United States, so BOTH parties are fully happy with this new life and the life long commitment they are about to make to each other.

 

A change of heart can happen with the petitioner or the beneficiary.

 

This will benefit both parties.

 

Yes, the beneficiary is leaving their home country, possibly selling a home, leaving a job, etc.....

 

This is the risk they are taking.

 

I know that if I sold everything and left this country and then wanted to come back home, I would have many options with family and friends to live with them, while I re-establish my life.

 

The USC should not be on the hook for them for 10 years! What if they were blindsided and scammed?  If the marriage does not last atleast three years, they should have to return to their home country or at least leave the USA. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 years?

[E & J 2018 132]

Just now, Paul & Mallory said:

While I see what the point is that you're making, I have to disagree. USCIS is not in the business of facilitating people's romantic relationships. If you want to spend time under the same roof with someone and get to know them face to face before getting married, it's very possible without having a longer grace period between POE and marriage. That's where your effort must come in. Visit one another - on both sides, not just the US, in my opinion - multiple times, as much as possible, before applying for a K1 visa. My husband and I are certainly not made of money, and I don't have loads of vacation time at my job, but we made it work. It took us two years into our relationship to get to the point where we were ready to file. That's how much time we needed to see one another in person enough times to feel ready to get married. After all - the K1 is a FIANCE visa. Meaning you should have already made the decision to get married prior to filing, not use the time of the K1 visa pending to come to that conclusion. There is no "dating" or "boyfriend/girlfriend" visa for a reason. The K1 is not such visa.

 

To the argument of "visiting someone is not the same as living with them" - sure, but that's still not a strong point, in my opinion. There are many couples from same countries who choose not to live together until they get married for other reasons, without immigration being a factor.

I agree with you, but what if your beneficiary is from a country that requires a tourist visa? Many single, young people are denied a tourist visa, especially from certain countries and they are not allowed to visit the USA. 

 

The K1 needs to be amended.

 

Yes, even couples within the US that live apart spend a tremendous amount of time together and have a much better idea of knowing how the future may unfold. Nothing is guaranteed, but they will have spent months,  if not years together before they have to get married. 

[mtempelaar 190]

1 hour ago, debbiedoo said:

only if you sign a prenup....

My husband and I signed a pre-nup, but a lawyer told me that my husband could easily have grounds to contest it if we filed for divorce.  Reason: It's not written in his native language and could claim he didn't fully understand it when he signed it.   

[RLA 323]

22 minutes ago, E & J 2018 said:

The USC should not be on the hook for them for 10 years! What if they were blindsided and scammed?

So the risk is actually smaller than if you had sex without a condom.  There you could also be blindsided and scammed, except that you'd be on the hook for 18 years.  The thing is, you're in perfect position to protect yourself.  Don't have sex until you can trust the other person, and don't petition until you can trust them.  However, you do have to do it, protect yourself.  USCIS is not your mom.  It's not their job to make you protect yourself.  And it's not their job to protect you when you fail to do it yourself. 

 

I think all things considered the K1 process isn't significantly more risky than marriage and relationships in general, where you can also be on the hook for expensive divorces, child support, alimony, and whatnot.  So I don't see any great need to make it safer for USCs.