Wedding plans and other advice

[MKJ119 43]

Hello everyone. This is amazing. I wish I would have come across this earlier. Thank you to everyone participating and contributing to this incredible resource. I really hope none of this comes off as stupid question/whydidntyougooglethat laziness and I very much appreciate anyone who is willing to take the time to respond.

 

Before I get into it, here is some background information:

 

My fiance is Venezuelan, a resident of Mexico, and has lived and worked in CDMX for the past three years. (He's an incredible human being, and I can't wait to start our life together). He has had the same job for two years and also teaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu part-time, both at an academy owned by a good friend of mine, and also at the US embassy there. We have been together for a little over a year, got engaged in September, and I filed the petition (without a lawyer) a few weeks later. Receipt on October 7th. We have a very clear and obvious relationship with a lot of love and commitment, many things in common - hobbies, values - and lots of support from family and friends. He has visited me three times and I have been to see him maybe four or five times now? We met through a mutual friend - his roommate. 

 

Now that we're approaching the 5-7 month range for approval, I'm wading back into this whole thing so we can have everything prepared ahead of time. Being super naive about this process, I made the mistake of thinking we could go on a honeymoon to Europe and purchased plane tickets for the first portion of the trip (luckily they were cheap flights). I had no idea that he likely won't be able to leave the country at that time. I really want to avoid any more silly mistakes, so please feel free to point anything out that might make things more difficult for us.

 

1. Wedding stuff:

 

We plan to get married legally as soon as the K-1 is approved. I am originally from Colorado, and I discovered that you can obtain a marriage license and self-officiate there. I don't want anything resembling a civil ceremony, because, although I want do do all of the legal stuff quickly, the wedding ceremony is something I want keep special.

Looking at timelines and best and worst-case scenarios, we decided to plan on having our wedding in August - 10 months after the petition was received. We will do a very small, personal ceremony, but my parents will host the reception at their home in Colorado and there will be a lot of international guests. I was thinking, absolute worst-case scenario, it becomes a pre-wedding reception?? Any opinions or advice on this topic welcome.

 

2. Paperwork:

 

I-129F: I hope that I did a really good job putting everything together. I did cover letters, tabs, included lots of social media posts (we're both writers and very expressive) photos together, copies of love letters he's written, etc. According to the timeline data on here, it looks as if we may hear back very soon. How accurate have you found that info to be?

 

Police certificates, etc: I have asked him to start gathering all of the paperwork he will need for the interview. He has lived in three countries: Venezuela, Spain, and Mexico. Any advice regarding obtaining police certificates is appreciated. He has never violated any laws or had any immigration issues or any questionable history or affiliations. I doubt he has even had a traffic violation. Dealing with Venezuela can be an absolute nightmare right now, so if there is any documentation we need from there, I want to make sure we get a head start on it. He does have his birth certificate.

 

I want to have everything all ready to go to for the AOS, because he has a limited extension on his passport and the embassy situation with Venezuela could potentially cause problems if things are dragged out for too long. We also want to apply right away so that he can work as soon as possible. I have some money put aside in savings, but would rather not drain that, as it's security for my son. Also on the topic of security, It's important to me that what I've worked for and set aside prior to our marriage remains mine - as sort of a nest-egg for my son's sake. My ex husband was/is very bad with money. So any advice about a pre-nup in this situation is also appreciated. I do believe in shared finances and us building together from here on out, and I absolutely trust in him, but the mama bear in me needs some extra reassurance on that front. He practiced law in Venezuela and completely supports and understands my values and desires with this kind of thing.

 

3. Visiting

 

He is considering quitting his full-time job in Mexico in March and coming here for a few months, since we're likely to be waiting on this process. He has a few free-lance clients that he can deal with remotely for the most part, and his teaching jobs can easily put on hold for several months if need be. Is it okay for him to visit on a tourist visa and work remotely? How should he approach this topic as he's going through immigration? I know a one-way ticket would seem like a red flag, but if he plans to visit for a few months, but may need to return earlier than expected if work requires it or his visa interview is scheduled, it would make the most sense. 

Also I'm wondering if, while he is waiting on his work permit, he helps me do things that generate income, if that violates any laws or could cause issues for us in the future. For example: I have items to list and sell online, but don't have the time to do it.

 

This is a long post, so thank you to anyone willing to take the time to read and respond to it.

[Ryan H 3,812]

On ‎1‎/‎24‎/‎2020 at 12:16 PM, MKJ119 said:

1. Wedding stuff:

 

We plan to get married legally as soon as the K-1 is approved. I am originally from Colorado, and I discovered that you can obtain a marriage license and self-officiate there. I don't want anything resembling a civil ceremony, because, although I want do do all of the legal stuff quickly, the wedding ceremony is something I want keep special.

Looking at timelines and best and worst-case scenarios, we decided to plan on having our wedding in August - 10 months after the petition was received. We will do a very small, personal ceremony, but my parents will host the reception at their home in Colorado and there will be a lot of international guests. I was thinking, absolute worst-case scenario, it becomes a pre-wedding reception?? Any opinions or advice on this topic welcome.

 

Don't do any of this stuff until he enters on the K1 visa; if it doesn't look like he'll enter on that visa by August 10th, reschedule that plan.  Others who have done what you mention prior to a K1 interview have ended up having the visa denied.

 

 

On ‎1‎/‎24‎/‎2020 at 12:16 PM, MKJ119 said:

3. Visiting

 

He is considering quitting his full-time job in Mexico in March and coming here for a few months, since we're likely to be waiting on this process. He has a few free-lance clients that he can deal with remotely for the most part, and his teaching jobs can easily put on hold for several months if need be. Is it okay for him to visit on a tourist visa and work remotely? How should he approach this topic as he's going through immigration? I know a one-way ticket would seem like a red flag, but if he plans to visit for a few months, but may need to return earlier than expected if work requires it or his visa interview is scheduled, it would make the most sense. 

Also I'm wondering if, while he is waiting on his work permit, he helps me do things that generate income, if that violates any laws or could cause issues for us in the future. For example: I have items to list and sell online, but don't have the time to do it.

 

This is a long post, so thank you to anyone willing to take the time to read and respond to it.

 

Does he already have a tourist visa (I can't tell from your post)?

 

 

On ‎1‎/‎24‎/‎2020 at 12:16 PM, MKJ119 said:

We also want to apply right away so that he can work as soon as possible

 

Plan on the EAD not being issued for some time after you file for the AOS; others can speak more accurately to a realistic timeline in that regard.

[Just Paul 4,595]

On 1/24/2020 at 1:16 PM, MKJ119 said:

My fiance is Venezuelan, a resident of Mexico, and has lived and worked in CDMX for the past three years. (He's an incredible human being, and I can't wait to start our life together). He has had the same job for two years and also teaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu part-time, both at an academy owned by a good friend of mine, and also at the US embassy there.

Did you guys consider marrying and moving to Mexico and doing DCF there?  Probably too late as you should almost be done at USCIS.

 

If he has US tourist visa he can come visit you here.

[GoodThinking 9]

Round trip plane tickets are often less expensive, and having a return ticket is the main proof of your intent to just visit your fiancée while your K1 is pending. I never had any trouble visiting my fiancé during the K1 process but I would never go with a one way ticket

[MKJ119 43]

8 hours ago, Ryan H said:

 

Don't do any of this stuff until he enters on the K1 visa; if it doesn't look like he'll enter on that visa by August 10th, reschedule that plan.  Others who have done what you mention prior to a K1 interview have ended up having the visa denied.

 

 

 

Does he already have a tourist visa (I can't tell from your post)?

 

 

 

Plan on the EAD not being issued for some time after you file for the AOS; others can speak more accurately to a realistic timeline in that regard.

Thank you for the response! That's a bummer to hear. I'm really hoping that we will hear something soon so that we can have a better idea about the timeline. Yes, he has his tourist visa and can visit here for up to 6 months. He has been visited twice now since I submitted the petition without any issues. I just worry if he is here for a longer period of time and working remotely, if that could become an issue?

[MKJ119 43]

8 hours ago, Paul & Mary said:

Did you guys consider marrying and moving to Mexico and doing DCF there?  Probably too late as you should almost be done at USCIS.

 

If he has US tourist visa he can come visit you here.

Thank you for the response! Unfortunately, moving to Mexico isn't an option for me (although, I do love it there). My life revolves around my son here and it's important to me to keep him close to my ex husband to maintain that relationship. And I hope you're right about almost being done at USCIS!!