Can we do our traditional engagement before fiance travels

[Abbyxo95 1]

Hello guys,

I'm in the process of submitting the I129 for my fiance in Ghana. By the looks of it from tracking other people's timelines, if all things go well without delays, we should be able to get an interview by November or December. Since majority of his family live in Ghana, as well as my mother and her side of the family, we were planning to do our traditional engagement in December. Assuming he gets his visa before end of December, are we allowed to do this before he travels to the states? We will have a white wedding and court wedding once he comes. 

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

Not a good idea......You should wait until after you are legally married in the US before having any ceremony in Ghana......otherwise, you are in danger of being too married for a K-1....Numerous people here on VJ have experienced K-1 denials for these ceremonies.

Edited January 27, 2020 by missileman

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

Why not just marry in Ghana, and go the CR-1 route?

Every couple has their own priorities, and each couple must decide which visa is better for their situation.

K-1
    Faster arrival in the US  
    More expensive than CR-1    
    Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)    
    Spouse can not leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (approx 5-6 months)    
    Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 5-6 months)    
    Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period    
    Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed.

  

CR-1
    Slower arrival in the US 

    Less expensive than K-1    
    No Adjustment of Status(I-485, I-131, I-765) required.    
    Spouse can immediately travel outside the US    
    Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival.    
    Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US    
    Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport.

    Spouse has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US.
  �

 

 

 

[Oliversmom 250]

Many people on here have been denied for these ceremonies.  Not sure if they were from Ghana or not.  Maybe do a search and see what comes up.  You will find a lot of stories to read.  

[Unlockable 7,314]

13 minutes ago, Abbyxo95 said:

Hello guys,

I'm in the process of submitting the I129 for my fiance in Ghana. By the looks of it from tracking other people's timelines, if all things go well without delays, we should be able to get an interview by November or December. Since majority of his family live in Ghana, as well as my mother and her side of the family, we were planning to do our traditional engagement in December. Assuming he gets his visa before end of December, are we allowed to do this before he travels to the states? We will have a white wedding and court wedding once he comes. 

Don't do it. If having his family be part of the union then the choice should have been to marry in Ghana first then do the spousal visa. Otherwise, it is best to go forth with the K1 and get married in the US, then have a separate wedding for his family afterwards. People have been denied a K1 visa because those types of ceremonies. 

[geowrian 22,337]

Risky to do any ceremony even if not legal and only an engagement ceremony. They have denied others for doing so. Ghana especially.

Edited January 27, 2020 by geowrian

[Abbyxo95 1]

40 minutes ago, missileman said:

Why not just marry in Ghana, and go the CR-1 route?

Every couple has their own priorities, and each couple must decide which visa is better for their situation.

K-1
    Faster arrival in the US  
    More expensive than CR-1    
    Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)    
    Spouse can not leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (approx 5-6 months)    
    Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 5-6 months)    
    Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period    
    Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed.

  

CR-1
    Slower arrival in the US 

    Less expensive than K-1    
    No Adjustment of Status(I-485, I-131, I-765) required.    
    Spouse can immediately travel outside the US    
    Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival.    
    Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US    
    Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport.

    Spouse has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US.
  �

 

 

 

Thank you for your thorough response. I'm curious to know if there has been people denied the visa AFTER approval? Basically is there anything else the consulate does after interview and approval of visa before the beneficiary travels? 

[geowrian 22,337]

People have been denied after being told approved at the interview.

People have been denied entry with a valid visa.

Both cases are uncommon...there would be a reason for either to occur that either made them ineligible or inadmissible.

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

6 minutes ago, Abbyxo95 said:

Thank you for your thorough response. I'm curious to know if there has been people denied the visa AFTER approval? Basically is there anything else the consulate does after interview and approval of visa before the beneficiary travels? 

Having a ceremony is risky because if immigration authorities EVER determine that a K-1 was incorrectly issued, it can result in a denial of the visa, denial of entry to the US at POE, denial of Adjustment of Status, or even when a person applies for citizenship.

 

Edited January 27, 2020 by missileman

[Abbyxo95 1]

Wow i never knew the denial after approval was a thing. Thank you all so much for your response

[geowrian 22,337]

1 minute ago, Abbyxo95 said:

Wow i never knew the denial after approval was a thing. Thank you all so much for your response

For a K-1, for example, there is one member here who recently was told approved but then was denied as they discovered an undisclosed criminal offense by the petitioner during final checks.

Another user had a valid K-1 visa but during POE, the CBP officer asked if they will marry. They responded with maybe they will and maybe they won’t. The officer determined that they were ineligible for the K-1 visa.

Another member was denied when CBP discovered documentation of a marriage abroad, so they were ineligible for the K-1.

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

Here is an example of a ceremony which resulted in a denial....in Ghana.

 

 

[Abbyxo95 1]

3 minutes ago, geowrian said:

For a K-1, for example, there is one member here who recently was told approved but then was denied as they discovered an undisclosed criminal offense by the petitioner during final checks.

Another user had a valid K-1 visa but during POE, the CBP officer asked if they will marry. They responded with maybe they will and maybe they won’t. The officer determined that they were ineligible for the K-1 visa.

Another member was denied when CBP discovered documentation of a marriage abroad, so they were ineligible for the K-1.

woow these are some wild stories! 

How did CBP discover documentation of marriage abroad. Was this marriage AFTER the interview approval or before and was missed by NVC, embassy etc? 

[geowrian 22,337]

3 minutes ago, Abbyxo95 said:

woow these are some wild stories! 

How did CBP discover documentation of marriage abroad. Was this marriage AFTER the interview approval or before and was missed by NVC, embassy etc? 

They saw it on their phones IIRC. The marriage was after the visa was issued.

[Unlockable 7,314]

26 minutes ago, Abbyxo95 said:

Thank you for your thorough response. I'm curious to know if there has been people denied the visa AFTER approval? Basically is there anything else the consulate does after interview and approval of visa before the beneficiary travels? 

Others have already posted examples. But I wanted to add another. There was even a case that was shared on here about a guy that got approved and was at customs in the US and when question about if he was gonna get married, he told the officer "We'll see" as if he was not sure. He was sent back to his country and as you could tell, the petitioner, his fiance, was extremely upset. The point is, there are several measures to ensure that you oblige to the requirements of the visa. Once a person starts going the road of trying to hide things, then they are already doing a disservice to themselves and to others who do it the right way.

 

Like we are advising, it is simply too much of a risk.