Zoom Wedding for CR-1

[Crazy Cat 41,836]

16 minutes ago, krose said:

For the bit highlighted in yellow, do we have any reason to believe it applies beyond proxy marriages, which is what it specifically mentioned? 

It SPECIFICALLY says ".....where one party is not present during the marriage ceremony......"  "...unless the marriage has been consummated;..." Seems extremely clear to me.  The marriage MUST be consummated prior to starting the immigration process.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Lucky Cat

[mam521 2,062]

I dunno - a German dude who started a UK wedding website in late Q4 2020, ordained by an American marriage ministry - it all sounds rather dodgy at best.  That, in and of itself, in addition to the immigration instructions, would flag up in the system.  

 

I get it - you want to be together.  I had to leave the US and move out of country for 18 months with my kids to prevent visa overstay and ensure we'd get our visas.  All we wanted was to come home and be together, but this sounds FAR too risky.  

[carmel34 3,621]

I understand the frustration with COVID right now, not able to travel internationally easily, yet wanting to start the petition process for someone you want to spend the rest of your life with.  Have you ever met in person?  If so, was it within the last two years?  That is a requirement to file an I-129F petition on behalf of your fiancé, so if you have met and kept evidence of such (passport stamps, original boarding passes, hotel receipts, photos together), an I-129F may be best in your situation.  I-129F petitions are being processed and adjudicated now so by the time the travel situation improves, you'll be further along in the process.  For a spousal visa, you will either need to get married legally, together in person, anywhere in the world, or if you try for the online marriage option, evidence of meeting in person after the marriage, or the I-130 petition will be denied.  The other problem with a virtual marriage, even if you meet once in person after the Zoom wedding, at the embassy or consulate interview, they will want to see evidence of a bona fide marriage relationship.  A virtual marriage and one in-person meeting may not be enough to convince the officer.  For many African countries with high fraud, it often takes many many visits in person to get a spousal visa approved.  Good luck!

Edited January 26, 2021 by carmel34

[lastrose 60]

@mam521 - Thanks for your message. I agree, I think it sounds too risky for the moment if I am unable to confirm that it can be an effective option by someone who has tried out this avenue and I have no desire to be the guinea pig. We'll see if anyone happens to pop up who is more of a risk-taker and who has ever tried this. Otherwise, back to the K-1 forum for me... 😛 

 

And yes, as I mentioned previously, plenty of bonafide relationship evidence over many years and many visits (and not actually applying out of Africa due to partner's current residence). I-129F almost ready to go so we'll get the ball rolling there. Thanks for taking the time to respond all!

[mam521 2,062]

2 minutes ago, krose said:

@mam521 - Thanks for your message. I agree, I think it sounds too risky for the moment if I am unable to confirm that it can be an effective option by someone who has tried out this avenue and I have no desire to be the guinea pig. We'll see if anyone happens to pop up who is more of a risk-taker and who has ever tried this. Otherwise, back to the K-1 forum for me... 😛 

 

And yes, as I mentioned previously, plenty of bonafide relationship evidence over many years and many visits (and not actually applying out of Africa due to partner's current residence). I-129F almost ready to go so we'll get the ball rolling there. Thanks for taking the time to respond all!

Totally risky.  I also don't like that the prices are listed as $ instead of £. Looks like someone trying to make a quick buck at your expense.  The immigration process is expensive enough without scammers tossed into the mix. 

[lastrose 60]

True though, as I mentioned, I think there may be more established/reputable companies than the first link I shared. I do have a friend who is planning on going through with this process soon (she's not planning on using it to apply for a visa, but to be eligible to visit the US as a 'spouse'). I'll report back if it works for those purposes in case of interest to anyone! 

[NancyNguyen 1,657]

49 minutes ago, krose said:

Thank you to the person who shared the link - that is certainly helpful to better understand the basis for your position. I can certainly see that interpretation, but I must say that that still does not fully convince me as, if you look more closely at the screenshot I shared, the Zoom option specifies that it is not considered a proxy marriage in the eyes of the law (no one is standing in for one of the parties - both are directly participating in the process), which makes me think that the clause you mentioned does not apply here. Still curious if anyone has actually tried this!

 

As I mentioned, I am well aware of the pros/cons of the K-1 compared to CR-1. While I appreciate the effort that folks put in to responding to questions on this forum, I do wish people were more respectful of the decision-making capacity of couples to determine what is in their own best interest and to not push one particular process over another when that information is not specifically requested. I also wish that the comparison post I see posted so often on this forum was a little more balanced.

 

When people do request background on the comparison between the CR-1 and K-1, I would encourage respondents to share a more balanced perspective. For instance, the K-1 also has the following advantages, not mentioned:

- Ability to start on the immigration process without waiting for the opportunity to get married (e.g. if you cannot or do not want to get married quite yet)

- Ability to get married in the US, with friends and family present (which many may not be able to do otherwise if denied visitor visa)

- Typically a shorter waiting time to be reunited

- Lower initial threshold for financial sponsorship

- Ability to have time to get to know one partner's home country before committing to marriage (for those who have not had the opportunity otherwise)

- Ability to start your married life together, in the same place

 

 

Not gonna happen, you can reason anything you want but it will not be successful. Good luck.

[Crazy Cat 41,836]

17 hours ago, krose said:

but to be eligible to visit the US as a 'spouse'

Marriage, in itself, confers no immigration or visiting rights.  In fact, it can harm chances of a tourist visa........seems that your friend is misinformed.

Edited January 27, 2021 by Lucky Cat

[iy2020 118]

10 minutes ago, krose said:

True though, as I mentioned, I think there may be more established/reputable companies than the first link I shared. I do have a friend who is planning on going through with this process soon (she's not planning on using it to apply for a visa, but to be eligible to visit the US as a 'spouse'). I'll report back if it works for those purposes in case of interest to anyone! 

I would be careful with that too, as a VJ member reported some issues flying to the US after using WebWed (and they were even together in person when the online marriage happened).

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by iy2020

[Mollie09 1,543]

The only way a Zoom wedding can work is if you and your partner are physically present together and the officiant is connecting over Zoom. Those have been done during Covid and fit the requirements that both parties are present at the wedding, though it's still a bit iffy imo.

Without you physically present in the same location it's not valid for immigration purposes until you are physically together. 100% not going to happen.

[aaron2020 11,651]

2 hours ago, krose said:

Has anyone done an international Zoom wedding (when partners are not physically in the same place) and successfully used this to apply for a CR-1? 
 

My partner and I are eager to get the visa process started and are debating between CR-1 and K-1. We already know all the general advantages and disadvantages of each. There are certainly appealing aspects about the CR-1 but aren’t able to see each other any time soon due to the pandemic and other factors. A friend of mine is having a Zoom wedding, which made me wonder if this could be a potentially pathway to pursue the CR-1. Any relevant experiences out there ?

A Zoom wedding will not make a CR-1 quicker.  It may actually make it slower since it would require proving you were together after the wedding before you file the I-130.

 

You might as well wait to be together to get marry.  This is the simpler solution.  
 

[lastrose 60]

@luckycat To clarify, she does not need a visitor's visa and is not pursuing any immigration processes. Spouses, however, are excepted from the European travel ban, which is the idea. 

 

@iy2020 Thanks so much for sharing that link. Seems like there was one success with having the marriage certificate recognized for travel and one that did not succeed. Certainly a risk! 

 

@Aaron2020 Your point about potentially slowing down the process, even if there's a chance it could work, is good food for thought as well. Thanks for that! 

[Crazy Cat 41,836]

7 minutes ago, krose said:

To clarify, she does not need a visitor's visa and is not pursuing any immigration processes. Spouses, however, are excepted from the European travel ban, which is the idea.

You're right that it would provide an exemption to the travel ban.....but it would also create a strong tie to the US.  

[SalishSea 17,818]

1 hour ago, krose said:

and not actually applying out of Africa due to partner's current residence

Beneficiary moving to another country, or continent does not negate the inherent issues faced by African applicants when it comes to US Immigration.  

[lastrose 60]

@Jorgedig - I totally get that. It did seem to help him get a visitor's visa though 🙂  I very much doubt he would have been approved if he were living back in his home country. That's also why I'm having a hard time judging how much frontloading we should do though (whether to base on nationality or processing embassy).  We'll probably do a little more frontloading than average just in case, but that's a whole different topic!