Meeting fiance in Bahamas to Marry checklist - complex questions

[devusr 41]

I will be meeting my fiance from Sri Lanka in Bahamas to marry (I'm also Sri Lankan).

 

I had the following questions:

1. We will live together for about 2-3 months before she will go back. Which is better? Booking the AirBnB through her name, my name, or both our names? If both our names, is it OK if the last names are different?
2. Do we need to get "Apostille" certification of marriage certificate?
3. Do I need to do anything special other than filing the spousal VISA? I'm thinking adding her to bank account, making her beneficiary of any investment accounts etc. How would I do this without a "SSN"?
4. This is also related to #3, how do I tell the US Gov I'm married? Like do I need to register the marriage certificate with some agency? Can I declare her as a dependent on the tax return?
5. The wedding will be really simple (we both prefer simple lifestyle). It will be my parents and her father and her (her mother, sister, and brother will not be able to travel). I will wear a tuxedo or similar and she will wear a normal dress (probably not a wedding gown). We will hire a photographer. Will this be OK?
6. I believe in Bahamas, you can just have the marriage registar register the marriage....you don't need to have a wedding. I'm kind of confused because I thought the wedding was the marriage. The way my sister did this was she and her fiance went to the court house and the marriage register registered the marriage. There was no wedding, a studio did take photographs.
7. If I decide to file the spousal visa paperwork, how long can she stay in Bahamas before she has to go back due to the embassy interviews and documents?
8. In the spousal visa paperwork, in the address history, do we need to enter the AirBnB address? If we're still in Bahamas at the time, do we enter AirBnB address as the "current address"?

Edited March 8, 2021 by devusr

[JFH 12,190]

1. Put both names on the booking if you can. She doesn't have to change her name. 

2. No. The marriage certificate will be in English so will be accepted 'as is' with no translation, etc necessary.

3. The more you can co-mingle your affairs, the better. Add her onto as many accounts as you can. Add her as a beneficiary to any life insurance policies you may have. 

4. You don't need to register the marriage anywhere. You will file taxes as 'married' going forward as you will be married. You can add your spouse as a dependent if she has an SSN already or if you get an ITIN for her as a non-resident alien spouse. 

5. Fine. The only requirement for the spousal visa is that the marriage is legal in the place where it occurred. There are no bonus points for having a big wedding. It makes no difference whether you marry in jeans and flip flops and have no guests or if you hire the whole Ritz-Carlton for the weekend. Have the wedding ceremony that fits your taste and your budget. 

6. In some countries there is a difference between a wedding and a marriage ceremony. In some countries weddings are not legally binding, they are just traditional, symbolic and/or religious but the legal marriage ceremony is something separate. Whatever you do, just make sure the ceremony is a legally binding ceremony and not just a symbolic one. You don't have to have an actual wedding to be married in many places. A courthouse ceremony in the US is perfectly legal, for example. Weddings are really just parties and celebrations.

7. Irrelevant. The Bahamas immigration people will decide how long she can stay when she arrives. 

8. I would use a US mailing address. Using an overseas address almost guarantees that the paperwork they send will get lost. Use an address that someone back home has access to so that they can fax/scan/email anything to you as some notices from USCIS and the NVC require a response within a specified timeframe to prevent your case being cancelled or considered abandoned. 

[devusr 41]

30 minutes ago, JFH said:

1. Put both names on the booking if you can. She doesn't have to change her name. 

2. No. The marriage certificate will be in English so will be accepted 'as is' with no translation, etc necessary.

3. The more you can co-mingle your affairs, the better. Add her onto as many accounts as you can. Add her as a beneficiary to any life insurance policies you may have. 

4. You don't need to register the marriage anywhere. You will file taxes as 'married' going forward as you will be married. You can add your spouse as a dependent if she has an SSN already or if you get an ITIN for her as a non-resident alien spouse. 

5. Fine. The only requirement for the spousal visa is that the marriage is legal in the place where it occurred. There are no bonus points for having a big wedding. It makes no difference whether you marry in jeans and flip flops and have no guests or if you hire the whole Ritz-Carlton for the weekend. Have the wedding ceremony that fits your taste and your budget. 

6. In some countries there is a difference between a wedding and a marriage ceremony. In some countries weddings are not legally binding, they are just traditional, symbolic and/or religious but the legal marriage ceremony is something separate. Whatever you do, just make sure the ceremony is a legally binding ceremony and not just a symbolic one. You don't have to have an actual wedding to be married in many places. A courthouse ceremony in the US is perfectly legal, for example. Weddings are really just parties and celebrations.

7. Irrelevant. The Bahamas immigration people will decide how long she can stay when she arrives. 

8. I would use a US mailing address. Using an overseas address almost guarantees that the paperwork they send will get lost. Use an address that someone back home has access to so that they can fax/scan/email anything to you as some notices from USCIS and the NVC require a response within a specified timeframe to prevent your case being cancelled or considered abandoned. 

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Regarding #7, yes Bahamas immigration will decide how long we both can stay but hypothetically, let's say Bahamas immigration gives extension for 3 years, how long can she stay before she has to go back in terms of the spousal visa process?

 

Regarding #8, this is for her address history. I think the spousal visa form asks for both of our address history in the last 5 years. In that case, do we list the Bahamas AirBnB address also?

[aaron2020 11,651]

44 minutes ago, devusr said:

I will be meeting my fiance from Sri Lanka in Bahamas to marry (I'm also Sri Lankan).

 

I had the following questions:

1. We will live together for about 2-3 months before she will go back. Which is better? Booking the AirBnB through her name, my name, or both our names? If both our names, is it OK if the last names are different?
2. Do we need to get "Apostille" certification of marriage certificate?
3. Do I need to do anything special other than filing the spousal VISA? I'm thinking adding her to bank account, making her beneficiary of any investment accounts etc. How would I do this without a "SSN"?
4. This is also related to #3, how do I tell the US Gov I'm married? Like do I need to register the marriage certificate with some agency? Can I declare her as a dependent on the tax return?
5. The wedding will be really simple (we both prefer simple lifestyle). It will be my parents and her father and her (her mother, sister, and brother will not be able to travel). I will wear a tuxedo or similar and she will wear a normal dress (probably not a wedding gown). We will hire a photographer. Will this be OK?
6. I believe in Bahamas, you can just have the marriage registar register the marriage....you don't need to have a wedding. I'm kind of confused because I thought the wedding was the marriage. The way my sister did this was she and her fiance went to the court house and the marriage register registered the marriage. There was no wedding, a studio did take photographs.
7. If I decide to file the spousal visa paperwork, how long can she stay in Bahamas before she has to go back due to the embassy interviews and documents?
8. In the spousal visa paperwork, in the address history, do we need to enter the AirBnB address? If we're still in Bahamas at the time, do we enter AirBnB address as the "current address"?

1.  You will be VACATIONING together - not living together.  Use both names.  Different last names doesn't matter.  

2.  No.

3.  You can add her as a beneficiary.  How depends on the financial institution that you're dealing with.

4.  There's no agency you can register your marriage with - other countries have a national registry - the US does not.  You can not list your spouse as a dependent on your tax return.  You can file a joint return if she has a SSN or she apply for an ITIN.  A joint return means you will have to include her foreign income.

5.  Your wedding is whatever you want.

6. You're going to have to look up what constitutes a legal marriage in the Bahamas.  

7.  It's going to take 12-18 months to get a spousal visa.  How longs she can stay in the Bahamas is up to the Bahamas and has nothing to do with immigrating to the US.

8.  The AirBnB IS NOT YOUR LEGAL ADDRESS.  It's where you vacationed together.  Neither of you are legally living in the Bahamas.  You are simply visiting.  You wouldn't list a hotel address if you stayed there for 2-3 months.  Same thing with an AirBnB.  You use your respective home addresses.   It's going to take 12-18 months for a spousal visa and you said you're going to be in the Bahamas for 2-3 months, so DO NOT USE A BAHAMIAN ADDRESS.   

[aaron2020 11,651]

8 minutes ago, devusr said:

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Regarding #7, yes Bahamas immigration will decide how long we both can stay but hypothetically, let's say Bahamas immigration gives extension for 3 years, how long can she stay before she has to go back in terms of the spousal visa process?

 

Regarding #8, this is for her address history. I think the spousal visa form asks for both of our address history in the last 5 years. In that case, do we list the Bahamas AirBnB address also?

The Bahamas is going to give a 3 years extension for a vacation?  She can stay there as long as she wants.  She will have to return to her home country for the spousal visa interview.  

 

Do not list the AirBnB as an address.  It's a vacation.  You don't list it anywhere.  You list your respective home addresses.  

[devusr 41]

Thanks for your reply.

 

In the Form I-130, it asks for address history? Is the temporary vacation stay in the Bahamas NOT part of the address history in I-130? (This is different from the permanent address which is my Home)

[aaron2020 11,651]

7 minutes ago, devusr said:

Thanks for your reply.

 

In the Form I-130, it asks for address history? Is the temporary vacation stay in the Bahamas NOT part of the address history in I-130? (This is different from the permanent address which is my Home)

You do not list where you stay on vacation.  

[SalishSea 17,829]

6 hours ago, devusr said:

I will be meeting my fiance from Sri Lanka in Bahamas to marry (I'm also Sri Lankan).

 

I had the following questions:

1. We will live together for about 2-3 months before she will go back. Which is better? Booking the AirBnB through her name, my name, or both our names? If both our names, is it OK if the last names are different?
2. Do we need to get "Apostille" certification of marriage certificate?
3. Do I need to do anything special other than filing the spousal VISA? I'm thinking adding her to bank account, making her beneficiary of any investment accounts etc. How would I do this without a "SSN"?  You'll have to find a bank that allows that.  Most require SSN and for both joint account holders to appear in person with governsment-issued ID.
4. This is also related to #3, how do I tell the US Gov I'm married? Like do I need to register the marriage certificate with some agency?  "Registering" a marriage is not a thing in the US.   Can I declare her as a dependent on the tax return?  No.  You can file as married filing jointly (MFJ).  Spouses are not dependents.
5. The wedding will be really simple (we both prefer simple lifestyle). It will be my parents and her father and her (her mother, sister, and brother will not be able to travel). I will wear a tuxedo or similar and she will wear a normal dress (probably not a wedding gown). We will hire a photographer. Will this be OK?  Neither USCIS nor DOS care what you wear to the wedding.
6. I believe in Bahamas, you can just have the marriage registar register the marriage....you don't need to have a wedding. I'm kind of confused because I thought the wedding was the marriage. The way my sister did this was she and her fiance went to the court house and the marriage register registered the marriage. There was no wedding, a studio did take photographs.
7. If I decide to file the spousal visa paperwork, how long can she stay in Bahamas before she has to go back due to the embassy interviews and documents?  For as long as Bahamian immigration says she can stay.
8. In the spousal visa paperwork, in the address history, do we need to enter the AirBnB address? If we're still in Bahamas at the time, do we enter AirBnB address as the "current address"?

 

[devusr 41]

Thanks for your reply.

 

One more question, is there a problem booking a AirBnB House with both of names before marriage?

Edited March 9, 2021 by devusr

[HRQX 4,145]

18 hours ago, devusr said:

Can I declare her as a dependent on the tax return?

You'll have the option of filing taxes jointly in the next tax season. For 2020 tax year you were single on December 31, 2020 so you'll file as "Single" in the current tax season. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/correct-filing-status

Edited March 9, 2021 by HRQX

[SalishSea 17,829]

6 hours ago, devusr said:

Thanks for your reply.

 

One more question, is there a problem booking a AirBnB House with both of names before marriage?

Problem for who, exactly?   Your mom and dad?  The AirBnB corporation?  US Immigration?  The sovereign nation of the Bahamas?

[devusr 41]

6 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

Problem for who, exactly?   Your mom and dad?  The AirBnB corporation?  US Immigration?  The sovereign nation of the Bahamas?

 

Sorry, is it a problem for US immigration/USCIS/spousal visa process?

[SalishSea 17,829]

24 minutes ago, devusr said:

 

Sorry, is it a problem for US immigration/USCIS/spousal visa process?

Why would they care?

[devusr 41]

41 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

Why would they care?

I've seen some posts here (well actually this is for the fiance visa only, not CR1 visa) that if 2 people are together, the embassy interview office might decide they are already married and not applicable to the fiance visa.

[Lemonslice 4,841]

That can happen when culturally, or legally, unmarried couples are not supposed to stay together.  This is not a problem in the Bahamas, and you will be married during that trip.