Visiting Philippines for longer than 30 days. Utah Marriage before going or while there? Or get married locally?

[TO285 1]

My Fiancé and I have been seeing each other for about 3 years now, known each other as friends for about 2 years before then so about 5 years total now. We were separated due to the pandemic like many and I couldn't file a fiancee visa for her at the time due to her still finishing up at university and we had no idea the pandemic restrictions would continue for so long.

 

1. I'm wanting to return to the Philippines possibly around May/June, or August. If my work allows me enough unpaid leave, I was hoping to visit her for possibly 45 days. The last time I went to the Philippines. I bought a ticket which was around 35 days round trip, I arrived on a the free visa 30 day waiver, immigration officer looked at my ticket and said that my ticket exceeded the 30 day visa waiver but said that all I had to do was visit an immigration office and get the tourist visa extension up to 59 days, which I did, and have receipts for this still along with my passport exit stamps and associated reference codes.

 

My concern though is that it may not be as simple as arriving with a round trip ticket that exceeds 30 days this time because new immigration officers and staff in the Philippines may not be as up to code as they used to be about the process for extensions / waivers, and I'd hate to be deported and unable to see her. So how would I go about getting an actual tourist visa for longer than 30 days? I checked multiple consulate websites but none seem to have updated information for the Feb 10th and onward opening. They still show tourist visas only for spouses.

 

2. My Fiancé and I have talked a few times about getting married online and we were going to do that to file for a tourist visa at some point if the Philippines didn't open. I was also thinking about doing the Online Utah marriage because it's supposedly pretty quick, compared to having to wait 2-4 weeks in the Philippines for seminars, etc and we'd like to spend as much time as a married couple as possible instead of waiting for paperwork.  Are there any issues getting married here in the USA via the Utah Online marriage process and then getting passport stamps / taking pictures / getting some kind of a notarized statement with IDs stating that we were together on so and so date in the Philippines for the USCIS process later/consummations of marriage for a CR-1? Or would I be highly recommended to wait until she and I are together in person and do the online marriage together? Or should we just 'suck it up' and go through the long process in the Philippines to get married?  

 

Thanks!

[Mike E 11,739]

@TO285 

 

Several couples have successfully been married with Utah web marriage, then met in person then filed I-130, then been approved.  
 

I would get married now so that she is more likely to enter the USA on her immigration visa two years after date of marriage. This way you two avoid I-751.  

[TO285 1]

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

@TO285 

 

Several couples have successfully been married with Utah web marriage, then met in person then filed I-130, then been approved.  
 

I would get married now so that she is more likely to enter the USA on her immigration visa two years after date of marriage. This way you two avoid I-751.  

Is that on the day that she enters the USA airport and passes through immigration? So if we got married for example today, visited her in a few months or later this year, file for her CR1, it may take another year and a half for her to be interviewed / approved, 2 years total pass from the date of marriage, she then gets to skip the I-751?

[Mike E 11,739]

3 minutes ago, TO285 said:

Is that on the day that she enters the USA airport and passes through immigration?

yes

 

Quote

So if we got married for example today, visited her in a few months or later this year, file for her CR1, it may take another year and a half for her to be interviewed / approved,

And visa is good for 6 months so she can time her entrance into USA if she got the visa December 2023

 

Quote

 

2 years total pass from the date of marriage, she then gets to skip the I-751?

Yes. If she enters Feb 1, 2024 assuming you married today Feb 1, 2022, no I-751.  

Edited February 1, 2022 by Mike E

[top_secret 2,421]

Regarding extending the stay in the Philippines.    Nothing has changed due to rona.  Once you are in as a tourist you could extend extend extend up to three years.  Just stay current on your affordable extension payments to BI.