Success rate...

[Kez/JWolf 6]

Oh well as I neither come on a K1 or a K3 I should be ok then.....

[annelizabeth 1]

Wow, they are scary statistics!

And if a large percentage of K1 visas are never even used ...... well that makes me plain mad! If all those time-wasters hadn't applied we could have got our K1 sooner!

[KarenCee 3]

Those are, um, sobering statistics, but we're reading them without all the information. They wouldn't be quite as scary if, for example, they included couples who had to depart the country due to military or government orders (as a substantial percentage of international marriages are military ones), or if they simply decided to go to the non-USCs country.

If that's not the case, then they're scary numbers. I always assumed that these international relationships had to be pretty strong to make it through all of this, and that these relationships would actually fare better in the long run.

Even if we don't stick it out in the States, we will stick it out with each other.

Same here....Joel and I have spent a long time getting to know each other, and we've been fortunate to spend actual time together. I'm not going to let stats like this put thoughts in my mind.

[Flames9_RN 358]

I dont find it suprising at all. Reading people's stories on here and other sites, many people don't spend that much time in person getting to know each other. Many people get along great over phone and internet, but once you have to live with one another, its a different story!! I'm sure those statistics wil only rise due to the internet. So easy to meet someone in another country.

[denali_1963 0]

http://usic.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstudies/Mobappa.htm

This has some statistics here about mail order brides and succes rate. Sorry i don't know how to add website properly.

Sorry website is in google search under ins reports and studies

[tom&tata 2]

http://usic.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstudies/Mobappa.htm

This has some statistics here about mail order brides and succes rate. Sorry i don't know how to add website properly.

Sorry website is in google search under ins reports and studies

Link

http://uscis.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstudies/Mobappa.htm

It is study about marriage through "mail order bride" industry

[lacigarra22 0]

I dont find it suprising at all. Reading people's stories on here and other sites, many people don't spend that much time in person getting to know each other. Many people get along great over phone and internet, but once you have to live with one another, its a different story!! I'm sure those statistics wil only rise due to the internet. So easy to meet someone in another country.

My ex-husband and I met in his country, while I was teaching there, and lived together for 8 months before we decided to get engaged. I had spent extensive time in Latin America and spoke the language fluently. We spent lots of time getting to know each other. That wasn't the problem. There are many other factors to consider such as cultural differences, values, and the fact that a different culture changes a person. My ex-husband was a completely different person in the U.S. than he was in Peru. I know it's easy to dismiss these statistics and say "it won't happen to us." If anything, they should be eye-opening, help you plan, maybe seek counseling even if you think you don't need it. It's so easy to get caught up in the visa process itself and forget about the reality of the relationship and having someone move to a new country and culture to begin his/her life again. I see your country is Canada, so the cultural differences are not so striking, but for others who bring people from very different cultures, there are so many obstacles and challenges that I'm not sure love alone can overcome.

[IAMSADIA 0]

I guess I am not shocked at the statistics. knowing personally that things do infact change once the love connection is together in the US. I have posted my experiences before and some people don't like it and have told me this and some apreciate the honesty ,I imagine the ones that don't like the negative sides of things are the scared ones who didnt get to know there mates like me in the flesh for more then 3 weeks.

for me it has to do with having two children from my first marriage along with maybe an age difference but all in all I think most couples will face hardships once the boat anchors here in America.

maybe not but the least forgotten on my side here is the fact that homesickness occurs and difference of foods ,movies ,musics..the extreme freedom one experiences here once they get here from any country such as where my husband is from can be so confusing to the one just experiencing it.

all the sudden an eagle can forget he's an eagle and become a duck like the rest,,and trying to fit in with the crowds here ,going against your own religion,and just tasting a bit of sin where before you couldnt is a lot like forgetting who you are completely wich causes a great strain on your marriage because the man u thought u married was the one u found back in his homeland,,now suddenly here in america things change.

we have been flying upwards lately instead of downwards but it's been purely miraculous because we have had alot of struggles so I'd say it takes way into a year for things to get even a little balanced in most cases.

for those with no kids and coming from countries with more freedoms and such maybe it's a little easier.

thats my input on this. plus Iv'e seen in others lots of struggles as well.

but to each there own,everyone is different.

good luck all

Sadia

[j&js 0]

Wow, they are scary statistics!

And if a large percentage of K1 visas are never even used ...... well that makes me plain mad! If all those time-wasters hadn't applied we could have got our K1 sooner!

And what I want to know is why they bothered?? Its a hard expensive process, don't go through it until you are ready and sure!!

[workin4somethin 0]

I think, perhaps, these particular statistics can be misleading and may not tell the real story. It seems we all hear stories about people who enter this type of relationship (international marriage) based on reasons other than the most valued.

For example, I know of one couple (he is American and she is Russian) who met in Russia while he was on one of his sexual escapades. She was beautiful and gullible. He asked her to come to the USA on a K-1, and she did. When she got to Santa Monica, she found out that he was pretty much into a lot of different women. She went back home to Russia. It makes sense to me that a relationship based on similar circumstances would not work out. By the way, of the international marriage relationships in which I have personally known either the man or the woman, this is the only one that has not worked out.

I have personally met 3 Americans (2 women and 1 man) who now live abroad with their Russian spouses. And I have personally met 7 or 8 couples (Russian wives) who live in the USA. All of these marriages are actively working.

I’ve read a lot of data regarding marriage scams, and I am certain that they exist. I guess if there is a moral to this it would be to know your fiancé. If you marry someone whom you don’t really know, you take a big chance, as the odds are against you.

Oh! And regarding marriages between Americans and Latinos: I have a niece who has been married to a guy from Mexico for 12 years, and I have a very good friend who has been married to a Mexican woman for 23 years. Both of these marriages are fine.

[Chuckles 0]

Well I found these numbers very interesting...

98.6% of all statistics on the internet are made up

[KarenCee 3]

Well I found these numbers very interesting...

98.6% of all statistics on the internet are made up

[Jasman0717 9]

I just found these stats, supposedly from USCIS, for 2003

3889 K-1's (fiancée) entered the USA

54.0% left the USA within 6 months

28.2% left between 6 months to one year

17.7% lasted more than one year

1546 K-3 (spouse) entered the USA

70.3% left the USA within 6 months

22.6% left between 6 months to one year

7.1 % lasted more than one year

wow, that is pretty extreme stats. I wonder when they say they left if it just met they went home to visit like on AP!

[flipside 0]

Doesn't surprise me in the least. Just like others have said, having a relationship on the internet, then actually having to live together are two different things.

If those stats are correct, it could also prove just how many of these are immigration fraud, and why those of us who are legit have to jump through hoops.

I just dont get the "see a pretty picture on the internet and pick out a life partner" mentality.

[j&js 0]

I would tend to agree with the above statement, but I think its not just for internet meetings, it happens to those meeting in person for the first time as well.

There are definitely those who do it right with the internet, meet someone online and then develop a real relationship, talking all the time, visiting, really getting to know each other. And there are others who base life-changing decisions on limited knowledge of their partners, whether met online or in person.