Fiancé in Jamaica

[Mr&Ms.Walsh 1]

Hello all,

 

I need some suggestions/recommendations or advice. My fiancé proposed to me October 20, 2021. I plan to visit him in July 2022. I have not completed a fiancé visa application as our intention is to get married upon my return in July 2022. Is the immigration process quicker to marry and do the CR1 or do the fiancé visa now?? Which route is better with respect to him coming to me in the USA quicker? Kindly provide explanations as well. The timeline I attached seems long for Vermont. I reside in Phoenix. Thanks kindly.

[Boiler 45,434]

About the same time wise.

 

Around 18 months for the whole process. So end of 2023?

[Crazy Cat 41,770]

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

K-1        
    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 6-8 months)    
    Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 6-8 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.
    A denied K-1 is sent back to USCIS to expire
  

CR-1
    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.
   

 

[slavaskii 886]

A fiance(e) petition is immediately voided upon marriage. If you do intend on marrying him in July, you will be ineligible for filing I-129F and will need to go the I-130 route. The timelines provided by USCIS are slightly outdated, but arguably those times are better than what they are in actuality. If I recall correctly, Jamaica is also suffering from its own backlogs. Currently, saying which process is faster is like looking into a crystal ball; fiance(e) is typically so, but if you snoop around the forums, you can see the processing times keep increasing and have not yet plateaued. 

 

As always eloquently stated by @Crazy Cat, every couple has their own priorities, and each petition involves multiple considerations. 

[Longingfor 195]

Hi, when I was faced with the same option, I opted to get married and travel to the US every couple of months to visit my spouse and vice vera where spouse would visit me in Jamaica every couple of weeks.  We got married in the states then I returned to Jamaica about 3 weeks after getting married.  We chose that option because we were both able to travel back and forth and I was not in any rush to leave my good paying to come sit around and wait for months to get authorization to work.  I personally can not sit around doing nothing, I either must be studying or working, tarts just how I'm built.

 

That being said not everybody has the opportunities I've had and are able to travel while there case is pending.  I would say look at the options that @Crazy Cat laid out and see which option is best suited for you and your finance.  You have a few months to really pencil out what route is going to work best for you both.  Good luck on this journey that you're about to embark on.  

[Chancy 6,241]

*** Moved from K1 Progress Reports to What Visa Do I Need -- OP is asking for advice on visa options ***

 

[carmel34 3,620]

18 hours ago, Mr&Ms.Walsh said:

Which route is better with respect to him coming to me in the USA quicker?

There is nothing fast or quick about US immigration.  Be prepared for a very long wait, 1-2 years, and hope for the best.  Visit each other during the process as often as you can, and save the evidence of time spent together to submit with the petition and later at the NVC stage (if you go with the spousal visa).  Good luck!

[Lorenelady 11]

On 3/25/2022 at 9:29 AM, Crazy Cat said:

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

K-1        
    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 6-8 months)    
    Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 6-8 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.
    A denied K-1 is sent back to USCIS to expire
  

CR-1
    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.
   

 

Loved the way you laid out both routes .