Marrying on a visitor visa?

[SalishSea 17,797]

2 minutes ago, JEANDBR said:

I’d hope not. They have video evidence of their first meeting in September 2021, they married in the UK November 2021, she has been living in the US since then. So frustrating when others are stuck waiting. 

If that’s the story, they committed fraud.   US immigration laws apply equally to everyone, whether they’re “influencers” or not.

[JEANDBR 32]

1 minute ago, Crazy Cat said:

If she entered the US with the intent to stay and adjust status, she committed fraud. 

I understand that. My point was when people do this fraudulently and get away with it what’s stopping others doing the same? 

[Ben & Katy 168]

5 hours ago, Letspaintcookies said:

The option to adjust status inside the US is there but it's not to be used as a plan. It was used a lot when the pandemic started. Partners came to visit and the couples then decided to change the route they're going. That's what it can be used for- a spontaneous change of plans.

Also many think that as soon as somebody marries a UC citizen they'll become citizens themselves just because of the marriage. Thus no need for visas in their minds. This is of course not true.

The spousal visa is just like the fiance visa needed to have your SO be able to move to the US. It's not a special kind of visa that allows your spouse to visit you longer than a tourist visa/ visa waiver would allow.

I have a friend that did this with his girlfriend from Mexico.  He brought her over on her border crossing card while she was pregnant.  She stayed, they got married and had the child here.  And she never went back of course.  They just recently filed for AOS at the end of this summer.   The border agent almost didn't let them into the USA because this was during the whole essential travel period where Mexican citizens couldn't come in unless it was essential.  

[PeachesMagee 62]

20 minutes ago, JEANDBR said:

I understand that. My point was when people do this fraudulently and get away with it what’s stopping others doing the same? 

Most of the people who do shortcuts to life in the US, will have that constant feeling that ICE is out to get them.

If someone enters illegally, that says a lot of their moral character, or lack-there-of.

I'm glad to have played the waiting game, and be here legally. I never have to worry about being caught.

[Letspaintcookies 2,310]

10 hours ago, Rlewis said:

Intending to marry while visiting on your visitor visa is immigration fraud, like many others have echoed above me.

 

I went through the K1 route as well (during covid, yuck!) and I am also from Canada. Feel free to ask me anything!

Intending to marry is perfectly fine. Intending to stay and adjust status is the problem. 

[maEL 4]

If it's illegal, wouldn't they have abolished that loophole yet eh?  Why is AOS present in the immigration option anyway in the first place?

[OldUser 6,599]

47 minutes ago, maEL said:

If it's illegal, wouldn't they have abolished that loophole yet eh?  Why is AOS present in the immigration option anyway in the first place?

It's not illegal to adjust, it's illegal to enter US on visit visa with intent to stay.

The reason why all of this exists is because we're only humans and peoples' circumstances change. 

[A+N 25]

9 hours ago, PeachesMagee said:

Most of the people who do shortcuts to life in the US, will have that constant feeling that ICE is out to get them.

If someone enters illegally, that says a lot of their moral character, or lack-there-of.

I'm glad to have played the waiting game, and be here legally. I never have to worry about being caught.

Me too. Waiting sucks but at least we don’t need to worry about anything going wrong in the long run. Immigration is no little matter and definitely not something to play around with or find loopholes in in my opinion. I wish the best for everyone in their journey, it’s definitely not easy!  

[Mick Jones 14]

There are  a handful of posters who came here on tourist visa, married and stayed and adjusted.

 

I was just reading the tourist visa old threads seems as if the current poster was from Philippines who came on Tourist Visa, and got married in USA and stayed in the USA until she got her greencard.  

 

So it does happen.

[Erik and Glydyl 26]

My fiance and I were both told of this process with the tourist visa and were told we could be together in as little as 4 months but we both decided we wanted to do everything the "right" way instead and we filed our 129-F petition in Jul22. I live in a mostly immigrant area here in Pittsburgh and had so many people tell me that I should marry on a tourist visa, but being a former military police officer, it was important to me to follow the law. I will admit that it is very frustrating to see those who do it legally punished with forced separation while those who do it illegally seem to be rewarded instead of punished, and my decision to do it the " right" way and everything that I experienced and have seen of this process since I filed my 129-F has left me feeling very disillusioned and angry at times, but I am trying very hard to maintain my faith in the law throughout this nightmare of a process. I feel like as a citizen born and raised in the U.S., I should be allowed to invite anyone I wish into this country and if the beneficiary has a clean record and is not married, and a citizen is sponsoring them, then the background check should end right there as far as them coming to visit. All of the rest of the process can take place after they are here and together with their partner.

[Crazy Cat 41,802]

2 minutes ago, Erik and Glydyl said:

My fiance and I were both told of this process with the tourist visa and were told we could be together in as little as 4 months but we both decided we wanted to do everything the "right" way instead and we filed our 129-F petition in Jul22. I live in a mostly immigrant area here in Pittsburgh and had so many people tell me that I should marry on a tourist visa, but being a former military police officer, it was important to me to follow the law. I will admit that it is very frustrating to see those who do it legally punished with forced separation while those who do it illegally seem to be rewarded instead of punished, and my decision to do it the " right" way and everything that I experienced and have seen of this process since I filed my 129-F has left me feeling very disillusioned and angry at times, but I am trying very hard to maintain my faith in the law throughout this nightmare of a process. I feel like as a citizen born and raised in the U.S., I should be allowed to invite anyone I wish into this country and if the beneficiary has a clean record and is not married, and a citizen is sponsoring them, then the background check should end right there as far as them coming to visit. All of the rest of the process can take place after they are here and together with their partner.

You can invite anyone you want, but you can't declare someone qualified to live in the US.  The hard fact is that EVERY petition MUST be scrutinized by human eyes.   USCIS currently receives 2 times as many I-129fs per quarter as they are processing.  The queue is still growing.

To be honest, the Utah Zoom Marriage has made the I-129f a very distant 2nd place option for many, if not most, seeking marriage-based immigration.  The initial process time of a CR-1 is generally the same as a fiance visa, but results in an immediate Green Card. 

 

I agree that the immigration system is broken with no light at the end of the tunnel. 

[Genzo10 16]

1 hour ago, Crazy Cat said:

You can invite anyone you want, but you can't declare someone qualified to live in the US.  The hard fact is that EVERY petition MUST be scrutinized by human eyes.   USCIS currently receives 2 times as many I-129fs per quarter as they are processing.  The queue is still growing.

To be honest, the Utah Zoom Marriage has made the I-129f a very distant 2nd place option for many, if not most, seeking marriage-based immigration.  The initial process time of a CR-1 is generally the same as a fiance visa, but results in an immediate Green Card. 

 

I agree that the immigration system is broken with no light at the end of the tunnel. 

 

I saw now the CR1 is faster than the K1, the process of the application takes only 10 monts and for the K1 15 months.