Same Sex Relationship with my Fiancé in Morocco

[Edwin. 0]

Hello Everyone, please delete if not allowed. I apologize in advance if it is.

 

I’m a Military Service Member, engaged to my Fiancé from Morocco. We have been together for over two years, from June of 2021 then broke up around October of 2023. We then reconnected in January of 2024 and it was like fate brought us back together. Like we are meant to be together and it’s better than before.

 

Now since we are both gay males and me being in the military with travel restrictions, It’s been difficult to just fly to Morocco and other countries due to their culture which I want to respect fully and then have trouble traveling to accepting countries due to my job in the military and the log process of routing up a special request chit to everyone in my chain of command. We talk all day, video call a lot, he has met my family and I’ve met his nieces and nephews. 

 

I was reading that there is a stipulation on the Fiancé Visa “meeting in person” requirement if meeting would violate long standing culture and traditions which it would because we are both male and love each other.

 

I just want to know, which would be a better and legal route to go, Fiancé Visa or Spousal Visa? Also what are the time frames for both and cost. As of right now, I’m leaning towards applying for the marriage license in Florida online and then doing an online wedding then file for the Spousal CR-1 Visa. 

 

Thank you for all your time. I appreciate any and all help. Have a great day.

[Lemonslice 4,831]

Have you ever met in person?

[SalishSea 17,803]

58 minutes ago, Edwin. said:

Hello Everyone, please delete if not allowed. I apologize in advance if it is.

 

I’m a Military Service Member, engaged to my Fiancé from Morocco. We have been together for over two years, from June of 2021 then broke up around October of 2023. We then reconnected in January of 2024 and it was like fate brought us back together. Like we are meant to be together and it’s better than before.

 

Now since we are both gay males and me being in the military with travel restrictions, It’s been difficult to just fly to Morocco and other countries due to their culture which I want to respect fully and then have trouble traveling to accepting countries due to my job in the military and the log process of routing up a special request chit to everyone in my chain of command. We talk all day, video call a lot, he has met my family and I’ve met his nieces and nephews. 

 

I was reading that there is a stipulation on the Fiancé Visa “meeting in person” requirement if meeting would violate long standing culture and traditions which it would because we are both male and love each other.

 

I just want to know, which would be a better and legal route to go, Fiancé Visa or Spousal Visa? Also what are the time frames for both and cost. As of right now, I’m leaning towards applying for the marriage license in Florida online and then doing an online wedding then file for the Spousal CR-1 Visa. 

 

Thank you for all your time. I appreciate any and all help. Have a great day.

 

 

I'm 100% sure you will not get a meeting waiver.  You would need to provide ample documentation from religious leaders, family, community leaders etc that meeting in person would violate long standing cultural traditions.  I would guess that would attract way more negative attention than a visit.

 

Waivers for that one requirement are very rarely given.  Not only is the burden of proof on the petitioner to show evidence that the meeting wouldn't be possible because of culture, USCIS will expect you to meet in a third country.

[SalishSea 17,803]

1 hour ago, Edwin. said:

As of right now, I’m leaning towards applying for the marriage license in Florida online and then doing an online wedding then file for the Spousal CR-1 Visa. 

You mean like the Utah zoom wedding deal?  As far as I know, Florida does not do that.  Have you heard otherwise?

 

The in-person meeting is a requirement prior to filing for both CR-1 and K-1 visas.

[Edwin. 0]

38 minutes ago, Lemonslice said:

Have you ever met in person?

Not at this moment. The military will not allow me to visit Morocco at this moment because of the reality with same sex relationships, the treatment, laws and views on it. Then anytime it seems like we can meet in an accepting country, something pops up with the military and we can’t like for example, I’m getting out of the military because they won’t even allow me to go visit my fiancé ( and also a lot more), so I’m in my last few months of the military and I’m required to stay in the local area for appointments and work. 
 

I know, for the Fiancé visa, there is a exemption that says basically that you can request a waiver if “meeting in person would violate long standing cultural, religious, traditions and laws” 

 

Now I don’t think the spousal visa requires that. So I’m thinking of applying for an online marriage license and get married online to him. Then apply for the Spousal visa. Hopefully it would get approved and we can have our dream wedding here. 

[Edwin. 0]

3 minutes ago, SalishSea said:

You mean like the Utah zoom wedding deal?  As far as I know, Florida does not do that.  Have you heard otherwise?

 

The in-person meeting is a requirement prior to filing for both CR-1 and K-1 visas.

In two counties in Florida, hillsbourgh county and Broward county offer to do marriage licenses online. They just have to video chat both parties. Then they will send you the marriage license, to have someone sign it as the officiant and then return it to them. 

[Lemonslice 4,831]

You'll have to find a way to meet in a third country then.  Start with a list of countries Moroccans can visit visa free/visa on arrival, and see where you'd be able to go.  There's most probably a Caribbean country that will fit the bill.

 

The exemption you're talking about is for extreme cases (think someone in an iron lung); while Morocco îs not the most gay-friendly location, plenty of "friends" of the same gender go for tourism, or to meet others.  You won't be asked about your sexual orientation at the border (not applicable though, since you're not allowed to travel there at this time).

 

Also, please, please, meet each other, ideally a few times, before deciding to marry.  There are some things that you can only see/verify in person. 

 

@Jeanne Adil might be able to give you extra feedback from her experience with the Embassy in Morocco.

[Lemonslice 4,831]

20 minutes ago, Edwin. said:

In two counties in Florida, hillsbourgh county and Broward county offer to do marriage licenses online. They just have to video chat both parties. Then they will send you the marriage license, to have someone sign it as the officiant and then return it to them. 

You would still need to meet each other after being married, before filling your petition.  A marriage has to be consummated (=being in the same location together, nothing more) to be valid for immigration purposes.

[SalishSea 17,803]

18 minutes ago, Edwin. said:

In two counties in Florida, hillsbourgh county and Broward county offer to do marriage licenses online. They just have to video chat both parties. Then they will send you the marriage license, to have someone sign it as the officiant and then return it to them. 

Ah, okay.  

 

For USCIS purposes, you have to meet in person after an online marriage before you can file a petition.

[SalishSea 17,803]

26 minutes ago, Edwin. said:

Now I don’t think the spousal visa requires that. So I’m thinking of applying for an online marriage license and get married online to him. Then apply for the Spousal visa. Hopefully it would get approved and we can have our dream wedding here. 

This will not work.

 

You cannot petition your partner without having met first.  There are no loopholes.  

[SalishSea 17,803]

27 minutes ago, Edwin. said:

I’m in my last few months of the military and I’m required to stay in the local area for appointments and work. 

Finish up your service and then travel to Morocco.  If things go well, then you can file.

[Boiler 45,449]

There is no requirement you need to meet in Morocco.

 

And the logic of petitioning someone you have yet to meet escapes me.

[powerpuff 6,685]

You can’t petition someone you haven’t physically met, whether it is fiancé or spousal visa. Sure you can get married online but USCIS won’t recognize it until you actually meet in person.

 

Sorry but that waiver for a fiancé visa won’t be approved. What you have described is a temporary inconvenience.  Moroccan citizens can travel to 40 countries visa free including Dominican Republic, South Korea and Philippines so plenty of options to meet in a third country.

[carmel34 3,620]

10 hours ago, Edwin. said:

In two counties in Florida, hillsbourgh county and Broward county offer to do marriage licenses online. They just have to video chat both parties. Then they will send you the marriage license, to have someone sign it as the officiant and then return it to them. 

As others have said, an online marriage is only valid for US immigration after you have been together, in-person, once married, or together during the online marriage ceremony.  The other challenge you face is that Morocco is well-known to be a difficult embassy/consulate that scrutinizes relationships because of fraud.  You will need to spend lots of time together, in person, and submit documentation of those visits/time together whether you choose an I-129F petition or I-130 petition for a K-1 or CR-1.  Meeting once before filing a petition is very likely to lead to a denial in your case, and it has nothing to do with a same-gender relationship.  Multiple visits, in a third country if  Morocco is not possible, is the only way this will work out.  You may want to consider spending a few months together in a third country after you get out of the military, to make sure you really want to marry this person and to show US immigration officers that the relationship is bona fide.

[RJandHamid 1,133]

I've been following visa cases at the Casablanca consulate for several years now and I've known a handful of same sex couples who successfully received K-1 visas. Everyone I spoke with said they were actually surprised by how kind and understanding the consular staff were. I haven't seen same sex couples try for a spousal visa in Morocco (probably because the online marriage option is still fairly new and I think getting married in a 3rd country and then returning to Morocco can be potentially risky), but that doesn't mean it hasn't possibly happened. But like everyone has already said, you are going to need to meet this person at least once, I don't think you are going to find a way around this requirement.