The best route to follow for a Canadian marrying an American

[canuckcowgirl 0]

Hey ya'll!

Nice to be here with all my fellow Canadians...

I had posted something in the K-1 board and some people suggested I pop my head in here to get some advice from Canucks.

So I am Canadian, born and raised. I've been in a relationship for the past 2 years now, with my American fella (he lives in the US, was born and raised).. We are keen to be married... all the traveling back and forth to visit each other is taking its toll. We just want to be with each other and live a proper life together. Not to mention, it is nerve-wracking crossing the border all the time!!!

What is the best route to take here? We had sought advice from an immigration lawyer who suggested I enter the US, we get hitched, therefore bypassing the fiance/e visa application and moving forward. I posted this in the other thread and was advised this is immigration fraud. Well, I don't wanna do that then!

Is there anyone out there who can give me a step-by-step process? Yes.. I'm all new to this and really confused about it all. Learning a bit more each day since joining this board! Would still be lovely to hear some Canadian advice and perspective as well

Thanks!

~Canuckcowgirl

Edited January 21, 2009 by canuckcowgirl

[sly_wolf 199]

Hey ya'll!

Nice to be here with all my fellow Canadians...

I had posted something in the K-1 board and some people suggested I pop my head in here to get some advice from Canucks.

So I am Canadian, born and raised. I've been in a relationship for the past 2 years now, with my American fella (he lives in the US, was born and raised).. We are keen to be married... all the traveling back and forth to visit each other is taking its toll. We just want to be with each other and live a proper life together. Not to mention, it is nerve-wracking crossing the border all the time!!!

What is the best route to take here? We had sought advice from an immigration lawyer who suggested I enter the US, we get hitched, therefore bypassing the fiance/e visa application and moving forward. I posted this in the other thread and was advised this is immigration fraud. Well, I don't wanna do that then!

Is there anyone out there who can give me a step-by-step process? Yes.. I'm all new to this and really confused about it all. Learning a bit more each day since joining this board! Would still be lovely to hear some Canadian advice and perspective as well

Thanks!

~Canuckcowgirl

Hi and welcome. Getting married just for the intent of immigration is fraud. Getting married because you have a good, honest and loving relationship is not. We got married first and then filed all the paper work.

Reading the guides in here is a good start.

Sly

[Reba 2]

The plan is for you to live in the US then, rather than him move to Canada?

Quickest legal route is probably the K1 fiancee visa. Next option is CR1 spouse visa. The K1 you get married in the US AFTER you get your visa. CR1 you get married whereever, and THEN send in all the paperwork to petition and apply for the visa. And that takes about a year. No idea on the timeline these days fr K1, probably a couple of months quicker, but not by much is my guess.

With the K1 you can't work after you enter hte US for a few months, until you have applied for adjustment of status. Nor can you leave the US until after you have Advance Parole. Well, you can leave, but they won't let you back in.

CR1 you will be a legal permanent resident, and within a couple of weeks will have your SSN and can start working pretty much immediately after arrival.

Read the Guides tab at the top of the screen.

[raymaga 25]

Welcome to VJ, fellow Canadian!!!

We did the K-1 Visa route and are happy with how it worked out for us.

Reading the Guides and FAQ's sections will answer all your questions and then you can make your own decision that suits your needs.

Good luck with whatever process you chose and we look forward to seeing your posts in the future.

Best wishes.

[canuckcowgirl 0]

The plan is for you to live in the US then, rather than him move to Canada?

Quickest legal route is probably the K1 fiancee visa. Next option is CR1 spouse visa. The K1 you get married in the US AFTER you get your visa. CR1 you get married whereever, and THEN send in all the paperwork to petition and apply for the visa. And that takes about a year. No idea on the timeline these days fr K1, probably a couple of months quicker, but not by much is my guess.

With the K1 you can't work after you enter hte US for a few months, until you have applied for adjustment of status. Nor can you leave the US until after you have Advance Parole. Well, you can leave, but they won't let you back in.

CR1 you will be a legal permanent resident, and within a couple of weeks will have your SSN and can start working pretty much immediately after arrival.

Read the Guides tab at the top of the screen.

Reba,

Thanks for your advice. When I first started looking into all of this, I thought the K-1 HAD to be filed first. Then came the I-129F, and so on.. I had no clue of the different options and the various number of steps and forms along the way...

Over on the K-1 board, a member mentioned the CR1 to me... and from reading a few other threads, this seems like a good route to take.

The plan is for me to re-locate to the USA from Canada, as my S/O has a daughter from a previous relationship, and a business ... him moving to Canada would be way more difficult.

As for Sly_wolf who replied to this thread.. you have no idea what a loving relationship, partnership, friendship my S/O and I share and I hope you are not insinuating that we are just getting married for the purpose of immigration...

Edited January 22, 2009 by canuckcowgirl

[JillA 2]

Hi and welcome to VJ Canada!!

I think what Sly Wolf was saying is that obviously you are NOT marrying to commit immigration fraud and since you do having a real, loving relationship then you have nothing to worry about (marrying first then filing).

I went the K-1 route and it was a very speedy process in fact, really smooth!

Best of luck!

[chris11xb 0]

Welcome Canuckcowgirl,

We were very happy with the K-1 route. I'm the Canadian and my US fiancee visited me frequently, so we didn't have long times apart during the process. It was straight-forward and all things being said, took a total of about 10 months from the date we submitted our I-129F petition to the day I received my Visa to cross the border.

Just to give you an idea of what it was like for us, we submitted the I-129F in March last year. My visa interview was early January this year, and I'm moving next week.

We found it very easy to navigate through the process, first doing the I-129F, then having packet 2 and 3 arrive, and getting things ready for the interview.

If your fiancee is able to visit you, or you him (or both!), during the process it really is a smooth way to go. We would do it the same way if we had to go back in time. We also liked how with the time in between it was afforable to space out the associated costs.

Best of luck deciding on your route. Read as much as you can on the Guides and instructions, and when in doubt ask questions.

Good luck!

Lori (and Chris)

[canuckcowgirl 0]

Welcome Canuckcowgirl,

We were very happy with the K-1 route. I'm the Canadian and my US fiancee visited me frequently, so we didn't have long times apart during the process. It was straight-forward and all things being said, took a total of about 10 months from the date we submitted our I-129F petition to the day I received my Visa to cross the border.

Just to give you an idea of what it was like for us, we submitted the I-129F in March last year. My visa interview was early January this year, and I'm moving next week.

We found it very easy to navigate through the process, first doing the I-129F, then having packet 2 and 3 arrive, and getting things ready for the interview.

If your fiancee is able to visit you, or you him (or both!), during the process it really is a smooth way to go. We would do it the same way if we had to go back in time. We also liked how with the time in between it was afforable to space out the associated costs.

Best of luck deciding on your route. Read as much as you can on the Guides and instructions, and when in doubt ask questions.

Good luck!

Lori (and Chris)

Lori and Chris,

Congratulations!!!! It is so promising to hear so many success stories... the whole immigration process is just so daunting to me.

I am learning that my fiance and I will be able to continue with cross border visits during some of the wait times, so that is a relief.

I am the one who does most of the traveling as it is tricky for him to get time off to come up here to Canada.

For the past 2 years we have maintained a long distance relationship... it will be so amazing when we can just live a "normal" life together and have a family and all that stuff that "normal" couples do.. haha!

Edited January 22, 2009 by canuckcowgirl

[sly_wolf 199]

The plan is for you to live in the US then, rather than him move to Canada?

Quickest legal route is probably the K1 fiancee visa. Next option is CR1 spouse visa. The K1 you get married in the US AFTER you get your visa. CR1 you get married whereever, and THEN send in all the paperwork to petition and apply for the visa. And that takes about a year. No idea on the timeline these days fr K1, probably a couple of months quicker, but not by much is my guess.

With the K1 you can't work after you enter hte US for a few months, until you have applied for adjustment of status. Nor can you leave the US until after you have Advance Parole. Well, you can leave, but they won't let you back in.

CR1 you will be a legal permanent resident, and within a couple of weeks will have your SSN and can start working pretty much immediately after arrival.

Read the Guides tab at the top of the screen.

Reba,

Thanks for your advice. When I first started looking into all of this, I thought the K-1 HAD to be filed first. Then came the I-129F, and so on.. I had no clue of the different options and the various number of steps and forms along the way...

Over on the K-1 board, a member mentioned the CR1 to me... and from reading a few other threads, this seems like a good route to take.

The plan is for me to re-locate to the USA from Canada, as my S/O has a daughter from a previous relationship, and a business ... him moving to Canada would be way more difficult.

As for Sly_wolf who replied to this thread.. you have no idea what a loving relationship, partnership, friendship my S/O and I share and I hope you are not insinuating that we are just getting married for the purpose of immigration...

I was just trying to briefly answer your question and never intended to insinuate anything.

Sly

[Krikit 1,164]

As for Sly_wolf who replied to this thread.. you have no idea what a loving relationship, partnership, friendship my S/O and I share and I hope you are not insinuating that we are just getting married for the purpose of immigration...

I was just trying to briefly answer your question and never intended to insinuate anything.

Sly

I didn't take it as you insinuating anything, Sly_Wolf.

CanuckCowgirl.... welcome to VJ. You're not going to find any rude or mean people in the Canada Forum so you can get off your high horse now.

Okay, I just had to say that. It just fit so good.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Krikit

[canuckcowgirl 0]

As for Sly_wolf who replied to this thread.. you have no idea what a loving relationship, partnership, friendship my S/O and I share and I hope you are not insinuating that we are just getting married for the purpose of immigration...

I was just trying to briefly answer your question and never intended to insinuate anything.

Sly

I didn't take it as you insinuating anything, Sly_Wolf.

CanuckCowgirl.... welcome to VJ. You're not going to find any rude or mean people in the Canada Forum so you can get off your high horse now.

Okay, I just had to say that. It just fit so good.

i thought Canadians were known for their friendliness...?? sheesh!

I'm not on a "high horse"... but hopefully YOU feel better for saying it.

I was referred by some of the other board members to come on the "Canada" board to seek some advice. Depending on how one reads a response, at times it can be construed as condescending or patronizing. Not to mention, when you cross the border often and have immigration officers breathing down your neck and constantly questioning the legitimacy of your relationship, it can cause one to quickly get their back up. So apologies to Sly_wolf if I read your reply out of context..

There have been some very informative and helpful replies on this board, so thanks for that.

Recess is now over.. back to class..

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Krikit was actually teasing you - playing off of your cute nickname - afterall a cowgirl would be on a horse:-). And her emoticon showed she couldn't resist the temptation to give a bad 'pun'.

We are a friendly bunch in here so if you see something that can go either way you are usually on the mark by giving it the benefit of the doubt - and responding with a tease or joke of your own:-).

I am another K-1 success story but that fit our circumstances best. A CR-1 is a good visa to have and if you can stand being apart while married rather than just engaged it is a route worth looking at as well.

Good luck on your visa journey and don't hesitate to ask any questions you come across. Someone here will know the answer (although I have to admit sometimes people do bite in the other forums, so you are always welcome to ask questions here where we will tease you instead).

[Flames9_RN 358]

Welcome to VJ, were a mellow bunch in the Cdn forum. if u want to see rude posts, idiots, head on over to the main off topic forum. It wil blow your mind on how some people think.

Check out the WIKI pages http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page at the very top, as well as our own Canada WIKI page, http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Canada Trailmix and others have put a lot of effort into it.

As well check out http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=compare it compares the k1, k3, cr-1 visas. Sometimes the fastest route is not the best route for that individual! And what is frustrating during this process, is at times it makes no sense!! a k1 could take 6 months, or take over a year!!. Best of luck

[Krikit 1,164]

As for Sly_wolf who replied to this thread.. you have no idea what a loving relationship, partnership, friendship my S/O and I share and I hope you are not insinuating that we are just getting married for the purpose of immigration...

I was just trying to briefly answer your question and never intended to insinuate anything.

Sly

I didn't take it as you insinuating anything, Sly_Wolf.

CanuckCowgirl.... welcome to VJ. You're not going to find any rude or mean people in the Canada Forum so you can get off your high horse now.

Okay, I just had to say that. It just fit so good.

i thought Canadians were known for their friendliness...?? sheesh!

I'm not on a "high horse"... but hopefully YOU feel better for saying it.

I was referred by some of the other board members to come on the "Canada" board to seek some advice. Depending on how one reads a response, at times it can be construed as condescending or patronizing. Not to mention, when you cross the border often and have immigration officers breathing down your neck and constantly questioning the legitimacy of your relationship, it can cause one to quickly get their back up. So apologies to Sly_wolf if I read your reply out of context..

There have been some very informative and helpful replies on this board, so thanks for that.

Recess is now over.. back to class..

*checks to see if Krikit's still in the Canada Forum*

Krikit was actually teasing you - playing off of your cute nickname - afterall a cowgirl would be on a horse:-). And her emoticon showed she couldn't resist the temptation to give a bad 'pun'.

We are a friendly bunch in here so if you see something that can go either way you are usually on the mark by giving it the benefit of the doubt - and responding with a tease or joke of your own:-).

Thanks Kathryn.

[canuckcowgirl 0]

As for Sly_wolf who replied to this thread.. you have no idea what a loving relationship, partnership, friendship my S/O and I share and I hope you are not insinuating that we are just getting married for the purpose of immigration...

I was just trying to briefly answer your question and never intended to insinuate anything.

Sly

I didn't take it as you insinuating anything, Sly_Wolf.

CanuckCowgirl.... welcome to VJ. You're not going to find any rude or mean people in the Canada Forum so you can get off your high horse now.

Okay, I just had to say that. It just fit so good.

Seems like I have alot of reading and research to do, thanks to some great links and info provided here. Thanks for that!

i thought Canadians were known for their friendliness...?? sheesh!

I'm not on a "high horse"... but hopefully YOU feel better for saying it.

I was referred by some of the other board members to come on the "Canada" board to seek some advice. Depending on how one reads a response, at times it can be construed as condescending or patronizing. Not to mention, when you cross the border often and have immigration officers breathing down your neck and constantly questioning the legitimacy of your relationship, it can cause one to quickly get their back up. So apologies to Sly_wolf if I read your reply out of context..

There have been some very informative and helpful replies on this board, so thanks for that.

Recess is now over.. back to class..

*checks to see if Krikit's still in the Canada Forum*

Krikit was actually teasing you - playing off of your cute nickname - afterall a cowgirl would be on a horse:-). And her emoticon showed she couldn't resist the temptation to give a bad 'pun'.

We are a friendly bunch in here so if you see something that can go either way you are usually on the mark by giving it the benefit of the doubt - and responding with a tease or joke of your own:-).

Thanks Kathryn.

Good morning everyone...

Ok.. I admit, yesterday was a very bad day for me. Unfortunately, that came thru in some of my posting... so, apologies.

Now... Tim Horton's goodies for everyone!!!

I have alot of reading and research to do thanks to some very helpful links posted here... THANKS!!!

Edited January 22, 2009 by canuckcowgirl