Complicated situation: Marrying Indonesian, but obtain greencard in syria

[sweetchops 0]

My situation is a little more complicated than most. I am American, and I am going to Indonsesia to marry a Indonesian girl. However, I work as an English teacher in Syria. I only have a couple weeks off, so its only enough time to register the marriage with the Indonesian gov and get her the Syrian Visa at the Syrian Embassy in Jakarta. ITs not enough time, obviously, to go through the U.S. immigration process. When the time comes to get her the AMerican visa so i can bring her back to the USA, am I going to run into any problems? Will I be able to go through the immigration while im in Syria via the U.S. Embassy in Damascus??? Or is she going to have to go back to Indonesia and separate from me for who knows how long? that will be very depressing.

Also, i dont know exactly when I will be returning to the U.S.A. However, is it possible to get the immigration process over with ahead of time, so that when I do return to the USA, she will have the green light to accompany me back home?? if there were some family emergency back in the USA or some unexpected event and I had to return immediately, it would be nice if she could come with me, as I WILL NOT leave her in Syria alone and I would hate to just send her on a separate flight back to Indonesia.

Edited November 16, 2008 by sweetchops

[Otto 83]

My situation is a little more complicated than most. I am American, and I am going to Indonsesia to marry a Indonesian girl. However, I work as an English teacher in syria. I only have a couple weeks off, so its enough time to get married and register the marriage with the Indonesian gov i assume, then I need to get her the Syrian visa so she can stay with me in Syria where I work. When the time comes to get her the AMerican visa so i can bring her back to the USA, am I going to run into any problems? Will I be able to go through the immigration while im in Syria via the U.S. Embassy in Damascus??? Or is she going to have to go back to Indonesia and separate from me for who knows how long? that will be very depressing.

The interview can take place in Syria - she would not need to travel back to Indonesia.

[payxibka 10,045]

My situation is a little more complicated than most. I am American, and I am going to Indonsesia to marry a Indonesian girl. However, I work as an English teacher in Syria. I only have a couple weeks off, so its only enough time to register the marriage with the Indonesian gov and get her the Syrian Visa at the Syrian Embassy in Jakarta. ITs not enough time, obviously, to go through the U.S. immigration process. When the time comes to get her the AMerican visa so i can bring her back to the USA, am I going to run into any problems? Will I be able to go through the immigration while im in Syria via the U.S. Embassy in Damascus??? Or is she going to have to go back to Indonesia and separate from me for who knows how long? that will be very depressing.

Also, i dont know exactly when I will be returning to the U.S.A. However, is it possible to get the immigration process over with ahead of time, so that when I do return to the USA, she will have the green light to accompany me back home?? if there were some family emergency back in the USA or some unexpected event and I had to return immediately, it would be nice if she could come with me, as I WILL NOT leave her in Syria alone and I would hate to just send her on a separate flight back to Indonesia.

You do not get greencards in a foreign land... you get them in the USA only... not before but only after you arrive....

Process can occur at the consulate covering the alien's current legal residence... If that is Syria, then it is so... You need to research the immigration process... It is NOT for temp travel back to the USA for emergent situations... It is to immigrate and reside permanently...

Edited November 16, 2008 by payxibka

[pushbrk 12,903]

My situation is a little more complicated than most. I am American, and I am going to Indonsesia to marry a Indonesian girl. However, I work as an English teacher in Syria. I only have a couple weeks off, so its only enough time to register the marriage with the Indonesian gov and get her the Syrian Visa at the Syrian Embassy in Jakarta. ITs not enough time, obviously, to go through the U.S. immigration process. When the time comes to get her the AMerican visa so i can bring her back to the USA, am I going to run into any problems? Will I be able to go through the immigration while im in Syria via the U.S. Embassy in Damascus??? Or is she going to have to go back to Indonesia and separate from me for who knows how long? that will be very depressing.

Also, i dont know exactly when I will be returning to the U.S.A. However, is it possible to get the immigration process over with ahead of time, so that when I do return to the USA, she will have the green light to accompany me back home?? if there were some family emergency back in the USA or some unexpected event and I had to return immediately, it would be nice if she could come with me, as I WILL NOT leave her in Syria alone and I would hate to just send her on a separate flight back to Indonesia.

You do not get greencards in a foreign land... you get them in the USA only... not before but only after you arrive....

Process can occur at the consulate covering the alien's current legal residence... If that is Syria, then it is so... You need to research the immigration process... It is NOT for temp travel back to the USA for emergent situations... It is to immigrate and reside permanently...

I would start by studying the Guide here for Direct Consular Filing. If you both are resident in Syria for six months, you may well be able to obtain a CR1 visa in Damascus. She would then arrive in the USA with permanent resident status and receive the green card by mail in short order, once she enters using the visa.

[sweetchops 0]

Ok, on the positive side, im glad to hear I can go through the procedures in Syria. On the other hand, im still confused about one thing. Can I go through the Immigration procedures in Syria, even if i dont have a set date for when to bring her to the USA? in other words, can i get the green light to bring her back, then just bring her back to the USA whenever I feel like moving back, whether it be in a month or in 5 years???

Another problem is, I dont know when I plan on moving back to the USA perminently (if ever), but obviously I still have to visit friends and family back at home at least once a year. It will be a little weird if I cant bring my wife with me and my family never meets her (doubt my family is going to come to syria). My grandma is getting old and id like for her to get a chance to meet her. Also we plan on having children at some point. So what do I do if I just want to bring her to the USA with me once a year or so to visit family for a couple weeks? I was told the immigration is only to bring her back perminently. ANd please tell me theres a better way than to simply get her a stupid Tourist visa, because Tourist visas for America take months to get for people from countries like Syria or Indonesia, and im not going to go through that every year if it takes half the year just to get the visa.

[pushbrk 12,903]

Ok, on the positive side, im glad to hear I can go through the procedures in Syria. On the other hand, im still confused about one thing. Can I go through the Immigration procedures in Syria, even if i dont have a set date for when to bring her to the USA? in other words, can i get the green light to bring her back, then just bring her back to the USA whenever I feel like moving back, whether it be in a month or in 5 years???

Another problem is, I dont know when I plan on moving back to the USA perminently (if ever), but obviously I still have to visit friends and family back at home at least once a year. It will be a little weird if I cant bring my wife with me and my family never meets her (doubt my family is going to come to syria). My grandma is getting old and id like for her to get a chance to meet her. Also we plan on having children at some point. So what do I do if I just want to bring her to the USA with me once a year or so to visit family for a couple weeks? I was told the immigration is only to bring her back perminently. ANd please tell me theres a better way than to simply get her a stupid Tourist visa, because Tourist visas for America take months to get for people from countries like Syria or Indonesia, and im not going to go through that every year if it takes half the year just to get the visa.

The CR1 and IR1 visas are for immigration. You have a six month window to use them after they are issued. A green card signifies "Legal Permanent Resident" status. So google "maintaining permanent residents status".

If you are not planning permanent residence then no, there is no better way than getting her a tourist visa and there is no assurance she would be granted one. Further, if granted, there is no guarantee she would be admitted to the USA.

[trinket 30]

Ok, on the positive side, im glad to hear I can go through the procedures in Syria. On the other hand, im still confused about one thing. Can I go through the Immigration procedures in Syria, even if i dont have a set date for when to bring her to the USA? in other words, can i get the green light to bring her back, then just bring her back to the USA whenever I feel like moving back, whether it be in a month or in 5 years???

Assuming you would be doing DCF, once VISA is granted, your wife will have 6 months of time to enter US. DCF or any immigrant visa is for making US as your domicile, so no, she just can't have her visa and then decide to enter after 2 years of time. And once entered, she will have to stay in US making it as her permenant residency.

Another problem is, I dont know when I plan on moving back to the USA perminently (if ever), but obviously I still have to visit friends and family back at home at least once a year. It will be a little weird if I cant bring my wife with me and my family never meets her (doubt my family is going to come to syria). My grandma is getting old and id like for her to get a chance to meet her. Also we plan on having children at some point. So what do I do if I just want to bring her to the USA with me once a year or so to visit family for a couple weeks? I was told the immigration is only to bring her back perminently. ANd please tell me theres a better way than to simply get her a stupid Tourist visa, because Tourist visas for America take months to get for people from countries like Syria or Indonesia, and im not going to go through that every year if it takes half the year just to get the visa.

Option in this scenario is Tourist visa for US, but again she is an Indonesian citizen, so chances are slim to none for attaining tourist visa, but you can always try, will have to show strong ties to Syria (given you guys apply for tourist visa in Syria). As for whenever you guys have your kids, it doesn't matter where the child is born, as long as ONE of the parent is US citizen, child automatically attains US citizenship, you will have to report your child's birth to nearest US consulate and get paper works done for it and your child will get US passport.

[payxibka 10,045]

Ok, on the positive side, im glad to hear I can go through the procedures in Syria. On the other hand, im still confused about one thing. Can I go through the Immigration procedures in Syria, even if i dont have a set date for when to bring her to the USA? in other words, can i get the green light to bring her back, then just bring her back to the USA whenever I feel like moving back, whether it be in a month or in 5 years???

Another problem is, I dont know when I plan on moving back to the USA perminently (if ever), but obviously I still have to visit friends and family back at home at least once a year. It will be a little weird if I cant bring my wife with me and my family never meets her (doubt my family is going to come to syria). My grandma is getting old and id like for her to get a chance to meet her. Also we plan on having children at some point. So what do I do if I just want to bring her to the USA with me once a year or so to visit family for a couple weeks? I was told the immigration is only to bring her back perminently. ANd please tell me theres a better way than to simply get her a stupid Tourist visa, because Tourist visas for America take months to get for people from countries like Syria or Indonesia, and im not going to go through that every year if it takes half the year just to get the visa.

An immigrant visa is valid for use for only 6 mos. after issuance and takes longer to get than a tourist visa.

The Stupid tourist visa (which is the correct one for her temporary visits) could be valid for up to 10 years as well

[sweetchops 0]

oh wow, so I can get her a tourist visa that lasts 10 years?? That would be real nice. is it multi entry??? And why would they deny it? I would find that somewhat offensive for them to deny my wife the right to visit my family (which at this point would also be her family) once a year. Would they actually deny her that right? I dont understand why they would allow her the VIsa to immigrate, but not a tourist VIsa to visit family once a year.

[pushbrk 12,903]

Ok, on the positive side, im glad to hear I can go through the procedures in Syria. On the other hand, im still confused about one thing. Can I go through the Immigration procedures in Syria, even if i dont have a set date for when to bring her to the USA? in other words, can i get the green light to bring her back, then just bring her back to the USA whenever I feel like moving back, whether it be in a month or in 5 years???

Another problem is, I dont know when I plan on moving back to the USA perminently (if ever), but obviously I still have to visit friends and family back at home at least once a year. It will be a little weird if I cant bring my wife with me and my family never meets her (doubt my family is going to come to syria). My grandma is getting old and id like for her to get a chance to meet her. Also we plan on having children at some point. So what do I do if I just want to bring her to the USA with me once a year or so to visit family for a couple weeks? I was told the immigration is only to bring her back perminently. ANd please tell me theres a better way than to simply get her a stupid Tourist visa, because Tourist visas for America take months to get for people from countries like Syria or Indonesia, and im not going to go through that every year if it takes half the year just to get the visa.

An immigrant visa is valid for use for only 6 mos. after issuance and takes longer to get than a tourist visa.

The Stupid tourist visa (which is the correct one for her temporary visits) could be valid for up to 10 years as well

It's the right visa but since they will be dealing with an Indonesian Citizenship and the Embassy in Damascus I wouldn't be very confident about obtaining one.

[trinket 30]

oh wow, so I can get her a tourist visa that lasts 10 years?? That would be real nice. is it multi entry??? And why would they deny it? I would find that somewhat offensive for them to deny my wife the right to visit my family (which at this point would also be her family) once a year. Would they actually deny her that right? I dont understand why they would allow her the VIsa to immigrate, but not a tourist VIsa to visit family once a year.

Because she is a potential immigrant. She has much more stronger ties to remain in US than returning back to Syria........so counter attack them showing she has more stronger ties to Syria than in US, thats how it works.

[payxibka 10,045]

oh wow, so I can get her a tourist visa that lasts 10 years?? That would be real nice. is it multi entry??? And why would they deny it? I would find that somewhat offensive for them to deny my wife the right to visit my family (which at this point would also be her family) once a year. Would they actually deny her that right? I dont understand why they would allow her the VIsa to immigrate, but not a tourist VIsa to visit family once a year.

Because she is a potential immigrant. She has much more stronger ties to remain in US than returning back to Syria........so counter attack them showing she has more stronger ties to Syria than in US, thats how it works.

Exactly.........

[sweetchops 0]

im still confused. If shes married to me, why would they care whether shes shes a potential immigrant to USA or not. If she immigrates and stays in USA, fine, big deal. IF not, fine, big deal. i dont get it. Why should a regular Visa be harder than an Immigration visa.

Ok, just a guess. Are they afraid maybe she will get the Tourist Visa, then suddenly leave me and go to the USA without me and stay there? or possibly go to the USA to "visit" family, then run off and not come back to Syria with me? something like this? Thats all i can think of.

[payxibka 10,045]

im still confused. If shes married to me, why would they care whether shes shes a potential immigrant to USA or not. If she immigrates and stays in USA, fine, big deal. IF not, fine, big deal. i dont get it. Why should a regular Visa be harder than an Immigration visa.

Ok, just a guess. Are they afraid maybe she will get the Tourist Visa, then suddenly leave me and go to the USA without me and stay there? or possibly go to the USA to "visit" family, then run off and not come back to Syria with me? something like this? Thats all i can think of.

Since overall a non-immigrant visa is a much different and less complex process, they do not want people circumventing immigration law by using a non-immigrant visa to immigrate... It is that simple..

[pushbrk 12,903]

oh wow, so I can get her a tourist visa that lasts 10 years?? That would be real nice. is it multi entry??? And why would they deny it? I would find that somewhat offensive for them to deny my wife the right to visit my family (which at this point would also be her family) once a year. Would they actually deny her that right? I dont understand why they would allow her the VIsa to immigrate, but not a tourist VIsa to visit family once a year.

Because she is a potential immigrant. She has much more stronger ties to remain in US than returning back to Syria........so counter attack them showing she has more stronger ties to Syria than in US, thats how it works.

Exactly.........

As an Indonesian citizen, she has no "right" to visit the USA. As your wife she doesn't either. She also has no right to immigrate. Visas and immigration are privileges, not rights. And right now, post 9/11, the Indonesian spouse of a US Citizen residing in Syria is likely to have a tougher time visiting the US than immigrating. Immigrating isn't going to be easy either but probably eventually doable.

If you travel together and show strong ties to convince a CBP officer she's just visiting, she may well be admitted. Getting the visa to begin with will require showing those same strong ties, strong enough to overcome the assumption the tourist visa is intended to circumvent immigration laws.

If you want your spouse to have an in person relationship with your family in the USA, it's more likely to happen if they visit you abroad or your spouse immigrates to the USA at some point.