rocket34

Thank you Jared, I didn't carefully read that part - thanks for pointing it out. I tried calling the number but am getting a recorded message.. Guess I'll try calling those days.

Thanks Jared - I have seen this link. It doesn't say how a wedding officiant is to be provided. Meaning, if i arrange to have an appointment will the office provide one or would i have to get one prior.

awaywego - Thank you for the message. Yes it's a pain not being able to contact them via phone. I still haven't found out how appointments are made. May have to drop by the office.

Hi everyone - My fiance (K1) and I would like to have our marriage ceremony immediately after obtaining our marriage license from the county clerk office (California). However, I'm not having much luck finding out online or by phone how to set up an ceremony appointment or finding more details.

Our particular office (beverly hills) performs ceremonies on Wed and Fridays. Is the marriage ceremony appointment set up after you receive the marriage license at the county clerk office? Would a wedding officiant be assigned to you by the office? Or do we need to find a wedding officiant prior to going to the office before obtaining the marriage license?

Rules also state one witness is requireed to be present at your wedding ceremony. Does this mean we need to have a friend come with us to the office that day or can we just ask any one (say at the office) to be our witness?

Thanks in advance!

Thank you Gegel and Aussie Jason!

Thank you all very much for the quick replies and clarification. Looks like she should keep this old SSN # as it doesn't expire so we won't make a trip to the SS office for now.

From the responses, looks like we'll make two trips to the SSA office later? 1) To make a name change from the marriage license and 2) When she receives her EAD, we'll go to the SSA office and remove the "valid for work with DHS auth only" status.

In the meantime, can I assume for bank accounts and applying for driver license, etc no other steps are necessary?

Thank you again!

Hi all. My fiance entered the US on a K1 visa last week. We have obtained her I-94 number and wish to apply for her SSN # in preparation for our marriage to obtain our license.

The caveat is that she previously worked in the US on a temporary basis a few years back and was issued a SSN # having the words (Valid for work only with DHS Authorization).

When submitting for a SSN #, will she be issued a new SSN# or will her old number just be reinstated? I've read on a few threads that they recommend we not bring our old SSN # to the office. I'm not sure if that really matters as I'm just trying to follow protocol here.

Any advice or clarification is appreciated!

Is there a limit on visitation from her country? you might want to look up and see, many people will leave and come back a few weeks later without issue. Some have issue if it seems too soon or too many trips. Proof of returning home is always a good thing to bring so they have less suspicion of you intending to stay in the USA.

I don't know. Not sure where I can find this information. Now you have me thinking if she should just come back on another visitor visa. I was leaning on the K1 route. Hmm

Basically no, you do not file a K-3 the K-3 is no longer available. You would file a CR-1 if you were to get married.

Thanks. How long does she have to stay in her native country until she can return to the US on another visitor visa?

Hi all -

My gf will be returning to her native country (Taiwan) next week after her 6 month visitor visa stay in the US is done. We would like to marry and have identified the following scenarios. Could someone provide some clarity please?

K1 Visa route

=> While she is back in Taiwan I file for her K1 here in the US. When she gets her K1 she'll return to the US and we'll marry. How long will this process take? Up to a year?

K3 Visa route

=> Have her come back to the US on a another visitor visa and marry while she's here then file a K3 visa. Is this possible and how long will she have to remain back in her native country before she can re-return back to the US on another visitor visa?

Much appreciated!

2. NO, if you are married you are married - you would not qualify for a fiance visa at that time.

The question posed was:

"2.) If after 6 months we decide we want to get married, can I then apply for a fiance visa to have an additonal 90 days there with him?"

She did not say they were married but WANTED to get married thus starting the process. I'm guessing the answer is still NO but can someone answer/confirm this?

The standard entry stamp on a visitors visa id 6 months... Tell the truth and then answer their questions as they ask them.. We did 4 trips for Pla to visit here all different lengths of stay, everytime they stamped 6 months in her passport... They always asked her why she was coming and she always told them to visit her fiance and see America.. Worked out well for us... She should be fine as she has already shown, that she will return after her stay with her pat trip... I think you should be good to go!!! Have a nice visit!!!

Steve

Thank you Steve. Now that I think back, she did have her passport stamped for 6 month however she only stayed for 3 months. Btw, I miss Thailand!

i would be prepared for the six months not being a realiry. most likely they will only give 90 days om a tourist visa. and also how much and what type of school can someone do in three months??? Think about it, they arent dumb, they see this stuff everyday. Just tell the truth and see what happens in my opinion. best of luck to you,

Thanks KMarion. I shall prep it being 3 months.

I'll chime in as you're mentioning 90 days which leads me to believe she used Visa Waiver Program (VWP) for previous entries. If she is indeed from VWP country and she applies for B2 visa, be aware that in most cases it will be denied and after that she'll have to update ESTA with the denial which will make it denied as well for probably 6+ months.

Nope. She's not from the countries that are on the Visa Waiver Program.

No Rocket. You can not get around the hassles. They are there for a reason. If she is going to take a class for that long, she would need a F1 visa. No one comes on a tourist visa to take a short "cooking class". That would be highly suspect-able. Especially for 6 months. Well if they do, they would have full documentation of the classes, fees paid, etc....

Also, you can not be guaranteed the full months. No one here can. That is up to the admitting officer based on their determination on that day.

The answer to your question here on VJ is, "Your GF should tell the truth for her reason of stay". It is up to the CBP officer to admit her, or not. Anything short of that would be ill-advised. If someone is caught lying to a CBP officer for reasons to gain admission into the US, they can be banned for life. I apologize for the roughness of the answer, but it is just the way it is.

No roughness taken! I wonder then in most cases are visitors granted 3 or 6 month stays? It seems a bit pointless to be in the hands of the CBP officer and he/she can determine the stay. I'll tell the gf to be honest, say 6 months and to see boyfriend and go from there. Dumbfounded.

Could she enter for 90 days and then apply for an extension?

Am interested, how would that work?

No worries. But, as far as 6 months visitation goes, it is up to the determination of the inspecting officer to determine how long she can stay. It is not guaranteed. She will have to show extensive ties back to her home. In very simplistic terms, she has to prove to the CBP that she is planning on returning home.

Enjoy your visit together. Make your plans on what you want to do for the future. But don't try to deceive the CBP officer, it will not turn out good.

Ding, ding, ding. This is why I posted the question. We want the full 6 month visitation. So, she needs to bring documentation with her when meeting with the CBP officer? What artifacts or things she needs to "show" to prove her ties back at home? Now I'm thinking if her saying she's here to take courses would be a better idea to avoid the hassle I was talking about!!

I am a bit surprised how she got through the last time saying she is here to 'learn as a student' on a tourist visa.

Let me rephrase as in "she took some classes". There are community colleges and such that offer short courses of study for 2, 4, and 12 week courses of less than 18 hours per week. You can do this on a visitor visa and that was our original intent.

It appears that you are already conceding that you will be scrutinized. She visited before without a hassle. What makes you think now that there is going to be a hassle?

The bottom line is why wouldn't you advocate speaking the truth like any other person visiting the US?

Yes, CBP will not allow entry into the US if they suspect an intent to immigrate without the proper Visas in hand. But if you are not trying anything, you have nothing to fear. Furthermore, if one intentionally deceives the CBP there could be serious ramifications to incur.

You guys CAN get married here on a tourist visa, but she still will have to leave and go back to her country to start the Visa process. The problem occurs when people try to get around the lengthy visa process. We all hate the time we have to spend apart. We all hate how long it takes. But, everyone here has gone through it.

John&Mari - Thanks, I appreciate the response. Not conceding but just being curious and careful (due to ignorance) for my gf's sake since she wanted to know if staying in the US for 6 months (vs 3 months) will require her to change her reason. I told her that she could still say she's here for school but now I'll tell her that she's visiting a boyfriend. =) I suppose there's no harm in that as we're not breaking any rules. We just don't want to unknowingly break any laws.

PS - I'm aware that we could get married on her tourist visa but I'm thinking K1 Visa route if all goes well.

Forgive if I sound ignorant but is this true - she can say she is visiting her boyfriend without hassle?

I've read numerous articles saying individuals should not get married on a tourist visa. Not that we'll get married but we just want to minimize scrutiny from the customs officer.

Hello all. My girlfriend will be visiting me on a tourist visa in a few months. We plan to get married one day but not at the moment.

Simple question. What should she tell the custom officer (when she arrives in US) for reason of stay? We want her to stay for 6 months and have I-94 form reflect that. Could she just say she's here to learn as a student and use my address? (last time she visited me she stayed for 3 months, used my address, and said the same reason). If not, what are some other reasons? Thanks in advance.