Hello,
as most of you might know, it is really hard be to be in a long-distance relationship with your partner. So my girlfriend (29, US citizen) and I (30, German citizen) are trying to come up with a solution and seeking advice from you. Here is our situation:
I came to the US at the end of April in 2024 (first time in the US ever) to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Since it takes between 4-6 months, I applied for a B2 visa. Which went pretty smoothly since work-wise I was able to go on a sabbatical for 6 months and would just return to Germany afterward. During the application interview the officer asked me about my previous attempts to score a Green Card through the Green-Card Lottery program. I answered honestly, and it did not seem to be a problem. So the interview took about 3-5 minutes (I think she knew about the PCT). Smooth sailing when entering the US in San Diego as well. The CBP Officer asked me about my plans (she did not seem to know the PCT), where I am going to stay, what my financial situation looks like and about my sabbatical. I explained everything, and again it took something like 3-5 minutes. No need to show any documents/proof.
Then 5 months of awesome hiking. But fast forward: During my last few weeks in the US, I met my girlfriend. We dated, spent a lot of time together, went on hikes, I met parts of her family and so on (this was in September). We talked about the situation and we're determined to make it work. So I went back to Germany and my work (mid October). I visited her again for a few days in November (no problems with CBP officer; I used my ESTA this time) and after that she visited me for 3 weeks (christmas with my family in Germany, NYE in London). It is February now and I'm about to visit her again for 17 days. Now to our idea:
We file for the K1 visa early March.
Optional: We meet in Mexico for a short vacation in April.
I quit my job (since I cannot go on another sabbatical), keep my lease and visit her again in May – ideally for 4 months (on my B2 visa). Since I already have a new job lined up, starting in the beginning of September.
I go back to Germany to start my new job and we wait for K1 approval.
She visits me while we wait and if/when it gets approved (hopefully at the end of 2025), I quit my job again, move to the US, we marry and I file for Adjustment of Status.
Money is not a problem. Without going into specifics, I am able to live off my savings for at least 6 years without working. So I have no intention to work before I am legally allowed to. During the 4 months in the US and while I wait for my Employment Authorization Document, I would pursue hobbies (Ultra running, meeting friends from the PCT and go hiking in California, etc.) and maybe even do some courses that are career related (Sig Sixma, Project Management, etc.). I hope the money part helps to convince the CBP officers that I have no intent to work/immigrate illegally. But I could see why they might be suspicious, since I spent a long time in the US in 2024 when I was hiking. Do you think an ongoing lease, a signed job offer and enough savings is enough to show that I'll return to Germany?
We also thought about her moving to Germany, which is still a possibilty. But certain circumstances make it pretty hard (at least for now).
What are your thoughts? What´s the worst case scenario? I guess that CBP officers won´t let me in and I have to return to Germany until the K1 gets approved. Yeah, that would definitely suck. But on the other side, if it works out, my girlfriend and I would get to spend a lot of time together while we wait for approval. Looks like a high risk, high reward scenario to me.
Sorry for the long post. Any advice is appreciated!
