Marry in Philippines? Or bring in as Fiance'. Need help. New to this.

[jhonster 23]

Hello there. John here. Found this website after scouring the internet.

I'll try to put this into a nutshell quickly. A girl from the Philippines (working in Singapore right now) & I (a native U.S. resident) want to get married. She has a 2 year old child that lives currently in the Philippines with her Mother. I'd like to bring them both into the USA (Los Angeles). I've heard conflicting stories of "the best" or more expedient way to do this. Some say, go to Singapore and marry her...that this would get her into the country much quicker as my wife and with less hassle. But an immigration service I just retained told me to go the Fiance' route....that this would allow both her and her daughter to come in at the same time without hassles.

I was married once before to a Korean national back in June of 2011. She had been here illegally for 10 years (overstayed her student Visa). We fought like cats and dogs, so we separated in Dec of 2011 & the divorce was only final in Sept of 2012.

I'm going to meet her for the 1st time in November in Singapore & we're going to see her family in the Philippines. I've already bought wedding rings, so we could always have a ceremony when I get there. She'll be working in Singapore until the end of January under contract, after that she'll return to the Philippines to live with her sister, daughter and Mother. So I plan on supplementing her income until she can get over here with her daughter.

Based on the few facts I've given, what do people think I should do here? Marry her when I'm in the Philippines & try to bring her and her daughter in as my Wife and adopted daughter? Or bring them both in under a Fiance' Visa? The only reason why I guess I'm somewhat worried is, her friend who trying to come to the USA via a Fiance' Visa has been waiting for some 2 years. But this friends sister got to the USA within 6 months by marrying her Fiance in the Philippines.

Any personal stories or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[daddy'sgirl 1]

in my opinion fiancee route is faster than spousal visa especially in the Philiipines, me and my fiance has been in that situation and we discussed about it but we though fiance route would be better since you can apply for k2 visa for her daughther

[Bumbero 130]

Make sure to set the country of the non-US citizen to the Philippines. Your posts will show up on the country's portal page and fellow VJ users with the same setting can provide you with details specific to the Philippines.

[afoyoswa 178]

There seem to be a lot of missing details in your account, so it's hard to say. How long have you been communicating with this Filipina girl? With your ex-wife having been out of status when you got married: did she adjust status through you? Why are you in a rush to make all of these decisions/plans without having even met this new person, despite your history of a brief and tumultuous marriage? I don't really care about the answers to any of these questions, but beginning a new relationship before being free to marry isn't going to come across well to an adjudicator or CO looking at your case, nor is the fairly businesslike manner in which you seem to be going about all of these arrangements.

To answer your actual questions, though: the CR-1 is generally perceived to be better in a lot of ways, as it allows the beneficiary to enter with a green card & work immediately. Others can chime in on the implications for the beneficiary's children with this visa. The processing takes a little longer, but not too much (6-8 months for K-1 and 8-10 months for CR-1 are oft-quoted guidelines, although the timelines can vary a lot). For both the CR-1 and the K-1, though, the primary hurdle you'll have to overcome to obtain the visa is showing that you have a genuine, bona fide relationship, so you'll want to think about how solid your relationship is and how well it will stand up to this kind of scrutiny, both now and in the later immigration phases (as the CR-1/K-1 phase is just the beginning of many years of intensive examination of every detail of your lives together).

[Godsdaughter 3]

Seems like you never meet her in person,Are you sure she is the one you want?The feelings that talking online and meet in person are totally different.Think over before you move to next step.Just kind advice.

[Mogambi 96]

OK, forgive my frankness here. But, you've never even MET this person and you KNOW you want to marry her? Not doubting you, but be careful.

Also, having your divorce finalized last month is likely to raise some suspicion about how quickly you're engaged or marrying this person. Just be aware of that.

Now, my experience. My fiance arrived August 8th and we were just married Oct. 10th. From start to finish, our K1 visa took about 8 months, but it could have been done sooner had we not had to wait a month for Thai Police Clearance.

The general consensus is this. At the moment, a K1 FIancé visa, or a CR1 Marriage Visa, take more or less the same time.

There are several reasons, that I think if I was to do it over again, I would have gone the CR1 route, and gotten married there.

First and foremost, with the CR1 route, once your wife is in the US, her green card is automatic. I'm about to pay out another $1,000 and lots more paperwork to apply for my wife's green card, and it's going to take another 6 to 9 months. Had we married there, none of this would be necessary. That in and of itself for ME is enough reason to pursue the CR1 route.

Also be aware, if money is at all tight, a K1 visa using a co-sponser has a HIGH degree of denial at the Manila embassy. But a CR1 'has' to accept a co-sponsor, they can't deny you for that.

I think even if the CR1 is taking 3 to 4 months longer than the K1, it might still be worth it, for getting to avoid the whole Adjustment of Status #######!

Also, where is the child's father in all of this? I'm not sure how complicated it will be to get her child here, the father might have to approve it? Be aware you might be in for a legal headache!

[Reyan 56]

My advice is meet her first, and then decide what is best for the both of you. The process is going to take about the same amount of time in your scenario (CR1 vs K1), since you have not met yet.

[TBoneTX 43,048]

*** Thread moved from CR-1 Process to General Immigration Discussion -- OP hasn't decided on a visa path. ***

OP, no need to post the same queries in different forums.

[charlesandmerle 4]

Hello there. John here. Found this website after scouring the internet.

I'll try to put this into a nutshell quickly. A girl from the Philippines (working in Singapore right now) & I (a native U.S. resident) want to get married. She has a 2 year old child that lives currently in the Philippines with her Mother. I'd like to bring them both into the USA (Los Angeles). I've heard conflicting stories of "the best" or more expedient way to do this. Some say, go to Singapore and marry her...that this would get her into the country much quicker as my wife and with less hassle. But an immigration service I just retained told me to go the Fiance' route....that this would allow both her and her daughter to come in at the same time without hassles.

I was married once before to a Korean national back in June of 2011. She had been here illegally for 10 years (overstayed her student Visa). We fought like cats and dogs, so we separated in Dec of 2011 & the divorce was only final in Sept of 2012.

I'm going to meet her for the 1st time in November in Singapore & we're going to see her family in the Philippines. I've already bought wedding rings, so we could always have a ceremony when I get there. She'll be working in Singapore until the end of January under contract, after that she'll return to the Philippines to live with her sister, daughter and Mother. So I plan on supplementing her income until she can get over here with her daughter.

Based on the few facts I've given, what do people think I should do here? Marry her when I'm in the Philippines & try to bring her and her daughter in as my Wife and adopted daughter? Or bring them both in under a Fiance' Visa? The only reason why I guess I'm somewhat worried is, her friend who trying to come to the USA via a Fiance' Visa has been waiting for some 2 years. But this friends sister got to the USA within 6 months by marrying her Fiance in the Philippines.

Any personal stories or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[charlesandmerle 4]

Number one, how did you marry an illegal in the USA? Did you sponsor her? If you did you are responsable for her until she has 40 credits with Social Security. This means if she works under the table you are financially reponsable for her for life. This is where most people do not understand the AOS. If she works for 40 straight quarters then you are off the hook. A minimun of 10 years.

Number two you need to meet this person first and spend some time with her and get to know each other.

If she comes in on a K1 you have 90 days to marry her or she goes home or runs off and you are still on the hook.

She is working in Singapore for a reason and that is to support her child and family. You need to research and understand the Filipino way of life, best way is to live at least 6 months in the Philippines and talk to other foreigners

Don't get me wrong most Filipinas are great and make fantastic wives but just watch out.

Alot of things need to be done to get a K1 or CR1 and it's not as easy as most think.

Another thing is if you are not sure of the documents try Rapid Visa and you can do all online with them. The owner lives in Colorado and has an office in Manila. He married a Filipina before he started his company and does visa in most countries but more than half are in the Philippines and their office is across from the U S Embassy. Go online and search Rapid Visa. They are great I have lived in the Philippines for 2 1/2 years now and have been married more than 2 years. I am using the CR1 and because we have been married more than 2 years she gets a 10 year green card upon arrival.

So take your time, you see what happened to you in the last marriage, it's a long journey John so take your time and good luck

[jhonster 23]

Number one, how did you marry an illegal in the USA? Did you sponsor her? If you did you are responsable for her until she has 40 credits with Social Security. This means if she works under the table you are financially reponsable for her for life. This is where most people do not understand the AOS. If she works for 40 straight quarters then you are off the hook. A minimun of 10 years.

Number two you need to meet this person first and spend some time with her and get to know each other.

If she comes in on a K1 you have 90 days to marry her or she goes home or runs off and you are still on the hook.

She is working in Singapore for a reason and that is to support her child and family. You need to research and understand the Filipino way of life, best way is to live at least 6 months in the Philippines and talk to other foreigners

Don't get me wrong most Filipinas are great and make fantastic wives but just watch out.

Alot of things need to be done to get a K1 or CR1 and it's not as easy as most think.

Another thing is if you are not sure of the documents try Rapid Visa and you can do all online with them. The owner lives in Colorado and has an office in Manila. He married a Filipina before he started his company and does visa in most countries but more than half are in the Philippines and their office is across from the U S Embassy. Go online and search Rapid Visa. They are great I have lived in the Philippines for 2 1/2 years now and have been married more than 2 years. I am using the CR1 and because we have been married more than 2 years she gets a 10 year green card upon arrival.

So take your time, you see what happened to you in the last marriage, it's a long journey John so take your time and good luck

Hello there and thanks for your advice. To clear up my issue w/my ex wife. I met her here in Aug of 2010. We decided to marry roughly around April of 2011 and were already arguing like cats and dogs (I know....I know....BIG warning sign NOT to get married....right? But its a long story & I think I was duped not only by our Korean therapist, but also her sister...like I said....long story).

Anyways.....Got married in June 2011. And believe me, I know. Normally my intuition would have kicked in & said to walk away. But, I guess I just really wanted to be married since I have never been married at age 46. And yes, I really did love her.

She came in on a student Visa some 12 years ago and stayed....making herself illegal. I met her 10 years later. She's been working legally every since she got her work permit around Aug of 2011, but had been working as a 1099'd employee for the same company 2 years before I met her. The divorce is final as of Sept 2012. I spoke w/someone at USCIS and they said to divorce her immediately so that way I wasn't responsible for her anymore. Her employer became her financial sponsor since I was on disability due to a back herniation when I met her, so my income wasn't enough for 3 years straight they needed. But I've been back to work now for almost 2 years. I work as a heavy equipment mechanic for the Fire Dept.

As far as my new love. She is really sweet. 110% different from my ex-wife. We've talked on the phone, Skyped, & emailed almost everyday since I met her on a social website. I've spoken with her sister and her Mother back in the Philippines already as well. I plan on going to Singapore to meet her during Thanksgiving & will spend some 10 days there. Her contract is up the end of Jan 2013, so after that she'll be going back to the Philippines to live. My plan was to meet her, decide on what do to do when I get there. Have her return to the Philippines when her contract ended and I would supplement her income so that way she wouldn't have to work till I get her Visa scenario situated. Now, whether I decide to take the Fiance' Visa route I guess will depend on if it makes it easier to bring her and her daughter in at the same time. I was told by the immigration specialist I hired to do my paperwork that the Fiance' Visa will get her here sooner and there wouldn't be a hassle in bringing in her daughter either. Her boyfriend (she was never married) isn't in the picture at all with the child. But, her birth certificate reflects the Fathers last name and not my girlfriends.

I contacted this www.skipthelawyer.com fellow named Jorge & paid him to start our paperwork for the Fiance' Visa. He's waiting for our information to get started, but I might ask him about maybe going the marriage route instead and see if there would be more complications since she's got a 2 year old daughter to bring in as well.

I'm not so worried about the work permit, as she's going to be a house wife for at least the 1st 3 years till her daughter is old enough to start school here. And who knows, if she gets pregnant again, she just might stay a housewife for a long time =))

[Birdysboy 5]

My wife and I did all the paper work ourselves all the way from fiance visa through natralization. There were a few times we wish we had used a laywer, but in the end it all worked out fine. However, if she had a minor child we probably would have used a lawyer.

[issha2lynden 77]

Most Filipinas are sweet and are touchy but that doesn't mean they are up to marriage for good moral reasons. It would really be wise for you to go there and visit her, spend time with family, talk to Filipinos, learn about our culture. Part of us is having this too close-knit family which is good but most of the time bad. Parents would grow their kids like some sort of retirement plan, expecting their children to support them financially including the siblings and nephews and nieces and before you know it you are actually supporting the whole clan. And then they might want you to start building their house in the Philippines and then you have to support family kids schooling and then the dog got sick and the cat had an accident ( are you getting it? ) FACT is we are from a poor country and so mostly marry to better lives and Filipinos talk openly and say "forget about love, marry for money or marry to go US " It's a joke around there"

There are few who are good buddy. F E W. Hopefully your's is one of them.

I recommend you take the CR1 route. The waiting could take about 8-10 months and base on most people's experience here it cost lesser than K1 process. You could also bring her child with CR2 but make sure to have her correct the birth certificate since I believe that could cause the child's visa denial, CO might think

she has been married to the father. See, in the Philippines a single mom could use the bf last name even without marriage. She just have to seek for an affidavit of correction and have a judge affirm it then submit to NSO and obtain a new document/record.

Should you want to save money do the process yourself. It is doable plus you have this great VJ community to help you every time you are fogged up with bunch visa/immigration stuff. Good luck!

[bigdog 376]

Seems like you never meet her in person,Are you sure she is the one you want?The feelings that talking online and meet in person are totally different.Think over before you move to next step.Just kind advice.

I agree, meet, talk then decide.

[Grant PDX 183]

My now ex-wife had a child before we met. She brought her child on a K-2 as part of her K-1 fiancee visa. It was no problem. In the Philippines the mother has all the rights, she can take the child out of the country without consent from the father. Her child has now been adopted by me and in fact I have custody after our divorce. The bio father never had to do anything in the whole process. Again, the mother has all the parental rights in the Philippines.

Many people who when K-1 wish they'd gone CR-1. I haven't heard of anyone who went CR-1 who wish they'd gone K-1. There are significant advantages to gettting married first. In your case it would include being able to claim her on your taxes this year (which would have been about a $4k savings had I done that instead of going the K-1 route) and savings of over $1,000 for the AOS process, not to mention the time and additional paperwork required at that stage. The Philippines requires a 10 day wait after applying for the marriage license before you can receive the license and get married. Combined with the requirement for the Certificate required for the non-Filipino to marry, that you get at the US Embassy in Manila, it was too much time away from the office for me to make that process work, so we went the K-1 route. I wish I'd had time to get married there, but I didn't so I'll work with what I have. I've heard you can slip a few bucks under the table in the Philippines to grease the wheels and get it done in under 10 days, but I didn't want to monkey with the system and have potential problems down the road.

The CR-1 route is currently pretty close to the K-1 route in timetables. It may take a month or a few months longer, but currently is not a huge difference. Of course changes to the schedule of either could happen at any time. I don't believe you will be able to do the adoption of the child in the Philippines quickly. So the child will be attached to the mother's visa. It is pretty simple and straight forward in the K-1/K-2 situation. I believe it is under the CR-1 scenario also.

By the way, I didn't hire an attorney for the process with my now ex- and I didn't know of the visajourney website. I did it on my own. The documentation is very straight forward. Visajourney certainly helps, but you shouldn't need an attorney. One weekend of reading the instructions, filling out forms, and preparing documents before you go the the Philippines is likely all you'll need to save not only time with a service, but frustration if they miss something as well.

Best of luck.