Honeymoon Cruise / Mexico

[roulette_dares 0]

Hey guys,

I searched for some other threads on the topic of leaving the country for a honeymoon, but I thought a cruise might be a different situation.

My fiancee is from Japan, and I would like to go on a cruise for our honeymoon. She will be here using the fiancee K-1 visa. The cruise makes two stops in Mexico; Cozumel and Belize.

I've been on one cruise before, and I don't recall any visa / passport check upon arrival in Mexico. The only intensive customs process was re-entry to the US.

If anyone has any information / experience related to this situation I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

[eric_and_teresa 10]

Hey guys,

I searched for some other threads on the topic of leaving the country for a honeymoon, but I thought a cruise might be a different situation.

My fiancee is from Japan, and I would like to go on a cruise for our honeymoon. She will be here using the fiancee K-1 visa. The cruise makes two stops in Mexico; Cozumel and Belize.

I've been on one cruise before, and I don't recall any visa / passport check upon arrival in Mexico. The only intensive customs process was re-entry to the US.

If anyone has any information / experience related to this situation I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

Entering Mexico while she is on a K-1 is not the problem, the problem is re-entering the U.S. when coming back from the honeymoon. K-1 is good for one entry ONLY. If you wish to have a honeymoon abroad, you'll have to apply for Advance Parole. Or wait until her green card is issued.

Read this FAQ: 6.7 Can my spouse leave the United States, and then re-enter, before receiving the Green Card (conditional permanent residency)?

[BigCityDave 0]

Hopefully there would be no issues. Read the given example from the FAQ's.

5.13)...My fiance had to return home because of a family emergency just a couple weeks after arriving. Due we have to go through this entire process again in order for him to come back to the US?

A...Hopefully not. A K1 visa may be re-validated by the Consulate if the fiance is not yet married. The re-validated visa will still expire the same date as the original, and you must be married and file for Adjustment 90 days from the original first entry. As part of this process, you will probably fill out another OF-156 non-immigrant visa application and pay another visa application fee.

FAQ Note: Revalidating a K1 has been done only once in the newsgroup experience, early in 2000. The Consulate was unwilling to cooperate, and help from the US Citizens Congressional Representative was required to achieve success. The Representatives office contacted the State Department to verify the situation regarding revalidation. Correspondence between the Representatives office and the Consulate helped assure the revalidation. The revalidation process took about two weeks.

Good luck.

[eric_and_teresa 10]

IMO, a family emergency is a complete different thing than a planned honeymoon.

Is a honeymooon worth taking this great risk?

Edited March 29, 2008 by eric_and_teresa

[BigCityDave 0]

IMO, a family emergency is a complete different thing than a planned honeymoon.

Is a honeymooon worth taking this great risk?

True, but I believe the same risks are associated.

[psiprez 3]

There really is no way around it... she will not be allowed back into the US without AP or green card in hand.

And there is no way I'd want to be forced to go through the separation of the K-3 process, after having just survived K-1.

There are endless romantic honeymoon possibilities within the US. If you have your heart set on a cruise, you will need to delay the honeymoon.

[BigCityDave 0]

There really is no way around it... she will not be allowed back into the US without AP or green card in hand.

And there is no way I'd want to be forced to go through the separation of the K-3 process, after having just survived K-1.

There are endless romantic honeymoon possibilities within the US. If you have your heart set on a cruise, you will need to delay the honeymoon.

Las Vegas for example.......

[StillThePrettiest 4]

man, don't risk it! there were a couple of threads recently by people who left the US for far more serious reasons - family illness and such - without first getting emergency AP, and the last I read of one he was forced to stay in Scotland with his family while he applied for K3 and waited all over again

it's just not worth it, even if the risk was far lower than it is

[payxibka 10,048]

IMO, a family emergency is a complete different thing than a planned honeymoon.

Is a honeymooon worth taking this great risk?

True, but I believe the same risks are associated.

First of all, she'd have to go back to the consulate that issued the visa ... second of all and most importantly, she would now MARRIED and cannot enter or re-enter on a FIANCE(E) visa....

[pushbrk 14,515]

IMO, a family emergency is a complete different thing than a planned honeymoon.

Is a honeymooon worth taking this great risk?

True, but I believe the same risks are associated.

First of all, she'd have to go back to the consulate that issued the visa ... second of all and most importantly, she would now MARRIED and cannot enter or re-enter on a FIANCE(E) visa....

Not the same risks at all. It's apples and boats. A fiance visa can be reissued before the marriage and during the 90 day period, only only when the applicant personally applies at the issuing Consulate and before marriage.

The OP is talking about a honeymoon, not in the original country and after marriage.

Hopefully? Only if you're into false hope.

AP, Green Card or stateside honeymoon.

[roulette_dares 0]

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

So the Advance Parole is pretty much the failsafe? The fee looks to be $165.

Is there any way this document would be insufficient for re-entry, or any other negatives / downsides we should consider if we apply for it?

[Krikit 1,166]

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

So the Advance Parole is pretty much the failsafe? The fee looks to be $165.

Is there any way this document would be insufficient for re-entry, or any other negatives / downsides we should consider if we apply for it?

The AP is only issued if you have applied for AOS. The AOS cost is $1,010, and covers the AP and EAD if applied for. It is sufficient for re-entry when presented with a valid passport.

[Eric-Pris 1,610]

We are in a similar situation. My fiance and I talked about taking a cruise also for our honeymoon, but we'll wait until after her greencard arrives to do it.

It is ABSOLUTELY not worth the risk. We invested so much time and money into this whole process, why risk it?

[R de la R 2]

If I were you, I would move the honeymoon for later on. I wouldn´t like to take that kind of risk.

[roulette_dares 0]

Does Japan being a part of the Visa waiver program have any bearing on this situation?

If my fiancee is technically allowed to come to the US while the K-1 is pending, shouldn't she be able to re-enter the US after a 5 day cruise with the same ease?

Sorry if I'm being thickheaded.