Valid Marriage that fulfills K-1 requirements?

[Canadiangal 0]

Hello to my fellow K-1 applicants!! I am new to this site, and prepared to dive into all of the frustration, angst, head-banging, and eventual happiness (?) that you have all experienced at one time or another! I just want to thank all of those kind-hearted souls who are willing to take time out to answer anxious questions and help relieve newcomers to this site.

My question of the day is this:

Soon after I have my K-1 Visa in hand, I would like to have a NON-legal, church "ceremony" in Canada with friends and relatives (no paper signing or anything like that) but then have an American friend who is a pastor and legally allowed to marry couples in the United States marry us in the States later that same day (ie: cross over on my K-1 that day). Obviously we would have to make arrangments for that ahead of time, so the license is ready . . . BUT

my "real" question revolves around what makes a legal, valid, USCIS-recognized marriage that will fulfill the requirements of the K-1 Visa. Does it have to happen in a courthouse with a judge or Justice of the Peace, or is the marriage equally valid if performed by a pastor of a church???

Also: Does the license then have to be mailed to us? Is that a problem?

Everything seems to hinge on this one question, because my pastor won't do a "non-legal" ceremony for us if we don't have the signing later that day. If I can't have my religious/non-legal ceremony first, that will throw me for a loop, as I don't want to live with him simply after having a civil signing ceremony. From what I have read, I would then have to apply for Advance Parole, which means I couldn't go back home for a long time for a proper religious ceremony. By then, what would be the point?!

Any help, suggestions, or advice from personal experience? That would really be a blessing!!

THanks for your kind help!

[Ban Hammer 14,164]

Hello to my fellow K-1 applicants!! I am new to this site, and prepared to dive into all of the frustration, angst, head-banging, and eventual happiness (?) that you have all experienced at one time or another! I just want to thank all of those kind-hearted souls who are willing to take time out to answer anxious questions and help relieve newcomers to this site.

My question of the day is this:

Soon after I have my K-1 Visa in hand, I would like to have a NON-legal, church "ceremony" in Canada with friends and relatives (no paper signing or anything like that) but then have an American friend who is a pastor and legally allowed to marry couples in the United States marry us in the States later that same day (ie: cross over on my K-1 that day). Obviously we would have to make arrangments for that ahead of time, so the license is ready . . . BUT

my "real" question revolves around what makes a legal, valid, USCIS-recognized marriage that will fulfill the requirements of the K-1 Visa. Does it have to happen in a courthouse with a judge or Justice of the Peace, or is the marriage equally valid if performed by a pastor of a church???

Also: Does the license then have to be mailed to us? Is that a problem?

Everything seems to hinge on this one question, because my pastor won't do a "non-legal" ceremony for us if we don't have the signing later that day. If I can't have my religious/non-legal ceremony first, that will throw me for a loop, as I don't want to live with him simply after having a civil signing ceremony. From what I have read, I would then have to apply for Advance Parole, which means I couldn't go back home for a long time for a proper religious ceremony. By then, what would be the point?!

Any help, suggestions, or advice from personal experience? That would really be a blessing!!

THanks for your kind help!

check with the county courthouse of the state you are going to marry in as to what satisfies the requirements for a marriage and how you receive the marriage license. my suggestion would be that it is picked up in person by one of you, don't trust the mail.

Edited January 14, 2009 by charles!

[pushbrk 13,543]

Hello to my fellow K-1 applicants!! I am new to this site, and prepared to dive into all of the frustration, angst, head-banging, and eventual happiness (?) that you have all experienced at one time or another! I just want to thank all of those kind-hearted souls who are willing to take time out to answer anxious questions and help relieve newcomers to this site.

My question of the day is this:

Soon after I have my K-1 Visa in hand, I would like to have a NON-legal, church "ceremony" in Canada with friends and relatives (no paper signing or anything like that) but then have an American friend who is a pastor and legally allowed to marry couples in the United States marry us in the States later that same day (ie: cross over on my K-1 that day). Obviously we would have to make arrangments for that ahead of time, so the license is ready . . . BUT

my "real" question revolves around what makes a legal, valid, USCIS-recognized marriage that will fulfill the requirements of the K-1 Visa. Does it have to happen in a courthouse with a judge or Justice of the Peace, or is the marriage equally valid if performed by a pastor of a church???

Also: Does the license then have to be mailed to us? Is that a problem?

Everything seems to hinge on this one question, because my pastor won't do a "non-legal" ceremony for us if we don't have the signing later that day. If I can't have my religious/non-legal ceremony first, that will throw me for a loop, as I don't want to live with him simply after having a civil signing ceremony. From what I have read, I would then have to apply for Advance Parole, which means I couldn't go back home for a long time for a proper religious ceremony. By then, what would be the point?!

Any help, suggestions, or advice from personal experience? That would really be a blessing!!

THanks for your kind help!

check with the county courthouse of the state you are going to marry in as to what satisfies the requirements for a marriage and how you receive the marriage license. my suggestion would be that it is picked up in person by one of you, don't trust the mail.

Right but I wouldn't be having an unofficial wedding done by a clergyman authorized to perform legal marriages in Canada, because it is considered legal whether there's any paperwork or not. Canadian law is strange in that regard.

[Carlawarla 1]

Hello to my fellow K-1 applicants!! I am new to this site, and prepared to dive into all of the frustration, angst, head-banging, and eventual happiness (?) that you have all experienced at one time or another! I just want to thank all of those kind-hearted souls who are willing to take time out to answer anxious questions and help relieve newcomers to this site.

My question of the day is this:

Soon after I have my K-1 Visa in hand, I would like to have a NON-legal, church "ceremony" in Canada with friends and relatives (no paper signing or anything like that) but then have an American friend who is a pastor and legally allowed to marry couples in the United States marry us in the States later that same day (ie: cross over on my K-1 that day). Obviously we would have to make arrangments for that ahead of time, so the license is ready . . . BUT

my "real" question revolves around what makes a legal, valid, USCIS-recognized marriage that will fulfill the requirements of the K-1 Visa. Does it have to happen in a courthouse with a judge or Justice of the Peace, or is the marriage equally valid if performed by a pastor of a church???

Also: Does the license then have to be mailed to us? Is that a problem?

Everything seems to hinge on this one question, because my pastor won't do a "non-legal" ceremony for us if we don't have the signing later that day. If I can't have my religious/non-legal ceremony first, that will throw me for a loop, as I don't want to live with him simply after having a civil signing ceremony. From what I have read, I would then have to apply for Advance Parole, which means I couldn't go back home for a long time for a proper religious ceremony. By then, what would be the point?!

Any help, suggestions, or advice from personal experience? That would really be a blessing!!

THanks for your kind help!

Wow! I'm thinking that first you'll have to find out what the requirements are for marriage in the State you'll be married in, in the US. See what their requirements are. I can tell you that in Missouri, we both had to be present to obtain a marriage license, and it had to be applied for at least 3 days before the marriage. You can get married in the US, by a judge, at city hall, a courthouse, a garden wedding by an officiant licensed by the state...whatever.

You WILL be married in Canada if you get married in a Church however. Which will make your K-1 invalid! You don't want that to happen. If it's about having your friends and family at your ceremony in Canada to attend, what you might want to do is after crossing the border and validating your K-1, get married within the 90 days, apply for adjustment of status, which if you apply for, will also include your advance parole, and then plan for another "wedding" in Canada after. AP's are usually obtained if the paperwork is applied right after your marriage, about 2-3 months after you send in your papers.

As an aside...you haven't filled in your VJ timeline. This is really important, not only for statistics and for averaging timelines, but also to give those that reply to your posts a chance to see where you might be in the process. If you're new to the site, can I ask if you've even sent your paperwork in? I'm asking because if you haven't sent it in yet, you might want to consider getting married before you do and applying for another type of visa.

If you haven't done so already, there is a Canada Forum here for you to post on, and read a lot of things about the Canada/US immigration process and unique Consulate idioms. Here's the link:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=93

There is also a VJ Wiki page that has a lot of information on it as well. Here's the link to this:

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Canada

[Canadiangal 0]

Thanks for the reply!!! We are on the verge of making our decision as to which Visa to pursue and once decide, I can officially begin my timeline

I'm thinking now about just having the whole religious/legal ceremony at a church in the US. This pastor is licensed to legally marry people in Michigan, so I don't see why it wouldn't count!! That might be the way to do!!

Hello to my fellow K-1 applicants!! I am new to this site, and prepared to dive into all of the frustration, angst, head-banging, and eventual happiness (?) that you have all experienced at one time or another! I just want to thank all of those kind-hearted souls who are willing to take time out to answer anxious questions and help relieve newcomers to this site.

My question of the day is this:

Soon after I have my K-1 Visa in hand, I would like to have a NON-legal, church "ceremony" in Canada with friends and relatives (no paper signing or anything like that) but then have an American friend who is a pastor and legally allowed to marry couples in the United States marry us in the States later that same day (ie: cross over on my K-1 that day). Obviously we would have to make arrangments for that ahead of time, so the license is ready . . . BUT

my "real" question revolves around what makes a legal, valid, USCIS-recognized marriage that will fulfill the requirements of the K-1 Visa. Does it have to happen in a courthouse with a judge or Justice of the Peace, or is the marriage equally valid if performed by a pastor of a church???

Also: Does the license then have to be mailed to us? Is that a problem?

Everything seems to hinge on this one question, because my pastor won't do a "non-legal" ceremony for us if we don't have the signing later that day. If I can't have my religious/non-legal ceremony first, that will throw me for a loop, as I don't want to live with him simply after having a civil signing ceremony. From what I have read, I would then have to apply for Advance Parole, which means I couldn't go back home for a long time for a proper religious ceremony. By then, what would be the point?!

Any help, suggestions, or advice from personal experience? That would really be a blessing!!

THanks for your kind help!

Wow! I'm thinking that first you'll have to find out what the requirements are for marriage in the State you'll be married in, in the US. See what their requirements are. I can tell you that in Missouri, we both had to be present to obtain a marriage license, and it had to be applied for at least 3 days before the marriage. You can get married in the US, by a judge, at city hall, a courthouse, a garden wedding by an officiant licensed by the state...whatever.

You WILL be married in Canada if you get married in a Church however. Which will make your K-1 invalid! You don't want that to happen. If it's about having your friends and family at your ceremony in Canada to attend, what you might want to do is after crossing the border and validating your K-1, get married within the 90 days, apply for adjustment of status, which if you apply for, will also include your advance parole, and then plan for another "wedding" in Canada after. AP's are usually obtained if the paperwork is applied right after your marriage, about 2-3 months after you send in your papers.

As an aside...you haven't filled in your VJ timeline. This is really important, not only for statistics and for averaging timelines, but also to give those that reply to your posts a chance to see where you might be in the process. If you're new to the site, can I ask if you've even sent your paperwork in? I'm asking because if you haven't sent it in yet, you might want to consider getting married before you do and applying for another type of visa.

If you haven't done so already, there is a Canada Forum here for you to post on, and read a lot of things about the Canada/US immigration process and unique Consulate idioms. Here's the link:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=93

There is also a VJ Wiki page that has a lot of information on it as well. Here's the link to this:

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Canada

Thanks for the reply!!! We are on the verge of making our decision as to which Visa to pursue and once decide, I can officially begin my timeline

I'm thinking now about just having the whole religious/legal ceremony at a church in the US. This pastor is licensed to legally marry people in Michigan, so I don't see why it wouldn't count!! That might be the way to do!!

Hello to my fellow K-1 applicants!! I am new to this site, and prepared to dive into all of the frustration, angst, head-banging, and eventual happiness (?) that you have all experienced at one time or another! I just want to thank all of those kind-hearted souls who are willing to take time out to answer anxious questions and help relieve newcomers to this site.

My question of the day is this:

Soon after I have my K-1 Visa in hand, I would like to have a NON-legal, church "ceremony" in Canada with friends and relatives (no paper signing or anything like that) but then have an American friend who is a pastor and legally allowed to marry couples in the United States marry us in the States later that same day (ie: cross over on my K-1 that day). Obviously we would have to make arrangments for that ahead of time, so the license is ready . . . BUT

my "real" question revolves around what makes a legal, valid, USCIS-recognized marriage that will fulfill the requirements of the K-1 Visa. Does it have to happen in a courthouse with a judge or Justice of the Peace, or is the marriage equally valid if performed by a pastor of a church???

Also: Does the license then have to be mailed to us? Is that a problem?

Everything seems to hinge on this one question, because my pastor won't do a "non-legal" ceremony for us if we don't have the signing later that day. If I can't have my religious/non-legal ceremony first, that will throw me for a loop, as I don't want to live with him simply after having a civil signing ceremony. From what I have read, I would then have to apply for Advance Parole, which means I couldn't go back home for a long time for a proper religious ceremony. By then, what would be the point?!

Any help, suggestions, or advice from personal experience? That would really be a blessing!!

THanks for your kind help!

Wow! I'm thinking that first you'll have to find out what the requirements are for marriage in the State you'll be married in, in the US. See what their requirements are. I can tell you that in Missouri, we both had to be present to obtain a marriage license, and it had to be applied for at least 3 days before the marriage. You can get married in the US, by a judge, at city hall, a courthouse, a garden wedding by an officiant licensed by the state...whatever.

You WILL be married in Canada if you get married in a Church however. Which will make your K-1 invalid! You don't want that to happen. If it's about having your friends and family at your ceremony in Canada to attend, what you might want to do is after crossing the border and validating your K-1, get married within the 90 days, apply for adjustment of status, which if you apply for, will also include your advance parole, and then plan for another "wedding" in Canada after. AP's are usually obtained if the paperwork is applied right after your marriage, about 2-3 months after you send in your papers.

As an aside...you haven't filled in your VJ timeline. This is really important, not only for statistics and for averaging timelines, but also to give those that reply to your posts a chance to see where you might be in the process. If you're new to the site, can I ask if you've even sent your paperwork in? I'm asking because if you haven't sent it in yet, you might want to consider getting married before you do and applying for another type of visa.

If you haven't done so already, there is a Canada Forum here for you to post on, and read a lot of things about the Canada/US immigration process and unique Consulate idioms. Here's the link:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=93

There is also a VJ Wiki page that has a lot of information on it as well. Here's the link to this:

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Canada

[Canadiangal 0]

One thing I am a little worried about is the crossover to the US, though. Do you basically just show up with all your stuff behind you and your K-1 visa in hand and over you go? Is it that easy? I don't want to try to cross the border a few days before my wedding and find out that I can't go over!! Crossing over any earlier wouldn't work, because I would have no where to stay (ie: my fiancee lives too far away in the States and I won't live with him until we're married).

Thanks for the reply!!! We are on the verge of making our decision as to which Visa to pursue and once decide, I can officially begin my timeline

I'm thinking now about just having the whole religious/legal ceremony at a church in the US. This pastor is licensed to legally marry people in Michigan, so I don't see why it wouldn't count!! That might be the way to do!!

Hello to my fellow K-1 applicants!! I am new to this site, and prepared to dive into all of the frustration, angst, head-banging, and eventual happiness (?) that you have all experienced at one time or another! I just want to thank all of those kind-hearted souls who are willing to take time out to answer anxious questions and help relieve newcomers to this site.

My question of the day is this:

Soon after I have my K-1 Visa in hand, I would like to have a NON-legal, church "ceremony" in Canada with friends and relatives (no paper signing or anything like that) but then have an American friend who is a pastor and legally allowed to marry couples in the United States marry us in the States later that same day (ie: cross over on my K-1 that day). Obviously we would have to make arrangments for that ahead of time, so the license is ready . . . BUT

my "real" question revolves around what makes a legal, valid, USCIS-recognized marriage that will fulfill the requirements of the K-1 Visa. Does it have to happen in a courthouse with a judge or Justice of the Peace, or is the marriage equally valid if performed by a pastor of a church???

Also: Does the license then have to be mailed to us? Is that a problem?

Everything seems to hinge on this one question, because my pastor won't do a "non-legal" ceremony for us if we don't have the signing later that day. If I can't have my religious/non-legal ceremony first, that will throw me for a loop, as I don't want to live with him simply after having a civil signing ceremony. From what I have read, I would then have to apply for Advance Parole, which means I couldn't go back home for a long time for a proper religious ceremony. By then, what would be the point?!

Any help, suggestions, or advice from personal experience? That would really be a blessing!!

THanks for your kind help!

Wow! I'm thinking that first you'll have to find out what the requirements are for marriage in the State you'll be married in, in the US. See what their requirements are. I can tell you that in Missouri, we both had to be present to obtain a marriage license, and it had to be applied for at least 3 days before the marriage. You can get married in the US, by a judge, at city hall, a courthouse, a garden wedding by an officiant licensed by the state...whatever.

You WILL be married in Canada if you get married in a Church however. Which will make your K-1 invalid! You don't want that to happen. If it's about having your friends and family at your ceremony in Canada to attend, what you might want to do is after crossing the border and validating your K-1, get married within the 90 days, apply for adjustment of status, which if you apply for, will also include your advance parole, and then plan for another "wedding" in Canada after. AP's are usually obtained if the paperwork is applied right after your marriage, about 2-3 months after you send in your papers.

As an aside...you haven't filled in your VJ timeline. This is really important, not only for statistics and for averaging timelines, but also to give those that reply to your posts a chance to see where you might be in the process. If you're new to the site, can I ask if you've even sent your paperwork in? I'm asking because if you haven't sent it in yet, you might want to consider getting married before you do and applying for another type of visa.

If you haven't done so already, there is a Canada Forum here for you to post on, and read a lot of things about the Canada/US immigration process and unique Consulate idioms. Here's the link:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=93

There is also a VJ Wiki page that has a lot of information on it as well. Here's the link to this:

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Canada

Thanks for the reply!!! We are on the verge of making our decision as to which Visa to pursue and once decide, I can officially begin my timeline

I'm thinking now about just having the whole religious/legal ceremony at a church in the US. This pastor is licensed to legally marry people in Michigan, so I don't see why it wouldn't count!! That might be the way to do!!

Hello to my fellow K-1 applicants!! I am new to this site, and prepared to dive into all of the frustration, angst, head-banging, and eventual happiness (?) that you have all experienced at one time or another! I just want to thank all of those kind-hearted souls who are willing to take time out to answer anxious questions and help relieve newcomers to this site.

My question of the day is this:

Soon after I have my K-1 Visa in hand, I would like to have a NON-legal, church "ceremony" in Canada with friends and relatives (no paper signing or anything like that) but then have an American friend who is a pastor and legally allowed to marry couples in the United States marry us in the States later that same day (ie: cross over on my K-1 that day). Obviously we would have to make arrangments for that ahead of time, so the license is ready . . . BUT

my "real" question revolves around what makes a legal, valid, USCIS-recognized marriage that will fulfill the requirements of the K-1 Visa. Does it have to happen in a courthouse with a judge or Justice of the Peace, or is the marriage equally valid if performed by a pastor of a church???

Also: Does the license then have to be mailed to us? Is that a problem?

Everything seems to hinge on this one question, because my pastor won't do a "non-legal" ceremony for us if we don't have the signing later that day. If I can't have my religious/non-legal ceremony first, that will throw me for a loop, as I don't want to live with him simply after having a civil signing ceremony. From what I have read, I would then have to apply for Advance Parole, which means I couldn't go back home for a long time for a proper religious ceremony. By then, what would be the point?!

Any help, suggestions, or advice from personal experience? That would really be a blessing!!

THanks for your kind help!

Wow! I'm thinking that first you'll have to find out what the requirements are for marriage in the State you'll be married in, in the US. See what their requirements are. I can tell you that in Missouri, we both had to be present to obtain a marriage license, and it had to be applied for at least 3 days before the marriage. You can get married in the US, by a judge, at city hall, a courthouse, a garden wedding by an officiant licensed by the state...whatever.

You WILL be married in Canada if you get married in a Church however. Which will make your K-1 invalid! You don't want that to happen. If it's about having your friends and family at your ceremony in Canada to attend, what you might want to do is after crossing the border and validating your K-1, get married within the 90 days, apply for adjustment of status, which if you apply for, will also include your advance parole, and then plan for another "wedding" in Canada after. AP's are usually obtained if the paperwork is applied right after your marriage, about 2-3 months after you send in your papers.

As an aside...you haven't filled in your VJ timeline. This is really important, not only for statistics and for averaging timelines, but also to give those that reply to your posts a chance to see where you might be in the process. If you're new to the site, can I ask if you've even sent your paperwork in? I'm asking because if you haven't sent it in yet, you might want to consider getting married before you do and applying for another type of visa.

If you haven't done so already, there is a Canada Forum here for you to post on, and read a lot of things about the Canada/US immigration process and unique Consulate idioms. Here's the link:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=93

There is also a VJ Wiki page that has a lot of information on it as well. Here's the link to this:

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Canada

[katiushka 1]

Read the guides. if you apply for a K1 once you enter the states you can not go back to canada unless you have an AP and that takes 2-3 months after filling for AOS.

Can your family and friends be at your wedding on the states? that sounds like the logical way to proceed.

K.

PLEASE DONT COPY ALL THE REPLIES!!!!!!!!

[Mo_Mati 2]

Yes, religious ceremonies also do count for civil cermonies in the US. If the pastor is licensed in the state of Michigan, then the religious ceremony that is performed by that pastor would be valid for immigration purposes. The pastor will submit the signed marriage license and you will have all of the documentation that you need for AOS when the marriage certificate comes back. No reason to worry on that end.

As others have said, I would look in to the requirements of how to obtain a marriage license as you might have to be present and/or have a time requirement. These issues might dictate your living situation to some degree.

Good luck in your journey

[Canadiangal 0]

Thanks for that!!! I think having friends and family go to Michigan for a wedding won't be a big hardship - and it will solve our problem as well! One thing though - I wanted to know about crossing over with a K-1 . . . That means I would show up with my "wagon train" of junk (it's not THAT much!) a few days before my wedding - has anyone been known to be denied entry when they hold a K-1 visa and it's their first time entering on it?! I wouldn't want to encounter any problems at the border!

quote name='Mo_Mati' date='Jan 15 2009, 02:56 PM' post='2559495']

Yes, religious ceremonies also do count for civil cermonies in the US. If the pastor is licensed in the state of Michigan, then the religious ceremony that is performed by that pastor would be valid for immigration purposes. The pastor will submit the signed marriage license and you will have all of the documentation that you need for AOS when the marriage certificate comes back. No reason to worry on that end.

As others have said, I would look in to the requirements of how to obtain a marriage license as you might have to be present and/or have a time requirement. These issues might dictate your living situation to some degree.

Good luck in your journey

ps> I did look into Michigan license requirements - they don't look like a big deal at all, and since I live near the border, I can pick up any necessary paperwork without too much trouble (as long as they let me cross the border with a K-1 pending)!

quote name='Canadiangal' date='Jan 15 2009, 03:52 PM' post='2559748']

Thanks for that!!! I think having friends and family go to Michigan for a wedding won't be a big hardship - and it will solve our problem as well! One thing though - I wanted to know about crossing over with a K-1 . . . That means I would show up with my "wagon train" of junk (it's not THAT much!) a few days before my wedding - has anyone been known to be denied entry when they hold a K-1 visa and it's their first time entering on it?! I wouldn't want to encounter any problems at the border!

quote name='Mo_Mati' date='Jan 15 2009, 02:56 PM' post='2559495']

Yes, religious ceremonies also do count for civil cermonies in the US. If the pastor is licensed in the state of Michigan, then the religious ceremony that is performed by that pastor would be valid for immigration purposes. The pastor will submit the signed marriage license and you will have all of the documentation that you need for AOS when the marriage certificate comes back. No reason to worry on that end.

As others have said, I would look in to the requirements of how to obtain a marriage license as you might have to be present and/or have a time requirement. These issues might dictate your living situation to some degree.

Good luck in your journey

[*julez* 124]

The K1 is a single-entry visa, therefore you can only use it once. After that, you'll need either Advanced Parole or a Green Card to travel freely between the US and Canada. Arriving at the border with you K1 and a bunch of stuff in tow shouldn't be a problem whatsoever. Many Canadians on this forum have done just that. You might even want to pay a visit to the Canadian forum on this site, where you can get to know some of those people and learn form their experiences.

Good luck on your journey!

[msu17 0]

Yes, you just show up with your K-1, they do whatever they do and you come on in. You can come in any time as long as you are capable of getting married within 90 days of that. Yes, you can get married the same day as long as the marriage license can be obtained that quickly. The K-1 is a one entry visa, so EVERYONE uses their K-1 on their first (and only) time. I agree that getting married in MI would probably be the easiest for you. You can also have the legal thing and then ask your pastor from Canada to come down and do a religious ceremony later (much safer to fufill the requirements of the K1 before any sort of marriage outside of the country)

[Carlawarla 1]

The K1 is a single-entry visa, therefore you can only use it once. After that, you'll need either Advanced Parole or a Green Card to travel freely between the US and Canada. Arriving at the border with you K1 and a bunch of stuff in tow shouldn't be a problem whatsoever. Many Canadians on this forum have done just that. You might even want to pay a visit to the Canadian forum on this site, where you can get to know some of those people and learn form their experiences.

Good luck on your journey!

Yes, you just show up with your K-1, they do whatever they do and you come on in. You can come in any time as long as you are capable of getting married within 90 days of that. Yes, you can get married the same day as long as the marriage license can be obtained that quickly. The K-1 is a one entry visa, so EVERYONE uses their K-1 on their first (and only) time. I agree that getting married in MI would probably be the easiest for you. You can also have the legal thing and then ask your pastor from Canada to come down and do a religious ceremony later (much safer to fufill the requirements of the K1 before any sort of marriage outside of the country)

All correct. Come on over to the Canada forum! We'd love you to introduce yourself!