Question for K-1 people

[ruby_mtl 0]

I was just wondering why you didn't go CR1/IR1 (hope I have the right letter and numbers! lol)? Do you regret it sometimes? Seeing hope long K-1 takes, sometimes I wish we had gone the CR1/IR1 route instead. It just seems easier once you get to the US. I know money was an issue for us then...Also I read somewhere that you cannot visit when you are married whereas with K-1 you can even if it's difficult.

What was your reason? If you had to re-do it, would you go CR1/IR1?

[JillA 2]

No, I would do K-1 over again. Reason being, was I didn't want to be living apart from my husband. Once we were married, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving to go back to Canada. So, I'm glad I did the K-1 as it worked out so well for us.

[SapphireDreams 71]

My reason is the same as Jill's. I had no desire at all to live apart while actually married (even if only on paper).

[minnew 4]

Ditto to what JillA and Sapphire said!

[Flames9_RN 358]

I'm a cr-1'er lol and was glad we went that route! far less stressful and less paperwork! No doubt in anyones mind that you can work right away, travel right away, collect EI right away! But we saw each other monthly, and the process back then only took around 6 months!

[reeses16 8]

I've been wondering the same thing over the last few weeks. I would still choose the K1; when we filed K1 was faster than CR1/IR1. Hubby and I did consider a spousal visa but my family really wanted to meet my hubby before we got married, so it was a bit of a compromise. It would have been nice not to have to wait for a green card, but it wasn't really that big of a deal. My hubby had a few months of transition in the US before he was out looking for a job, trying to get a driver's license. It might have been more overwhelming if he felt like he had to hit the ground running. I think it was the right decision for us at the time. If were doing it today, I probably would to the CR1/IR1.

[JillA 2]

Maybe if I'd had a poor experience with the K-1, I may re-think doing it again. But everything in my case went so smoothly, I was a lucky one. From my interview date, to my speedy AOS, to my speedy EAD/AP approval, to receiving EI right away (even though I had no EAD) to my GC approval in near record time - I would do it over again for sure!

[Marilyn. 340]

we went the CR1 route.. I am glad we did, less hassles and less money...

yeah it was kind of weird being married and not being with your hubby but we made it through.. my hubby came to see me every other month....

also I felt "married" from the moment I first met him.. so it didn't really feel a whole lot different...

Edited June 16, 2009 by Marilyn.

[bowflex 0]

We went the CR-1 route and I honestly believe it was the best way to go but I do see where everyone's coming from saying they wouldn't want to live apart from their actual husband/wife. All I know is the first week my wife was here we got her a Social Security Card, she began applying for jobs, and a nice new car within a few weeks. I don't even want to think what would have happened if she wasn't able to start trying to build a life right away as it seemed to calm her down and made her at peace.

[Carlawarla 1]

I was just wondering why you didn't go CR1/IR1 (hope I have the right letter and numbers! lol)? Do you regret it sometimes? Seeing hope long K-1 takes, sometimes I wish we had gone the CR1/IR1 route instead. It just seems easier once you get to the US. I know money was an issue for us then...Also I read somewhere that you cannot visit when you are married whereas with K-1 you can even if it's difficult.

What was your reason? If you had to re-do it, would you go CR1/IR1?

My reason for doing the K-1 was because that's what my now husband's employer said we could do. Anyway...long story.

I couldn't help but notice a few things you mentioned though that are out of whack. One is that the K-1's are slower than the CR1/IR1? Is this true now? It certainly never was. All CR1's I thought went through Montreal? I've never heard that they're faster at all.

And your information that you canot visit when you're married, but you can when you're doing a K-1 is wrong. You can visit, no matter what visa you apply for as long as you can present the proper evidence, if asked, at the border to show your ties to Canada.

Don't know where you got your information from...

[ruby_mtl 0]

I was just wondering why you didn't go CR1/IR1 (hope I have the right letter and numbers! lol)? Do you regret it sometimes? Seeing hope long K-1 takes, sometimes I wish we had gone the CR1/IR1 route instead. It just seems easier once you get to the US. I know money was an issue for us then...Also I read somewhere that you cannot visit when you are married whereas with K-1 you can even if it's difficult.

What was your reason? If you had to re-do it, would you go CR1/IR1?

My reason for doing the K-1 was because that's what my now husband's employer said we could do. Anyway...long story.

I couldn't help but notice a few things you mentioned though that are out of whack. One is that the K-1's are slower than the CR1/IR1? Is this true now? It certainly never was. All CR1's I thought went through Montreal? I've never heard that they're faster at all.

And your information that you canot visit when you're married, but you can when you're doing a K-1 is wrong. You can visit, no matter what visa you apply for as long as you can present the proper evidence, if asked, at the border to show your ties to Canada.

Don't know where you got your information from...

Thanks for your reply and info, but I didn't say that K1 was faster than CR1, just that they take almost as much time (out of Montreal). It just that I was encouraged to do K1 cause it was said to be faster, but I wouldn't have mind waiting a few more months and have my GC right away. Although I agree with most people who replied: it would be VERY weird to be married and apart.

That's good to know that people waiting for CR1 are able to travel during the process....makes the wait much easier. I read that info here on VJ where they are comparing all processes to help us choose which one is best for us. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=compare

Edited June 17, 2009 by ruby_mtl

[Krikit 1,163]

I totally wouldn't have chosen the K-1 if I had known all that I know now. We were lead to believe that marrying first was a sneaky way of doing things. Just goes to show you the level of misinformation out there.

That's good to know that people waiting for CR1 are able to travel during the process....makes the wait much easier. I read that info here on VJ where they are comparing all processes to help us choose which one is best for us. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=compare

Whoa. That needs updating.

[Hugglebuggles 60]

I feel the same way Jill, Sapphire and Minniew feel. The thought of being married but apart was quite difficult for me. Not that I particularly care about others opinions, but its quite hard being so young and explaining to people you are married and that your husband lives in a different country... explaining the boyfriend/fiance scenario is hard enough. We also had a 10 month window that we wanted to be together in, and the K-1 seemed like the most likely way for us to be able to achieve this goal. However, I will say that there have been times where I wished I would have gone the CR-1 route, but that was generally when I was just frustrated with the process. Also, I had no idea we had to do the whole AOS thing until after I had my I-129F NOA2... which made me a little annoyed at first, but now that I think about it, its not the end of the world. Being married and apart for over a year would have seemed like the end of the world to me!

[RYCK 0]

i went the K-1 route because i had no idea how difficult or how much they turned people down ... couldn't have imagined it if we gotten married and were refused ... the extra time to get my EAD and the green card is actually helpful to me .. gives me time to adjust to the different climate and to get to know the area and explore my new home. I can find and know where things are here better than my wife who has lived here most of her life hahaha

[July09Bride 1]

I feel the same way Jill, Sapphire and Minniew feel. The thought of being married but apart was quite difficult for me. Not that I particularly care about others opinions, but its quite hard being so young and explaining to people you are married and that your husband lives in a different country... explaining the boyfriend/fiance scenario is hard enough. We also had a 10 month window that we wanted to be together in, and the K-1 seemed like the most likely way for us to be able to achieve this goal. However, I will say that there have been times where I wished I would have gone the CR-1 route, but that was generally when I was just frustrated with the process. Also, I had no idea we had to do the whole AOS thing until after I had my I-129F NOA2... which made me a little annoyed at first, but now that I think about it, its not the end of the world. Being married and apart for over a year would have seemed like the end of the world to me!

Ditto.