Need to know how to do things right to get married

[hh_mfc 0]

Hi. I am new here and hope someone can answer my questions. I am an american citizen and have met a chinese lady who lives in China over the internet. She wishes for me to come to China for a meeting. We have good relations through online chat for many months now.

We agree upon meeting, then we may wish to get married. She has said she would like to get married in China. So my questions are... I can go to Hong Kong on just a U.S. passport, but could I get married there upon my first visit? Or should I visit and then have her file for K1 to come to U.S.? I am very confused with this and need any suggestions on how to do this the right way so I will not have unnecessary delays.

So she wants to get married in China and it does not matter to me as long as this is done correctly I will be content. Also I have one child that I have custody of that lives with me and she has one child that lives with her in China. What steps should I take about getting her child here with her? Thanks for any help that anyone may have.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

You've got a lot of research to do. I suggest you start with the guides on this site (the link is at the top of every page).

First, she will not initiate ANY fiancee or spousal visa process. You have to initiate that by filing a petition. Since you live in the US, you'll be filing the petition with USCIS. You can file a petition for a K1 fiancee visa, if you wish to get married in the US. Or, you can marry her in China and file a petition for either a CR1 or K3. The CR1 is usually recommended. It takes slightly longer than a K3 (usually), but costs less and she'll get a green card on arrival in the US. With both K1 and K3 she'll have to file for the green card (and wait) after she arrives in the US. Time will vary between about 6 months and 1 year (give or take) depending on which visa you file for, and how fast each government agency moves. Once the petition is approved, it will be sent to the consulate in Guangzhou where your fiancee/wife will apply for the visa. The last step in the visa process (before she comes to the US) is an interview at the consulate.

You need to find out what is required for a US citizen to marry a Chinese national in China. I don't know, but there may be considerable hoops you have to jump through. Also, some consulates tend to be very suspicious of a relationship when the wedding occurs on the first visit. I don't know if this is true in China, but the consulate in Guangzhou is known to be a very tough place to get a fiance or spousal visa.