wedding in US - what to say at border

[milly7 0]

Hi all

Ok, so assuming I get married in Seattle in May, what do I say at the border, as I am already flagged so they are super paranoid about "immigrant intent" anyway (I always carry ties and have never been refused entry to date)

Just not sure how to play it......is there any advantage on getting hitched in Vancouver???

Thanks guys

[Luke and Deanna 0]

I don't understand. Are you going there on a K1 visa?

If you have a K1 visa just show that. If you are going on a Visa waiver then are you going to get married then return to your home country and file that way?

More information is needed.

[trailmix 77]

All you can do at the border is tell the truth really.

I assume you will be bringing strong proof of ties to Canada with you, a lease, letter from your employer stating when you are returning back to work, utility bills with your name on it etc etc.

That said, it's always up to the officer at the border on the day.

Advantage to Vancouver - you don't have to cross the border!

[raymaga 25]

If you have not applied for a visa at this point, and just want to come to the U.S. to get married and then return to Canada to either start or finish the visa process, you have about a 50/50 chance of getting admitted at the border.

Never lie no matter what, because then you will definitely be scrutinized even more and may never be admitted without a visa.

If you are just planning on coming to the U.S. to marry and then going back to Canada, I would just tell the border officer what you are planning and that you will be returning to Canada on "such and such a date".

Good luck.

[milly7 0]

If you have not applied for a visa at this point, and just want to come to the U.S. to get married and then return to Canada to either start or finish the visa process, you have about a 50/50 chance of getting admitted at the border.

Never lie no matter what, because then you will definitely be scrutinized even more and may never be admitted without a visa.

If you are just planning on coming to the U.S. to marry and then going back to Canada, I would just tell the border officer what you are planning and that you will be returning to Canada on "such and such a date".

Good luck.

Hello again everyone....

Please be patient as I am a worry wart and despite being an attorney I get very confused with all the visa choices!!!!!

I am a UK/Canadian citizen living near Vancouver....always planned on obtaining TN status as a lawyer in WA. Then 3 years ago, met my boyfriend in Seattle, and we have done long distance since....we are only 3 hours apart so pretty lucky.

Anyway, last year I got a very nasty officer who detained me for 4 hours blah and flagged me.

Since then I must carry ties. I enter around every 4-6 weeks.

I am a stay at home mom right now, but have other strong ties...child in Kindergarten, lease etc, they always seem happy with the ties.

Anyway, my boyfriend feels strongly we should get married and get the visa applied for....first I was confused about K3 opposed to CR-1 etc....but got good advice here and did my own research.

Now, I am freaking out about it again....and wondering if K1 may be wiser...given that I am flagged...or if I get married here, will there be delays??? Where would my boyfriend file????

Gosh its so so confusing, I just feel this immense pressure

Thanks for reading...did everyone else feel a bit overwhelmed???

[canadian_wife 1,795]

Yes, this process is very overwhelming in the beginning but once you start reading and get familiar with the guides, it sort of all falls into place and makes sense. There is a logical order and steps to follow - see the guides and the various short cuts.

Your 'flagging' will not have an impact on your immigrant visa so the K-1 or the Cr-1 should be about personal choice. Also, the location of your marriage won't matter either, you just need the marriage cert. to apply (in Ontario this took 6 weeks to get, not sure about BC). Your boyfriend will send the petition (once engaged or married) to the Chicago lockbox and then it will be shipped to California for processing. Again this is in the guides and in the I-130 directions.

No worries you're in the right place for support and quesitons to be answered

Good luck.

[happilycontent 16]

There shouldn't be any delays if you were to get married in Vancouver. We got married in Burnaby, they sent the marriage certificate to my husband who happened to be stationed in VA at the time around 2-3 weeks later, and then we applied. I don't know anything about k1's but we did the CR1 route and that worked out fine for us without any problems. If you have issues crossing the border maybe it's best to get married in BC, or like some others have said make sure you tell the truth, bring proof of your ties, and then it's pretty much up to the officer to let you in or not.