What is the fastest way to bring a cute girl I met to US?

[journey1 0]

Long story short, fell for a girl by accident recently while visiting overseas. Had no idea of process to bring a prospective spouse or spouse to US at the time. We're not married yet. From what I read, there are two options:

Few questions for any experts here:

K-1 Path:

1- Is K-1 the fastest option to bring her here?

2- She is in a muslim country, I was born there as well and am a USC now. Will cultural considerations cause any issue in applying for a fiance visa at consulate as a girl is supposed to get married there before leaving to meet a future spouse?

3- Do they require any proof of meeting? We met a few times during my visit but didn't take any photos together.

4- She had her student visa refused earlier, could that be a risk factor for her K-1 approval?

5- Could just a religious ceromony of nikah (without any legal status change) before or after her K-1 filing but before departure to US cause any issues?

K-3 Path:

6- Is K3/K4 filed with I-130 a pretty solid option for fast processing if we got married and then filed? How long usually takes for a spouse to come to US with K-3 option?

Answer to any of the above questions from those with knowledge or experience on this is greatly appreciated.

Edited April 23, 2010 by journey1

[Filipinawife0210 15]

Read the guides in the GUIDES section of this site.

For a K-1 you need proof of meeting within 2 years of the date you file.

Average timeline for a K-1 looks like about 6 months....

Average time for a CR-1 is about 5 months, but both of these times vary based on your case, and nothing gets held up for an RFE, or AP.

[Inky 1,111]

K3 path is an obsolite path, you would take the CR-1 path not K3.

[del-11-03-2013 1]

Long story short, fell for a girl by accident recently while visiting overseas. Had no idea of process to bring a prospective spouse or spouse to US at the time. We're not married yet. From what I read, there are two options:

Few questions for any experts here:

K-1 Path:

1- Is K-1 the fastest option to bring her here?

2- She is in a muslim country, I was born there as well and am a USC now. Will cultural considerations cause any issue in applying for a fiance visa at consulate as a girl is supposed to get married there before leaving to meet a future spouse?

3- Do they require any proof of meeting? We met a few times during my visit but didn't take any photos together.

4- She had her student visa refused earlier, could that be a risk factor for her K-1 approval?

5- Could just a religious ceromony of nikah (without any legal status change) before or after her K-1 filing but before departure to US cause any issues?

K-3 Path:

6- Is K3/K4 filed with I-130 a pretty solid option for fast processing if we got married and then filed? How long usually takes for a spouse to come to US with K-3 option?

Answer to any of the above questions from those with knowledge or experience on this is greatly appreciated.

1) I can only answer for Fiance(e) visa since I came to US under Fiancee Visa. I am Malay & Muslim from Malaysia. I got my visa after 5 months applying (Some people take longer).

2) The consular never touch the subject when he interview me for my visa.

3) They required proof of meeting such as photos together and it will be nice if you have photo of you with her family. We have photo of Paul with my family (smiling) and the consular says your family seem to be fine with him according to the photo. I says "Yes, they like him a lot." He also says "I seen you both travel together around SE Asia". We met 4 times (within 2 years) and we traveled together because we believe traveling is a good test for a relationship. From traveling you get to see a person behaviour such as lost in a strange country, missed the bus, jet lag and etc.

4) There's a case in Malaysia that a person who got denied with tourist visa because she says she want to visit boyfriend and yet her fiancee visa got approval. I'm not sure how it goes with student visa.

5) If you do "Nikah" in Malaysia, it is consider legal marriage in Malaysia and you have to apply Spouse Visa. If you want to apply Fiance(e) visa, you have to do nikah after Civil Marriage in US. Speaking of that, I recently email Malaysia Consular in Los Angeles because I want to do nikah in Malaysia next year and I wasn't sure if my Marriage Certificate from US is valid or not in Malaysia and he says religious department in Malaysia do not recognized the US civil marriage certificate. I plan to come back to Malaysia next year (after I got my green card) to do nikah.

I hope my answer will help you.

[journey1 0]

Thanks to all of you for sharing this info.

NadianaPaul info you shared does help and is very useful in this case!

Read the guides in the GUIDES section of this site.

For a K-1 you need proof of meeting within 2 years of the date you file.

I did read the guide actually before posting, it had three items as a guideline. I have proof of passport stamps of visiting her city but we didn't take any photos together. Are photo together a requirement for K-1 and CR-1? That was the question I was trying to ask.

Edited April 23, 2010 by journey1

[Filipinawife0210 15]

Thanks to all of you for sharing this info.

NadianaPaul info you shared does help and is very useful in this case!

I did read the guide actually before posting, it had three items as a guideline. I have proof of passport stamps of visiting her city but we didn't take any photos together. Are photo together a requirement for K-1 and CR-1? That was the question I was trying to ask.

From the K-1 Guide see number 2

Documentary Proof of Having Met in Person in the Past Two Years and an Ongoing Relationship:

Use as many of these items are possible. There is no minimum, but the more you can provide the less likely you are that you will receive an RFE. Additionally, please note that providing proof of your ongoing and genuine relationship in this package may benefit you by allowing the consulate to have access to this information prior to them formally contacting the non US Citizen fiance. Many high risk consulates approach cases with a skeptical eye and providing this information early on in the original I-129F package will help them in their preliminary review of your case.

1. Copies of all airline boarding passes, train passes, itineraries, hotel receipts, passport stamps (make sure you can read the dates on the stamps), and other documentary evidence that you have met within the last two years. You may want to highlight or place post-it notes indicating the dates and locations on the copies (to make the adjudication easier) for the person reviewing your file.

2. Color Photo's of you and your fiance(e) together. Make sure you write your names, date, and location on the back of every photo. Provide two to five photo's. If you only have a single copy of the photo, then make a color copy and send that. If it is a digital photo, have it printed at a company such as kodakgallery.com. You can also make duplicates of photo's at your local photo store (Walgreeens, CVS, etc). Place photo's in a plastic bag or photo sheet and label the sheet. Note that you may not receive originals of photo's back.

3. The following items will not typically show proof of having met in the last two years however will show proof of an ongoing relationship: Copies of phone bills, cell phone bills, emails (you can edit personal info with a marker), letters (edit personal info also), stamps on the letters (to document the date they were sent), and other written documentary proof. Provide a reasonable amount; two to four of each type. Pick a range of dates up to and including the present. You can also include a copy of engagement ring receipt (this is something that is a big optional - do not worry if you do not have a ring yet!)

They are not a written requirement, but go a long way in showing proof.

Edited April 23, 2010 by Filipinawife0210

[Filipinawife0210 15]

AND, FYI, The guides on this site were put together by a ton of people who have been approved based on the items included in the guides.

[del-11-03-2013 1]

Thanks to all of you for sharing this info.

NadianaPaul info you shared does help and is very useful in this case!

I did read the guide actually before posting, it had three items as a guideline. I have proof of passport stamps of visiting her city but we didn't take any photos together. Are photo together a requirement for K-1 and CR-1? That was the question I was trying to ask.

Photos together is extremely important as I mention at my previous answer No. (3). We sent 6-8 photos together + his photo with my family when we file for Fiance(e) visa. Other than that, you have to sent to them passport stamps of visiting her, airline Itinerary, hotel receipt, 12 months phone bills of me called him and he called me (I'm glad I keep all the copies), a few copy of email and chat history (msn/ym/skype). You don't want to get RFE because it is going to take longer time to process.

[journey1 0]

Thanks again FW0210 and NP for sharing very helpful info.

From the K-1 Guide see number 2

Documentary Proof of Having Met in Person in the Past Two Years and an Ongoing Relationship:

1. Copies of all airline boarding passes, train passes, itineraries, hotel receipts, passport stamps ..

2. Color Photo's of you and your fiance(e) together. ...

They are not a written requirement, but go a long way in showing proof.

Photos together is extremely important as I mention at my previous answer No. (3). ..

I have airline tickets/PP stamps as proof of visiting the city but did not take photos. Trying to determine now if K-1 can be filed (& more importantly approved) without photos together?

Or another flight overseas for few days just to take the pics together is needed for K-1?

Also because of traditional reasons, I'm not even sure if taking pics together before a formal engagement or marriage is considered okay there.

Edited April 24, 2010 by journey1

[Darnell 8,479]

What is the fastest way to bring a cute girl I met to US? is she from a Visa Waiver Program Country? If so, she can arrive in USA within a month.

Also because of traditional reasons, I'm not even sure if taking pics together before a formal engagement or marriage is considered okay there.

Great time to meet the father, ask his permission to take photos together, then go take photos together.

[JimVaPhuong 4,864]

Are photo together a requirement for K-1 and CR-1? That was the question I was trying to ask.

The K1 requires you to prove you've met within the past two years. Photos are secondary evidence, but are generally considered important, unless you have some other form of irrefutable evidence that you've met each other face-to-face.

The CR1 also requires that you've met each other face-to-face, but only indirectly. You must be legally married to apply for a CR1. In order for the marriage to be considered valid for immigration, you must both have been present at the wedding, and the marriage must have been consummated, which obviously means you must have met each other.

Whether you can have nikah before applying for a K1 depends on the laws of her country. In most Islamic countries, nikah is considered a legal wedding. If the marriage is considered legal in her country, then she's not eligible for a K1 - you'd need to apply for a CR1.

[Audy_Rob 26]

... and the marriage must have been consummated...

This seems to be a classic example of government going where they don't belong. Is the consumation of the marriage proof that the marriage is not a fraud for the purposes of immigration or is this a really antiquated standard that does not have any relevance today?

What about an elderly couple marrying or a man that lost his genitalia in a truly tragic accident or even worse, some type of war injury? Does this mean their marriages are invalid or fraudulent.

[sowmyak 0]

Thanks to all of you for sharing this info.

NadianaPaul info you shared does help and is very useful in this case!

I did read the guide actually before posting, it had three items as a guideline. I have proof of passport stamps of visiting her city but we didn't take any photos together. Are photo together a requirement for K-1 and CR-1? That was the question I was trying to ask.

Hi,

We had sent USCIS the boarding passes and stamps on passport of my fiance, phone bills and an affidavit from my dad that we were engaged. We didn't send any photos of us together and our I-129F got approved at VSC. My interview is still pending. Going by that I don't think photos are mandatory to establish proof of having met. Proof of relationship gets examined at the time of the interview.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[thongd4me 69]

Long story short, fell for a girl by accident recently while visiting overseas. Had no idea of process to bring a prospective spouse or spouse to US at the time. We're not married yet. From what I read, there are two options:

Few questions for any experts here:

K-1 Path:

1- Is K-1 the fastest option to bring her here?

Yes I believe it is, but you may have other things to consider.

2- She is in a muslim country, I was born there as well and am a USC now. Will cultural considerations cause any issue in applying for a fiance visa at consulate as a girl is supposed to get married there before leaving to meet a future spouse?

Check the MENA forum for cultural insights on this issue.

http://www.visajourn...d-north-africa/

3- Do they require any proof of meeting? We met a few times during my visit but didn't take any photos together.

I think photos are essential as many other forms of "proof" can be faked.

If you only met once for a few days I would suggest making another visit;

that would be my advice even if you had photos of the first one. This is also

because it is a life-changing decision for you both and shouldn't be entered

into lightly.

4- She had her student visa refused earlier, could that be a risk factor for her K-1 approval?

A concern yes, but not a deal breaker. She will have to explain what transpired.

5- Could just a religious ceromony of nikah (without any legal status change) before or after her K-1 filing but before departure to US cause any issues?

No, not if it wasn't registered with the civil authorities (the same is true for Thailand).

K-3 Path:

6- Is K3/K4 filed with I-130 a pretty solid option for fast processing if we got married and then filed? How long usually takes for a spouse to come to US with K-3 option?

Answer to any of the above questions from those with knowledge or experience on this is greatly appreciated.

Glad you found a cute girl; I hear the rules apply equally ugly girls,

but I wouldn't know anything about that.

Edited April 24, 2010 by thongd4me

[SuperDuper! 230]

Glad you found a cute girl; I hear the rules apply equally ugly girls,

but I wouldn't know anything about that.

No need to import. Too many large ol' nag hag bags domestically already, sans great personality.