Traveling abroad during process before AP is approved

[meredith and zac 5]

My fiance and I are working on our initial application for the fiance visa and we were planning on him coming to the US summer next year. To complicate matters, my best friend is having a destination wedding in Mexico in June and I really want Zac to be able to come! We are looking at getting married and filing the AOS (along with AP) as soon as we can when he gets here, but there is no way the AP would be approved before we would need to leave for Mexico! Is there any way for him to get a separate tourist visa or something to go to the US and Mexico and then come back into the US on the fiance visa?? Or is there any other way to do this??? At this point we feel like the only option is to either postpone the fiance visa process (which we REALLY don't want to do) or really speed through it so that his AP is approved by summer!! HELP!

[Darnell 8,478]

foreign fiance is UK Citizen?

Have him/her land in Mexico first, stay there until you two are ready to transit INTO the USA.

If he is a UK Citizen, you really should explore the 'Visa Waiver Program' a bit.

[meredith and zac 5]

He is a UK citizen! What is the Visa Waiver program? I haven't heard of it!

[CBM 14]

Is short, the visa waiver program is a program that allows a person from a country on the WVP list, to visit the US without a visa, for up to 90 days for business or tourism. You can find a ton about it if you search for it online! British citizens of the UK are on the list.

Is it possible for your fiance to travel from the UK to Mexico to attend the wedding, then enter the US from Mexico for you to get married? That may not be compatible with your hopeful wedding timeline; I wasn't quite sure from your post!

Even though the UK is on the visa waiver program, that doesn't mean he is exempt from the AP rule. He still must receive either AP or his greencard before leaving the US and ensuring he will be able to travel back to the US without problems. He will not be allowed to marry you, then travel to Mexico for the wedding, and back to the US without either AP or his green card.

And, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no real feasible way of "speeding through" the K-1 process (unless you are an active soldier, I believe). It's hellish and slow! haha... I'm going through the Montreal consulate, which is notorious for being slow... I'm not sure about London, but you are looking at a few months at least, most likely. If you look at people's timelines that went through London, you could get a better idea of how long it will take between NoA2 and your interview!

I hope this helps a little bit! Good luck to you!

[sachinky 465]

You may very well travel abroad, but don't expect to be let back into the US without a valid AP or GC.