Advice needed! So confused!!

[Stine83 0]

Ok, so a little background information: I'm 28 yrs. old and from Denmark. My boyfriend is the same age and from the States. We are currently looking at the whole process of getting married, but we are confused on where to start and which way to go with this. I'm currently a student, I'll finish my degree in a year though. My boyfriend is employed and living in America, but in general our funds are limited.

Anyway, so here are some questions (I'm sorry if these have been asked before):

1. We might want to live in Denmark for the first couple of years only. However, would it still be the same deal if we get married in the States? Like would that influence where we can live afterwards? Or if we get married in Denmark, does that mean we can't move to the States afterwards?

2. I read somewhere else on this site that the fiance visa is a costly process and some would recommend doing the spouse visa. How does all this work? Would we then just go to the JOP to get married next time I'm in the States, and then apply for a spouse visa, or is this a bad idea?

I just have no idea where to even begin with all this. I hope to get some help from some of you guys. Thanks a lot!

[thelastpetitioner 218]

1.it can define where you can live afterwards for a couple of years as long as you have a green card,as far as i know ( correct me vets if I' m wrong) as long as you have a green card you have an obligation to live in the states at least 6 months a year or else you'll be abandoning it.if you apply for k-1,when you arrive in the states you'll be applying for adjustment of status,when it gets approved you'll get a two year conditional green card,so at least for the first two,three years,you cant LIVE in any country other than states.

2.define costly,engagement and spouse visas are priced almost equally,but in engagement you pay a big chunk a couple of times and spouse visa a couple of dollars here and a couple there many times.of course marriage is more convenient for the petitioner and the beneficiary because as soon as you arrive in the states you'll get your green card but keep in mind,for a marriage visa you'll have to prove a bona fide marriage,in k-1 you can sum it up with boarding passes,tickets,pictures,emails,but in marriage visas you are required actual legal evidence that you got married and actually lived together for a period of time.

[payxibka 10,045]

Ok, so a little background information: I'm 28 yrs. old and from Denmark. My boyfriend is the same age and from the States. We are currently looking at the whole process of getting married, but we are confused on where to start and which way to go with this. I'm currently a student, I'll finish my degree in a year though. My boyfriend is employed and living in America, but in general our funds are limited.

Anyway, so here are some questions (I'm sorry if these have been asked before):

1. We might want to live in Denmark for the first couple of years only. However, would it still be the same deal if we get married in the States? Like would that influence where we can live afterwards? Or if we get married in Denmark, does that mean we can't move to the States afterwards?

2. I read somewhere else on this site that the fiance visa is a costly process and some would recommend doing the spouse visa. How does all this work? Would we then just go to the JOP to get married next time I'm in the States, and then apply for a spouse visa, or is this a bad idea?

I just have no idea where to even begin with all this. I hope to get some help from some of you guys. Thanks a lot!

The US Citizen can petition for their spouse at anytime... It does not matter if the marriage took place in the US or abroad...

There is a cost difference between the spouse visa and the fiance(e) visa when you take into consideration the forms you need to file for the fiance(e) to get the greencard but in the end, it is but just a few hundred dollars different

[payxibka 10,045]

1.it can define where you can live afterwards for a couple of years as long as you have a green card,as far as i know ( correct me vets if I' m wrong) as long as you have a green card you have an obligation to live in the states at least 6 months a year or else you'll be abandoning it.if you apply for k-1,when you arrive in the states you'll be applying for adjustment of status,when it gets approved you'll get a two year conditional green card,so at least for the first two,three years,you cant LIVE in any country other than states.

A conditional residency card has nothing to do with living in the US or not, but about the length of the marriage by which the immigration benefit was received. In order to maintain US residency you can't "live" in another country at anytime. If you move your residency, other than for a temporary period of time, would put an end to your US residency. This does not matter if it is a conditional to 10 year card.

[Stine83 0]

Alright, so just to make sure I understood it right: My boyfriend and I can't get married in the States and then move to Denmark? Getting married in the States means we have to stay there and live for a while or?

I guess we are trying to figure out where we should get married. It has to be somewhere where it won't cost us a fortune, and then afterwards we'd like to move to Denmark (or possibly Sweden) for a while. But we still want to keep the option open of moving to the States eventually. How do you think we should do this?

Thanks!

[TwoCats 55]

Alright, so just to make sure I understood it right: My boyfriend and I can't get married in the States and then move to Denmark? Getting married in the States means we have to stay there and live for a while or?

I guess we are trying to figure out where we should get married. It has to be somewhere where it won't cost us a fortune, and then afterwards we'd like to move to Denmark (or possibly Sweden) for a while. But we still want to keep the option open of moving to the States eventually. How do you think we should do this?

Thanks!

I think you might be getting a bit confused by some of what's being discussed.

If you were to come to the US and get married with intent to stay here (you should look into a K-1 visa if this is the case), then try to adjust status (get a green card), then you would not be able to leave the country while you are adjusting status (until you get an approved AP). After you have a greencard, you would have to maintain your residency here in the US to keep that greencard, which means not living abroad more than 6 months in a year.

If you plan on coming to the US and getting married and do not intend to stay, I /believe/ (not 100% certain) that you should be able to leave the country without any issues. When you do plan on immigrating to the US, your spouse can file for a spousal visa for you at that time. It should not matter what country you get married in. Getting married in Denmark will not prevent you from immigrating to the US in the future.

However, I do suggest that before you make a decision, you do some research.

Investigate what the immigration process is in Denmark for getting your BF there for the few years you plan on living together there. Is he moving there on a spousal visa, work visa, etc? Figure out the process required for that move first. Figure out the requirements for getting married in your area of Denmark and in your BF's state. Each state/province tends to have slightly different rules/regulations for getting a marriage license and getting married.

Edited January 14, 2011 by TwoCats

[unclesam112 0]

A K-1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa issued to the fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen to enter the United States. The U.S. Citizen must petition on behalf of their future spouse with the U.S. Government agency handling immigration matters called the USCIS. Once the foreign fiancé(e) receives the Fiancé(e) Visa, they must marry their US citizen petitioner within 90 days of entry into the United States, or leave the US. Once the couple marries, the foreign citizen can adjust status to receive their Green card.

[Stine83 0]

Okay, I get it now And yes, got it all a bit confused! Thank you for making things clear to me.

So if we get married in the States, the marriage itself won't cost us anything? It's only when we start applying for a visa, green card and what not that we have to pay?

[TwoCats 55]

Okay, I get it now And yes, got it all a bit confused! Thank you for making things clear to me.

So if we get married in the States, the marriage itself won't cost us anything? It's only when we start applying for a visa, green card and what not that we have to pay?

It depends on your state.

Try doing a google search for '<insert state> marriage license cost'.

For instance, in Illinois it costs $30.00 for the marriage license.

[pushbrk 12,975]

It depends on your state.

Try doing a google search for '<insert state> marriage license cost'.

For instance, in Illinois it costs $30.00 for the marriage license.

Right, and depending on who officiates at the wedding, they may charge a fee or expect a contribution, etc. but those costs have nothing to do with immigration or visas.