Hi all - i have also decided to stop lurking : )

[Jeff&Felicia 2]

Hey all,

Thought id better join and stop lurking on the forums.

Just a lil about myself. Uk citizen also a student nurse (graduating summer 2012). My boyfriend is a US citizen and we met while playing a game back in early 2009. Got together in September 2009. We visit each other every 3 months for a month at a time. We've known for a while that we will eventually live in California together however not too sure which way we should go about it. Apologies for just introducing myself then straight into questions - please move if this post is not in the right place.

1, I previously graduated from University and have left myself with a student loan. Will i have to pay this off before i move to the states (assuming all visa stuff is completed etc) or can i pay it off when i start working in the us?

2, We've discussed him applying for a fiancee visa for me so we can hopefully get that sorted and i can move to the cali after i finish my course. We had agreed on this as he did not want to interfer with my studies if we were to get married before hand. But now we're thinking about getting married this year (he kinda suggested it! but no real proposal as of yet...no ring!). Although im in two minds - i know there are people on here who are living in seperate countries to their spouse and they miss each other terribly and honestly to me, to us we know we want to be together and the wait isnt the problem (to a certain extent lol). I guess i just wanted to ask would it be easier to get the spousal visa or the k1? We know we will be husband and wife just dont know when.

3,I've seen the guides and noticed that the k1 is slightly more expensive than the spousal and im a little confused. Which one takes longer on average?

4,Can i still fly to the states if we apply for either visa? (he can come here instead but i get on really well with his relatives and i dont have many here anymore)

i do have many other questions but i'll try searching them up, plus im not sure this is in the right place.

[Afrikan Queen 11]

Hi and welcome to VJ!

You can post these questions in the K1 Forum Process and Proceedures. I'm not sure about your first question. But K1 visas are faster and cheaper, takes about 6-8 months. Spousal visa is slightly longer and more expensive because their is more paperwork and takes at least 9-12 months. Not too certain of the length of time just taking a guess because they seem to change. Yes you can fly to visit your fiance, but you must prove that you have strong ties with your country, to prove that you are returning from just a visit. Like I said before, you will get more responses if you post in the K1 Form. Wishing you best on your journey.

[Messybrownhair 251]

Spousal visa is cheaper in the long run because when you get to the US you get your green card right away and don't need to file AOS. With a K1, you have to wait a couple of months without any authorization to work, which sucks! Think about it! Goodluck