Need some advice and help...

[lauraleigh81 0]

Hi all, I am a new member here and I have a couple of questions.

I met my boyfriend on Facebook but he is an Australian citizen. We finally met this past week and we have fallen in love and I know I want to marry him, and he wants to marry me. What do we have to do to let him come here and live with me for a while, and then eventually get married. Can he come here on a work visa? Or is the fiancee visa the way to go? ( We have known each other for a few months, but we know we want to be together. What sort of relationship proof do we need to show we are not doing this just for his green card?

Where should we start?

Thanks so much!!

[rsn 135]

Hi all, I am a new member here and I have a couple of questions.

I met my boyfriend on Facebook but he is an Australian citizen. We finally met this past week and we have fallen in love and I know I want to marry him, and he wants to marry me. What do we have to do to let him come here and live with me for a while, and then eventually get married. Can he come here on a work visa? Or is the fiancee visa the way to go? ( We have known each other for a few months, but we know we want to be together. What sort of relationship proof do we need to show we are not doing this just for his green card?

Where should we start?

Thanks so much!!

If you want to get hitched in the states, K1 is the way to go. Otherwise, get married in AUS and go for a CR1. Take some time and read the guides on this site thoroughly. Make good use of the search box on this site as well since most of your future questions have probably already been answered by someone. The guides can be found at the top of any page, right between Portals and Wiki.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Hi all, I am a new member here and I have a couple of questions.

I met my boyfriend on Facebook but he is an Australian citizen. We finally met this past week and we have fallen in love and I know I want to marry him, and he wants to marry me. What do we have to do to let him come here and live with me for a while, and then eventually get married. Can he come here on a work visa? Or is the fiancee visa the way to go? ( We have known each other for a few months, but we know we want to be together. What sort of relationship proof do we need to show we are not doing this just for his green card?

Where should we start?

Thanks so much!!

I have no idea if he's qualified for a work visa. He'd generally need a company in the US to offer him a job and sponsor his visa. Those visas are primarily for people who have skills, talent, or knowledge which is in short supply in the US. Those visas are also rationed.

The fiance visa (K1) is for people who have already made a firm commitment to marry, and it requires that he marry you within 90 days of his arrival in the US.

There is no "let's shack up for a while and see if it works out" visa. He can come for up to 90 days without a visa using the Visa Waiver Program. Most Australians are eligible. He can also get a B2 tourist visa and stay for up to six months. Neither of these would allow him to work legally in the US.

He could also get a student visa. He'd have to apply, be accepted, and enroll in a school in the US. He'd also have to pay international student tuition rates, which can be VERY expensive.

I'd suggest both of you make a few trips to visit each other before making any long term plans. There's a considerable amount of time and money involved in getting the right visa to immigrate to the US. When you're ready to get serious and settle down then go here:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/guides

Start with the "What visa do we need?" link. This will give you a good comparison of the various marriage related visas available, how long each takes to get (on average), and what it will cost. It also details the advantages and disadvantages of each. Once you've chosen a course of action then there's a specific guide for each type of visa.

[kutakendra 3]

Going through the K-1 process, I think you are better off getting married first, b/c you are able to get a green card right from landing at your POE, but that means getting married. Unfortunately, you are married, not seeing if it works out. Many of us are or will be going through this again to get greencards. If he has exceptional ability, you can apply for a work visa, but they aren't that easy to get. You must be very educated in a science field. We went the student visa route, first, two years ago, but they are very expensive and require huge cash reserves. I could show them, but he could not. They said Nay Nay. Now, two years later, we have gotten tired of spending our money flying across the pond and are making honest people of each other.

Good luck. No matter what you decide. You'll think you did the wrong thing while waiting.

NOA1 10/27/2010

[♥Yllen 3]

There is no "let's shack up for a while and see if it works out" visa. He can come for up to 90 days without a visa using the Visa Waiver Program. Most Australians are eligible. He can also get a B2 tourist visa and stay for up to six months. Neither of these would allow him to work legally in the US.

He could also get a student visa. He'd have to apply, be accepted, and enroll in a school in the US. He'd also have to pay international student tuition rates, which can be VERY expensive.