One more week and so many questions...

[mrbungle 0]

Hello there everyone, it's been a while since I posted on here. I hope everyone is well and staying strong!

I'm here because I am in a bit of a pickle and I need some help.

My story so far is quite long, but i'm going to shorten it alot.. so here goes..

I returned home to the UK in September 2008 after overstaying a Visa in the US. My girlfriend and I continued our relationship over long distance and it was in 2009 that we decided to marry. We started our paperwork a long time ago aiming to marry and live in the US, we have gone through absolute hell trying to get a K1 visa. The paperwork took forever to be processed and when I went for my interview at the embassy, my case was put on hold and 'reviewed'. We then received a denial and of course we appealed.

After even more waiting and months and months apart, we recently received my K1!

Now. The thing is, towards the end of the process, after months and months of stress when we had lost hope of ever getting the K1, we decided that, even if I was approved months down the line, we would settle in the UK after marrying in the US (for personal reasons, mainly family and work).

The worry and big query is: I just want to go over for the three weeks on a K1, I have booked the time off work, I have bought my tickets and I now have my K1. We want to get married in that time then I fly back. I am just worried whether this is even possible??????

My 2nd query is: When I enter the country, do i let immigration know there and then I am only entering for three weeks and then flying home again?? Or do I enter and then contact the INS to let them know I'm flying back to the UK early??

3nd!: Do I fill out the ESTA form if i'm travelling on a K1?

4th!!: Do I fill out the white form on the plane???

5th!!!: Is it even possible to do what we want to do???

(insert smoke fizzling out of my ears here)

I appreciate any help and advice.

I personally can't see anything wrong with walking up to immigration and saying, 'hello, here is my k1 visa, I am getting married and flying home out of your country in three weeks'.. (with the right form filled out of course! :-D )

Any thoughts????

[jkminney 30]

bit of a pisser really...you would have never needed the K1 to come here and get married and leave...you only needed it so you can stay once you got married.

[TwoCats 55]

bit of a pisser really...you would have never needed the K1 to come here and get married and leave...you only needed it so you can stay once you got married.

[YozhikandBulochka 3]

Yeah, I agree with the guy above. You could have just gotten a Tourist visa for 3 months. Well I guess it was worth it =\ hmm, I wonder if USCIS allows people to trade their unwanted K-1's....just kidding. Congrats once again

[baron555 934]

Hello there everyone, it's been a while since I posted on here. I hope everyone is well and staying strong!

I'm here because I am in a bit of a pickle and I need some help.

My story so far is quite long, but i'm going to shorten it alot.. so here goes..

I returned home to the UK in September 2008 after overstaying a Visa in the US. My girlfriend and I continued our relationship over long distance and it was in 2009 that we decided to marry. We started our paperwork a long time ago aiming to marry and live in the US, we have gone through absolute hell trying to get a K1 visa. The paperwork took forever to be processed and when I went for my interview at the embassy, my case was put on hold and 'reviewed'. We then received a denial and of course we appealed.

After even more waiting and months and months apart, we recently received my K1!

Now. The thing is, towards the end of the process, after months and months of stress when we had lost hope of ever getting the K1, we decided that, even if I was approved months down the line, we would settle in the UK after marrying in the US (for personal reasons, mainly family and work).

The worry and big query is: I just want to go over for the three weeks on a K1, I have booked the time off work, I have bought my tickets and I now have my K1. We want to get married in that time then I fly back. I am just worried whether this is even possible??????

Yes.....but see below.

My 2nd query is: When I enter the country, do i let immigration know there and then I am only entering for three weeks and then flying home again?? Or do I enter and then contact the INS to let them know I'm flying back to the UK early??

If you tell them you are using the K-1 for that purpose, which is not the intended purpose (that being to marry and settle and AOS in the US) then there is a big chance they will reject you. To lie could have bad future consequences also. Why even come here if you two are going to go there to live. Have her fly over to you and het married there and stay.

3nd!: Do I fill out the ESTA form if i'm travelling on a K1?

No

4th!!: Do I fill out the white form on the plane???

Yes

5th!!!: Is it even possible to do what we want to do???

See above.

I appreciate any help and advice.

I personally can't see anything wrong with walking up to immigration and saying, 'hello, here is my k1 visa, I am getting married and flying home out of your country in three weeks'.. (with the right form filled out of course! :-D )

If you do now AOS here, after marrying here, then you may not or even ever be able to enter the US. I wouldn't cut myself out of that future chance....but then again, I live here and are so biased. Your decision. Yes you can enter with a K-1 with the intent to marry and no one will keep you from leaving, whenever you want.

Any thoughts????

So after all that work, you are successful and now you want to "throw it all out the window"?

Having a residence in the US....or better able after three years being married to the K-1 petitioner, you can apply for a US Passport.....those are worth their weight in gold.....at least to many folks.

[mrbungle 0]

Originally I was going to move over permanently, but our process took so long that our ideas changed. I was even going to apply for a tourist visa (after we lost faith in the K1) but when you're 3/4 of the way through the k1 process, why cancel it and start over, it might have taken even longer for us to be together!

So, a K1 still allows me to stay for a few weeks? Correct?

Does anyone have any idea about the relevance of the ESTA to my travels and whether i would have to fill out the white form on the plane?

(and in response to that last comment, we are not throwing anything away. We all have different stories and ours is relevant to the paths we've chosen. Our 'Gold' is ours to obtain, I don't think it's fair to give opinions that direct guilt towards others, especially when you don't know the whole story. This may not have been the intention, but it came across that way).

[iampatricias 17]

The K1 allows you to stay with the intention of marrying for 90 days (ie. 3 months). Because you have the K1, ESTA becomes unnecessary - you've been cleared for entry. The white form is required in your case.

[amykathleen2005 441]

Actually having a overstayed before a K-1 is one of the only options to visit in the situation and he can't do VWP. Anyways, but OP why take all the time, money and trouble to get a K-1 and just abandon it? If you ever want to move to the US you're going to have to go through a similar process all over again.

[mrbungle 0]

Thank you all so much for your help! I really appreciate it! You are all so kind.

Sorry to baron555 for my defensive reply, i was up to my ears in panic and i think i misinterpreted.

Good luck to everyone. All the best.

I'll close this thread so it's not left unread.