Getting Married before K-1 is approved

[PrncWill_PrnsElsa 10]

as far as i know,Phillipinos as a whole are religious people,and you can only have religious ceremonies when traditionally its not considered marriage through local point of view.

they preview each file specifically with the traditions of each country in mind in the embassy stage

So, what are you saying... these people could NOT have JUST a religious ceremony? That by doing ONLY a religious ceremony they could be denied their K-1 visa?

Or.. is this just your opinion?

Thanks.. just trying to learn.

[jameugiekaxavilon 25]

No, you cannot convert the process into spousal one. You need to apply for I-130 the right process for you. GOD bless and hope you will have a smooth journey!!

[Ryan H 3,925]

hello everyone! I hope someone can give me an expert opinion on this one on how to proceed. we have applied for k-1 visa almost 8 months ago and after waiting for months and months and months...we finally decided to have a church wedding in the philippines for religious and cultural reasons. After all wedding plans have been finalized (I'm getting married in June 4), the NOA2 arrives! Isn't that ironic? The thing you've been waiting for finally gets here and you don't know what to do with it now!

If having a church wedding does not make you legally married in the Philippines, then you can go ahead with your ceremony. Just don't file any paperwork and avoid using terms like wedding, husband, wife. Some countries require paperwork to be filed before you are legally married, other countries a simple meeting of families makes you legally married. You will need to know what Philippine law on this is before proceeding. People have "engagement ceremonies" all the time in the beneficiary's home country before the beneficiary moves to the US and enters on a K1.

So my question is, is there a way to convert k-1 to k-3? if not should I just ignore this k-1 application and start I-130 after we get married? or will my k-1 visa somehow conflict and slow down my I-130 application?

No. There is no way to convert; plus the K3 is a dead visa type in practice. If you were withdraw your K1 and refile for CR-1, you go back to the start, which means more waiting. The waiting you have done up until this point will have been for naught.

[Ebunoluwa 6,140]

I know of a circumstance where the K1 couple had a religious ceremony and never submitted any photos of it.

Both were present at the 2. interview. The CO took a photo of their ceremony out of their thick case folder and showed it to the couple, asking what is this ? You are married ?

The petitioner said yes that was an unregistered religious ceremony and no they are not married. The CO replied she doubted that it was unregistered.

The couple has no idea how the CO obtained the photo. It was a large paper print copy. The couple was denied for another reason.

You are close to your interview, why start all over again with a spousal visa ? Would you not prefer to be together sooner rather than later ?

Unless you are put in prolonged AP after your interview I would not proceed with even a religious ceremony at this point.

[Mia & Venoy 0]

Thanks so much for all the replies ... And the concerns! We know we are making our path harder than it already is.... But we will be together wether it's in the US or the Philippines, we are just not willing to let this whole very lengthy process corrupt our shared ethics and views in life....good luck to all of us!

[thelastpetitioner 218]

So, what are you saying... these people could NOT have JUST a religious ceremony? That by doing ONLY a religious ceremony they could be denied their K-1 visa?

Or.. is this just your opinion?

Thanks.. just trying to learn.

you see,in some countries ( not necessarily relilgions ) the religious ceremony is looked upon as a full blown marriage,for example middle eastern countries with muslim majority consider nekah ( the religious ceremony ) enough to recognize it a legal marriage.

am i getting my point across? in the end it depends on the country,not the religion.

[Aztec&Taino 144]

I think this type of question gets posted weekly.

No, there is no way to "convert" the fiance(e) visa petition into a spouse visa petition.

You can choose to get married, but then you would lose the money and time you've spent on your fiance(e) visa petition.

I know that waiting is hard, but once you have chosen your journey you have to have the patience to see it through.

Best wishes!

[Linha87 0]

as far as i know,Phillipinos as a whole are religious people,and you can only have religious ceremonies when traditionally its not considered marriage through local point of view.

they preview each file specifically with the traditions of each country in mind in the embassy stage

Well, I'm not sure what I'm gonna say, so, I may be wrong, but as far as I know a religious ceremony is just a cultural ceremony, if you only do it on the church it does not mean you are legally married so I personally do not think you would have a problem as far as you don't make it legal.

[Jim Brown 5]

My spouse and I initially planned on filing for a K1 visa and having a purely religious ceremony (not legal) in the UK, then have the legal portion done in the United States per the visa requirements. UK authorities informed us this was not possible, as laws required any religious ceremony to also confirm the couple are 'legally' married. Because we had already planned the entire religious ceremony, we flew her over here and got married legally, then filed for the CR1. We were married by a judge and had a small dinner celebration afterwards, and are still planning the religious ceremony as well, which is apparently fine in the UK according to the authorities. In any case, you can't convert your K1 to a CR1, and you definitely want to determine if the Phillipines will allow you to have a religious ceremony that is not simultaneously legal. It cost us an extra plane ticket and time, but we wanted to be sure to go about it the right way so that when she does finally get here we are completely legal. I wish you the best!

-Jim

[mystic 11]

hello everyone! I hope someone can give me an expert opinion on this one on how to proceed. we have applied for k-1 visa almost 8 months ago and after waiting for months and months and months...we finally decided to have a church wedding in the philippines for religious and cultural reasons. After all wedding plans have been finalized (I'm getting married in June 4), the NOA2 arrives! Isn't that ironic? The thing you've been waiting for finally gets here and you don't know what to do with it now!

So my question is, is there a way to convert k-1 to k-3? if not should I just ignore this k-1 application and start I-130 after we get married? or will my k-1 visa somehow conflict and slow down my I-130 application?

Please help!!!

Thanks!

Mia & Venoy

I know someone that did this and it was a disaster. They had to withdraw the first petition which took almost 7 months, then they had to refile the correct petition and the first petition did cause red flags for them. All in all it took 3 years from the time of withdrawing the first petition to his arrival... Dont do it. If you wait then you will only have to delay getting married a few months most likely, if the interview goes well.

Edited April 17, 2011 by mystic

[thelastpetitioner 218]

Well, I'm not sure what I'm gonna say, so, I may be wrong, but as far as I know a religious ceremony is just a cultural ceremony, if you only do it on the church it does not mean you are legally married so I personally do not think you would have a problem as far as you don't make it legal.

well youre wrong it varies from country to country,but like someone else mentioned, in some countries,religious ceremony = legal marriage