Fiance visa or CR-1

[matte5299 2]

I read some forums here and i am not sure which is the better route to take.

She has a passport to get to the US. We have seen each other in person 3 times. First time was 2 years ago.

We want to get married in 1 year. Should we

1. Get a fiance visa or cr-1

2. I have no clue.

She is graduating from college next year. We hope that she can get a job here in a year somehow. And we can be married and have a happy ever after.

Please help and please be precise i do not want to get a false hope and get my hopes crushed.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

[matte5299 2]

I do not know any of the slang or acronyms so please help me out here and explain them to me.

[Brusik 11]

CR1 Takes about 8-10 months and Fiancee is about 6 months.. CR1 is preety much complete with green card etc. when she arrives in America.. Fiance you apply for green card when she arrives. I think the CR1 is cheaper in the long run... When I was at the American consulate in Georgia I ask the same question with the consulates that you are asking now.. This is how they explained to me.. good luck in your choice..

[*wifey* 0]

I read some forums here and i am not sure which is the better route to take.

She has a passport to get to the US. We have seen each other in person 3 times. First time was 2 years ago.

We want to get married in 1 year. Should we

1. Get a fiance visa or cr-1

2. I have no clue.

She is graduating from college next year. We hope that she can get a job here in a year somehow. And we can be married and have a happy ever after.

Please help and please be precise i do not want to get a false hope and get my hopes crushed.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

if u decide to do the k1 (fiance): its about 6 months and after that, u gotta get married within 90 months once u re in the usa. then u gotta go through the adjustment of status procedure to stay in the usa and turn it into a green card.

if u wanna do the cr-1 (spouse): u gotta get married, then u can file for the cr-1. und cant stay in th usa after the marriage, the cr-1 takes about 8-10 months. it s a green card visa.

price-wise: the cr-1 will b cheaper on the long run since u dont need the adjustment of status which is about 1000$. the visa fees themselves are quite similar, about 800$ on average, plus some other things (medical, etc.)

[Kish.2328 9]

if u decide to do the k1 (fiance): its about 6 months and after that, u gotta get married within 90 months once u re in the usa. then u gotta go through the adjustment of status procedure to stay in the usa and turn it into a green card.

if u wanna do the cr-1 (spouse): u gotta get married, then u can file for the cr-1. und cant stay in th usa after the marriage, the cr-1 takes about 8-10 months. it s a green card visa.

price-wise: the cr-1 will b cheaper on the long run since u dont need the adjustment of status which is about 1000$. the visa fees themselves are quite similar, about 800$ on average, plus some other things (medical, etc.)

I agree. However, I just want to correct that its 90 days not 90 months

[*wifey* 0]

I agree. However, I just want to correct that its 90 days not 90 months

oh, erm, yes - SURE me and my typos - but i cant edit it for some reason.

[texas-gal 3]

I just went through the K1 visa process and from the time I mailed the petition to the time the visa was received in Germany was about 8 months.

I think a lot of the question is do you want to get married in the US and live here right after your marriage, get married in another country, or get married in the US and your spouse return to her home country. If you want the first then go with the K1. If you want the second or third then go with the CR 1.

[Moomin 292]

Matte, you don't mention where your fiance is from. This might help a bit since some countries are placing people in administrative processing and then it takes longer than just 6 months with the K1.

The K1 is indeed more expensive. If approved, she will get to stay with you after entering the US and adjusting status(AOS). It is flexible meaning that even if she's approved in December it allows her to postpone her entry for up to 6 months after receiving the visa, and then valid 90 days after entering the US. But she can only use the visa one time, so you have to get married after she enters the US. With the adjustment of status(after marriage) she'll have to wait some months to have the actual greencard in hand, be able to work and/or travel outside US. If it doesn't matter to you or your wife that she can't work rightaway or that it costs more I'd recommend this route.

The CR-1 is cheaper but it also requires to be married before you send in the petition and being apart some of the time after getting married until approved. If you don't mind that, then I'd recommend this route since you won't have to deal with adjusting status or waiting to receive work authorization. That way your soon to be wife is not as limited the first couple of months.

Discuss with your fiancee what's most important to her, and you as a couple. Good luck : )

Edited June 10, 2011 by moomin

[matte5299 2]

Matte, you don't mention where your fiance is from. This might help a bit since some countries are placing people in administrative processing and then it takes longer than just 6 months with the K1.

The K1 is indeed more expensive. If approved, she will get to stay with you after entering the US and adjusting status(AOS). It is flexible meaning that even if she's approved in December it allows her to postpone her entry for up to 6 months after receiving the visa, and then valid 90 days after entering the US. But she can only use the visa one time, so you have to get married after she enters the US. With the adjustment of status(after marriage) she'll have to wait some months to have the actual greencard in hand, be able to work and/or travel outside US. If it doesn't matter to you or your wife that she can't work rightaway or that it costs more I'd recommend this route.

The CR-1 is cheaper but it also requires to be married before you send in the petition and being apart some of the time after getting married until approved. If you don't mind that, then I'd recommend this route since you won't have to deal with adjusting status or waiting to receive work authorization. That way your soon to be wife is not as limited the first couple of months.

Discuss with your fiancee what's most important to her, and you as a couple. Good luck : )

1. If we get married an then decide to get a CR1, how long until she will be able to enter the US again?

2.How long does she have to leave the US if we get married in the US?

3. If i get married in Mexico, can i stay there until she gets the CR1? Or do i have to be in the Us for this process?

[matte5299 2]

Also, if we decide to get a K1 can she leave and go to work in Mexico? Because she has a job there.

[*wifey* 0]

well, she cant stay in the US after ur marriage, but as far as i know there s no time limit when she s allowed to come back. she will be allowed to travel to the US during the visa-process.

usually she can stay aas long an IO stamped into her passport... and then she has to go home. i havent herd of any restrictions about how long u gotta stay outside the us - but she may get in trouble if she just leaves for 2 days and then comes back already since that d be a lil fast.

u dont have to be in the US during the visa process; but u should be able to obtain needed documents and check emails/ maybe mail in order to stay updated on the case.

during the visa process she doesnt have to be in the US so working in mexico wont be a problem. but once she s in the US it ll take some time till the AOS and then there might be problems, but i dont know too much bout the k-1 visa so i cant tell u exactly.

i think u gotta decide what u wanna do - get married first, then cr-1 - or get married once she s there with the k-1.

u ll probably have to be apart for some time - but, hey, its never nice; but after the wait u ll be together... and time passes even though the really hard times pass. see my tickers - i know what i m talking about. so hang in there.

and i hope u can make a decision soon. what does ur fiance prefer?

[CanadaLove 16]

1. If we get married an then decide to get a CR1, how long until she will be able to enter the US again?

2.How long does she have to leave the US if we get married in the US?

3. If i get married in Mexico, can i stay there until she gets the CR1? Or do i have to be in the Us for this process?

1. If your fiancee is from a country which requires a visa to enter the US, then she likely won't be able to visit the US until the process is over, as the CR1 application shows a clear immigrant intent. If she isn't from a visa-required country, she must bring strong ties to her home (letter from job saying she must return on a specific date; copy of apartment lease, any other obligation she has in her home country) and any official notice from the government (like the notice of action (NOA) 1 and let the customs border patrol (CBP) officer decide whether to let her in or not.

2. She has as long as the time stated to the CBP officer as to how long she was staying in the country; although the visitor visa allows someone to stay in the US up to 6 months.

3. You should check with the Mexico consulate as to how strict they are on this; but as this is an immigration visa, most consulates require the petitioner (you) to have domicile in the US. Somewhat less important is a job which makes 125% above the poverty level, as you can get a co-sponsor for that (usually an immediate family member). The income requirement becomes important in the second stage of the CR1 process (which is the National Visa Center or NVC stage), in support of the I865 form.

And to your fourth question.. well, it wouldn't be so bad if you live near the Mexican border that she has a job in Mexico. If you live in say, Michigan, well, she's either going to have one hell of a commute or she's going to have to give up the Mexico job as the CR1 is a path to permanent residence in the US. Which means she should be living here in the US.