U.S. citizen wanting to get married in the states and live abroad

[Pepe and Nicole 0]

Good afternoon,

I was looking at the fiance and spouse visa processes and it seems that the only options are to apply for the green card status if there is an intent for seeking permanent residency in the states. What are the best options in my case? I'm a U.S. citizen, living abroad, who met and fell in love with a Mexican and we just recently got engaged and want to do the wedding as soon as possible here in Mexico. We will continue living in Mexico, but is it possible for him to get just a tourist visa to visit the U.S. once a year when I go home to visit my family once we're legally married here? Or should we get a tourist visa before we're married? What are our options if we wanted to have the civil wedding in the states just to turn around and come to continue living in Mexico?

Any advice would be very appreciated!

[Done--Really 331]

It is a quandary. Once you are married, getting a tourist visa becomes more problematic, so you may want to do that quickly, but even now he will need strong ties to Mexico--job, house, bank account, etc, etc to get a B1/B2 visa. Once married, you can of course get a CR-1 visa and green card, but for all intents he will have to spend six out of twelve months in the US, and that isn't always possible. If it IS possible, then after three years he can apply for US citizenship, and once obtained, you can live anywhere you want for as long as you want, but the 3 - 4 years may be a hardship, or maybe not possible at all.

But know this, there are zillions of USC's married to non-USC's all over the world, and HAPPY !!

[Pepe and Nicole 0]

It is a quandary. Once you are married, getting a tourist visa becomes more problematic, so you may want to do that quickly, but even now he will need strong ties to Mexico--job, house, bank account, etc, etc to get a B1/B2 visa. Once married, you can of course get a CR-1 visa and green card, but for all intents he will have to spend six out of twelve months in the US, and that isn't always possible. If it IS possible, then after three years he can apply for US citizenship, and once obtained, you can live anywhere you want for as long as you want, but the 3 - 4 years may be a hardship, or maybe not possible at all.

But know this, there are zillions of USC's married to non-USC's all over the world, and HAPPY !!

Thank you for the information! If we can get a tourist visa for him, is it revoked once we're legally married, or can he still come and go freely?

[TeapotGirl 66]

Thank you for the information! If we can get a tourist visa for him, is it revoked once we're legally married, or can he still come and go freely?

It depends. My cousin got a multiple entry tourist visa good for 10yrs. But then again, you have to produce a valuable amount of asset to get a tourist visa. Bank account (with activity), car/s, big house, business, high paying and stable job. In short, he must be rich. I am not sure how strict the US with Mexicans but with Filipinos, only well off people can get tourist visa.

You could also file for K-1 visa, process will take up to 6-9mos, stay with your fiance till it's done but the visa is one time entry only. Once the visa is received, you got 90days to marry in the US. Once expired, he has to come back in Mexico. You could come with him and continue living in Mexico.

Your other option is to file for CR-1 spousal visa after marriage and stay with your fiance til it's approved. Could take up to 1-1.5yrs but this is an immigrant status.

Edited October 17, 2011 by teapotgurl1983

[DerZinker 4]

Listen to me, for I have been in the same situation. I married a Mexican woman who had been previously denied a tourist visa for not having done her homeowork. In fact after having been approved for an immigrant visa petitioned by me, she was denied a tourist visa again because she was married to a US citizen. Because we were really in a bind, I contacted my congressman and made a bunch of noise and told them that I lived and worked in Mexico and blah blah blah and they in-turn contacted the consualte and she was then approved a tourist visa like magic very quickly thereafter.

The trick is to have you husband be very adamant in that he is only going to the US to visit. Although they say to bring proof of propety ownership and income, they rarely ever look at that stuff. I'm not encouraging anyone to lie, seriously, but the surest way to obatin a tourist visa, at least in Mexico anyway, is to be very clear that you are only going to visit and leave any possible ties to the US out of the conversation (i.e. his marriage to you). So when the question comes up, 'what is your purpose of visiting the United States' = I want to visit my wifes family = denied (because he then becomes a possible intending immigrant) vs. 'I want to go to Las Vegas and party with my many Mexican friends who already have a tourist visa' = approved (because this is good fo rthe US economy and chances are ver good that he'll be going back to Mexico at the end of his trip.

Again, I don't encourage any lying, but I've been there a dozen times and can tell you what works.

[DerZinker 4]

Thank you for the information! If we can get a tourist visa for him, is it revoked once we're legally married, or can he still come and go freely?

Regarding this question, his tourist visa will not be revoked once you are married. I have travelled a half-dozen times to the US with my wife the past several years without any problems whatsoever and we have been married the whole time. In very rare cases, they might get grumpy and again request evidence that proves that he will return to Mexico at the end of your trip, but I have never had this problem when travelling with my Mexican wife and have really never met anyone here who has had a problem getting in once they held the tourist visa. Just a couple of horro stories here and there, but I would say don't worry about it...

[DerZinker 4]

Sorry, just one more thing.. I got married here in Mexico (both the civil wedding and the religious wedding). The civil wedding is the only one you have to worry about emotionally (the other financially) because that's all that matters legally. It's a little bit of a pain, but if you Live in Mexico then it's not so bad. You will have to file a petition in Mexico where you file for your FM1 / FM2 / FM3/ that costs something like $200+ USD and attend some classes and also get checked out by a doctor to make sure you don't have nay STD's.

After you do that you're clear to get married in Mexico.