K1

[sir_wob9 0]

my girlfriend in Canadian, I'm a U.S. born citizen, would it be possible to avoid a bunch of bureaucracy by just marrying her when she came down to visit? I know a lot of paperwork would still have to be done but, we are trying to avoid the wait time

[KittyPollitt 284]

No one here is going to recommend that you circumvent immigration laws. It's against the terms of service of the site. You can marry her here while she's visiting, but if she enters the US with the intent to marry you, she's got to return to Canada for you to file for the proper visa. If she just marries you while visiting and you apply for her greencard right afterward, she has to prove to them that she had no intent to do so when she entered the US. Lying to USCIS is serious stuff that can result in deportation and re entry bans. Doing it the proper way is the way to go.

[Shawn&Jodie 14]

You'd then need to apply for a CR1, rather than a K1.

Not sure if this is correct, but it does take a little longer, but there are benefits to it, such as your spouse would be able to work sooner.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

[Dave&Roza 748]

my girlfriend in Canadian, I'm a U.S. born citizen, would it be possible to avoid a bunch of bureaucracy by just marrying her when she came down to visit? I know a lot of paperwork would still have to be done but, we are trying to avoid the wait time

Good luck with that. At least Canada is close and cheap to travel to. Plus most likely both of you will be able to travel to see the other. Count yourself lucky. Most of us that go through this process not only have the waiting, but it is very expensive for the USC to travel to their intended SO's country and for some of us there is no way in hell the SO can come to the US until the visa is issued. So we have to wait without seeing our SO for a very long time.

Sorry, but people who want to short cut the legal process just burns my butt.

Dave

Edited January 5, 2012 by Dave&Roza

[Pitaya 2,577]

my girlfriend in Canadian, I'm a U.S. born citizen, would it be possible to avoid a bunch of bureaucracy by just marrying her when she came down to visit? I know a lot of paperwork would still have to be done but, we are trying to avoid the wait time

Welcome to the forum. There is a wealth of information here on all manner of immigration and visa issues. Consider acquainting yourself with the site.

Here are some guides that may be of use to you:

VisaJourney Guides

Our government seems to love bureaucracy and forms. "Trying to avoid wait time" is a laudable goal, one that many of us can certainly appreciate. Be careful not to do an action that is expedient, it may actually result in more wait time.

BTW, my g/f is Chinese, I'm a U.S. born citizen. We chose to do the K-1 visa, rather than the CR-1. It may result in a little less "wait" time, it may not. It may cost more, it may not... We all are at the mercy of our government's bureaucratic processes.

Good luck,

The B, of A&B

[baron555 934]

my girlfriend in Canadian, I'm a U.S. born citizen, would it be possible to avoid a bunch of bureaucracy by just marrying her when she came down to visit? I know a lot of paperwork would still have to be done but, we are trying to avoid the wait time

No, the "bureaucracy is still there", different but the same.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

my girlfriend in Canadian, I'm a U.S. born citizen, would it be possible to avoid a bunch of bureaucracy by just marrying her when she came down to visit? I know a lot of paperwork would still have to be done but, we are trying to avoid the wait time

No it is not legal to avoid bureaucracy. You can marry her but then you have to file for a CR-1 visa for her. She can stay as long as her authorization allows and then she must return to Canada to wait for the visa to process and have her interview.

[Robert&Karen 264]

For some reason people think because you are married to a USC you get the express lane. Not so. Even though Canada is an ally it is still another country and there is a process to follow. We decided to marry AFTER immigration as it would get her here faster. YMMV.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Good luck with that. At least Canada is close and cheap to travel to. Plus most likely both of you will be able to travel to see the other. Count yourself lucky. Most of us that go through this process not only have the waiting, but it is very expensive for the USC to travel to their intended SO's country and for some of us there is no way in hell the SO can come to the US until the visa is issued. So we have to wait without seeing our SO for a very long time.

Sorry, but people who want to short cut the legal process just burns my butt.

Dave

Yeah, Canada is like going to Wisconsin compared to the FSU. I did it, I visited often but there was no way Alla could come here. And my mother thought the delay was because the "Soviet Union would not let her leave"

[KittyPollitt 284]

Yeah, Canada is like going to Wisconsin compared to the FSU. I did it, I visited often but there was no way Alla could come here. And my mother thought the delay was because the "Soviet Union would not let her leave"