A courthouse marriage followed by 'wedding' 8 months later?

[sharpcar 4]

hello out there in visa journey land this forum is awesome..me and my fianccee were just talking about this subject last nite..and we were on the same plan civil marriage and a little get together no big plans or huge wedding... with the k-1 visa its really hard to put any plan in motion theres no time frame..im glad im not the only one with that type of answer saying they were to ask at interview?? i would hate to see thats a first???on immigration officers face then get denied our interview is on tuesday so you bet the nerves and emotions are startin to run on high gear...but thanks to this posting it gave me some insight and i think i rather start doing the other half of this process asap cause i think shes gonna go crazy noy being able to work and seeing that it could be 3-6 months...seeing that im at the interview stage i just realized this is the half piont...or half time if you wanna call it..take abreak celebrate and get back in motion good luck to all and may all your visa journey dreams come true...god bless

[ukcharlotte 4]

In regards with volunteering, do you need a social security number to do so? That's my plan to, I am going to be volunteering in the same hospital my fiance is, hoping to make some friends and get an experience

I believe so, especially when it comes to volunteering in a hospital/school environment. I wanted to volunteer in the hospital where my fiance works when I was in the US for three months, but without a social security number they were unable to do any background checks. I asked about bringing a criminal records account from the UK and they said that they wouldn't be able to accept it. But thankfully, according to visajourney flowchart for the K-1, we can apply for a SSN shortly after entering the US!

[ukcharlotte 4]

We are planning exactly same thing. Sending the petition this Tuesday so hopefully we are approved around same time We are hoping then to get married and plan our wedding reception in 2013 after we are done with all the paper work

Fab - keep me updated with your progress and we'll compare notes!

[Scafidi454 22]

We are planning something similar, but we're going to do the two of us on the beach (since I live where there are 1000s of weddings on the beach every year) with a justice of the peace. It's pretty cliche for me to do it on the beach, but she really wants it and I just want to be with her.

Then, we're thinking of having a ceremony in Russia at her parents home about a year afterwards. I haven't met them yet, because they live far from Moscow. We didn't have enough time to go when I was in Moscow with her work schedule.

Her parents did say that they would do a real traditional Russian village wedding for us! I think something about drinking vodka from her shoe, stealing the bride, eating a certain bread with salt, etc.

Edited January 15, 2012 by Scafidi454

[sabi 148]

Fab - keep me updated with your progress and we'll compare notes!

sure sounds great! a long journey ahead of us so it's good to know someone who is starting around the same time as we are

Edited January 15, 2012 by sibi777

[sabi 148]

Her parents did say that they would do a real traditional Russian village wedding for us! I think something about drinking vodka from her shoe, stealing the bride, eating a certain bread with salt, etc.

heh sounds similar to a Polish wedding... 3 days drinking and eating and dancing etc... personally i am not into that stuff but it might be an awesome experience for you

[Vicky and Larry 27]

Me and my fiance' just got off the phone after discussing this very subject. I have just (Jan 9th) completed my Visa Medical and it all went fine, so just waiting on the U.S Embassy interview now! Yay!

My fiance' has looked up how the whole process of marrying at the courthouse in his state works: Marriages are held on a Wednesday and the cost of the license is $48.00. They start wedding procedures from 1pm on a first come first basis with the actual ceremony lasting no longer than about 5-10 minutes! Not very romantic, but it is what it is and we will make the best of it. Larry will take off the rest of the week from work so we can at least have some time together as newly weds. And, then around May or early June we will have a blessing.

I just want to get the AOS moving along as quickly as possible. Someone told me you can also audit classes if you are thinking about going to school or continuing on with your education. I believe you just have to AOkay it with the college that you wish to go to. I am planning on doing some voluntary work too.

[Dan & Jenni 457]

after seeing jenni's "honey-do" list and being told about all the things i can do at her dads place while he is in afghanistan, i doubt i will have time for voluntary work... i doubt i will have time to even eat or sleep lol

[Helen Louise Pile 80]

In regards with volunteering, do you need a social security number to do so? That's my plan to, I am going to be volunteering in the same hospital my fiance is, hoping to make some friends and get an experience

Hi! I think it's a great idea.

I got my ssn as soon as I got here. I followed the VJ guide and applied for in after about 10 days in the country and I had it in a couple of weeks. I volunteered in schools so I think it was necessary. Some places probably wouldn't require it, but a hospital might. Have your fiance ask someone there.

Best of luck with everything!

[kristinanddan09 1]

Daniel and I have figured out that we're going to do a wedding down at the courthouse with just the two of us. We're trying to save up for our own place and then buying rings and that, we both think it's the best way to go. Then we will have a big reception afterwards whenever we can with everyone. Not sure how it's going to work, whether doing it right after the wedding or waiting until maybe we get our own place. We'll see.

[Scafidi454 22]

Daniel and I have figured out that we're going to do a wedding down at the courthouse with just the two of us. We're trying to save up for our own place and then buying rings and that, we both think it's the best way to go. Then we will have a big reception afterwards whenever we can with everyone. Not sure how it's going to work, whether doing it right after the wedding or waiting until maybe we get our own place. We'll see.

I think that by being an American sponsor/petitioner should be enough to expedite immigration. That way we wouldn't have to worry about all of this. Or, we should at least be afforded lesser fees. However, just like in other markets, the honest people or just consumers have to make up for company/organization losses.

[Wizzle 41]

...Getting married initially at the courthouse and then later having another celebration of marriage is totally fine and the IO wouldn't find it weard! My wife and I did the same thing. However, whichever legal marriage that comes first is your official wedding dates, and that's the one recognised by USCIS. In your case i believe that would be the courthouse wedding you are planning with your future husband.

.... On the second note, the earlier you get married upon entering into the USA the better for you to apply and send your package in,as long as you get married before 90days of you entering US on K1 you are fine. After you send your package in,depending on how busy your local feild office is, From Date you send package to biometrics, you should recieve your EAD within 6-9 weeks. N:B: Times Varries from state-2-state.

Above all, One step at a time. It's a long process you sure need alot of patience for! Good luck and all the best. :-)

[mjkj 14]

Good Afternoon

My fiance filed our I-129f just yesterday so we are at the very early stages of applying for a K-1 visa. I'd just like to touch base with some people in a similar situation or those that may be able to answer my questions!

My fiance and I are hoping to get married in the US within 3 months of the K-1 visa being issued but, because we do not know how long this process will take, have decided to plan for a courthouse marriage and then have a 'proper' wedding later. Logistically this works better for us as he is hoping to return to school in August and won't finish until May/June of 2013, so our theoretically timeframe looks like a marriage in September/October 2012 (assuming the K-1 has successfully been issued by then) and then to have our wedding in June/July 2013 time. Has anyone done a similar thing?

Also, assuming our marriage to be in September/October and us staying on top of all the paperwork, when will it be likely that I can start applying for work in the US? What is your experience with getting AOS and your greencard for work?

Thanks for reading!

Charlotte (British)

Get married as soon as you can, courthouse marriage is ok just do the church wedding or proper wedding later, just get married before 90 days that you got here, important is you got married before 90 days, And then file your AOS Adjustment of Status, EAD Employment Authorization Document, and Advance Parole.

From my experience i got here june 24,2008, got married on August 23, 2008., file my papers on September 19, 2008 , AOS,EAD and advance parole, i just file that for in case of emergency i can always travel back to Philippines before i got my green card. Anyways i got my Ead and Advance Parole on February 23,2009 and got my Green card on April 08,2009.

Goodluck!

[sabi 148]

Hi! I think it's a great idea.

I got my ssn as soon as I got here. I followed the VJ guide and applied for in after about 10 days in the country and I had it in a couple of weeks. I volunteered in schools so I think it was necessary. Some places probably wouldn't require it, but a hospital might. Have your fiance ask someone there.

Best of luck with everything!

`Hi!

Yeah that's what I thought... I am sure I will need that and at least one more vaccination before I can volunteer in the Hospital but that's the plan. I could never sit at home and do nothing, that would just kill me so I guess it's good to have a plan at least

Thanks

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Good Afternoon

My fiance filed our I-129f just yesterday so we are at the very early stages of applying for a K-1 visa. I'd just like to touch base with some people in a similar situation or those that may be able to answer my questions!

My fiance and I are hoping to get married in the US within 3 months of the K-1 visa being issued but, because we do not know how long this process will take, have decided to plan for a courthouse marriage and then have a 'proper' wedding later. Logistically this works better for us as he is hoping to return to school in August and won't finish until May/June of 2013, so our theoretically timeframe looks like a marriage in September/October 2012 (assuming the K-1 has successfully been issued by then) and then to have our wedding in June/July 2013 time. Has anyone done a similar thing?

Also, assuming our marriage to be in September/October and us staying on top of all the paperwork, when will it be likely that I can start applying for work in the US? What is your experience with getting AOS and your greencard for work?

Thanks for reading!

Charlotte (British)

If you applied now, you should be able to marry in the April -May time frame. You should be able to work by Sep-Oct time frame. Whatever kind of second marriage you have is irrelevant and will not affect the process. The first one counts.