Will they distinguish between a legal marriage and a celebration?

[ebe 6]

Hi all!

I'm a USC living with my Chilean fiance in Chile. We had planned to file for a K1 but after scouring these boards have decided to change tracks, get married legally here in Chile first, and then file for a CR1. (Reasons include the potential for expedited processing, given recent trends for couples living together abroad, as well as cost and that it's more of an all-in-one process and he'll be able to work upon arrival in the US).

Thing is, we'd already planned a bunch for our US wedding September 21, 2013. (He is also a Swiss citizen so can enter the US as a tourist for 90 days with the VWP regardless of where we are with the immigration process. So we started planning since we figured if all else fails we can go there for the "wedding" and then leave.) Regardless of what happens, we are still planning on celebrating our wedding there (in Iowa), as far as the church service, reception, bridesmaids and all that goes, despite the fact that it looks like we will already be married legally.

So my questions are:

1. Does it matter that we'll file for the CR1 immediately after our legal wedding? Will that look sketchy? We've been living together over a year, bought an apartment together, have joint insurance and all that, so I'm hoping that could cancel out any suspicion based on the timing, but I'm not positive how it works.

2. At any point in the process (USCIS, NVC, interviews..) will it matter that I don't have pictures of myself in a white dress yes?

3. Could we include planning for our wedding (dress and ring receipt, emails to bridesmaids, etc) with the later date (that will not have occurred yet) in proof of our relationship? Obviously explaining that the legal date was earlier but our celebration will be in the US with family and friends there?

4. Finally, if we explained in the interview that we had married legally earlier to expedite the process (AKA had decided to apply for a CR1 instead of a K1), would that be frowned upon?

We've been planning to marry for ages, it's just the when and where that has recently changed.

Thanks all for your help! Besos.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hi all!

I'm a USC living with my Chilean fiance in Chile. We had planned to file for a K1 but after scouring these boards have decided to change tracks, get married legally here in Chile first, and then file for a CR1. (Reasons include the potential for expedited processing, given recent trends for couples living together abroad, as well as cost and that it's more of an all-in-one process and he'll be able to work upon arrival in the US).

Thing is, we'd already planned a bunch for our US wedding September 21, 2013. (He is also a Swiss citizen so can enter the US as a tourist for 90 days with the VWP regardless of where we are with the immigration process. So we started planning since we figured if all else fails we can go there for the "wedding" and then leave.) Regardless of what happens, we are still planning on celebrating our wedding there (in Iowa), as far as the church service, reception, bridesmaids and all that goes, despite the fact that it looks like we will already be married legally.

So my questions are:

1. Does it matter that we'll file for the CR1 immediately after our legal wedding? Will that look sketchy? We've been living together over a year, bought an apartment together, have joint insurance and all that, so I'm hoping that could cancel out any suspicion based on the timing, but I'm not positive how it works.

2. At any point in the process (USCIS, NVC, interviews..) will it matter that I don't have pictures of myself in a white dress yes?

3. Could we include planning for our wedding (dress and ring receipt, emails to bridesmaids, etc) with the later date (that will not have occurred yet) in proof of our relationship? Obviously explaining that the legal date was earlier but our celebration will be in the US with family and friends there?

4. Finally, if we explained in the interview that we had married legally earlier to expedite the process (AKA had decided to apply for a CR1 instead of a K1), would that be frowned upon?

We've been planning to marry for ages, it's just the when and where that has recently changed.

Thanks all for your help! Besos.

1. No, it is fine

2. No. You can get married in any dress you like. or jeans.

3. Yes

4. No. As long as you apply for the correct visa they do not care why you decided to go that route.

[ebe 6]

Excellent, married in jeans it is then haha. I was more thinking just because I would be including the receipt for the dress in the proof of our relationship, but wouldn't have any real pictures of the wedding day. Thanks so much for the feedback! Getting weirdly excited about starting this horrible bureaucratic process and taking steps towards living together in the US.

[D&Q 8]

Excellent, married in jeans it is then haha. I was more thinking just because I would be including the receipt for the dress in the proof of our relationship, but wouldn't have any real pictures of the wedding day. Thanks so much for the feedback! Getting weirdly excited about starting this horrible bureaucratic process and taking steps towards living together in the US.

I got married in a green dress lol

[beejay 125]

Excellent, married in jeans it is then haha. I was more thinking just because I would be including the receipt for the dress in the proof of our relationship, but wouldn't have any real pictures of the wedding day. Thanks so much for the feedback! Getting weirdly excited about starting this horrible bureaucratic process and taking steps towards living together in the US.

Congrats and good luck during your process!