Where do we start?

[BahamaWife 0]

Hello,

my boyfriend and I have been together for about 3 years now. We met in college and he graduated last December 2011 and had to move back to the Bahamas and began working full time. I am still in school and will be graduating this December 2013, and we plan to get engaged before I graduate and married sometime after. I am starting to put together a scrapbook of everything for our documentation, but what we need to know (I am the American citizen) is when do we need to file the I-129F form. We dont want to be rushed in the 90 days to get married, so should we wait to file that? Also is it wise to get a immigration lawyer? Any help is much appreciated!!!

[LeftCoastLady 441]

If your plan is to get married in 2014, then submitting a petition this year is a good idea.

Be sure to read the VJ K-1 guide to fully understand the beginning of this process and the flowchart as well. Usually, once the visa is issued, the fiancé has six months to enter the U.S. and then once they enter, they have 90 days to marry.

Unless your situation is complex (e.g. criminal record, overstays, etc.), you likely will not need an attorney. If you can read the instructions and the guides on this site, you can do it yourself. Good luck!

Hello,

my boyfriend and I have been together for about 3 years now. We met in college and he graduated last December 2011 and had to move back to the Bahamas and began working full time. I am still in school and will be graduating this December 2013, and we plan to get engaged before I graduate and married sometime after. I am starting to put together a scrapbook of everything for our documentation, but what we need to know (I am the American citizen) is when do we need to file the I-129F form. We dont want to be rushed in the 90 days to get married, so should we wait to file that? Also is it wise to get a immigration lawyer? Any help is much appreciated!!!

[EminTX 131]

You are going to find lots of helpful (and a few not-so-helpful) suggestions from many folks here. The best thing to do is to read through the forum that applies to your situation. It looks to me like you want the K-1 forum. There are so many issues and aspects that you can't even begin to anticipate and the experiences of others who have recently been through it all will help you to avoid potential problems and just be aware of some other issues.

When I first discovered this site, I started reading through any threads that were popular or had titles that interested me. I did that off and on each day for a couple of months. Almost every single possible question that is asked each day has already been covered in the last month.

Whatever you do, with the frustrations and delays, remember that you are doing more to prove your love for each other during this process than almost anything that is depicted in romantic movies or novels. Keep your chin up and stay positive and don't give up.

[BahamaWife 0]

Thank you so much for this help!!!! I have been in work all day but as soon as I get a chance I will be asking more questions .... For starters, im confused about the 6 months living thing and then the 90 days. Can he live here for 6 months and find work? And after we get approved we MUST get married within 90 days? Thanks so much for all of your help.

[BahamaWife 0]

@emintx Thank you so much for the encouragment! I know its going to be a long road ahead, but we are ready... We think lol

[MmmBlondie 8]

Thank you so much for this help!!!! I have been in work all day but as soon as I get a chance I will be asking more questions .... For starters, im confused about the 6 months living thing and then the 90 days. Can he live here for 6 months and find work? And after we get approved we MUST get married within 90 days? Thanks so much for all of your help.

To clear up your confusion - once your fiance has been issued his visa (its been paid for, approved and he has it in his passport), he has up to 6 months to leave his country and enter the US. Once he enters he then has 90 full days for you to get married.

You MUST get married within the 90 days otherwise the K1 visa is void and he will have to be deported. Once you are married THEN he can file for AOS and EAD. He will then receive his 2 year green card and employment card in 2-3 months. Remember he will need a SSN number as well. He could probably look for work while he waits for his employment card but he wont be able to actually legally work.

Hope that helps

[EminTX 131]

My own husband got his work and travel authorization (highly advised to get these!) in August but we are still waiting for AOS.

If your AOS is held up for a long time (there is no way to know when ours will happen) then at least life isn't on hold for the foreign person. My husband has gone back to his country and finished up a semester of college and graduated in the time from receiving his advanced parole (travel auth.) and now. We are seriously almost to the point where we can use a birth certificate with both our names listed as the parents as one of the pieces of evidence. That's too long, IMHO!

Good luck!

[BahamaWife 0]

Ok thank you all soooooooooooooooo much for this help. You are really helping us understand this process. New question: my boyfriend lives in the Bahamas but is free to travel to the US and stay for up to 6 months at a time. He has a travel visa (I think that is what he called it) so he can come here freely and he does all the time but for like a week since he has work back home. So with that being said does he still have to wait in his country and all that nonesence till he gets the OKAY that he can come here? We dont think so but any advice will help. Also I wanted to get married in the Bahamas, so does that effect anything? Will we have to get married in the States? If we get our marriage license in Georgia it shouldnt matter where the cermony is right???