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jessicaryan

Should we marry in US or abroad?

By jessicaryan in IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures

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jessicaryan Newbie

jessicaryan   0

Posted
Filed: Country: Italy
 Timeline
Posted

Hi everyone,

Here I am again with one other question. As said we wanna get married and then apply for CR1.

Does it make any difference to marry in US or in my home country (Italy)? I would enter in US on Esta.

My dream is to marry in US but I'm wondering if it makes any difference once we will apply with I130.

Thank you in advance!!

Jessica

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robin3298 Apprentice

robin3298   1

Posted
Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: India
 Timeline
Posted

Hi Jessicaryan ,

I would suggest to marry in usa because i130 will take time to bring your fiance around atleast 8 months to 11 months after marriage . Just apply Fiance visa (it will take only 3 months ) and gt marry from here but i think after that he has to apply again for green card in usa , so he won't apply to work anywhere . Just talk to Constulate agency people . Congrats


i meant he wont able to work in usa ..

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barbara360 Contributor

barbara360   6

Posted
Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Italy
 Timeline
Posted

I don't think it will make a difference. We got married here in the US while he was visiting on a 3 month visa, we applied for the CR1 and then he went back to Italy until we were processed and approved. The only reason we decided to marry here in the US was because Tommaso said it would take longer to get the papers and marry in Italy-not sure if this is still true.

Congratulations and good luck!

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DearJohn Explorer

DearJohn   28

Posted
Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Colombia
 Timeline
Posted

If you decide to go for the CR1 it won't take less than 8 months (being positive). My advice is to apply for the K1 visa instead of getting married on Esta, because you will have to go back to Italy and start the CR1 process. K1 petitions are being approved really fast (less than a month). You get the K1, go to the US, get married and stay with your love. If we had known this before, we would have married this way. Unfortunately we didn't know much about the differences and now we've been waiting almost 6 months for our NOA2 - CR1 visa.

Good luck!

USCIS



04-29-2013: Sent I-130 packet


05-06-2013: I-130 NOA1


05-16-2013: Sent I-129F packet


05-20-2013: I-129F NOA1


06-06-2013: I-129F Alien registration number changed


11-20-2013: Submitted I-129F e-Request


12-11-2013: I-130 and I-129F Transfer to Nebraska Service Center


01-03-2014 Submitted second I-129F e-Request


01-14-2014: I-130 Alien registration number changed


01-14-2014: I-130 and I-129F Approved


01-16-2014: I-130 shipped to DoS email


01-17-2014: I-129F shipped to DoS email



NVC



01-29-2014: NVC received case


03-07-2014: Case Number and Invoice ID Number assigned


03-08-2014: DS-261 Available and submitted to NVC


03-10-2014: AOS invoice available and paid


03-13-2014: AOS packet express mailed to NVC


03-14-2014: AOS packet delivered to NVC


03-14-2014: AOS shows "PAID"


03-18-2014: AOS Packet entered to the system


03-19-2014 DS-261 Accepted


03-31-2014: IV invoice available and paid


04-01-2014: IV packet express mailed to NVC


04-01-2014: AOS Accepted


04-02-2014: IV packet delivered to NVC


04-04-2014: IV shows "PAID"


04-04-2014: DS-260 submitted


04-04-2014: IV packet entered to the system


23-04-2014: Case Complete - No Checklists!!


30-04-2014: Interview scheduled



CONSULATE



10-06-2014: Interview :dancing:

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lucybelle Proficient

lucybelle   453

Posted
Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Costa Rica
 Timeline
Posted (edited)

We flew to the USA to be married for a few reasons.

1- We wanted a vacation wink.png

2- Getting married in CR is super expensive, like $500, and you have to be married by a lawyer that reads all these sexist things you have to agree to. Like the woman cleaning the house and stuff.

3- I wouldn't have to get anything translated

4- I wanted my family there

As mentioned, after marriage you have to go back to Italy to wait out the I130 process. That's what we did. Still waiting...

Edited by lucybelle

N-400 May 2017 Google Doc

Full timeline- 

 

Filed from abroad- Costa Rica

NOA1- NOA2: 316 days

Jan 12, 2013: Married!!
Mar 19, 2013: NOA1

Jan 28, 2014: I-130 approved

NVC- Green Card in Hand: 189 days

Feb 3, 2014: TSC sends case to NVC
April 14: Real checklist for AOS (saying tax number was incorrect when it wasn't)
April 30: Another AOS checklist, for proof of employment (which was already sent)
May 1: Checklist for IV- certified marriage certificate (even though I sent a certified one originally)
July 1: INTERVIEW!!! - APPROVED!
July 16: POE through Miami
July 22: SSN card in the mail
August 30, 2014: Green card arrives in the mail!!!
 
ROC: 366 days
April 27, 2016: Sent 300 page ROC packet to VSC via overnight mail
May 16: Check shown as charged online, received NOA 1 dated April 29
June 20, 2016- Biometrics
April 28, 2017: Approval
May 4, 2017: Approval letter arrived
May 15, 2017: GC arrives in mail
 
N-400: 190 days
May 8: Sent packet to Dallas Lockbox
May 12: NOA 1, Credit card charged
June 7: Biometrics
June 16: "In line"
Oct 2: Interview letter arrives (online status still says ''in line'')
Oct 31: Interview- Approved!
Nov 13: Oath ceremony!  Applied for passport & registered to vote on site.
Nov 22: Passport arrives (paid for expedited service and overnight delivery)
 
Journey complete! A total of 1701 days or 4 years, 7 months and 26 days.
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del-11-03-13-3 Contributor

del-11-03-13-3   11

Posted
Filed: Timeline
Posted

K1s are going fast right now but things can always change. Remember that after the approval from USCIS it still has to go to the NVC then off to the consulate where, depending on the country, you schedule the interview or the assign you a date. Even if K1s go back to normal processing times (USCIS approval in 5 months) it's still faster than CR1. Make sure you look at the pros and cons to marrying first versus the fiancé visa and then decide what's best for you.

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jaycali Experienced

jaycali   415

Posted
Filed: Timeline
Posted

Hi everyone,

Here I am again with one other question. As said we wanna get married and then apply for CR1.

Does it make any difference to marry in US or in my home country (Italy)? I would enter in US on Esta.

My dream is to marry in US but I'm wondering if it makes any difference once we will apply with I130.

Thank you in advance!!

Jessica

It doesn't matter one bit on the I-130 whether you get married in the US or Italy. If you plan to get married while on the VWP (ESTA), you'd go back to Italy and wait for the CR-1 visa, the same as if you were to marry in Italy. If you'd like to marry in the US, why not do it with a K-1 visa rather than ESTA?

The K-1 is a lot faster than waiting on a CR-1 visa.

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Ryan H Grand Master

Ryan H   3,796

Posted
Filed: Lift. Cond. (apr) Country: China
 Timeline
Posted

Moved from Progress Reports to Process & Procedures.

Our journey:

Spoiler

September 2007: Met online via social networking site (MySpace); began exchanging messages.
March 26, 2009: We become a couple!
September 10, 2009: Arrived for first meeting in-person!
June 17, 2010: Arrived for second in-person meeting and start of travel together to other areas of China!
June 21, 2010: Engaged!!!
September 1, 2010: Switched course from K1 to CR-1
December 8, 2010: Wedding date set; it will be on February 18, 2011!
February 9, 2011: Depart for China
February 11, 2011: Registered for marriage in Wuhan, officially married!!!
February 18, 2011: Wedding ceremony in Shiyan!!!
April 22, 2011: Mailed I-130 to Chicago
April 28, 2011: Received NOA1 via text/email, file routed to CSC (priority date April 25th)
April 29, 2011: Updated
May 3, 2011: Received NOA1 hardcopy in mail
July 26, 2011: Received NOA2 via text/email!!!
July 30, 2011: Received NOA2 hardcopy in mail
August 8, 2011: NVC received file
September 1, 2011: NVC case number assigned
September 2, 2011: AOS invoice received, OPTIN email for EP sent
September 7, 2011: Paid AOS bill (payment portal showed PAID on September 9, 2011)
September 8, 2011: OPTIN email accepted, GZO number assigned
September 10, 2011: Emailed AOS package
September 12, 2011: IV bill invoiced
September 13, 2011: Paid IV bill (payment portal showed PAID on September 14, 2011)
September 14, 2011: Emailed IV package
October 3, 2011: Emailed checklist response (checklist generated due to typo on Form DS-230)
October 6, 2011: Case complete at NVC
November 10, 2011: Interview - APPROVED!!!
December 7, 2011: POE - Sea-Tac Airport

September 17, 2013: Mailed I-751 to CSC

September 23, 2013: Received NOA1 in mail (receipt date September 19th)

October 16, 2013: Biometrics Appointment

January 28, 2014: Production of new Green Card ordered

February 3, 2014: New Green Card received; done with USCIS until fall of 2023*

December 18, 2023:  Filed I-90 to renew Green Card

December 21, 2023:  Production of new Green Card ordered - will be seeing USCIS again every 10 years for renewal

 

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jaycali Experienced

jaycali   415

Posted
Filed: Timeline
Posted

Thank you all.

Unfortunately we can't apply for K1 because he will still being in college next year and we need a co-sponsor. Co-sponsor is not always accepted and I've read in the Italian embassy not at all.

If you need a co-sponsor for a K-1, you'll need a co-sponsor for a CR-1 as well. Just saying

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Hollyday Rising Star

Hollyday   122

Posted
Filed: Citizen (pnd) Country: Russia
 Timeline
Posted

Well, first you need to decide which visa you want to pursue - K1 or IR-1/CR-1. Apparently you're choosing the latter (we did too, so i could keep working in Russia till the last moment and then be able start working in the USA immediately) , for this visa it really doesn't matter where you do it - could even be a third country. As some posters already said, if you do it in the US, you have less stuff to translate. But you will still have to go back to Italy to wait for the visa. It would be possible to visit your husband in the US in meanwhile though.

I'm the beneficiary.

....................................................................................................................................................................

Don't have a timeline? Don't know how to get started with it? Do it for the statistics sake: VJ video guide

Filing for a USC spouse visa (IR-1/CR-1) and not sure what comes next? Check out the VJ IR-1/CR-1 guide

Want to know what's happening with your case? Here's the USCIS tracking page (get an account and see if the case's been 'touched'!). Don't get your hopes up though, some cases never even appear there despite being successfully processed.

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