where to get married

[sandrine29 1]

hi all !

my fiancé and I have been very quickly approved , first I129f received on May 1st, letter from embassy with interview instruction on June 14 ! i'm just waiting for my interview now as my readiness form has been sent back to the embassy

anyway, we are planning our wedding, but we 'd like to go to Mexico (3 hour drive only from AZ) in order to get married at his sister's place. the pastor is american but am i able to go abroad for Two days, time for us to get married even if the administration part will take place at the clerk house in Phoenix !

can we separate both process the legal one and the spiritual religious one so i can visit abroad?

thank you

regards

[belinda63 3,052]

And how will your fiancé/husband return to the US? The K-1 visa is a one time use visa. If you leave prior to filing AOS and receiving advance parole you can't come back.

[Al422 221]

Once you enter on the K-1, you cannot leave the country for even two minutes. Sorry for the inconvenience but that is the law. Marry in the US.

[Emanettes 11]

Go to Mexico before he enters to America and get married there.. Then come back to the states to get married.. You have two weddings, spiritual and legal like what you want.

If he enters the US then drive to Mexico for your wedding, he cant enter America once again.. Then you file... Spousal visa this time.. Not a good idea.

[agrabs 251]

Go to Mexico before he enters to America and get married there.. Then come back to the states to get married.. You have two weddings, spiritual and legal like what you want.

If he enters the US then drive to Mexico for your wedding, he cant enter America once again.. Then you file... Spousal visa this time.. Not a good idea.

If you get married in Mexico before he enters the US then he can't enter the US on K1 visa.

[Emanettes 11]

If you get married in Mexico before he enters the US then he can't enter the US on K1 visa.

I know.. Thats why i said, spousal visa and added not a good idea. Edited June 28, 2014 by Emanettes

[agrabs 251]

I know.. Thats why i said, spousal visa

sorry i'm only have way thru my first cup of coffee ))

[Emanettes 11]

sorry i'm only have way thru my first cup of coffee ))

Ahhh dont be sorry.. It is fine.

[Emanettes 11]

This is the other half of the Emanettes. Her idea is actually very good and will work I think. Have a religious ceremony, not a legal wedding before they enter the US. That way legally they are not married, they are still engaged. That may not be what they want though.

My suggestion is do a civil wedding, file AOS along with Advance Parole, and do the ceremony in Mexico after that.

As has been said, if you leave the country at any time for any reason your Visa is automatically cancelled and counted as you having abandoned it. The earliest you can leave is if you get an Advance Parole for your AOS.

[christeen 966]

If u enter the USA you have to marry and file for AOS EAD/AP. takes about 90 days,.. Then you can leave the USA to go to Mexico... If you marry, religious or otherwise in Mexico prior to entering, you risk finding yourself in the grey area of being "too married for K1" even just a religious ceremony. If at POE they suspect you are married, they can cause you issues... Perhaps not, but it is a risk I mention as others have tried similar things... They ended up having to re-file a spousal visa from abroad and cost them anther year...

My suggestion, arrive USA k1, marry ASAP in AZ. File AOS and A/P IMMEDIATLY, plan for a Mexico ceremony about 90-100 days later... My 2 cents

[Pitaya 2,577]

You can use your one-time, one-way K-1 visa to come to the US and get married in the US,

You can then apply for AOS and Advanced Parole (AP), upon receipt of your AP document (usually processed in 60-90 days),

You can then return to Mexico for a family wedding/ceremony.

You can not use your one-time, one-way K-1 visa to come to the US and then get married in Mexico.

Should you do that, USCIS will consider that you have abandoned your case,

You will then have to remain in Mexico and start the immigration process again for a CR1 spouse visa.

That is the reason why many K1 visa-holders do a simple courthouse (or Las Vegas-style) wedding in the US, then upon receipt of the AP document, have a formal, large, family-style wedding/ceremony back home. (We opted for the simple courthouse wedding.)

Good luck on your immigration journey.

Edited June 28, 2014 by A&B

[Dohan 133]

Isn't AP only meant for emergencies? I did not realize you can apply for AP and state that you need one to go get married abroad. Would they really look favorably on that?

[Lainie B 465]

Isn't AP only meant for emergencies? I did not realize you can apply for AP and state that you need one to go get married abroad. Would they really look favorably on that?

It's not just for emergencies. You can use AP for any reason you like. You don't need to state why you are needing it.

[Lainie B 465]

It's not just for emergencies. You can use AP for any reason you like. You don't need to state why you are needing it.

Edit: You might be thinking of emergency AP, in which case yes you need to state a genuine emergency, and it has to be approved as such. If approved, it will be received within days.

But with the normal AP application that you submit with the AOS package, you don't need to state an emergency. You can be very vague about the purpose and destination. It is routinely approved, usually gets received within 60-90 days of applying.

[Jo Së 200]

If you get married in Mexico before he enters the US then he can't enter the US on K1 visa.

Actually, they can. I went to Mexico and had big wedding before my fiancee came here on a K-1. We had out Catholic wedding there and our civil wedding here.