My first time on this site

[Colley 0]

Hello,

I am new to this site and I am trying to look around for the right topics to get answers to all the questions I have. If anyone could help me find the right sections to search for my answer or perhaps give me advice on my situation I would greatly appreciate it.

I have been in a relationship with someone from out of country for slightly over two years now. We have been waiting for him to finish his education (college) in his country before we started this whole process. He will finish up his schooling this coming June of 2015 and we want to start any process ASAP as we know these things take time, so that we are ready and prepared to hopefully have our meeting this coming summer. We of course have spoke about getting married, him moving here to be with me and continue the rest of our lives together. But we are slightly confused on where to start and what to do with literally everything in the process. I myself have read around numerous sites and done lots of research but I am still heavily confused on the whole process.

Basically what I am trying to get information on is how we should handle our process. For example, do we just try to apply for a tourist visa at first? From what I have read it seems like it is a bad idea to try and get married on the first visit? We of course know this relationship is legitimate and not for any ulterior purposes, but I do know that can be hard to prove or show? We of course would love nothing more than to make this a speedy process and do everything we possible can in the first meeting together so that we can be legal and just continue our lives together. So what I would like to know is where we should start and how we should handle this process. I really do not know much about obtaining a visa, what kinds there are and also what these different ones entail? I've read and seen about fiancee visas? I am not sure if we should try for a tourist visa, have our initial visit and then apply for this fiancee visa? I am rambling now because I have so many questions and thoughts, any help or advice on what to do or where to look/start would be SO greatly appreciated.

[awaywego 28]

Welcome!

It sounds as though you and your significant other have not yet met in person. Both visa types require that you meet before filing, the K-1 (fiancé) within the past two years, and the CR-1 (spouse) to marry. That will be your first step, then, either in the US (visitor visa/VWP), his country, or elsewhere.

As to which you should choose, there are positives and negatives to each path. Check out this comparison chart and see which best fits your situation. Once you have decided on (or are heavily leaning toward) a path, you can read more about it in the K-1 guide or CR-1/IR-1 guide. Reading around the forums is also a great help.

You say you are worried about how to show that your relationship is legitimate. There is some discussion of this in the linked guides, and there are also many threads on evidence. Take a look at those and see what applies. Many couples apply when living in different countries.

[Colley 0]

Thank you so much for these links. Yes, I have been reading around in all of the forums and trying to find answers to everything I have questions about.

It just becomes a bit confusing reading about all of the different visas as well as forms you need to file and complete. I get a bit lost in translation haha. So basically we need to set up a date to just meet before we can do really anything at all, correct?

Just one last question of curiosity, working in to our first meeting we should just be applying for a normal tourist visa? And then I assume from there we would make our way to the K-1 and so on?

Thank you for your help, I truly appreciate it.

[NikLR 13,227]

Either you can travel to their country or they can travel to the USA, or you can meet in a third country which may be easier for both of you to do. How you meet is not important, but the actual meeting is so document it if you plan on chasing a K1 visa down the road.

No matter how it works out, if you both want to live in the USA together, then marriage MUST be in your future.

[Mariana M. 18]

The forms all look very confusing as soon as you start getting familiar with this "world", but when you decide what you want and you read into it, things start becoming clearer. VisaJourney is your best friend!

Good luck