Marriage Visa process outside the U.S. Need feedback!!

[Willm 0]

Hello VJ Family. I am new here and i see that this is the correct place to be in order to find alot of innoccent help from anyone who's applied/applying/awaiting different types of Visas. To start off my forum i'd like to first say i am preparing to try and process for the Marriage Visa in the next 3-4months. All feedback is gladly accepted, as i know after my initial steps of marrying, i will need feedback from everyone. My situatution: Im a U.S. citizen working outside the U.S. temprorarily and i will not be home within the next 8months or so. My fiance is from Ethiopia and she works outside of Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia. We are planning to travel together there and marry in her home country. Can someone thats been through the process from that area give me a heads up on what to expect from the U.S. Embassy/Ethiopian Consulate there? What docs should i or could i already have on hand when i get there? Should i spend the money and obtain a lawyer, or should i proceed to handle everything w/ care myself,(Ensuring no mistakes) being that im outside the U.S.? I've already obtained a Letter of Marital Status from my Local/State Gov't office denoting that i haven't been married before. HOW SMOOTH WILL THE PROCESS BE (OFFICE TO OFFICE, BUILDING TO BUILDING) IN ETHIOPIA MARRYING AND ACQUIRING EVERYTHING I NEED?

Should i bring along with me my :

1. Letter of Marital Status (Already Acquired via one of my Local/State Gov't office, Although that can be obtained from the U.S. Embassy there)

2. BirthCerticate & Social Security Card?

3. Also i have 3 Signed Affidavits from 2 of her relatives and 1 of my friend, verifying that we have been in a relationship for over 2.5yrs ( Although 3 additional Witnesses must/can be present from her side of the family there in Ethiopia)

3. Should i obtain all documents in her native language & in English, and submit them all to the US IMMIGRATION. Someone mentioned that it would be wise to 3 ORIG COPIES of everything because the U.S. systems is very strict and want things in it's original form.

Everything will be taken care of there via the court/gov't system in Addis Abbaba and all recquired docs will be certified mailed back to the U.S. @ the Chicago Office as stated via the US Immigration website, because Spousal/Fiance Visa's are no longer processed by the Embassy's outside the U.S. offices anymore.

[Kastrs 723]

Hello VJ Family. I am new here and i see that this is the correct place to be in order to find alot of innoccent help from anyone who's applied/applying/awaiting different types of Visas. To start off my forum i'd like to first say i am preparing to try and process for the Marriage Visa in the next 3-4months. All feedback is gladly accepted, as i know after my initial steps of marrying, i will need feedback from everyone. My situatution: Im a U.S. citizen working outside the U.S. temprorarily and i will not be home within the next 8months or so. My fiance is from Ethiopia and she works outside of Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia. We are planning to travel together there and marry in her home country. Can someone thats been through the process from that area give me a heads up on what to expect from the U.S. Embassy/Ethiopian Consulate there? What docs should i or could i already have on hand when i get there? Should i spend the money and obtain a lawyer, or should i proceed to handle everything w/ care myself,(Ensuring no mistakes) being that im outside the U.S.? I've already obtained a Letter of Marital Status from my Local/State Gov't office denoting that i haven't been married before. HOW SMOOTH WILL THE PROCESS BE (OFFICE TO OFFICE, BUILDING TO BUILDING) IN ETHIOPIA MARRYING AND ACQUIRING EVERYTHING I NEED? How smooth....well that depends on a lot of thing and it is hard to predict how smooth your journey will be. You should expect the process to obtain a visa for your wife to take about a year after filing.

Should i bring along with me my :

1. Letter of Marital Status (Already Acquired via one of my Local/State Gov't office, Although that can be obtained from the U.S. Embassy there) A letter of marital status is something I am guessing you need in order to be married in Ethiopia, it has nothing to do with your petition. What you will need for your petition is your marriage certificate.

2. BirthCerticate & Social Security Card? For your petition, you need either your birth certificate (if you were born in the US) or a complete copy of your passport. You do not need your social security card.

3. Also i have 3 Signed Affidavits from 2 of her relatives and 1 of my friend, verifying that we have been in a relationship for over 2.5yrs ( Although 3 additional Witnesses must/can be present from her side of the family there in Ethiopia) Affidavits are good to have and can be included in your petition, make sure they are in English.

3. Should i obtain all documents in her native language & in English, and submit them all to the US IMMIGRATION. Someone mentioned that it would be wise to 3 ORIG COPIES of everything because the U.S. systems is very strict and want things in it's original form.Yes make sure that all of your documents are translated into English, you must make sure they include the certification statement (you can search on this forum for the exact wording you must include). Yes I would suggest getting multiple copies of everything; however, it is acceptable and I would also say recommended to send copies and NOT originals in with your petition.

Everything will be taken care of there via the court/gov't system in Addis Abbaba and all recquired docs will be certified mailed back to the U.S. @ the Chicago Office as stated via the US Immigration website, because Spousal/Fiance Visa's are no longer processed by the Embassy's outside the U.S. offices anymore. NOTE you are responsible for assembling the petition and all supporting documents and then mailing it to the Chicago lockbox.

So I am going to attempt to give you some guidance here.

Firstly, I want to confirm, you are planning to get married in Ethopia, and will then file your petition for your wife to move to the US?

If this is correct, then what you are after is a CR1/IR1 visa.

Please reference the guides on this site, they are very helpful and should answer most of your questions www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

What you will need to do is fill out the forms listed in the guides, I130 and a G325A for both you and your spouse. Also you will need a passport photo from each of you as well as some evidence of your marriage (INCLUDING YOUR MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE) and a bona fide relationship.

After assembling your packet, you will mail this petition to the chicago lockbox along with your filing fee-this must be drawn in US dollars via either a check from a US bank or a money order.

Once your packet arrives at the lockbox, it will be shifted to a processing center.

Now to address your questions, see my answers above in red.

[Ryan H 3,925]

Moved from K3 Process & Procedures to IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures.

[Willm 0]

Thanks Kastrs and Ryan H. Very helpful info. I will soon began my process next month. This VJ community is of great help. Congrats to both of you on your past journey through this process..I will k.i.t.