getting married after a short relationship -- green card process advice?

[VioletTheCat 0]

I'm in the US on an F-1 visa, finished my Ph.D. and am currently on the post-degree OPT period which expires next May. My girlfriend and I have decided to get married so that I can stay in the country. We're in a bona fide relationship but have only been dating a couple of months, don't live together, and don't have the kinds of documents that most married couples can show to prove their marriage (e.g. joint lease / bank accounts). What can we do to make the green card process run smoothly given these difficulties?

Presumably USCIS will look askance at the short period we've known each other and at the lack of typical documents. What can we do about this? We're open to getting joint bank accounts etc. for this purpose, and maybe adding her to my lease (?), but we're not actually considering moving in together at this point. Is that going to be a major stumbling block?

What about the timeline? When should we get married and start the application? My big constraint is that by the end of May I need to not only be allowed to stay in the country, but I need to be authorized to work. My first thought was to start the ball rolling as soon as possible, but given the newness of the relationship, maybe it's better to wait a few months so that we can truthfully tell USCIS we'd been dating longer than a ridiculously short time before deciding to tie the knot?

Finally, at what points during the process is it going to be difficult/impossible for me to travel abroad? I've been planning a visit home sometime in December-January; I could defer that if absolutely necessary, but would prefer not to.

We'll be using the San Francisco office of USCIS, so I'd also be specifically interested in hearing experiences with that office. Thanks.

[tayurshu 37]

You can start by having a bona-fide marriage that you entered into in good faith: not to "stay in the country."

All I read here is that you want to stay in the USA and you want work authorisation. Everything you write about is immigration benefits - nothing you've written about is for a legitimate marriage.

Concerned this is getting very, very close to visa fraud.

[Cheezees 1,514]

My girlfriend and I have decided to get married so that I can stay in the country.

[Starkilla09 366]

I'm in the US on an F-1 visa, finished my Ph.D. and am currently on the post-degree OPT period which expires next May. My girlfriend and I have decided to get married so that I can stay in the country. We're in a bona fide relationship but have only been dating a couple of months, don't live together, and don't have the kinds of documents that most married couples can show to prove their marriage (e.g. joint lease / bank accounts). What can we do to make the green card process run smoothly given these difficulties?

Presumably USCIS will look askance at the short period we've known each other and at the lack of typical documents. What can we do about this? We're open to getting joint bank accounts etc. for this purpose, and maybe adding her to my lease (?), but we're not actually considering moving in together at this point. Is that going to be a major stumbling block?

What about the timeline? When should we get married and start the application? My big constraint is that by the end of May I need to not only be allowed to stay in the country, but I need to be authorized to work. My first thought was to start the ball rolling as soon as possible, but given the newness of the relationship, maybe it's better to wait a few months so that we can truthfully tell USCIS we'd been dating longer than a ridiculously short time before deciding to tie the knot?

Finally, at what points during the process is it going to be difficult/impossible for me to travel abroad? I've been planning a visit home sometime in December-January; I could defer that if absolutely necessary, but would prefer not to.

We'll be using the San Francisco office of USCIS, so I'd also be specifically interested in hearing experiences with that office. Thanks.

While a short dating span before marriage might be a red flag; however, it's not a deal breaker in your adjustment of status provided you guys demonstrate strong proof of bona fide marriage by the time of your interview which will be 4 to 6 months on average or even longer after filing. You guys will have to marry first before even starting the process with your marriage certificate. You won't be able to travel until you get your EAD/AP which comes normally after 60 to 90 days from filing date as well. If your initial documentation of evidence isn't strong, you'll be expected to bring more on the interview day or be given request for more evidence along the process. If you file before your student status runs out, you'll be in a period of authorized stay from the moment it's received until after it's adjudicated by USCIS at the interview. You guys are certainly gonna need joint stuffs though to proceed whenever you best want to. You can use joint bank accounts, credit cards, memberships, leases, car health medical insurance etc. Above all this marriage has to be REAL not just to circumvent U.S. Immigration laws to procure a green card as this is fraud and problematic. Edited September 23, 2015 by Starkilla09

[Transborderwife 4,666]

You can start by having a bona-fide marriage that you entered into in good faith: not to "stay in the country."

All I read here is that you want to stay in the USA and you want work authorisation. Everything you write about is immigration benefits - nothing you've written about is for a legitimate marriage.

Concerned this is getting very, very close to visa fraud.

+1

[Brian and Talitha 2]

We have a two year old baby and just got married three weeks ago, I'm sharing this just to say... Bona Fide marriage is only Bona Fide if the status is a consequence of a relationship, not the opposite. That's why we waited so long till we were in a place where our relationship matter way more than any possible benefit. If you want to stay in the country but are not sure about your girlfriend just revaluate yourself and try to see if you could fit in any other category. Do not compromise your future - bona fide marriage on its definition is a marriage without intention to receive immigration benefits, no matter if you act like a couple and are in somehow a relationship with your partner (most people do not understand that).

[asdasd 0]

I'm in a similar situation. Me and my girlfriend love each other. More than just any relationship that wouldn't matter if it ends because legal issues, it would destroy us. Maybe if the situation was different we would take our marriage differently, actually we don't need it, I mean, our bond is stronger than a paper, but we are somewhat forced to get married to feel safe and have a normal life. She is the one I want to travel with, not anyone else.

We had a short relationship so far, but the union is strong, we both know that we wont find this compatibility again. We already live together, we pay our things together although I'm not in any bill yet, we deal with our problems together, I'm part of her life in full, but I cannot get her to know my family because I cannot travel. We are sure that this is it, we are ready to settle, but we need to prove it.

Even tho they would not be able to tell me I don't love my girlfriend, I'm afraid to apply because I don't want them to redflag me because it would not be the most conservative marriage in the way that it's not a fairy tale story where we were a couple for 10 years.

So, we would be getting married for our relationship to be safe, is that a bona-fide union? Maybe if I didn't have any residency issues we wouldn't be getting married, not because we are not ready, but because we already know what we feel and we already know we want to settle with each other.

Edited September 30, 2015 by nlabrad

[Transborderwife 4,666]

I wouldn't recommend advertising this view on marriage during the process. However it's understandable. Marriage is still the gold standard in the USA.