How did your foreign fiancé(e) time their friends/family tourist visa application for the wedding?

[HKdut 0]

We are hoping for my fiancée from Hong Kong to arrive and be married by Oct/Nov/Dec. When should her family apply for a visa? Her mother would prefer to come and stay for as long as possible to see her only child settle in to a new country, a 6 month tourist visa is in the realm of possibility for her, correct?

Bonus question- We are considering a small courthouse wedding to meet the 90 day requirement, and then having a large ceremony in the summer of 2016. At that time in 2016 would the government see this ceremony as a legit wedding and issue visas to her friends/family normally as if it was a "real wedding"?

Edited July 28, 2016 by HKdut

[Georgia16 2,858]

I guess they really can't time it before your Fiancé have her visa in hand. So much can make the process take longer.

What country are she from?

If the mother comes for 6 months in oct/nov. then I think she will have a hard time coming again in the summer of 2017 I think you mean, because then she has already spent 6 months in the US. That is if she can even get a visitor visa.

How long she can stay for no matter which visit will be up to the border control people what they say when she enter.

I don't quite get this question:

Bonus question- We are considering a small courthouse wedding to meet the 90 day requirement, and then having a large ceremony in the summer of 2016. At that time in 2016 would the government see this ceremony as a legit wedding and issue visas to her friends/family normally as if it was a "real wedding"?

If you do a courthouse wedding then that is your real wedding, that you want to have a second one will matter to nobody but you guys. And your second wedding has nothing to do with the families visas, they will have to show strong ties to their country so they believe that they will return and not just stay.

[Pitaya 2,577]

Welcome to the forum.

Due to the myriad of unknown obstacles and pitfalls on any visa journey, it is unwise to make any type of non-refundable/non-transferrable arrangements before you have the K1 visa in your passport, and your passport is in your hand.

They (your in-laws) will have to prove to the satisfaction of the US consular official at the interviewing US embassy/consulate, that they have significant ties to HK such that they would return to HK after their US visit is completed. Such ties could include, property, house ownership, current stable employment, etc. Each visitor visa applicant is presumed to have immigration intent, and must prove that they are not trying to immigrate to the US. A letter from a doctor, any documents from you, or any other invitation-type letter would likely have no positive effect on the visitor visa approval.

Your bonus question is moot, the courthouse marriage ceremony is a legally-binding ceremony. Have a family celebration instead later on.

Good luck.