k1 or

[prince 2]

Hello I am US citizen. I have a girlfriend and right now she is working in Israel but originally she is a citizen of Nepal. she tried B2 visa twice in Israel but was refused. what is the best way to bring her here in the USA. Shall we try K1 seems its not 100% confirmed as she was rejected twice for B2 visa. and I guess foreigners cant have civil marriage in Israel otherwise we could have tried CR1 visa. what is the best option for us try K1 or go to Nepal get married and try CR1. or is there anyway we can get married in Israel and try for CR1? since she is working there so which ever route we choose K1 or CR1 we can do the process from there in Israel or its better to use US Embassy in Nepal.

any suggestions ....

 

thanks

[Ben&Zian 4,397]

Have you both met in person within last two years? And of course both are free to marry.

 

If so, then you can file for a K-1 definately. The denied B2 visas will have no affect on the verdict of the K-1.

 

If she is a legal status resident in Israel, she can be petitioned there. If she isn't then she would need to go through the embassy in Nepal.

 

Edited February 7, 2017 by Ben&Zian

[prince 2]

I meet her in person last year in Israel but that time I was not divorced . I was there in a business meeting. so we didnt take any joint pictures together and Israel doesnt stamp entry and exit stamp in the passport. so do I again need to travel to Israel and meet her once before I file K1. because there is no proof that we meet in person I guess so

[mollenne 11]

Unless you are both Jewish, you cannot be legally married in Israel; you are correct in that they do not have civil marriages (my husband and I could not do this either since I am not Jewish but he is).  We would have had to get married in Cyrpus or any other country that recognizes civil marriages, then do a CR1.

 

We went the K1 visa route, and it went very well for us.  You will definitely need to meet again and have pictures and evidence for when you file for the K1... as well as be engaged of course.

 

It is helpful to have the passport stamp -- but if you recall, when you enter/exit Israel, they do give you a slip of paper that acts as a passport stamp.  My husband and I saved these each time I visited, as well as our physical boarding passes (definitely save the boarding passes, not just the confirmation of your ticket purchase -- a boarding pass is PROOF that you traveled to visit each other or together).  My husband and I also had pictures of us together with his parents, so if either of you also has family in Israel, definitely take pictures with all of you together. This is great evidence.

 

I am not sure how much more that would complicate things, but to second with Ben&Zian, you cannot petition through Israel if she currently does not have legal status there, Nepal would be the country instead.  I am not sure how complicated things will be since she has two previously denied B2 visas.

[prince 2]

she is legally there from last 10 yrs working as a caregiver. I don't have family there and she doesn't have any family there too. so if we choose k1 we can't provide any evidence like pictures with parents. so please help us to choose the right track k1 or CR1.

 

k1 seems little bit faster then CR1. And for CR1 We need to go to nepal get married and she will be back to Israel for her work and I can file petition for her. which embassy we can use for CR1 Route better to use US embassy in Nepal or Israel.

 

seems complicated

which way shall we choose

its better to think and choose the right way

let us know 

[prince 2]

[Fr8dog 312]

We went the k1 route but looking back, it would have been better to go the CR1. At the time K1 was supposed to be quicker but that didn't really pan out. More importantly, the AOS takes a while now (I got really lucky with only 3 months) and its not cheap. And with the delay in EAD's and AP's she's looking at some serious couch sitting time while you're of to work.

 

Read up on the pro's and con's look at the whole picture and draw a plan. You are to only one that knows what's best for you

[mollenne 11]

Yes, I agree with F8dog -- only you will know which is the best for you, all we can do is let you know of our individual experiences.  I cannot emphasize enough that you should look at both processes very closely, try and imagine how you would go about meeting the standards of those processes, make your own pros/cons list, and if possible try to ballpark an estimated cost.

 

In general, CR1 might be more useful to you, just because you take care of everything (green card, work permissions in the US, getting married, etc.) all up front.  Is there a reason why you would prefer the K1 over the CR1?  Like would you really prefer to get married within the US instead of your girlfriend's home country? Sometimes this is a big deciding factor for a couple's process.  These are the questions to ask yourself.

 

My husband and I decided to do the K1 because at the time the wait times were much shorter, and we just wanted to be together and could not get married in Israel.  I think it ended up costing a bit more just because of the adjustment of status process once we did get married and file for his adjustment in the US -- but we didn't care at that point because we were together.  We had enough income to support ourselves until he got his work permit.  If you think this could be a major stress (supporting you both under one income while your spouse waits for her work permit), then a CR1 would probably be more attractive to you.

 

When you make your decision, think of the entire process, and how that might look. Consider the worst possible scenarios, be realistic.  Try to imagine how life might be if you go either route.