K1 visa application church ceremony

[Hyeway1213 0]

Hello all! I applied for a K1 visa application for my fiancé in Armenia and received my receipt number in March 2020 I would like to plan a wedding before we receive our response. Will a church ceremony affect my K1 status being we are only planning a wedding in church? 

[Just Paul 4,591]

A ceremony can be interpreted as a wedding,  Don't do that.  Plenty of stories of people getting denied or found out.

 

If you wanted to get married then you needed a spousal visa.

[SteveInBostonI130 3,330]

Hi,

 

Are you asking is it ok to start making wedding plans, or are you asking if you can have a wedding ceremony in a church before you get the K-1?

 

Wedding plans are ok, as long as you do not make commitments for specific dates right now.  There is no guarantee that you will get the K-1 in 9 months, or sooner or later.  But you can decide on wedding dresses and themes, colors, etc.

 

Having a wedding ceremony is not ok.  You cannot get married until after your fiance arrives and enters the US with the K-1 visa.  

 

[Hyeway1213 0]

If my receipt number was processed in March and we get approved between August and October then why can’t I have a ceremony in November (In Armenia)  then get married legally in the US before the 90 days expires?

[payxibka 10,044]

6 minutes ago, Hyeway1213 said:

If my receipt number was processed in March and we get approved between August and October then why can’t I have a ceremony in November (In Armenia)  then get married legally in the US before the 90 days expires?

You can do whatever you want.   This type of plan however,  has come back to bite people in the past causing their visa to be denied 

[SteveInBostonI130 3,330]

I am not the best to explain, because my wife and I did get the K-1 and got married in the US, but we did not do the adjustment of status because she had to return home due to a family emergency.

 

But from what I understand, you will need to submit relationship evidence for your adjustment of status, I-485.  If the USCIS, upon review, finds out about the wedding ceremony that occurred before your fiance entering the US, they can consider you and her being married prior to her arrival in the US as a K-1, and that your US marriage is illegal.  

 

If you really want the wedding ceremony, there are 2 options:  1) cancel the K-1, wed, and do the spouse visa.  2) Your fiance arrives in the US, you wed, submit the AOS, wait for the AP (advanced parole), and return to Armenia for the church wedding.

Edited June 10, 2020 by SteveInBostonI130

[SteveInBostonI130 3,330]

17 minutes ago, Hyeway1213 said:

If my receipt number was processed in March and we get approved between August and October then why can’t I have a ceremony in November (In Armenia)  then get married legally in the US before the 90 days expires?

Also, with the current average timeline, the K-1 will not be issued until December or January.  Remember that USCIS processing is just the first step.  The NVC stage is about a month or month and a half.  Then a week or more for the application to arrive at the US Embassy in Armenia.  Then a month or more for the DS-160 application, police clearance, medical and embassy interview.  Then at least a week or so for the embassy to print the visa on your fiance's passport after approval.

 

If you have the wedding ceremony before the US embassy interview, then....well, I know several stories here on VJ about couples being denied the K-1 by the embassy due to being already married.  Even just for engagement parties and pre-wedding celebrations.  All of them were informal, non legally binding events.   Those couples then had to get legally married and apply for the spouse visa.

 

[Ontarkie 13,995]

Many times a church wedding is a legal wedding. If you have any type of wedding ceremony before arriving in the US you can have your visa denied. Even if you try to sneak it in after getting the visa in your passport you can be denied entry at the border and your visa canceled. 

 

I won't even get into what can happen if you make it into the US and they discover it later.

 

[NoMansLand2020 298]

45 minutes ago, Hyeway1213 said:

If my receipt number was processed in March and we get approved between August and October then why can’t I have a ceremony in November (In Armenia)  then get married legally in the US before the 90 days expires?

With the pandemic you might be waiting longer than that. US embassies are currently not conducting interviews nor awarding visas. If your fiancée is in a country that is locked down, like the Philippines, it could be a while. 

 

I am a December filer. I waited exactly 5 months and then received an RFE. Took one week to receive the letter. Another week to formalize a reply. I'm hoping to have NOA2 by the end of the month. But it could be longer. 

 

Best to not make any concrete wedding plans until you have the visa. 

Edited June 10, 2020 by Solaris81

[Hyeway1213 0]

Thank you all

[PaulSmt 0]

You should probably wait for your fiance to receive the appropriate visa.

[Unlockable 7,309]

*** Thread is aging. OP got appropriate advice and have not logged on for 2 years. Closing thread.

 

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