Confused, overwhelmed, and need help with Visa options

[smoothoperaytor 40]

Hello! I'm an American and my fiance is Russian. We met in person in Turkey last year shortly after meeting online. Since then, we've been traveling the world together for the past 17 months.  Before we were quarainted in Russia for several months, we visited the UK, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia. We also visited Turkey again last month. I have a Russian 3-year tourist visa with multiple entry, but that is no longer accepted as of Sept 27 due to covid. 

 

Our attempts to get her to US have not gone well. She was rejected for a tourist visa twice. We didn't know better and even though we talked and planned a marriage, we didn't look into fiance or marriage visas.

 

Currently, I'm in the US and she's in Russia. I came back to the US a few weeks ago to visit my sick grandmother. Since I'm in the US, I want to use this time to research and plan options for getting her here.

 

We started the process of being married in Russia, but that was put on hold with the embassy closing. I was at the affidavit step here, but I no longer believe this is a good option after spending time here on the forum.

 

Since it's not important for us where we get married, we both have flexible schedules, and I have a good source of online income (work from anywhere), I'm thinking of getting married in a country where we can both meet. So far, Mexico and Albania look like good options. 

When it comes to choosing what I do, I'm confused. I see that Mexico City has a Direct Consular Filing office available, which could mean we could meet in Mexico, get married, and do(?) a DCF. This would be the most convenient I think since we can be together after the marriage and fly back to the states — together.

 

Or, if I understand correctly, we can also file for a IR1 (not a CR1 because that requires 2 years of marriage — correct?). I believe this would take longer and would require me to come back to the US after the marriage — without my wife. 

 

Basically, I'm looking for the quickest and most flexible option. The budget or country aren't factors. 

There's also the question about what I need to do to visit Russia after we are married, but I think that's a different question for a different forum.

I think that explains the situation. I may have follow-up questions if anyone responds. Thanks in advance!

Edited September 27, 2020 by smoothoperaytor

[SalishSea 17,928]

There is no quick option.

 

You do not qualify for DCF.

 

You can marry anywhere and then submit a petition for her to apply for a CR-1 visa.  It will not be quick, or cheap.  Most couples cannot avoid being separated for part of the process.

 

You've been traveling for 17 months?  Do you have a job?  You will want to investigate the financial requirements of sponsoring an immigrant, along with domicile requirements.

[smoothoperaytor 40]

8 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

There is no quick option.

 

You do not qualify for DCF.

 

You can marry anywhere and then submit a petition for her to apply for a CR-1 visa.  It will not be quick, or cheap.  Most couples cannot avoid being separated for part of the process.

 

You've been traveling for 17 months?  Do you have a job?  You will want to investigate the financial requirements of sponsoring an immigrant, along with domicile requirements.

Thanks for the reply. 

 

I'll look into the CR-1 more. 

 

Yes, I have my own business that I'm able to manage online. I looked up financial requirements and they aren't a problem. 

[Chancy 6,241]

3 hours ago, smoothoperaytor said:

if I understand correctly, we can also file for a IR1 (not a CR1 because that requires 2 years of marriage — correct?). I believe this would take longer and would require me to come back to the US after the marriage — without my wife.

 

The process and waiting time is the same for CR1 and IR1.  The type of visa granted depends on how long the couple have been married on the date the visa is issued, not when the petition was filed -- CR1 if married less than 2 years on visa issue; IR1 if more than 2 years.

 

After entering the US, CR1 visa holders will get 2-year green card, while IR1 get 10-yr GC.  CR1 visa holders can also get 10-yr GC if they delay their entry to the US after their 2nd wedding anniversary but before their visa expires.  Permanent residents with 2-yr GC go through the process of removing conditions to get their 10-yr GC.

 

You can file the I-130 petition + required documents as soon as you have a valid marriage certificate.  No need to wait to file the petition.  After the petition has been approved, if you want to be certain that your wife's visa type will be IR1, you may delay scheduling the embassy interview.

 

[smoothoperaytor 40]

Okay, thank you. I'm leaning toward getting married in another country then filing the CR-1. I'll probably go with a company for assistance since there's a lot going on and I don't want to make any mistakes.

 

[Lil bear 4,252]

9 minutes ago, smoothoperaytor said:

Okay, thank you. I'm leaning toward getting married in another country then filing the CR-1. I'll probably go with a company for assistance since there's a lot going on and I don't want to make any mistakes.

 

Most of us on this site will say “ do

it yourself “ it’s not that hard and if you are thorough, a student of the USCIS website and prepared to research ., you’ll be fine. Paid preparers don’t have just your application to take care of ., you are one of many .. and it’s not a guarantee of no mistakes .. and they only submit what you give them ..cut out the hold ups of the “ middle man” ..do

it yourself. Just my thoughts 

Edited September 28, 2020 by Lil bear

[smoothoperaytor 40]

3 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

Most of us on this site will say “ do

it yourself “ it’s not that hard and if you are thorough, a student of the USCIS website and prepared to research ., you’ll be fine. Paid preparers don’t have just your application to take care of ., you are one of many .. and it’s not a guarantee of no mistakes .. and they only submit what you give them ..cut out the hold ups of the “ middle man” ..do

it yourself. Just my thoughts 

I've had bad experiences in the past when trying to do it myself. Plus, I don't want to spend hours of my time researching when I could be doing other things. That's what I'm paying for -- the convenience of having someone knowledgeable tell me what to do. I was looking at the company Boundless. They seem like a good option.

[Chancy 6,241]

14 minutes ago, smoothoperaytor said:

I've had bad experiences in the past when trying to do it myself. Plus, I don't want to spend hours of my time researching when I could be doing other things. That's what I'm paying for -- the convenience of having someone knowledgeable tell me what to do. I was looking at the company Boundless. They seem like a good option.

 

While most here DIY, this site does have pro partners.  Check out the blue ribbon at the top if you're looking for options.

 

[CS_Bradshaw 55]

2 hours ago, smoothoperaytor said:

I've had bad experiences in the past when trying to do it myself. Plus, I don't want to spend hours of my time researching when I could be doing other things. That's what I'm paying for -- the convenience of having someone knowledgeable tell me what to do. I was looking at the company Boundless. They seem like a good option.

me and my husband using Boundless for my IR-1 visa application. they helped us checking the documents in details. first step for petition (I-130) application we didn't get any RFE and even for the NVC stage it went smoothly. doing it yourself might make you feel overwhelmed sometimes

[kzielu 1,149]

8 hours ago, smoothoperaytor said:

Okay, thank you. I'm leaning toward getting married in another country then filing the CR-1. I'll probably go with a company for assistance since there's a lot going on and I don't want to make any mistakes.

 

Like sort of mentioned above - you file I-130 for a spouse - not for CR-1 or IR-1.  That's basically only option available to you unless you want to do K-1.

 

You should marry ASAP (why didn't you while you still were there) and send the petition. Where you get married completely doesn't matter as long as it's a legit marriage.

[smoothoperaytor 40]

6 hours ago, CS_Bradshaw said:

me and my husband using Boundless for my IR-1 visa application. they helped us checking the documents in details. first step for petition (I-130) application we didn't get any RFE and even for the NVC stage it went smoothly. doing it yourself might make you feel overwhelmed sometimes

That's great to hear. I'm glad it worked out for you.

 

[Nitas_man 3,100]

7 hours ago, smoothoperaytor said:

I've had bad experiences in the past when trying to do it myself. Plus, I don't want to spend hours of my time researching when I could be doing other things. That's what I'm paying for -- the convenience of having someone knowledgeable tell me what to do. I was looking at the company Boundless. They seem like a good option.

Most of the time is spent gathering documents and evidence.

 

[smoothoperaytor 40]

58 minutes ago, kzielu said:

Like sort of mentioned above - you file I-130 for a spouse - not for CR-1 or IR-1.  That's basically only option available to you unless you want to do K-1.

 

You should marry ASAP (why didn't you while you still were there) and send the petition. Where you get married completely doesn't matter as long as it's a legit marriage.

We tried to get married when I was in Russia, but the embassy shut down one week before my appointment to get the affidavit notarized. Since as far as I know that is only available at the embassy, we've been on standby.

 

Getting married in another country wasn't considered until I read about it on this forum. I didn't realize it was possible. 

[Nitas_man 3,100]

1 hour ago, Jorgedig said:

Reported.

Not interested?  LOL

[smoothoperaytor 40]

1 minute ago, Nitas_man said:

Most of the time is spent gathering documents and evidence.

 

It sounds like most of the time is spent waiting for whatever office, consulate, or embassy to process your information.