Needing Wedding Clarification and Advice

[Crazy Cat 45,081]

2 minutes ago, Cw1977 said:

100% agree with this. Plus the cr1 is cheaper overall. And you keep earning money throughout. I’m surprised k1 is even an option for most people these days. 

I have been here on VJ for more than 9 years.  I have seen a significant number of K-1 couples say they should have gone the CR-1 route.  I have not seen any spousal visa couples say they regret having done so.  Choosing which option is such an important decision.  Every couple has their own priorities, and everyone should be as fully informed as possible about both options, imho.

[appleblossom 4,757]

2 hours ago, NathanStephanieJ said:

The current plan is for us to have a ceremony in France in September 2026 and then the American one in October 2026

 

If you're looking so far ahead, then you could also look at marrying via the Utah online route now, then visit each other and file I-130 for a spousal visa. You'd then be able to have big blessing ceremonies around then instead (unlike the K-1, you wouldn't want to make firm plans with that as timing could end up being all wrong).

 

And you'd have the advantage of him nearing the end of the visa process at that point, and being able to move to the US as a green card holder with all the benefits. 

 

 

Edited August 24 by appleblossom

[smilingstone 717]

2 hours ago, NathanStephanieJ said:

We picked the K1 so we could enjoy our engagement period and have some ability to do normal couple things. We would like to celebrate this milestone with our families and didn’t want to be away from each other for almost 2 years as newly weds with the CR 1 visa. I speak for both of us when I say we don’t wanna risk the process but we can’t figure out how to do a wedding with those we love and stay within the realms of the visa. I appreciate the guidance y'all are giving, sadly this seems harder than I thought. 

 

I probably felt the same as you when it came to choosing the K1 over the spousal. It felt easier somehow to be apart while being engaged, not married, and saving the marriage for when we were able to be together properly. I hindsight, if we had married way back and done the spousal route, nothing would've changed, we would still be the same people and in the same situation we're in now, only some things would've been easier for me. After going through the K1, I really understand why people say spousal is just better. 

 

At the end of the day, you are still committed to each other, so really what difference does it make if you are away 2 years from your husband, or your fiance? They are still the same person and 2 years is 2 years. 

 

You need to focus on celebrating with family when you are well clear of the visa finish line. You can't do this in the conventional way, because this is not a conventional relationship. Unfortunately, family will get left out of the celebration because either they can't travel, or you can't travel, so maybe explore who would be able to come to the US once you are there and married, book an Airbnb, stay together, set aside 1 day for his family to come to the house and meet your family to celebrate together. If you book these places months in advance you often pay only a deposit and can get a full refund upto some weeks before the date, meaning it's much safer than planning 2 cross nation parties and travel with entirely different groups of people. 

 

Yes, it is hard, but nothing worth having is ever easy to achieve. 

 

Good luck! 

[rbv_shard 7]

5 hours ago, Cw1977 said:

Plus the cr1 is cheaper overall. And you keep earning money throughout. I’m surprised k1 is even an option for most people these days. 

 

Couples that follow the tradition of one breadwinner, one homemaker don't necessarily need work authorization (if the USC is the breadwinner).  Yes, I know that's very last century, but it's what the K-1 is designed for, and that's reflected in other ways too (such as needing evidence of approval of families).  In such a situation the faster arrival in the US means less time supporting separate households and less travel, which can make the K-1 more cost-effective in total despite the higher fees.  (That does assume that K-1 is faster processing than CR-1, which is not guaranteed and varies with agency priorities, but for traditionalists, having that processing overlap with the engagement period also is a benefit)

[Cw1977 212]

21 minutes ago, rbv_shard said:

 

Couples that follow the tradition of one breadwinner, one homemaker don't necessarily need work authorization (if the USC is the breadwinner).  Yes, I know that's very last century, but it's what the K-1 is designed for, and that's reflected in other ways too (such as needing evidence of approval of families).  In such a situation the faster arrival in the US means less time supporting separate households and less travel, which can make the K-1 more cost-effective in total despite the higher fees.  (That does assume that K-1 is faster processing than CR-1, which is not guaranteed and varies with agency priorities, but for traditionalists, having that processing overlap with the engagement period also is a benefit)

that’s true. Yes, i assume both party would want to work, but if they’re not going to do that and rely on one salary, you make a good point. 
 

The other issue though of course is if the beneficiary needed to return to their home country at short notice (like a funeral unfortunately, they would be unable to. That’s def a draw back 

Edited August 25 by Cw1977

[Sarah&Facundo 614]

Outside of just getting married civilly and getting the paperwork signed ASAP so you can apply for the Cr1 which is your best scenario (then you can have both weddings as you wish), you could do what we did when my now-husband came to the US under the K1 and livestream the whole thing. His parents did make the trip to the US for the wedding, but no one else was able to make it. However everyone watched from the comfort of their homes. We later went back to his country once he received his travel permit and celebrated with them. It is the major downside of immigration, but unfortunately what you proposed is not advisable at all.

[Ryan H 3,925]

Moved from Progress Reports to Process & Procedures.

[JeanneAdil 7,211]

France is not a high fraud country so either visa will work 

As for signing marriage certificate (as needed in France) , if CO thinks to married for K1 ,  how do you prove u aren't married ?  its really hard to prove a negative .  Can you prove thru modus tollens?

 

Modus tollens is a valid logical argument form in which a conditional statement (If P, then Q) and the negation of its consequent (Not Q) lead to the negation of the antecedent (Therefore, not P). This form is also called "denying the consequent" because it involves denying the "then" part of a "if-then" statement to conclude the denial of the "if" part. 

 

for you, its not that the K1 is faster or more expensive

its the timeframe for the K1

and then the timeframe for the AOS

and then the timeframe for the I 751 to get the 10 year green card

and then , finally,  the N 400 for citizenship

 

read thru some K 1 timelines , like crazycats and know how long you will be dealing with immigration under a K1.

the different petitions and all the documentation can drive a sane man crazy/ proving over and over that the relationship is real and providing all this personal info to USCIS again and again is a hassle

 

Wishing u both a good life TOGETHER